I am quitting.......again.

[mysistersclosetbyanita]

I've been a seller off and on since Sept, 2000.  I've loved it and hated it.  I've tried very hard to do all the things Ebay has requested in order to be a TRS.   I give 30 day returns,  I offer free shipping on some items, etc.   But my profit margin is very small,  and I'm losing. 

I opened the store back again last Spring and I did okay through the summer and so-so through the fall,  but it's slowly slid into dismal sales and still I'm paying Ebay.   I've been thinking about quitting again lately,  and it's a hard decision for me to make,  but I think I'm there. 

The new free returns boondoggle Ebay is putting on us come June is not my cup of tea.   I've seen it all with unscrupulous people in the past and to me this will just add to that headache.   So,  with great reluctance,  again I plan to quit.   I'm just going to let the items I'm running play out and not relist anything.  I will close the store once I'm below a certain amount of items running, and I will quit. 

I am a retired grandmother and this was an outlet for me as well as a small boost to my income,  but I see the writing on the wall and the days of any profit are over.   As the old saying goes,  there's no use in beating a dead horse.  

I don't know what's happened here,  but I do know my visibility is practically zero,  and without views you sure won't see sales.   I'm fairly certain I will never try selling on Ebay again,  unless they change policies that favor no one but the buyer. 

[iart]

We sell on a few sites and ebay is going in the direction of the rest of the industry. In fact and believe it or not, I think ebay probably has the better policies. I didn't always think that, trust me.

But I don't think any of them will be happy until we're all working for less than minimum wage.

Good luck to you!

[fine_find]

If you will take the time to read the 'Seller Center' 2018 Updates, you will understand what has happened here and what you will need to do to stay in the game. EBay has gone to a 'Product-Based Catalog' and if you did not update your listings to be in this new catalog, your items will not be seen. When a buyer uses 'Search' only the items listed in this new catalog will be shown in the search results. Hope this was helpful for you.

[readabouthorses]

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@fine_find wrote:
If you will take the time to read the 'Seller Center' 2018 Updates, you will understand what has happened here and what you will need to do to stay in the game. EBay has gone to a 'Product-Based Catalog' and if you did not update your listings to be in this new catalog, your items will not be seen. When a buyer uses 'Search' only the items listed in this new catalog will be shown in the search results. Hope this was helpful for you.

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But not everything is in the Catalog yet and some things in the Catalog are totally wrong. The Product-Based Catalog is just one big ole hot mess.

[orangehound]

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@fine_find wrote:
If you will take the time to read the 'Seller Center' 2018 Updates, you will understand what has happened here and what you will need to do to stay in the game. EBay has gone to a 'Product-Based Catalog' and if you did not update your listings to be in this new catalog, your items will not be seen. When a buyer uses 'Search' only the items listed in this new catalog will be shown in the search results. Hope this was helpful for you.

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Everyone wants to blame eBay for low sales ... SMH.  If the OP was selling iPhones, sure I might aree with you.  But she isn't.

The OP sells used clothing, and used clothing is not part of the catalog ... probably won't be for a long time if ever.

The OP's problem is the market.  Simply that

• eBay is over-saturated with used clothing (listings have grown 3- to 4-times in the last couple of years)
• new clothing retailers are struggling to move inventory - they are dropping prices, and people shopping for bargains are buying new rather than used
• Other sites are taking away a lot of used clothing business by young buyers.  I don't know the used clothing sales volume on eBay, but one site (the one that rhymes with gosh-shark) alone took $100 million in eBay sales of women's used clothes/shoes sales in just 2017 ... it was up 100% in volume last year, and I suspect that they are siphoning off even more this year.  What's worse for clothing sellers, is that the prices on that site are lower.

[plumbingspecials]

I just received another False SNAD today, and the free returns is only going to make it worse for sellers and make it easier for dishonest returns by not making the buyer responsible at all. The TRS badge is supposed to be earned, but we cannot have it on listings that we are not willing to give away for free (people will abuse this and get their money back). Yet good, reputable seller can't have visibility if we are not willing to allow this to happen with our inventory.
Go to eBay for Business facebook page and air your grievances.

also - #WANA

[hyperrush]

Just getting wrost everyday.

[labs118]

Wishing you Luck in whatever you decide

You don't have to offer 30 day returns to retain TRS you will not qualify for TRS+ listings and it's only 10%
Figure the math, if you do 1 return a month you pay return shipping for say $6.45 which was the shipping cost on one of your recent sold items compare it to you 10% discount for the month!! 
Is you 10% that large on your past invoices ? 

I am not going to offer free returns, I will retain TRS for my label Comm Plus discount on Priority labels but giving up chasing the small 10%. 

Not sure if you have a yearly or monthly store but come  May you can cancel or downgrade
Did you check out the Starter store
10% FVF and no shipping supply coupon but a good option for some and 100 listing to use for either Auction or Fixed

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2018-spring/ebay-stores.html#m22_tb_a1__11

We are offering a grace period of May 1 to May 31, 2018, during which you can cancel or downgrade your subscription without penalty. If you choose to keep your current subscription you will be subject to the new pricing. 

[plumbingspecials]

One return a month? I wish!!!!

[percgrabbe-0]

Just want to mention whether you offer free returns or not if a buyer files a INAD you have to refund them anyway regardless of your policy. That only applies to non-INAD returns. May as well offer them it got me to Top Rated seller without even trying. 

[labs118]

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@percgrabbe-0 wrote:

Just want to mention whether you offer free returns or not if a buyer files a INAD you have to refund them anyway regardless of your policy. That only applies to non-INAD returns. May as well offer them it got me to Top Rated seller without even trying. 

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You do not need to offer returns to be a TRS seller
You need to offer 30 Day returns & with new update now Free returns for the TRS+ discount.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2018-spring/simplified-returns.html#m22_tb_a1__4

What you need to know

• We're reducing the number of returns policies options.
• Top Rated sellers will be required to offer 30-day free returns to be eligible to receive the Top Rated Plus discount and badge. Some category exceptions apply.

[d-k_treasures]

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@percgrabbe-0 wrote:

Just want to mention whether you offer free returns or not if a buyer files a INAD you have to refund them anyway regardless of your policy. That only applies to non-INAD returns. May as well offer them it got me to Top Rated seller without even trying. 

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No, selling 1000.00 in a year and 100 transactions, and shipping within your handling time got you TRS.

[plumbingspecials]

You know if there are free returns on an item, the reason isn't going to be an issue. They can send back anything they want for any reason they want. You can refund them up to 50% if they return something that you didn't send to them.
So, say I sell item A for 100 bucks, free shipping, free returns. That item cost me about 50 bucks. Shipping one way is 10 bucks. Shipping back is 10 bucks. Ebay fees are 10 bucks, Paypal Fees are about 3.20. so lets add up my cost.... $83.20.
Then I get a box of rocks back instead of my Item A. I can refund no less than half.
$100 - $83.20 = $17.80 (profit)
$17.80 - $50 (refund) = -32.20 (loss)
So it will cost me $32.20 PLUS the item A because I offered free returns and got back a box of rocks, and the buyer got Item A for half the cost. But hey, I saved 10 bucks on my FVF discount, so really I am only out $22.20! I guess that little TRS badge cost me $22.20, even though I had to earn it by making sure my items are shipped on time and making sure everyone got "resolution" to their claims!

I do not know how eBay doesn't understand this, or how long they think sellers can operate in the red. This makes no sense. Just beware.

[fine_find]

If you are willing to just give up it will cost you. You still have the option of filing an Appeal if this case is decided in the buyer's favor and sellers do win these Appeals. I'm thinking eBay is sly as a fox. Maybe they don't care about the profit anymore and are looking more toward tax write-offs. How else can they pay both the buyer and the seller when a case goes wrong? Read the Q&A below from eBay:

What can I do if I lose an eBay Money Back Guarantee case for an item not as described?

If a case is closed in the buyer’s favor for an item not as described, you can appeal the decision by providing the appropriate documentation—including any new information or communication between you and the buyer—to the eBay Resolution Center within 45 days from the day the case is closed. If the decision is reversed, you will be refunded the reimbursement amount back to the reimbursement payment method on file with us. Other fees will not be reimbursed. Additionally, any defects for the transaction will be automatically removed.


Hope this was helpful to someone.

[gracieallen01]

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@plumbingspecials wrote:

You know if there are free returns on an item, the reason isn't going to be an issue. They can send back anything they want for any reason they want. You can refund them up to 50% if they return something that you didn't send to them.
So, say I sell item A for 100 bucks, free shipping, free returns. That item cost me about 50 bucks. Shipping one way is 10 bucks. Shipping back is 10 bucks. Ebay fees are 10 bucks, Paypal Fees are about 3.20. so lets add up my cost.... $83.20.
Then I get a box of rocks back instead of my Item A. I can refund no less than half.
$100 - $83.20 = $17.80 (profit)
$17.80 - $50 (refund) = -32.20 (loss)
So it will cost me $32.20 PLUS the item A because I offered free returns and got back a box of rocks, and the buyer got Item A for half the cost. But hey, I saved 10 bucks on my FVF discount, so really I am only out $22.20! I guess that little TRS badge cost me $22.20, even though I had to earn it by making sure my items are shipped on time and making sure everyone got "resolution" to their claims!

I do not know how eBay doesn't understand this, or how long they think sellers can operate in the red. This makes no sense. Just beware.

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As long as people are willing to follow along with the, so-called, prescribed 'Industry Standards' (take two, and call someone in the morning).