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

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.

____________

I hadn't ever heard of that. I learn something new every day.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

I do not have free shipping. I do offer free returns for all jewelry. I take returns, and due to our selling volumes, we have dozens of returns a week, for various reasons. As you can see in the pic, the original shipping of $6.55 is not automatically checked for the return. This is how all returns look for TRS. I always have the option of refunding or not refunding that original shipping. No matter what the request is for, the "original shipping" button is never automatically turned on. I have to turn it on for returns that qualify for full refund including shipping, which would be any mistake we make.....which is not every day, but yes....we do make mistakes.

And yes, I would come out better most times just to give the shipping back, so that I would get my fees back, BUT AGAIN, THAT IS NOT THE POINT. I should not have to do that. I should be getting my pro-rated fees back, simply because that is ebay's stated policy beginning last May.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

This response has nothing to do with Top Rated Sellers. Our returns process is nothing like this. And as stated multiple times, I am not using the withhold option for items returned damaged.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

I have posted a pic of the returns window that TRS sees. Yes, there are multiple options. One option to add, or not to add, original shipping to the refund. One option that opens up for "DEDUCTIONS" which I am not talking about at all.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

Again, I am not talking about deducting money from a refund

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

Again, I am not talking about deducting money from a refund

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

It is actually there every single time, for every single return, no matter what the return reason is. TRS has that option with "original shipping" for every return we have. It has nothing to do with the 50% off thing. We do not have to call anyone, or report anyone. I posted a pic of what the window looks like. Every return looks like that, no matter what.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

We also refund for combined shipping every day, hundreds of dollars a day. We do get fees returned for that. It works just as it should in that case.

wastingtime101 · ‎01-15-2023

@jenpicked wrote:

Hey @jenpicked - so if that screenshot shown above is the transaction in question, are you seeing that eBay will deduct $35.06 from your account or that they will deduct a lesser amount since they are covering a prorated fee credit?

The fee credit isn't a separate transaction - it's a line item deduction from the refund amount you owe the buyer.

I gotta have more cowbell.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎01-15-2023

I'm TRS and have been for over a decade. My 'return' screen looks the same- option on the return shipping (although you won't, and I won't, should the buyer do a 'INAD') but what you left out, is the actual refund. So, when that $35 refunds, it will show that you are paying $30.45 on that return (roughly) and the 'fee' portion is made up by ebay.

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

It does not matter what the reason is for return. This is the window that is on every single return for TRS. INAD and "did not like". Every single return looks exactly like this. They give me that option 100% of the time.

sapphire_studio · ‎01-15-2023

This picture is for a remorse return.

When they file an INAD (the example you brought up in the original post) you would NOT see that option to not refund the original shipping. Only an option to take out 50% due to damages.

I have never heard of anyone not having to pay for the original shipping AND return shipping in all INAD cases EXCEPT if you count the $6 that ebay may credit you LATER if you ask for it (ebay pays for that not the buyer who filed the INAD).

https://www.ebay.com/help/returns-refunds/returns-refunds-sellers/return-requet-received?id=4115

jenpicked · ‎01-15-2023

Yes, we see this same breakdown for normal refunds. The problem is with one very specific set of circumstances.

sapphire_studio · ‎01-15-2023

I'm not sure why you don't think I am referring to Top Rated Sellers. I am a Top Rated Seller and all the info and screenshots of rules I am sharing apply to Top Rated Sellers.