I feel like I'm paying to sell at this time!

[josus.pbo1v]

I finally pulled the plug on my store its cheaper to just watch tv.

[luckythewinner]

I feel like I'm paying to sell at this time!

I finally pulled the plug on my store its cheaper to just watch tv.

If you had an eBay store subscription, that is exactly the definition of "paying to sell". 

[ra_201044]

Sure looks like you were selling enough per day to make it work.

Unless you are getting hit with late product arrivals.

[josus.pbo1v]

This is the first time I have been on the forum I just needed to vent I am still losing money after I pushed the pause button! I cant be the only one?  

[farmalljr]

You need to explain what is happening exactly. Otherwise just a general statement isn't going to get you any help.

[ezezao-0]

All I can tell you is my own experience, we ran into this many years ago but didn't make the connection, today it's becoming rampant and thus the evidence is clearer... A new breed of buyer has appeared on the horizon, to them "free returns" is simply a ticket to a free ride.  Meaning this buyer doesn't care to look up part numbers, they simply order something and when it doesn't fit or they can't get it to work they return it... I'm not sure if these buyers realize the cost of the returns (and the original shipping) isn't truly free but I am sure most don't care.

They don't, we've confronted a few to ask what they were trying to do and it quickly became obvious they ordered a Fondell part for a Widget brand machine and the product couldn't have worked but we had pictures of the actual piece the part goes on AND the part number in the title!

The bit that got to me, is when we contacted these frivolous returners they had a very non-caring or non-chalant attitude about it all, like who cares and who are you asking these silly question, like please stop wasting our time...

An isolated incident here and there wouldn't be so bad, but it's got to where at least half and in some cases 8 and 9 out of 10 buyers are doing this to us!  We're paying more and more for "free" returns.  You might think, that's YOUR problem.

But it will be yours, too.

Even First Class mail, it costs roughly $3.50 for each leg of the shipping so a returned part costs us $7 that we have to pay for the buyer's "trial and error" routine.

[luckythewinner]

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@josus.pbo1v wrote:

This is the first time I have been on the forum I just needed to vent I am still losing money after I pushed the pause button! I cant be the only one?  

---

From what you have posted, the only things I can gather are

(a) you are paying a store subscription;

(b) you have stopped offering items; and

(c) listing nothing does not generate revenue. 

If that is not accurate, you will need to explain in detail.

You have given us almost no inofrmation to go on. 

[dhbookds]

"feel like"

Have you actually run the numbers to see if you are only breaking even? 

[farmalljr]

Well, as a business you HAVE to make decisions that are best for YOUR business, right? If "free" returns are causing you losses, what is stopping you from changing the policy to, for example, BUYER pays returns?

What is stopping you from moving items to other platforms?

See, I see sellers being as bad as buyers sometimes. They get used to, "This is how it works" or "I've done it this way for a long time". So what? As a business you need to be fluid enough, capable enough, to make changes where change is needed. If a business can't pivot,  they are in trouble and doomed to fail at some point.

If eBay's "free" returns are bad for your business, then don't do it. Pretty simple, correct? And before someone comes along complaining about less sales, look at the bottom line! If free returns causes you to be unprofitable, it doesn't matter if you sell 10k items a day. How many sales and how much items sell for mean little. It's all about what profit you make. 

I can tell you my experience:

I tried free returns. Didn't work, just caused more returns causing the bottoming out of profits. "free" shipping didn't work for me either. I normally have very few returns, but using both the already mentioned models, both caused a surge in returns and "renting" of items. 

Not to mention the fact, most items will be profitless to resell if you have to figure in the loss of shipping expenses. 

If you want to change buyer's attitude that shipping is or should be free, stop complying with what they want. Run YOUR business the way it works best for you. Let someone else eat the loss if they want to ride the "trend" wave. Most of us are smaller sellers and can't absorb the losses, at least for very long.  

[ezezao-0]

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@farmalljr wrote:

Well, as a business you HAVE to make decisions that are best for YOUR business, right? If "free" returns are causing you losses, what is stopping you from changing the policy to, for example, BUYER pays returns?

---

You don't think they'd just file SNAD instead?

[maros9416]

My two cents as a GC and an eBay seller is that selling these parts is not ideal for anyone except a plumbing or HVAC supply. Even the licensed plumbers I know with over 25 years experience call in a boiler mechanic just to wire their boilers. Inviting a homeowner to replace these parts is never going to work. Home depot must be flooded with open boxes of returned boiler parts and other similar items where the homeowner should not be messing with. In a pro supply house, you can't return this stuff unless it is proven defective, even if they took it back, it would be at least a 25% restocking fee...My suggestion is to stick to all the other items that you are selling like the collectibles and such. eBay is much better suited for these items. If you insisted on keeping the parts, eliminate free returns and charge a restocking fee, just like the supply does. This helps them control frivolous returns by insuring their customers make wiser purchases to begin with. Anytime I had to make a purchase that I may have to eat, I got the cut sheets, spoke to experts and did everything I could to make sure it was right! 

[fashunu4eeuh]

@maros9416 

“... If you insisted on keeping the parts, eliminate free returns and charge a restocking fee, just like the supply does. ”

This would be very good advice if eBay had not changed the rules. Sellers can no longer charge a restocking fee, per the 2018 Spring Seller Update.

[acrc3113]

As long as you are watching TV, don't forget to watch the eBay commercials where they advertise that "they have" lot of cars, trucks, and parts. - like they have them in a warehouse or something. Sellers aren't even mentioned. No wonder folks are falling for related scams.

I'm not longer occasionally selling here as I do not wish to give eBay/Ayden access to my primary accounts, taxpayer information, or go through the trouble to set up bank accounts at other institutions. If they did away with MP or gave sellers the option of using Paypal for all of their transactions, I would probably reconsider. But for now, I guess I'll just keep selling elsewhere. Enjoy the bowl games.

[farmalljr]

I'm sure they can. You can also file a report on the buyer for making a false claim and block the buyer for the false return too.

I'm confident, you would have lower returns. Most buyers are decent buyers. Can you blame them for taking advantage of sellers, when they and eBay leave the door wide open to be abused? Sellers offering Cart Blanche free returns are opening themselves up to every buyer using it. 

Like clothing sellers, it's insane to offer buyers free returns to basically "try on" whatever it is they are buying. 

Free returns only make sense on items that someone would be keeping no matter what. Like an antique. Not on something that there is high probability of someone buying it to see if it fits or fixes a problem. Like has been mentioned, in the case of replacement parts, most cases there is a no return accepted policy at the store, that IS enforced. restocking fees, also enforced. 

Now, if someone wants to offer the free returns, all the more power to them. You can't complain about losses though, if you allow it to happen. Until eBay gives some authority back to the seller, I have no reason to oblige anyone and just give free returns on all my sales. A return for free on my screw up? You bet! Free return because you don't know what you are doing? No thanks. 

[maros9416]

Oops, didn't know that. Mainly because I offer free unconditional returns on everything I sell. The OP is in a tougher spot then. They are selling parts that require mechanical knowledge to install. I'd bet the buyers making all these returns had a pro look at their boiler, tell them what was wrong and then they think they can do it themselves, almost like working on a car. However, that category is flooded with the same type of returns for the same reasons. Home Depot survives on the massive quantity they sell of factory runs just for their stores. They must have a return rate well over 10%. A pro supply house has little to no returns because of the restocking fee. I suppose the only answer is don't sell these parts!