Making the change to 60 day returns and same day shipping

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@fbusoni 

I'm transitioning from 30 to 60 day free returns and from one day to same day handling. 

Just wondering: Do you highlight this in your listing description area? Most of my listings (except some older ones) have only description info there...I do not put in anything about my policies or what a swell seller I am ,etc. But since one reason to choose 60 day free returns is to instill confidence in the buyer, I wonder if highlighting that is a good idea? ebay doesn't seem to do much with it in the return area: the info is there, but not in any very noticeable way.

[fbusoni]

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@fern*wood wrote:

What do you sell?  I realize you don't have to tell me, but I think the return policy decision is dependent on that as much as anything else.

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I sell books, records, antique tools, glass, porcelain, fine china and crystal mostly.   The largest item must fit in a 13x13x10 cardboard box. 

I am blessed to have an amazing couple of reliable sources to buy from at very, very reasonable prices, with new things coming in every few days. 

Full disclosure: I do not need any of the money I make on eBay.  For me selling here is fun, something that I do in retirement that allows me to be creative, learn new things, and perhaps most importantly, gives me the opportunity to send presents to people. 

Additionally, all of my inventory is paid for and has been for many years.  The only monies I use to invest in new merchandise comes from profits from previous eBay sales.  (My first purchase, 26 years ago, of a used book for $2, which I sold to a university library for $200, was my sole "out of pocket" investment.)

My overriding objective here is to share my purchased possessions with others and to enjoy myself.  There is no bottom line that I must be worried about.   I could toss all 2,300 of my listings in the trash tomorrow and will not have lost a dime.  I am well aware that I am in a small minority of sellers here.   Thanks for asking.

[mcdougle4248]

@fbusoni 

Thank you. I retired 4 years ago. I kept just the eBay portion of my business for fun. I am flexible with my schedule, but I must admit I thrive on routine. This thread has given me food for thought.

[fern*wood]

I could pretty easily switch my handling back to next day, but me and free returns are just too far apart.  I try not to source big heavy things, but can’t seem to say no to some items.  I would definitely need to avoid free returns for those.  

[chapeau-noir]

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@fbusoni wrote:

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@onefootflipper1  

Each seller should do what they are comfortable with. 

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I find fascinating the amount of resistance here to the idea of returns -- never mind 30 or 60 day returns.  

Clearly not many understand the link between offering such returns and the listing visbility enhancements that we sellers, who offer such returns, receive from eBay.

Not only are we unlikely to get any returns (I have not in many years --- my buyers seem to be normal people who want what I have) but we do not have to pay out of pocket to purchase eBay's software that is supposed to promote our listings.  eBay promotes our listings for free because we are upping our customer service.

The simple fact is that most buyers are rational, normal people who are not looking to buy something only to use it and then return it.   Sure, some categories (like clothing) are more susceptible to such scheming.  But if one goes by the irrational fears expressed here, one would think that this sort of nutty behavior is widespread, when it is not, because its not normal.

And more to the point, if you know what you are doing as a seller on this platform, you should be making sufficient money here to be able to absorb the periodic, outlier fake return that is obviously possible when you offer paid returns.  

I am a harsh critic of eBay, to be sure, but I wonder how much laughter echoes the halls at eBay HQ  when the discussion turns to how many sellers have fallen for the "promoted listings" scheme.

So many sellers seem to be unable to see beyond the ends of their own noses.   I guess that good for those of us who offer paid returns.  

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I would not look down on people who use promoted listings - we're not fools and we know what we're doing. I've been doing this for a long time, on myriad platforms around the internet, and personally, I'm a sceptic when it comes to the so-called "boost" free everything and one-day shipping gives (though I do one-day shipping usually) as it's usually weighted in 'best match'...along with myriad other metrics in a complex algorithmic matrix and very market dependent. I am also in an area with a high return rate as it is, and I assure you, my customers are "normal". 

[theteamsetguy]

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques ,

Good for you for standing behind your product. I'm sure you will get more sales. I wish more sellers had an attitude like you

There are too many sellers on ebay that don't stand behind by not offering returns on their product which I think hurts sales for the rest of us who do. I have offered free returns for years. I'm here for repeat customers and not do one and done sales. More than one fourth of my sales are to repeat customers.  

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@theteamsetguy  @chapeau-noir 

As I've said, this is just a test. I have always stood behind my products. I started with 30 day free returns before ebay was pushing it, and, like @chapeau-noir suggests, going from 30 to 60 day might not make much difference, just as going from one day handling to same day might not make much difference either. (I would expect a more substantial difference if I were going from "no returns" to 60 day free, or from 5 day handling to same day.) But, and this is just me, I'm weighing the potential for improvement versus the effort involved in making the changes, which I think really will be minimal. (And yes, I could be underestimating the potential downside, but that's a risk I'm willing to take). So, we'll see.

I'm also making other changes, most of them small but I'm hoping they will eventually have a cumulative impact that will increase sales velocity. My aim is to have everything in place by October 1st, so that when Q1 officially begins, I will be able to concentrate on implementing what I've set up and focus on listing more stuff (and, hopefully, shipping more stuff LOL). Of course, all of this could end up being wasted effort, but, for me, it's better than doing nothing and hoping that ebay will announce some game changing new seller tool or extraordinary new marketing campaign at ebay Open at the end of September. Believe me, no one would be happier than yours truly to hear some really, really great news at Open, but , well, I'm not overflowing with optimism.

So, again, we'll see.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Oh, want to add: @theteamsetguy  I too wish more sellers made more effort .... I see so many listings that are uninformative and even off-putting that I think it can't possibly be helping the site. I suppose, on the bright side, there's this: sellers like that set the bar so low it is pretty easy to look like a really top notch seller just by doing some pretty basic stuff. LOL

[chapeau-noir]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@theteamsetguy  @chapeau-noir 

As I've said, this is just a test. I have always stood behind my products. I started with 30 day free returns before ebay was pushing it, and, like @chapeau-noir suggests, going from 30 to 60 day might not make much difference, just as going from one day handling to same day might not make much difference either. (I would expect a more substantial difference if I were going from "no returns" to 60 day free, or from 5 day handling to same day.) But, and this is just me, I'm weighing the potential for improvement versus the effort involved in making the changes, which I think really will be minimal. (And yes, I could be underestimating the potential downside, but that's a risk I'm willing to take). So, we'll see.

I'm also making other changes, most of them small but I'm hoping they will eventually have a cumulative impact that will increase sales velocity. My aim is to have everything in place by October 1st, so that when Q1 officially begins, I will be able to concentrate on implementing what I've set up and focus on listing more stuff (and, hopefully, shipping more stuff LOL). Of course, all of this could end up being wasted effort, but, for me, it's better than doing nothing and hoping that ebay will announce some game changing new seller tool or extraordinary new marketing campaign at ebay Open at the end of September. Believe me, no one would be happier than yours truly to hear some really, really great news at Open, but , well, I'm not overflowing with optimism.

So, again, we'll see.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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I think your experimentation is a great idea (I actually don't recall saying anything one way or another about 30- and 60-day return windows - I do know what some marketing pundits say that 60 days may actually decrease returns due to the length of the window, and I think you or someone else mentioned that upthread - I read these posts when I'm working on photos, etc., so I do lose track, though). Or maybe it was in relationship to what you sell.

At any rate lol despite my absent-mindedness, I'm always up for experimentation and do it a lot myself (I've already been through the free ship/one day, etc.). One thing I would suggest, though you've probably already considered this, is to keep track of each change so you can do some attribution, since you're tweaking several things at once. I'll be interested in your results. Even though we sell in different markets, learning is always beneficial.

I suppose, on the bright side, there's this: sellers like that set the bar so low it is pretty easy to look like a really top notch seller just by doing some pretty basic stuff. LOL

ROFL! It's a kind of low bar, kind of like "top rated" - all you have to do is make enough $$ (not a lot) and not make a complete bupkis of yourself and there you are.

ETA: Having said that - I have lost TRS before because I close down my store and don't sell anything - it made no difference to my sales if I recall.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@chapeau-noir  You are right, you didn't specify anything about the 30 to 60. What you said was: "I'm a sceptic when it comes to the so-called "boost" free everything and one-day shipping gives (though I do one-day shipping usually) as it's usually weighted in 'best match'...along with myriad other metrics in a complex algorithmic matrix and very market dependent." 

I was just adding the point that I'm not really making any dramatic change here...it's not like I was No Returns and now am 60 day free returns...so I too am skeptical, especially of the idea that ebay is going to suddenly give me a big bounce because I went from 30 to 60, or because I went from 1 day to same day. I agree with your general point: the ebay algo is incredibly complex and , while these things may indeed be part of the mix, how much actual weight is given to them is a complete unknown. 

I'm trying this because it MIGHT help in search placement, and because it might help make the occasional conversion because buyers might feel more confident. And, frankly, because it's not a difficult change to implement and I don't think it will stress me out. That said, I guess you could say I'm hedging my bets, because I'm not tossing aside PLS...still intend to use that selectively.

I am keeping track of the changes, but in the end , especially making them for Q4, attributing an increase in sales (if there is any) will be difficult because I'll be adding more inventory, and some different types of inventory, I'll be trying to drive traffic via social media (at least to some degree), etc. So really, it will be easier to attribute a downside: I can't keep up with shipping because same day is too difficult, or I'm inundated with returns initiated after 30 days....

[chapeau-noir]

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques   Yes, I'm sceptical of the 'boost' being some kind of sales panacea because of how much everything else is weighed - it's certainly doesn't float anything to the top in my own searches, but I then don't use best match. But I'm sceptical of most of the stuff eBay pushes and make up my own mind with some experimentation.

Anyway, I hope you find some real success doing this! I'm always tinkering around, but have found that offering different merchandise is the best route for me, and tinkering with pricing. As I've said before, I'm in a pretty ridiculous category but ended up here because I ran out of other stuff to sell - sometimes I think stuff that works in preowned clothing won't work anywhere else because preowned clothing is a weird universe.

[fbusoni]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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@fbusoni wrote:

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@onefootflipper1  

Each seller should do what they are comfortable with. 

---

I find fascinating the amount of resistance here to the idea of returns -- never mind 30 or 60 day returns.  

Clearly not many understand the link between offering such returns and the listing visbility enhancements that we sellers, who offer such returns, receive from eBay.

Not only are we unlikely to get any returns (I have not in many years --- my buyers seem to be normal people who want what I have) but we do not have to pay out of pocket to purchase eBay's software that is supposed to promote our listings.  eBay promotes our listings for free because we are upping our customer service.

The simple fact is that most buyers are rational, normal people who are not looking to buy something only to use it and then return it.   Sure, some categories (like clothing) are more susceptible to such scheming.  But if one goes by the irrational fears expressed here, one would think that this sort of nutty behavior is widespread, when it is not, because its not normal.

And more to the point, if you know what you are doing as a seller on this platform, you should be making sufficient money here to be able to absorb the periodic, outlier fake return that is obviously possible when you offer paid returns.  

I am a harsh critic of eBay, to be sure, but I wonder how much laughter echoes the halls at eBay HQ  when the discussion turns to how many sellers have fallen for the "promoted listings" scheme.

So many sellers seem to be unable to see beyond the ends of their own noses.   I guess that good for those of us who offer paid returns.  

---

I would not look down on people who use promoted listings - we're not fools and we know what we're doing. I've been doing this for a long time, on myriad platforms around the internet, and personally, I'm a sceptic when it comes to the so-called "boost" free everything and one-day shipping gives (though I do one-day shipping usually) as it's usually weighted in 'best match'...along with myriad other metrics in a complex algorithmic matrix and very market dependent. I am also in an area with a high return rate as it is, and I assure you, my customers are "normal". 

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You may know what you're doing, and you may well be the only one in that subset of sellers who both uses PL and who participates here, judging by what I have read on these boards for several months. 

Which is why I said "how many sellers" (not "all").   And indeed, there are "many" because PL is "Software as a Service" and it is designed to make money for eBay.  Sellers may / may be able to make money by purchasing that software, if they can figure out how to use it.  

(That's why I stick with Windows 10... from what I gather, Windows 11 hooks you into a whole different ecosystem and, like the experience for many here with PL, once you're in, there's no easy way out.)

I'd like to give eBay the benefit of the doubt:  is it conceivable that promoted listings might well have a better chance of working in those categories that would likely be susceptible to frivolous returns?   That's why I singled out clothing as a category where it makes sense to not offer returns so easily.   I'd be interested in seeing statistics along those lines.

As for "free everything"... is that a reference to paid returns?  I ask because in the absence of paid returns (30 or 60 days, either will work), same day shipping by itself is not a force multiplier... from what I gather for the simple reason that its only half of the recommended customer service package recommended by eBay.   

[fbusoni]

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@theteamsetguy wrote:

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques ,

Good for you for standing behind your product. I'm sure you will get more sales. I wish more sellers had an attitude like you

There are too many sellers on ebay that don't stand behind by not offering returns on their product which I think hurts sales for the rest of us who do. I have offered free returns for years. I'm here for repeat customers and not do one and done sales. More than one fourth of my sales are to repeat customers.  

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I'm interested to know why you think this.   Your listings have the blue TRplus badge next to them.  That is a confidence-booster for buyers who pay attention to customer service.

I'd think most buyers would rather deal with a seller like you, all other things (listing price, photos, description) being equal.

[fbusoni]

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@fern*wood wrote:

I could pretty easily switch my handling back to next day, but me and free returns are just too far apart.  I try not to source big heavy things, but can’t seem to say no to some items.  I would definitely need to avoid free returns for those.  

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The bit in blue made me smile.  I once invested in a chair without thinking how I'd ship it.  

Ever since I've limited myself to at most a 13" square cardboard box.

But you raise an interesting question which I do not know the answer to:  can you offer 24 hour shipping and paid returns on 96% of your listings (vice 100%) and still reap the benefits of TR plus?  

[fern*wood]

I'm sure I could do that if I decided to offer those perks, since it is per listing.  I just wouldn't have the TRS+ on everything. 

[liawri-75]

Having more days to return your products won't help your sales if that's why you're doing it.  If I could change anything about EB it would be the return window....from 30 days to 14 days.