eBay

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

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?

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-15-2023

never mind. my question has been answered.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

Yes, I am sure. And it was verified by ebay employee. Example: The earring jacket buyer opened a return for missing items, so the return request was for $206.20. Which was $200 purchase price, plus $6.20 shipping. I only owed buyer $200. I do not even have to "withhold funds" as the return shows up automatically at $200 on my end, and I would have to check the box for refund shipping charge of $6.20. If buyer had opened a return for "do not like", the return request would be $200. It would not include the shipping charge. And it would correctly refund my FVF inside of the return refund. Because I refunded what was requested. The problem is when you refund less than requested.

We have millions of dollars in sales, and I have only ONCE withheld 50% for returning something that was damaged. But, even if I were to do that, ebay would still owe me FVF pro-rated refund. That is ebay's stated policy.

sapphire_studio · ‎01-15-2023

Did you read my last post? It says right there that if you use that 50% off deduction you don't qualify for any partial refund on your fees. If an eBay customer service member told you something else they were wrong (and that wouldn't be the first time).

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-15-2023

@doc-holmes wrote:
If a buyer opens an INAD, right or wrong, are FVFs supposed to be returned?

Yes, when a seller refunds in full for an INAD before ebay is asked to step in, fvf's are refunded.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

Yes, you are allowed to take the $6 out of the refund. IF YOU ARE A TRS, you see all sorts of options in your return. I do not have to call ebay or do anything to request anything for false INAD returns. Ebay trusts that if you are TRS and have never once been sanctioned for doing anything wrong, that you understand how returns work, and they give you the tools to do it correctly inside each return. There are separate lines for shipping price being refunded or not refunded. If you are not TRS, you do not have these options. BUT AGAIN, THAT IS NOT THE POINT.

fern*wood · ‎01-15-2023

@sapphire_studio wrote:
Did you read my last post? It says right there that if you use that 50% off deduction you don't qualify for any partial refund on your fees. If an eBay customer service member told you something else they were wrong (and that wouldn't be the first time).

I thought this had been changed. There was a thread a few months ago where I recall a rep confirming this. Maybe someone can find that.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

I'm thinking you are not understanding your own example?

Your example of "refund $100, it shows refunding $87."

What they are actually doing is this: They are sending $100 to customer, but only taking $87 from your account. That is you being refunded for those fees. They are not taking $100 from your account for that refund, they are only taking $87. They are taking the other $13 from ebay's money.

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-15-2023

Something doesn't sound right. If the return was opened because item was missing, you should only have had the option to refund in full. There are only separate lines if it was a remorse return whether or not you a TRS. That is why people are assuming that you are holding back that original shipping in some other way.

As a general rule, ebay doesn't trust TRS any more than they do anyone else so I cant see them giving that option. You are saying that you had two boxes, correct? One that showed $206.20 and one that showed $200? Or did you enter the $200 yourself?

If something has changed recently, perhaps someone could show us that wording from ebay or confirm that they have also had the option to hold back original shipping for a nad claim?

sapphire_studio · ‎01-15-2023

The line that lets you take out the shipping is there if it's a remorse return. You're required to fully refund and pay for shipping back to anyone in an INAD case (Even if you don't think it should have been an INAD). Yes you can take off 50% for damages but if you do that you give up all rights to any partial refund on fees (see photo).

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

wastingtime101 · ‎01-15-2023

@sapphire_studio wrote:
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.

BUT ... if the seller (a) charged a separate shipping cost and (b) reported the buyer for filing a false SNAD then there are times when eBay will present the option within the return for the seller to withhold original shipping, and this is separate from the up to 50% deduction.

So if that's what happened then the seller was within their rights to withhold original shipping. But if that's not what happened and instead the seller deducted ship costs from the item cost they refunded (under the up to 50% rule), then yes you are correct about them abusing the policy.

We would need clarification from the OP to know for sure what happened.

I gotta have more cowbell.

fern*wood · ‎01-15-2023

That is what I recall too. The reporting of the buyer changes the available options. I’m still confused, though, about the fvfs being refunded on the discounted refunds. I thought they were.

lacemaker3 · ‎01-15-2023

@staplatoon wrote:
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.

@staplatoon,

Here's a response to your recent post about fees charged for your recent listings in the last few months.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/reply-for-staplatoon/m-p/33487834

wastingtime101 · ‎01-15-2023

@fern*wood wrote:
That is what I recall too. The reporting of the buyer changes the available options. I’m still confused, though, about the fvfs being refunded on the discounted refunds. I thought they were.

They are. If OP isn't seeing the credit then they should (1) examine the amount pulled from their account for the refund because the fee credit is typically factored in to that number with eBay covering a prorated fee credit towards the refund and the seller covering the balance or (2) contact customer service if they see an error.

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2022-winter/business#fees

https://community.ebay.com/t5/2022-Winter-Seller-Update/Question-thread-Updates-to-fee-credits-and-B...

I gotta have more cowbell.

calntom · ‎01-15-2023

@jenpicked So, you are not seeing the "Fee Credits" when you actually do the refund?

This one was not from a return but just a simple refund on shipping.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎01-15-2023

This is everything I know and I have had all types of returns.

For INAD, I have to refund the entire amount paid- although ebay FEES are STILL deducted from that refund. So again, I refund $87 on a $100 order (if item was $90 and shipping was $10)

For any other return, I have the "option" to NOT refund the original shipping $ paid, which I do charge Shipping separate (no free shipping anymore past 2 years). So, if a $100 purchase ($90 item, $10 shipping) I only have to refund

87% of the $90- ebay kicks in the rest.

If this is talking about the 'up to 50% and $6 shipping for a 'false claim'- then I have no experience in this since I've only done the 50% refund thing twice and it was 'before' ebay was 'refunding fees for partials'.

I do get a 'partial' fee back on every refund I do, which I do many times a week for 'combined shipping'.