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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

Beginning in May 2022, ebay announced it would be refunding a pro-rated portion of FVF when an item is partially refunded.  This has worked flawlessly for our partial refunds that are combined shipping reimbursements, or shipping overages.  HOWEVER it has not worked a single time, when a buyer returns something incorrectly and we refund all but the shipping charges.  Which is our option to do, at our discretion. Sometimes it is just a matter of opinion, sometimes it is an innocent error on the part of our customer, who opened a return for the wrong reason.  EBAY HAS NOT REIMBURSED OUR FVF for these returns.  NOT ONCE.

 

An example:  My buyer bought some 14k earring jackets.  Buyer opened a return because one of the earring jackets was missing in the package.  I messaged my buyer to let them know that the jackets sometimes nest together and it looks like there is only one.  My buyer messages back.....YES both jackets are here (thankfully).  But I still want to return them because they are not long enough.  Buyer returns earrings, and I refund full purchase price, but not the original shipping, as they should have opened a return for "do not like" which would have defaulted to refund purchase price, but not shipping amount.  Ebay does not reimburse my FVF for this return.  Those fees on a $200 transaction are considerable.  Even though the policy from May 2022, states very clearly that ebay owes my FVF back.

 

So, we have about $600 worth of returns that ebay owes FVF back to us.

 

I would assume this is happening across all sellers, not just me.  If you are unsure, you can easily check in the breakdowns of your returns to see if that is happening for you.

 

And it is still happening.  The issue has not been fixed.  The fees have not been refunded.  I would imagine it has netted ebay major money in the last 8 months.  

 

How do I demand an audit of this problem?  How do I demand ebay to do the legwork, like in an actual audit, to figure out how much money they owe each seller, and to voluntarily pay back that money.  I have already called and asked for my money back.  To which the poor lady told me there were too many transactions and that she would need time to go thru all of them....Never heard back from her.  Never got any money back.

 

Ebay is our whole world here.  It is the only job in my family.  We employ multiple other people to whom ebay is the only job that cares for their family as well.  Ebay fully expects me to follow all of the ever-changing rules, to which we happily fall in line and do.  Shouldn't I also have an expectation that ebay will follow all of those same rules?

Message 1 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

The fees are NEVER 'refunded' anymore- it shows, in the 'refund field', when you refund, how much YOU are really sending and the 'rest' (Fees) is added to that amount to return to the customer. 

 

Refund $100, it shows 'refunding $87' (with ebay's 13% (rounded) filling out the 'rest' of the refund. 

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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

I thought it was against eBay rules to take out any of the shipping costs out of their refund on an INAD. That 50% you're allowed to take out is for damage only. If you want to get eBay to refund you the return shipping on a false INAD claim you have to actually fully refund them and then talk to eBay about it and they will give you up to $6 for the shipping if they rule it was a false INAD.

 

 I think you can even get suspended for abusing that 50% refund and taking out those shipping costs.

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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2019-fall/seller-protections

 

Screenshot_20230115_132025.jpg

 

 So as you can see you're only covered for $6 for that return shipping cost on flase INADs and eBay has to give it to you after you fully refund them. Ebay is not directly mentioning the trouble you can get in for abusing the 50% refund for shipping costs but I have read from other people to definitely not do it.

Message 4 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

I understand your pain man. Businessweek had a really good article about eBay and how much they’ve changed over the years. Bottom line is that sellers are not a priority within the corporate executive structure of ebay anymore. 

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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

@sapphire_studio 

I think you can even get suspended for abusing that 50% refund and taking out those shipping costs.

___________

I don't think that it is clear that the seller is abusing that policy. I see that some of the wording of the op could be taken that way but I don't think that at this point we should assume that is what is happening.

 

The example that they give is for a remorse return and in that situation, a seller does not have to refund original shipping cost if the buyer did pay for original shipping. 

 

 

Message 6 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

The example they gave was a false INAD where they first filed an item not as described because they thought one was missing (but both were there) but then they just sent the return anyway because they actually didn't want them.  So even though technically it was a remorse return it was filed under an INAD (which is considered a false INAD) and you're not allowed to take the return shipping out of the refund you have to take it up with eBay to get up to $6.

 

 I think the original post makes it pretty clear that they feel like it is their right to take out the return shipping costs using that 50% seller protection designed for damaged items only, if they deem it a false INAD.

 

Message 7 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

It is not a question of how much I refund.  I have been TRS since the program began, and a Power Seller for 20 years.  You are missing the point.  IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MUCH I REFUND, IT ONLY MATTERS THAT EBAY IS NOT REFUNDING MY PRO-RATED FVF.

Message 8 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

I know that in telling you that you're not allowed to take off the return shipping on false INAD claims (using that 50% seller protection that is for damaged returns only) that I'm not answering your question directly but I just wanted to let you know so you don't get in trouble from eBay for what you are doing.  Especially if you are calling them and having them look detailed into those transactions.

 

 

Message 9 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

You're right, my apologies. I read the post a few times and missed that.  I saw this..." they should have opened a return for "do not like" and got it in my head that the return was originally opened for that reason.  I obviously wasn't reading each word

 

Message 10 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

So far, all of the replies are from people who are not even understanding the topic.  We are not talking about how much I am allowed to refund.  And most of the replies only show that you do not even know what it looks like when you have refund options.  THAT IS NOT THE POINT.  Considering our TRS status, which we earned the moment the program started and we have never lost the status or been temporarily out of it........plus our 20 year power seller status, obviously we are doing refunds 100% correctly.....or ebay would have shut us down years ago.  THE TOPIC HERE IS FVF NOT GETTING REFUNDED, when ebay's clear protocol says they owe us the refunds.

Message 11 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

Are you sure your actual line item refund on your financial summary shows the full $200. and not the amount minus the fees?   I just completed a refund on a return and mine showed up less the fees and I didn't refund the original shipping either.  The fee refund didn't show up as a separate line item.   Mine was a remorse return, though.

Message 12 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fee-credits?id=4128#partial

 

 It says here you do not qualify for any partial refund fees if you take out any of the deductions using that 50% seller protection (even if you are doing it correctly and only taking it off for damages not incorrectly taking off shipping like you have)

 

 So you might have made more money giving them a full refund and not taking off the shipping cost (Then you would have gotten all your fees credited).

 

Screenshot_20230115_140118.jpg

Message 13 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

The 1st reply to your post answered your beef.

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Message 14 of 55
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FINAL VALUE FEES NOT BEING REFUNDED ON "PARTIAL REFUND RETURNS"

If a buyer opens an INAD, right or wrong, are FVFs supposed to be returned? 

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