Ebay new policies are a poorly disguised attempt at forcing higher fees on sellers

[carpe_diem_jedi]

So nowadays eBay forces seller to have more than generous free return policies.

In turn buyers, know they can return anything anytime for any reason and will abuse the protection program and return items after 29 days because they know they can return it for free and get a full refund. In other words you have buyers who simply use eBay as a 30-day free rental service.

Since eBay has implemented their new policy where you have to offer free 30-day returns on your listings to remain a top rated plus seller, my return rate has more than doubled.

In turns eBay now threatens sellers with higher selling fees if your return rate is above a certain threshold.

And voila!

By forcing seller to offer free returns for 30-days eBay has intrinsically doubled the number of returns. By increasing the number of returns, they not only made it harder for seller to turn on profit on the sales themselves but they also artificially increased the fees on these same sellers due to no fault of their own.

eBay has self engineered a crisis for their sellers.

There is nothing ethical about this company, their only goal is to generate maximum revenues for themselves regardless of what happens to the sellers.

I think my days selling on eBay are counted. It has become more trouble than it is worth.

[carpe_diem_jedi]

---

@hioctane62 wrote:

I will never offer free returns because it attracts the type of buyers who are shopping for items with free returns.

---

You are missing the point. Wether you offer free return or not, the buyer will always be able to return for free and you will always have to pay for it.

All a buyer has to do is claim the item is not as described or defective and you will then be forced by eBay to pay for the return shipping label.

The buyer only has to pay for the return shipping if they admit that they had a change of heart and that almost never happens. 

[carpe_diem_jedi]

---

@luckythewinner wrote:

---

@carpe_diem_jedi wrote:

Since eBay has implemented their new policy where you have to offer free 30-day returns on your listings to remain a top rated plus seller, my return rate has more than doubled.

---

The Top Rated Plus discount amounts to about 1% of the selling price (not including shipping). 

If your return rate has doubled since you started offering free shipping, that means you are now paying return shipping on all of those returns instead of paying no return shipping on any returns. 

So if the cost of return shipping on all of your current returns is more than 1% of your sales, then it should be a no-brainer to just stop offering free returns and forgo the discount.  

---

You are missing the point as well. I sell iPhone chargers. Buyers will use them for 3-4 weeks, break them and claim the item was defective. In this scenario, the seller has to pay for the return shipping.

There is another scenario where buyers know that most sellers will immediately issue a refund rather than to pay for the return shipping on an item that sells for $6. So they open returns simply hoping they will get a refund and not be asked to return the item. I've had so many of these cases that I can't even count them anymore. 

My solution nowadays is to accept returns automatically. As it turns out 75% of these fake returns are never returned at all. The other 25%, more than half actually return a perfectly good item.

The only problem is that wether people return or not, wether it is a fake claim or not, it will count as a return against you and eBay will increase you FVF rate if you have too many returns. Ebay just couldn't care less of this is fair or not. Their interest is not aligned with that of their sellers.

[mam98031]

You are preaching to the choir.  No one misunderstood what the point was.  Sure we didn't outline each problem that may arise.  If we were to do that, this thread would be along, boring novel.

[clarryf458]

I am now in the trap you describe in the last paragraph of your post. I have been selling on eBay since 2006 and have never had problems with returns before. So now I am penalized an additional 5% cost in one category. Ebay turns a deaf ear to "case closed in your favor because we find buyer did not return item to you", "buyer changed mind", "does not like item" etc, and leaves defect on seller dashboard.

[mam98031]

---

@clarryf458 wrote:
I am now in the trap you describe in the last paragraph of your post. I have been selling on eBay since 2006 and have never had problems with returns before. So now I am penalized an additional 5% cost in one category. Ebay turns a deaf ear to "case closed in your favor because we find buyer did not return item to you", "buyer changed mind", "does not like item" etc, and leaves defect on seller dashboard.

---

@clarryf458 

You have to have 10+ SNADs in any one category BEFORE the Service Metrics kicks in and compares you to your peers.  Do you have more than 10?  If so, what is the graph showing you?  Are you rated very high?

[toponehundred]

So nowadays eBay forces seller to have more than generous free return policies.
No they don't. Sellers have a choice. I don't offer Free Returns and I know plenty of sellers that also don't offer Free returns. It is a choice for each seller to make. It is fine for some and not so much for others.

How can anybody that knows the Ebay Best Match Search say that sellers have choice point is Ebay Best Match Search places your item on page 177 instead of page one where buyers can see it unless you give away freebies.  If there is not much interest in your item with best match search you better give away the store or you may not be able yourself to find your own item. 

[mam98031]

---

@toponehundred wrote:

So nowadays eBay forces seller to have more than generous free return policies.
No they don't. Sellers have a choice. I don't offer Free Returns and I know plenty of sellers that also don't offer Free returns. It is a choice for each seller to make. It is fine for some and not so much for others.

How can anybody that knows the Ebay Best Match Search say that sellers have choice point is Ebay Best Match Search places your item on page 177 instead of page one where buyers can see it unless you give away freebies.  If there is not much interest in your item with best match search you better give away the store or you may not be able yourself to find your own item. 

---

@toponehundred 

Do you have me confused with some other poster??  I never any of the stuff you are addressing above.  

[bilzbigdealz]

Nah, Ya Think?

[rsresell]

You are exactly right.I stopped selling here and stress level is way down.good luck there are other venues that respect and appreciate us sellers as the saying goes never bite the hand that feeds You .So true .Ebay has really hit rock bottom .we can only hope they some day sell  off to avoid bankruptcy or whatever. that i see in the future there a sinking ship.

[bilzbigdealz]

Thats one way of looking at it.  My experience as a one person show was straining to have the TRS designation but the sales were eaten up by the free returns on the shippingThat was in 2018. Shipping is now completely off the table with the rates. If you dont have 10-15k sales a month you just cant absorb it. Period. It does actually matter with weight 15 lb items cross country is a big cost. What kind of hyperbolic phrasing can make this seem as a great help to sellers is a bit disingenous. Like how great a deal was negotiated with the USPS. How about making them accountible for shipping cost when they destroy goods. They mishandle and break a $20.00 item and the seller is on the hook for 30.00 shipping x 2 for the refund and the cost laid out. Shot. Now I am rambling. Sorry.

[clarryf458]

I have 13 in one category. 0 in all other cats.

[mam98031]

---

@clarryf458 wrote:
I have 13 in one category. 0 in all other cats.

---

Does your graphic In your Seller Hub show that you are in Very High range, or what is it telling you?

[bilzbigdealz]

reply to top one hundred. Regarding that the choice to offer free returns is the sellers choice and not a forced requirement by ebay.  I was referring that it is not a choice of the seller. Ebay made it  a requirement to be able to stay in the Top Rated Class.  If I was unclear then excuse me. Another seller picked up on what I meant.  I find it off putting that i maintain the requirements and have 100% satisfaction on feedback. Now, I wonder if if I offered free returns and had a 98% level on feedback would that enable me to be in the TRS. Anyhow...no choice, no grandfathered designation. Here it is - do it or out u go. But its all about making the sellers life better. Sorry to be so ungrateful.

[mam98031]

---

@bilzbigdealz wrote:

reply to top one hundred. Regarding that the choice to offer free returns is the sellers choice and not a forced requirement by ebay.  I was referring that it is not a choice of the seller. Ebay made it  a requirement to be able to stay in the Top Rated Class.  If I was unclear then excuse me. Another seller picked up on what I meant.  I find it off putting that i maintain the requirements and have 100% satisfaction on feedback. Now, I wonder if if I offered free returns and had a 98% level on feedback would that enable me to be in the TRS. Anyhow...no choice, no grandfathered designation. Here it is - do it or out u go. But its all about making the sellers life better. Sorry to be so ungrateful.

---

@bilzbigdealz 

That isn't correct.  You do NOT have to offer free returns to be TRS.  You can have any return policy you want to have from the options Ebay allows.

Now if you want the FVF discount of 10%, then on the listings you want to qualify for that you need to offer Free Returns and 0-1 day handling.  But you don't have to have any listings qualify for TRS+ to remain TRS.

You are currently rated TRS and you don't offer Free Returns.

I don't think you are ungrateful, just have a misunderstanding of how it works.

[clarryf458]

I am showing 5 in wrong item 2 in doesn't match description/photos in another which should actually be "buyer did not read description and 1 in several for a total of 14. I have talked with a "specialist" who informs me that even though 1 Return was closed by buyer with the explanation of "buyer opened return by mistake" it will still be counted against me as a Return. Yes I have a "very high" rating of 1.91 percent.. Ebay continues to charge an additional 5% on my sales.