Simply-the-best-for-you Volunteer Community Mentor
mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
@ratoliprova wrote:I think this is very good information for any seller, UPVOTED! I am wondering if there are ways to actually refund, with "no refunds accepted," or are you pretty much stuck with "I wont be able to return your money", with regards to Ebay's system, even if you refund via paypal or other purchase method? One of the reasons I put no returns in my listings, is because a number of my items are EXTREMELY fragile, so I cannot guarantee that they will ship it back to me properly and not break them, which is why I didn't know if I was SOL if a buyer breaks the item... Do we sellers have any protection with returns?
It's pretty complicated. I suggest you hang around the boards for awhile. But in a nutshell, having No Returns as a policy (which I use myself though we are in the minority) ONLY helps you if the reason a buyer selected is a Remorse Return with eBay. If they tell you it's a remorse return (ie; didn't like color, didn't fit) BUT then choose a SNAD reason, the SNAD will prevail & you will lose. It comes down to how honest your buyers are. Mine tend to be very honest, so I don't get too many fake SNADs.
Even if you choose No Returns, you MAY accept a return if you wish, any time you want. I think that's what you're asking, I'm a bit confused by your wording. You ALWAYS have the option to refund if you wish & sometimes you are forced to refund if when you don't want to & when it's not fair (when a buyer tells you a remorse reason, but then files a SNAD anyway). Be aware that only 2 things will get you a DEFECT. One is canceling an order for being out of stock (OOS), the other is not handling a SNAD & having eBay step in.
As for the holding of items, even if buyers don't know, it's no big deal. You simply tell them, "eBay requires me to ship by X date. I can combine anything you purchase prior to X date, after that it will go as a separate package & I will have to charge shipping". I have buyers that hurry up & make up their minds & many others that buy 3 days in a row & pay shipping each time. It's ok by me either way. I was never big on "holding" things anyway, since many don't follow through, so this makes it easier. The part I hate is when someone asks me to hold an item b/c they'll be on vacation & I can't (or I choose to do it & take the ding). I'm not big on inconveniencing my buyers, so canceling & asking them to buy later, besides being risky is inconvenient to them.
ETA: Also, in case you didn't know, you are not allowed to leave NEG OR NEUT FB for a buyer anymore. That's been around 10 years, so you're prolly aware.
I see that you decided to change your handling time to 15 days, likely to help avoid this problem again. Are you sure it is worth it? Do you get a buyer asking you to delay shipment that often? Do you realize that having that long of a handling time will significantly lower you in the search returns?
"...but I don't deserve to be penalized when all I'm doing is trying to be a good seller." I am sincerely sorry this happened to you, but one thing Ebay does, just like most things in life, they hold sellers responsible for knowing the rules.
However if I were in your position, I think it is worth a try to get that defect removed from your Dashboard. They may forgive it, but be prepared if they don't. And don't be mad at them as you did break the rule.
@ratoliprova wrote:This isn't a resolution to my problem.
It isn't a resolution in the way you want one, which it to get rid of that late shipment defect. But it is the correct action for you to take. There is nothing you can do at this point to stop that defect from happening.
One defect will not significantly damage your new account. So don't worry about that. But now you know and won't do this again. All you need to do is as most of us do when a buyer requests a delay in shipment.
Simply let them know that per the Ebay rules you must ship within your stated handling time once payment is received.
Now if a buyer tells you they will be away on vaca or on a personal emergency, ask them if they can have a neighbor pick up their mail or have the PO hold their mail. They will do that at no charge for up to 30 days.
@ratoliprova wrote:I'm looking into cancelling, I don't seem to see any negatives by doing so, after reading a bit into the cancellation policy, besides Ebay holding my fees as a "Credit." I'm not sure if there is any negatives with regards to cancelling a purchase as a seller?
Except upsetting your buyer. Don't add more problems that you don't need. And YES YES YES there is a downside to doing this and not just upsetting your buyer. But you do not have a legit reason to cancel the order. The buyer did not request it and you don't have a problem with the ship to address. So that means you have to select the only seller reason there is which is out of stock. And by doing that you get a DEFECT on your account.
So don't replace your problem with a different problem, that will not help you at all.
@ratoliprova wrote:I am in contact with the buyer and will see how they will like to resolve it, hopefully in that way.
I do not believe I deserve to get penalized for this, this is unacceptable, and the fact there is no way to resolve this via ebay is pathetic of a company that as others have said 'handles millions of users." There are plenty of other websites that make it easy for resolutions, and the fact there is no "Gray area" for shipping, is sad.
I have tried to go above and beyond as a seller to try and make sure my buyers are happy. This isn't something a seller should have to deal with.
WHY are you involving a buyer with a problem you have with Ebay. That isn't a good thing to do at all. What you should be doing is getting this item shipped to that buyer, not involving them in your issue. Certainly they created your issue, but it is your JOB as a seller to resolve it.
You tried to do your best for the buyer which is usually exactly what a seller should do. But you did that not knowing or researching to find out if it conflicted with the Ebay rules. And that too is your job.
"This isn't an issue of "should I ship now" it's an issue of, IF I SHIP NOW I GET IN TROUBLE." You should ship to your buyer immediately.
I get it that you are upset about this defect you will have for the late shipment. But you need to also understand it is not the end of your selling account or anything close to that. You will be fine. You will survive and so will your Selling account. Ebay does NOT sanction a seller with one defect. Now you know not to repeat it.
But you need to get this item shipped to your buyer before they get mad and leave you a negative feedback because you took too long to ship after the buyer asked to you release it.
@ratoliprova wrote:Thank you. Hopefully I wont have issues with buyers and trying to scam me via MBG.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fee-credits?id=4128 mentions the .30 cents seems to be refunded with a cancellation of "buyer requested."
My 3 buyers don't know this rule, as one of them specifically asked to hold his item. This clearly isn't something buyers know, unless they are veterans, and have experienced this issue(most likely as a seller).
Your order will not qualify for that policy regarding cancellation. For that to be in effect, the buyer must FORMALLY request the cancellation and they can ONLY do that withing the first hour AFTER the purchase.
Any other cancellations after that first hour is just a buyer emailing you and asking you. Sellers can choose to accept the cancellation or not.
I still do not believe this is the best direction for you to go. And you should NOT be involving your buyer / customer in helping you to fix what you believe will fix your account. It won't by the way. The late shipment has already been recorded. It isn't coming off now.
Just ship the darn item to your buyer before they get ticked off at you and leave you a negative feedback.
A no refund policy may protect you against having to take a return, but it will not protect you against having to refund a buyer.
If a buyer files an INAD [item not as described] case, you will need to process it no matter what your return policy is.
All sellers are required to meet or exceed the policies as stated in the MBG [Money Back Guarantee].
eBay Money Back Guarantee policy
Well the buyer isn't going to get ticked off in this case, b/c they are the one expecting him to hold the purchase b/c they want to buy more & OP agreed b/c they thought that was ok.
I am the one who mentioned the Buyer Requested Cancel. I only brought it up to correct Lamber's post, not b/c I think it applies in this case. It does not. I was just wanting OP to have the correct info.
I agree that OP should not be involving the buyer except to let them know what he's going to do. Since OP initially agreed to hold the item, he does need to communicate the change to the buyer, but yeah, the whole cancellation thing is way more work than needs to happen & IDK that it even removes the ding. OP should just mail the item & inform the buyer of how it works. There's no need to cancel anything.
ETA: I know in some categories, it's common to have these "add on" purchases. If OP sells in one of those categories, they may even want to add a blurb in their listings about how they handle it.
"Well the buyer isn't going to get ticked off in this case, b/c they are the one expecting him to hold the purchase b/c they want to buy more & OP agreed b/c they thought that was ok. " I'm unsure how you can make this judgement. This buyer may very well get upset for two reasons. The OP has written the buyer about the issues created on Ebay. Then they are also talking about cancelling the order. That buyer may get plenty ticked off about it if they cancel the sale. And the only thing the seller accomplishes is to have a Defect for a late shipment [as it would already be recorded] and a defect for a cancellation that the buyer did not ask for.
So they are trading one problem for another and two defects instead of one.
It doesn't matter who suggested it, the OP just needs to know and understand it will not fix anything.
AS to how the seller should handle it in the future. I suggested a method earlier that many seller use.
Notify the requesting seller that you can't do that because of the rules in which Ebay imposes on its sellers. You would be willing to cancel the order and they can purchase it upon their return if it is still available. Or they can purchase the item and have it shipped to another address. Or they can have their neighbor pick up their mail or have the PO to hold their mail. They will do that for up to 30 days free.
@mam98031 I agree with you. Was just letting you know it was buyer requested, since you commented that they should ship it to avoid the buyer getting PO'd. Was just clarifying that in this case the buyer isn't going to get PO'd that it wasn't shipped. It was at the buyer's request that it wasn't shipped. That's all.
OP is not choosing to handle it the way I suggested or the way I would reccomend & I agree they need to learn how to handle it correctly, since this is a common occurence in some categories.
Yes, I'm aware that the buyer initially asked the OP to hold shipment. But the buyer has now said it is OK to ship. So delaying the shipment because there is a debate about the best approach to their issues could present an additional issue for the seller that they are not thinking about. Plus the fact that they emailed the buyer to bring them into the problems they are having. It may end up being more than the buyer wants to deal with. So I respect that you don't feel the buyer is going to get upset, I simply see it differently.
I agree as well, but for this particular problem they came here with, they need to get this item shipped to their buyer tomorrow.
