eBay

dinpavent0 · ‎09-01-2018

I am curious, I actually posted before similar to this, asking what sellers thought of it and if they offered free returns. I want to know how many buyers actually search by free returns and is it important to the buyer to purchase from a seller with free returns? I am considering it again since I could use the discount. Business has picked up quite a bit and my ebay fees are outrageous. The 10% wasn't a big deal to me before but I could sure use it now since my sales are so much higher that before when I thought about doing this. Just looking for input from some buyers on this topic. Any feedback at all greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

michael_atw · ‎09-02-2018

I don't even find it that necessary to check feedback.

michael_atw · ‎09-02-2018

LOL

Reminds me of a video I just watched of a feminist trying to rhetorically explain why men are struggling in society as if she has the men's perspective.

couldabeenworse · ‎09-02-2018

@jason_incognito wrote:
anyone who is considering returning the item even before they buy it is not someone I want to sell to......

Many eBay sellers don't have that luxury of rejecting customers - and some who think they do come to the boards complaining of slack sales and supposed "throttling".

I don't think Free Returns is on the top of many buyer's lists, but it can certainly give one seller an edge over the others. For example, I recently purchased some parts for my regrigerator and furnace. I found perhaps a dozen listings for each on eBay, all similarly priced by sellers with acceptable feedback. If one of them had offered Free Returns, that's the one I would have purchased from.

With eBay moving to the new buyer interface, sellers of new goods with plenty of competition might find Free Returns a ticket to higher sales.

couldabeenworse · ‎09-02-2018

Just looking for input from some buyers on this topic.

If you asked this question on a board populated by folks who are ONLY buyers, you would no doubt get more replies that Free Returns is an important consideration. Even then, I suspect most would agree with the sellers here that it's no big deal.

mr_lincoln · ‎09-02-2018

@dinpavent0 Good topic & post. While primarily a Seller I do occasionally buy but have not since the advent of Free Returns. However, as a Buyer, if the item is what I want and/or need and Seller FB is good I purchase. And by "good" for Seller FB it does not mean perfect 100% ... if there are negs or neutrals I read them and see how the Seller replied. The thing that sways me more then anything though is shipping costs. As a Seller I pretty much know what costs should be and when I see an inflated Shipping cost I am more inclined to look elsewhere.

As a Seller I am dabbling in Free Returns on lighter weight items, in month 3, and while I have not had any returns I also have not seen the 15% sales increase Home Office promised ... of course, I knew that number was bogus because how could they determine increased sales when they never offered it before? I may be dumb but I am not stupid ... most of the time.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

debvor · ‎09-02-2018

Common business practice? Walmart the king of return policy stores only has a 30 day policy. Ebay want buyers to extend that out to 60 days and 90 days. People that deal in vintage and antique items normally have a No Returns Accepted policy because the items are unique or one of a kind. In my opinion if you're buying something that is vintage or antique you should ask all the questions you can that concern you before buying after that it is only buyers remorse. Almost all the returns I have had were because the buyer couldn't bother to ask a simple question that would have solved everything and the rest were items that were damaged in shipping that the person wanted to return but in insurance claim was filed instead. If you have a warehouse full of the same item by all means have a return policy if that floats your boat.

debvor · ‎09-02-2018

If your sales are up why would you bother with a return policy other than getting the pittance of a discount Ebay offers.

solarshift7 · ‎09-02-2018

A return policy is low on my concerns. If something doesn't work or is INAD then eBay will force the return at the sellers cost regardless of what they say they'll do. I always first search by price then I start looking at the seller's reputation, how long they've sold, what they sell, how much, business volume, etc. Feedback IMO is pretty lame but I do check for negs, seller responses and if the negs were truely deserved or not.

Returns aren't a concern. As a seller I know full well how protected buyers are and I have no problem using the MBG/opening a case if necessary. I get that free returns takes away the attractiveness for buyers to lie about why they're returning but my experience over the years has been most buyers have been honest as I've been with them. To me the "Free Returns" moniker is just another shiny marketing toy to keep up with other sites who are already trying to do any lame thing they can do to look better than the next guy. I'm probably wrong and "Free Returns" will be required some day...Over time it'll become just as forgetable as random non-specific sale signs some BNM retailers post all over their windows.

***In just 2 months I've been approached by 2 family members who've each received SNAD items, messaged their sellers who said they'd only take the items back if buyers paid shipping. While both family members felt hopeless about their purchases, calling **bleep** I told both to open INADs. To their surprise both got total refunds. Just shows it really doesn't matter what a seller says, in the end a seller fully refunds or accepts the return at his expense (aside from the rare honest "changed mind" buyer). It's common knowledge by now-been this way for years. What we select for our return policy is mere window dressing and as a buyer I rarely look to see what is. I know I'm covered.

Anonymous · ‎09-02-2018

As a buyer free returns are not important. Same reason as *sweet*tea. I don't buy thinking of returning it, but if the item is not described accurately then, yes, I do return it.

As a seller I don't offer free returns. I've had very few returns so it isn't a problem.

You might post this question on the Bidding & Buying board and see if you get any responses from buyers.

Hope this helps.

tunicaslot · ‎09-02-2018

No need to be nasty - femme is a long time poster with great information and valid opinions. If you don't want to do free returns , 60 or 90 day return windows - fine - you have that choice. Others may want to experiment or get opinions in the hopes of attracking more customers.

dinpavent0 · ‎09-02-2018

I don't buy from china seller either. It really **bleep** me off when I click US only and it says california and its really coming from china. I don't understand how they get around the rule. Ebay says you have to have your correct place listed where you ship from, and many say California and its coming from China. That urks me beyond belief. I got scammed that way once before first time i ever purchased on ebay. Then i get email that it would take almost two months to get to me, then I get another email from ebay that the person is no longer a registered with ebay, they took them off. Pretty much assuming they scammed others. Needless to say i never got item and had to call ebay to get my money back. I didn't order again off ebay until christmas time, which was six months later. I ordered a few gifts for my kids and that went well. I primarily only sell on ebay myself. I think I have maybe 10 purchases total from ebay. Mostly because Of the false advertising, im referring to china sellers. That is sooooo annoying!!!!

dinpavent0 · ‎09-02-2018

Just curious, and yes sales are up but doesn't hurt to increase them more if I can. I always see posts about how return policy is terrible for sellers, which I agree on some of those posts just because there are those who take advantage of it. I just wanted to see a different perspective thats all. If it increase sales more I would be thrilled. Like i stated before I barely have had returns at all. I make sure I describe my items and especially on used or vintage items, if they is any defects I want to make sure I am clear about it and pictures show condition as well. Not worried about getting tons of returns since I don't currently get them now. Its very seldom I have an issue and then It is usually handled with out a return being opened at all. I am just honest with buyers about my items as I would want sellers to be with me if I am interested in buying an item. No sense in leaving stuff out so buyer is dissatisfied and returns. On certain items if they is significant damage and someone buys item, i have even messaged the person to make sure they read description and know problems before I even ship it. I just double check because I know some people dont really read , especially if purchasing off the app on their phone. Not as easy to see all details I think.

dinpavent0 · ‎09-02-2018

Thanks, Yea when I wrote this I thought I should have posted it on the other board. Anyways thanks for feedback and I appreciate everyones feedback that took the time to post. I read these boards all the time and have found them quite helpful and I have learned quite a bit from all the sellers and how I could make my business better. THanks to everyone.

equid0x · ‎09-02-2018

@pingpong517 wrote:
in general it depends on the person buying....ABND what it is..value or tech item...that they might fee they MAY need to return if not up to par....BUT ebay has a policy that covers most all...not that they all understand that...so maybe they look and see free returns...so they feel confident.

OVER ALL....it is the on-line companies "new" catch phase.."offer" the FREE shipping, the 2-day fast shipping...AND FREE RETURNS HASSLE FREE.... it's what on line shoppers seel andf hear all the time..SO...it is just the way.

but depends on the item and person as to what THEY want/use/expect......

At least for my categories, all offering free returns did was make me a magnet for "renters " and false NADs. Approx 500% increase in the 1 month period I offered it. With the exception of 1 item, which upon extensive testing, did, in-fact turn out to have an issue that was not apparent during initial testing, all of the items were resold and never returned again. As I recall, only one of the buyers was honest about the return reason and did offer to pay restocking fee citing that the item was fine, just not what he was looking for.

The item with the issue I had repaired by the manufacturer and resold as a refurb.

However, I took a significant hit to my net profit for the month in all of the additional shipping charges.

equid0x · ‎09-02-2018

@sharingtheland wrote:
@jason_incognito wrote:
anyone who is considering returning the item even before they buy it is not someone I want to sell to......
And you'll never know if your buyer is considering a return, bought your widget because it said Free Returns, didn't care if your widget has free returns, yada, yada.

I would like to see market research re free returns from reputable sources, not just what ebay tells us (duh). I know I always check return policies at other sites before purchasing. I know I always click back from any listing here that says "no returns."

I don't buy anything while expressly "considering returning" it; I just want to know my options and how much they will cost.

One of the market research sites I looked at said "free returns" was a concern for about 10% of customers. It was way down on the bottom of the survey list, I think next to last. How reputable was the site? I don't know. Then again, 90% of statistics are just made up, anyways(I just made that up).