Just an FYI for all sellers on ebay: You must always accept returns for all listings

[kithylin]

I have had 2 experiences this past week on ebay with sellers that sold something they must of known was faulty, selected "Returns not accepted" in the listing then tried to fight me when I forced a return on them for their faulty junk with "Doesn't match item description" (eBay's Buyer Protection option for returns).

I just thought I would write a little FYI comment for you ebay sellers: Just because you select "Doesn't accept returns" for your listings doesn't mean jack squat: YOU STILL MUST ALWAYS ACCEPT RETURNS THROUGH EBAY EVEN IF YOU SELECT THAT.

Getting mad at a buyer who tries to return something after you selected "Doesn't accept returns" in your listing just makes you look like a jerk because ebay is just going to force it on you anyway. 

[robbie31415]

You are right.

Problem is sellers don't research things a lot of the times to understand what things mean.

'No returns' only applies to remorse reasons. Ie changed my mind, found a better price, just didn't like it.

Your purchase comes with eBayd money back guarentee if it's faulty, defective or not described.

Never use that seller again. Sellers like that create bad buying experiences and are harmful to the eBay platform.

Don't worry. Many of us actually know what we are supposed to do and take care of our customers.

[kensgiftshop]

No, you don't always have to accept the return, but that doesn't mean you won't be refunding.

For some reason, some sellers think no returns means no refunds.

[robbie31415]

I will add that at least one of your neutrals would be considered a violation of eBay policy.

If) the seller had a 3 day handle time + weekend. Then when you purchased the item you agreed to that wait.

By implying they should have provided you faster service you are asking for something that wasn't the service you purchased.

So I'm pretty sure that neutral was inappropriate.

[kithylin]

Just so folks understand: If a buyer opens a return on something that you have sold as a seller using "Doesn't match item description" as the return reason then yes, you absolutely must accept the return. When a buyer selects this option then ebay will not give you the open to deny or decline the return. It WILL GO THROUGH no matter what. When the allotted time period has passed then ebay will automatically default to the buyer, generate a shipping label for the buyer (and bill it to your selling account) even if you do nothing. Once a buyer selects "Doesn't match item description" then the seller can not stop it, prevent it from happening, deny it, or decline it. Calling an eBay CSR on the phone won't help and the seller can't contest it either. Once someone uses that for a return reason it's best for the seller to just accept it and deal with it quickly. 

[kithylin]

There's a big problem on ebay currently where a lot of people create a shipping label for things so it "appears as if it's shipped" in ebay then they just sit on it for 5-7+ days before actually shipping it and there's nothing ebay can do about it. There's no rules to penalize sellers for that (unfortunately) and I feel everyone should know of sellers that purposefully delay shipping items like that. If I had known that they would do this I wouldn't of bought from them personally. I felt it was important to do my part and make sure other folks know that they are the type of seller that delays long times in shipping items. That's what the feedback system is for. Neutral ratings are informative to other sellers only and do not effect their overall ratings. That's why I chose to use a neutral: To inform other people but not harm the seller's ratings. 

[robbie31415]

You are incorrect.

The counter for shipped part of seller metrics doesn't register until the seller has received the acceptance scan from the carrier.

Printing a label and marking shipped does not change anything and the seller will be decreased in seller status if they don't maintain a very high percentage of validated tracking.

So no, sellers can't just print labels and sit on it without being harmed.

However every listing has a handling time. You should not expect a seller to ship faster than the advertised handling time.

[reallynicestamps]

Not exactly.

You can have a No Returns policy and abandon the product when there is a claim.

You can even refuse an item returned at the buyer's expense.

But.

You cannot have a No Refunds policy.

You can also demand the return of a disputed purchase before refunding, but you will probably be paying for return postage.

I made a stupid mistake a few weeks ago and sent a used set to Australia, when the customer had paid for a mint set.

I do accept returns, but in this case the cost of having the set returned was greater than its value, so the buyer got both the one he paid for and the one I had accidentally sent.

[reallynicestamps]

then they just sit on it for 5-7+ days before actually shipping it

I hear of this from time to time, and don't understand any purpose to it.

I guess it could happen accidentally if someone couldn't get to the PO and there is no home pickup in their area, but there doesn't seem to be any actual advantage to it.

And if it is a regular thing, then the handling time can be extended.

Am I wrong in assuming that the shipping date is the acceptance date? Or is it the date the label is printed? Either could be valid, since acceptance is subject to skips, but it may take a day to get a package to the PO if the purchase was Friday afternoon and the label printed on Friday evening.

[mam98031]

Oh so true.  It is surprising how many sellers don't know what a No Return policy actually means.  We get sellers coming to the Community with concerns over a Return request they got, but they don't accept returns.  

WE are all suppose to have return polices that meet or exceed the Money Back Guarantee.  And there is another surprise for me.  How many sellers that don't know what the MBG contains.

I'm sorry you experienced what you did.  Most sellers would not have done that.

[kithylin]

I was trying to explain that if someone uses "Doesn't match item description", then that is unique in the eBay eco system. If someone opens a return with "Doesn't match item description" and then the seller just abandons it and never does anything then it will just auto-generate a shipping label for the buyer (and bill it to the seller's selling account) then when the tracking from the buyer's side shows delivered back to the seller's side ebay will automatically credit the full purchase price (plus any original shipping) back to the buyer, and credit it back to the seller's selling account in ebay. In this situation the seller can not refuse it. There is no possible way under ebay for any seller to refuse or stop a return opened under "Doesn't match item description". eBay doesn't allow it. Once it's started from the buyer's side it will always go through regardless of what the seller does or says. 

[kithylin]

Even if it is within their handling time: There's really no excuse for just sitting on something and not shipping it for an entire week. That's an inexcusable delay for any reason and only serves to anger buyers.

I have bought many things on ebay and quite often I have items that have exceeded ebay's original estimated delivery date by multiple days just because the seller delayed 7+ days before starting shipping. I don't always do anything about it but it's still completely absurd. Especially if it's a domestic shipment within the main body of USA states.

[robbie31415]

Sorry but you are incorrect and your entitlement is not supported by eBay policy.

A lot of sellers have full time jobs and only ship a few days of the week.

If you don't agree with the sellers handling time then you shouldn't buy from that seller.

Them shipping within the time frame that is advertised is perfectly acceptable and appropriate regardless if you are impatient.

You are also asking for a service that wasn't advertised which is considered abusive behavior that is a violation of eBays abusive buyer policy.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/rules-policies-buyers/abusive-buyer-policy?id=4374

I'm not defending sellers who don't ship by their handling time. Just that if you aren't honoring the agreement then you are the one at fault. Not them.

[beulah85]

As eBay sellers, they should understand that even if they choose "not to accept returns", they still have to comply with eBay's policy to handle returns and exchanges when they encounter reasonable return requests from buyers.

[iamalwaysright]

Not "always", but rather most of the time. Aside from what some others have already said, I'll add another instance where you don't need to accept the return. Heck, you don't even need to decline it if you don't want to, just let it sit until it times out. It's the instances when the buyer files the return (any type of return) 30 days past the scanned delivery date to the buyer. MBG only lasts for 30 days.. ebay chooses to not get involved in the returns filed beyond that timeframe. They let you guys just duke it out. I've declined or ignored a fair share of 30+ day returns filed and ebay has never forced me to do squat for the buyer on those.