It's Official I have had more returns in 2019 then all 15 years selling combined

[jnybuysell]

Received another 3 returns this week. 2 did not fit and 1 sent wrong item(which buyer switched too "changed mind") after being confronted with fraud. Anytime I send out 10 or so items on a Monday I can count on at least 2 coming back almost every week. Only 2 abuses of the system(knock on wood) so far this year, which is pretty good, but if this continues Ebay will not be a viable part time job for my family for much longer. Not sure if people just are not reading measurements or descriptions and I have noticed my pre-sale questions from Buyers has dropped dramatically. I left selling on Amazon 5 years ago, because the returns had gotten out of hand and unfortunately Ebay appears to be following their model. Good thing about Ebay is you can normally resell the item, but with free shipping the profit is normally gone from an item after a return. I cannot imagine what free returns is doing to the people taking part.

[buyselljack2016]

I think it is just the way of the internet.

So many places offer the returns, so that buyers have become condition to the "I can buy, and return anything" mentality.

I must confess that I just recently made a purchase, and returned the item.  My mistake. I was looking at several, and ordered the wrong one. Not eBay. Big retailer.

By the time I realized the error it had already been shipped. Got it, and did a "free return" the following day.

It is very rare for me to do returns. The wife. It is a common occurrence.

[whatmorefabric]

Returns are part of business.   There are more returns on the internet than in brick and mortar stores.

Figure out the cost of the return and than add it to the price.

I add .99 cents to all of my apparel fabrics to cover returns and free shipping.

[gwzcomps]

You could always stop offering returns. Most buyers are too lazy to make sure they understand what they are buying I have found. Lucky for you clothes are fairly cheap to ship. My average return costs me $30-50.

[jnybuysell]

Unfortunately much of my shipping is in the 20-25 dollar range. Pretty tough to absorb those hits, but yes some adjustments to pricing will have to happen. Happy Holidays.

[buyselljack2016]

---

@gwzcomps wrote:
You could always stop offering returns. Most buyers are too lazy to make sure they understand what they are buying I have found. Lucky for you clothes are fairly cheap to ship. My average return costs me $30-50.

---

That does not work well.

OP says most are claiming remorse.  If no returns, then some of those buyers are just going to choose another reason that bites the seller.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

It's the annoyance of ebay letting buyers return under any conditions, appeasing the buyers no matter what, and the costs that you must now pass onto your innocent buyers instead of ebay having the buyer who caused this pay the costs of the return. You could stop free returns if you use them, I surely will never offer free returns. You don't have to follow the trend of appeasing the buyer at your detriment if you don't want to. 

[dentalsales4u]

There have been many times over the years I've ordered something and it turned out to be something different than what I was looking for.
I go back and re-read the description.
If it's my mistake, I keep and move on. I'm not going to make the seller take a free return on my error.
If it's the sellers error, then I will return the product.

[gwzcomps]

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

---

@gwzcomps wrote:
You could always stop offering returns. Most buyers are too lazy to make sure they understand what they are buying I have found. Lucky for you clothes are fairly cheap to ship. My average return costs me $30-50.

---

That does not work well.

OP says most are claiming remorse.  If no returns, then some of those buyers are just going to choose another reason that bites the seller.

---

Either way the seller loses.  My theory is not offering returns scares away the people who might open remorse returns in the first place.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

---

@gwzcomps wrote:

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

---

@gwzcomps wrote:
You could always stop offering returns. Most buyers are too lazy to make sure they understand what they are buying I have found. Lucky for you clothes are fairly cheap to ship. My average return costs me $30-50.

---

That does not work well.

OP says most are claiming remorse.  If no returns, then some of those buyers are just going to choose another reason that bites the seller.

---

Either way the seller loses.  My theory is not offering returns scares away the people who might open remorse returns in the first place.

---

Yes, BUT...having an item come back to you as a seller, having to inspect, relist, absorb some shipping costs, is WORK. Time is money too. Excessive returns hurt metrics on ebay and can cost a seller in final value fees percentage. 

I prefer not to feed the beast of "free shipping" which is a very cheap and lowly way of saying "shipping included". 

[jnybuysell]

Can anyone speak to the impact of not accepting returns? Curious

[mr_lincoln]

@jnybuysell   eBay's perception of their position in the marketplace is to protect Buyers and give them total flexibility to return whatever they want whenever they want for any reason they want.  eBay "thinks" that by cultivating lazy undiscerning Buyers they will compete with Amazon better.  As you have already pointed out from your experience over there returns have gotten out of hand.  There is nothing wrong with developing responsible Buyers ... I mean gee, they are trying to do that with Sellers with all the rules and regs they have to follow ... many of which are subjective and designed to facilitate less then responsible Buyers ...

[corvettestainless]

No returns can slow down purchases (you'll never know who sees it and just clicks another seller), or force them to use 'not as described' and then you pay return shipping. 

Society has been trained to shop clothing on line, is why so many B&M chains are closing- and with that, more returns because so much more is purchased this way.

Nobody 'measures' themselves', they buy XL, or L and if it don't fit, return it.

My wife bought from know website, twice- same long sweater. L was too big, M was to small. 2 Purchases, 2 returns. 

[1tuna]

................general reply...............

I expect I will get about 30 returns over the next 12 months,the return postage for them will be about $120 at the most + a few in the $13 range from overseas.I am used to dealing with returns,its quick and easy and for the most part painless for me.I feel for the auto parts people who have to eat high shipping and frequent returns

all of my watches I sell are used and most are just relisted again,if I was selling new stuff in blister packs or sealed boxes it would just suck,how can  you hope to resell something that has been ripped from the packaging.A new product can only have 1 unboxing after its bought,after its returned its not quite new anymore

[myboardid]

I too have had more returns this year than in my 22 years of selling total. 

I still do free returns so I can maintain my TRS plus status, because the money I save with the 10% Final Value Fee discount is still much higher than the cost of those returns.