New restocking fee policy is also absurd.

[rabidprototypes]

"If you do not offer free returns, you will still have discretion to charge a 10%, 15%, or 20% restocking fee. However, starting in 2018, the buyer will only see a restocking fee of "up to 20%" in the listing."

This has no effect on me as a seller since I don't charge restocking fees, but I just wanted to point out this absurd decision Ebay made with their new seller policy.

What absurd decision you ask? Why, the decision to list the restocking fee as "up to 20%" in the listing regardless of what the restocking fee actually is!

What seller in their right mind would charge a restocking fee and then choose to charge only 10% if the listing is going to say "up to 20%" regardless of what percentage they choose? You've already lost the buyer at that point and they already think they're going to be charged 20% for that return so there's little incentive to charge them any less than that. And as a buyer, I can't say that being charged 10% for a return rather than 20% is going to make me less angry about it!

[castlemagicmemories]

Perhaps this is an attempt to provide blanket consistency site wide on the issue, while also discouraging returns.  A 20% re-stocking fee might just get someone's attention and be a powerful incentive to be sure about what they purchase before they do so.   It might lead to better evaluation of the listing info and description, such as measurements, and not just a reliance on a return or the MBG to correct things.  Many sellers report having all pertinent info, measurements, condition, but buyers still say, too big, too small, it's used when it said it was on the listing, etc.

A return is a bad experience for buyer and seller.  So cutting them down makes sense.  If it makes someone consider their purchase more carefully, that's good for buyer and seller.

Just some thoughts.  

[castlemagicmemories]

Ran out of edit time.

The consequences to the seller are far more detrimental than they are to the buyer.  Seller incurrs fees when item sells, has to respond to the case, wait for the item to be returned, and has spent time acquiring the item, creating the listing, taking pictures, and the return takes an item from the market where another buyer who might have kept it could have bought it.  Consequences to the buyer are slight.  Re-stocking fee might make for more thoughtful buying.

I'm a buyer.

[sjbaker63]

What seller in their right mind might send a brand new item, free shipping no less...only to have it returned open (and possibly dirty/broken), and so un-sellable as new (if at all)? If you look at it another way, maybe it becomes a touch more understandable...

[tunicaslot]

I took this to mean that the amount charged for a restocking fee was no more than 20% - so if a seller charges 15% - that is what will be shown in the listing - not a addendum from Ebay that a seller can charge up to 20%. I've seen sellers charge a 35% restocking fee.