eBay

the-godfather · ‎09-26-2017

I've been selling on e-Bay for about 15 years. In that time, I have taken great pride in selling and providing customer satisfaction beyond any expectations from the buyer. I'm too honest in the regard that, if there's an issue, I prompty issue a refund. Lately, I feel that there are buyers who are stealing items from honest sellers, like myself. Just over the past three weeks, I have had three different buyers complain about an item and received a refund, one even stated that they only received an empty box! I called e-bay and they were kind enough to reverse the $19.95 refund that the buyer requested and received.

I guess my question is, "Has anyone else experience the same issues as I have and if so, how does one prevent it?"

I'm think that since all three items were DVDs, the buyers only want to make a copy, make up a complaint and get their money back.

THANKS in advance and may you sell all that you have!

*help_no_brakes* · ‎09-26-2017

"I guess my question is, "Has anyone else experience the same issues as I have and if so, how does one prevent it?"

Yes...my reply is always "Please Return for a Full Refund."

Amazing how many go silent.

tunicaslot · ‎09-26-2017

Don't leave! You've had a long seller career here on Ebay and are established. You'll run into the same problems on the other sites - it is not exclusive to Ebay.

jonathankirkland · ‎09-26-2017

My only response is .. you are only just NOW running into these types issues?

I say count your lucky stars and keep on selling!

castlemagicmemories · ‎09-26-2017

Good things or bad things can come in threes.

So maybe you are safe for awhile.

Good Luck.

mistwomandancing · ‎09-26-2017

always-free-shipping wrote:
In that time, I have taken great pride in selling and providing customer satisfaction beyond any expectations from the buyer. I'm too honest in the regard that, if there's an issue, I prompty issue a refund. Lately, I feel that there are buyers who are stealing items from honest sellers, like myself. Just over the past three weeks, I have had three different buyers complain about an item and received a refund

So, you have pretty much trained your buyers to know they can complain a bit and receive a prompt refund from you. That's not how it's done.

If a buyer has a complaint, you tell them to return item for a full refund. You don't pay em' off if they make a peep. They have to do their end of the deal too, and that's to return your item!

ebbyisme · ‎09-26-2017

@mistwomandancing wrote:
@the-godfather wrote:
In that time, I have taken great pride in selling and providing customer satisfaction beyond any expectations from the buyer. I'm too honest in the regard that, if there's an issue, I prompty issue a refund. Lately, I feel that there are buyers who are stealing items from honest sellers, like myself. Just over the past three weeks, I have had three different buyers complain about an item and received a refund

So, you have pretty much trained your buyers to know they can complain a bit and receive a prompt refund from you. That's not how it's done.

If a buyer has a complaint, you tell them to return item for a full refund. You don't pay em' off if they make a peep. They have to do their end of the deal too, and that's to return your item!

Not only training your buyers... you are advertising to be scammed... that feedback mentioning you refunded and let them keep the item hurt worse then the neutral. And what did allowing him to keep the item and refunding do for you? it not only still got you bad feedback... now it's made you a target.... also birds of a feather.... scammy people have scammy friends.... who like free stuff also. There is a huge difference between good customer service and being a easy mark for people to steal from.

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luckythewinner · ‎09-26-2017

@the-godfather wrote:
I guess my question is, "Has anyone else experience the same issues as I have and if so, how does one prevent it?"

Browse this board for a few minutes and you will find plenty of people with the same problem. (You will also find others who do not have this problem. )

Browse for a few more minutes and you will find that there is nothing you can to to completely protect yourself from this problem. (But you may find some advice about how you might be able to reduce the liklihood of it happening. )

After discovering it is a problem and that there is no easy solution, the only real options are to either take it into account in your business model, or stop selling.

godzilla_goose · ‎09-26-2017

@the-godfather wrote:
   I've been selling on e-Bay for about 15 years. In that time, I have taken great pride in selling and providing customer satisfaction beyond any expectations from the buyer. I'm too honest in the regard that, if there's an issue, I prompty issue a refund. Lately, I feel that there are buyers who are stealing items from honest sellers, like myself. Just over the past three weeks, I have had three different buyers complain about an item and received a refund, one even stated that they only received an empty box! I called e-bay and they were kind enough to reverse the $19.95 refund that the buyer requested and received.

   I guess my question is, "Has anyone else experience the same issues as I have and if so, how does one prevent it?"

   I'm think that since all three items were DVDs, the buyers only want to make a copy, make up a complaint and get their money back.

THANKS in advance and may you sell all that you have!

always-free-shipping,

As others have written, tell your buyers "Return for refund".

The only other thing that I can offer as a suggestion is for you to factor in anticipated returns and raise your prices slightly to offset or cover this anticipated expense in order to maintain your profit margins.

It is no different if the Post Office raised postage and you use "Free Shipping". You would need to incorporate increases in postage costs into your asking prices of your items in order to maintain your net profit margins.

If you do not suffer increases in returns, the slight increase in your prices goes straight to your bottom line (after fees).

Godzilla_Goose

kclim0828 · ‎09-26-2017

"please return for a full refund" does not always work either.
they will send different item or empty package...
and ebay will say...sorry you have to issue full refund.
there is no "seller protection" or hardly any..

hawgryders · ‎09-26-2017

@the-godfather wrote:
   I've been selling on e-Bay for about 15 years. In that time, I have taken great pride in selling and providing customer satisfaction beyond any expectations from the buyer. I'm too honest in the regard that, if there's an issue, I prompty issue a refund. Lately, I feel that there are buyers who are stealing items from honest sellers, like myself. Just over the past three weeks, I have had three different buyers complain about an item and received a refund, one even stated that they only received an empty box! I called e-bay and they were kind enough to reverse the $19.95 refund that the buyer requested and received.

   I guess my question is, "Has anyone else experience the same issues as I have and if so, how does one prevent it?"

   I'm think that since all three items were DVDs, the buyers only want to make a copy, make up a complaint and get their money back.

THANKS in advance and may you sell all that you have!

Each seller reaches their threshold --- then it is time to go ...

mistwomandancing · ‎09-26-2017

kclim0828 wrote:
"please return for a full refund" does not always work either.
they will send different item or empty package...
and ebay will say...sorry you have to issue full refund.

That is something we hear repeated here quite a bit. I've never had it happen. I don't personally know of anybody it's happened to. I think it's one of those thing that rarely happens, but then gets blown up into something some people actually think happens quite a bit... one of those Old Wive's Tales sort of things that are based on fact but wildly blown out of proportion.

Mostly the return for refund just gets returned, and then refunded. Sometimes the buyer doesn't think he should have to pay the return postage and gets in a snit over that, or even decides to demand a return label or will file a SNAD. That's about all I've ever heard of REALLY happening.

leaf_wholesale · ‎09-26-2017

Everyone else has experienced those same problems.

EBAY wants the buyers to steal from us. That's the only conclusion Anyone can come up with.

They don't even have to return the goods, or provide photographic evidence of damage, or that the item doesn't match the description. How hard is it to take a picture of an item with a cell phone?

They can just lie and say you shipped a pair of shoes instead of a TV, and ebay will take your money and give it to them. No questions asked.

Another one is, even after the tracking shows an item being delivered, and the customer signs for it with their own name, ebay will automatically just steal from you, and say it was never delivered.

This Company has just completely turned on their Customers, (seller's in the past few years). It just keeps getting worse and worse.

I'm not sure what the thinking is at their corporate headquarters is, but they seem like a really, really dishonest group of people.

margarenisa_0 · ‎09-26-2017

@mistwomandancing wrote:
@kclim0828 wrote:
"please return for a full refund" does not always work either.
they will send different item or empty package...
and ebay will say...sorry you have to issue full refund.

That is something we hear repeated here quite a bit. I've never had it happen. I don't personally know of anybody it's happened to. I think it's one of those thing that rarely happens, but then gets blown up into something some people actually think happens quite a bit... one of those Old Wive's Tales sort of things that are based on fact but wildly blown out of proportion.

Mostly the return for refund just gets returned, and then refunded. Sometimes the buyer doesn't think he should have to pay the return postage and gets in a snit over that, or even decides to demand a return label or will file a SNAD. That's about all I've ever heard of REALLY happening.

I’ve never had it happen to me personally either.

But reading these boards day in and day out for years- it *does* happen. I don’t believe ALL these sellers are lying about it for one second.

I don’t think it’s an Old Wife’s Tale or an urban myth. I do agree it probably happens much less than you can tell from the posts here and is rare.

But when it does happen? There’s precious little any seller can do about it.

jonathankirkland · ‎09-26-2017

@leaf_wholesale wrote:
This Company has just completely turned on their Customers, (seller's in the past few years). It just keeps getting worse and worse.

Actually, ebay's "customers" are the buyers, because without the buyers there would no transaction for ebay to profit from.

And before you say "well if sellers leave then buyers would have nothing to buy!", that argument simply does not work because there are FAR more items and sellers with items to sell than there are buyers, and always will be.