Not able to post more items and sent daily notes on underperforming with a 2.65% error rate over yr.

[retrostereorocks]

Increasingly stringent and unfair rules find me angry with the selling process on Ebay.

When the process of returns was changed so that the consumer could simply click on "does not meet description" and be approved for a return I had to go along with that.

Yet, the items were often exactly as described but buyer remorse or thinking you bought a Cadillac when you paid for a VW Beetle seems to have crept in.

Now, a 2.65% "error" rate over the past year as a result of the above and bad postal handling has me limited in not being able to post more items in my store. I only have 28 items in the store to begin with.

I see vintage electronics.  When those ship some get damaged in transit, they are delecate.  Most are over 40 years old.  They are not new items and I cannot simple send another.

A rate that had previously been something I was appauled for it now a rate that is below standard.

EBay is NOT Amazon.  Ebay carries many new and MANY used goods.

Whoever has been brought on board to create an Amazon environment certainly has done so.  Adding a 5% charge to my fees based on the above "error rate" and now not allowing me to post more.

Complete lack of response from the letter I sent in and mechanical and outright mean processes for the seller that just happen and are final with no real input from sellers.  Really disenchanted as someone who gives Ebay thousands in fees each year.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hello, i see you have a No Return policy.

Determined buyers wanting to return a damaged or unwanted item will find a way to do so. Sometimes that means that a false Not As Described claim may get opened to force a seller to refund. And as you have seen, the outcome can be bad for the seller.

But it also sounds like you have had a legitimate number of Not As Described cases opened due to damage in transit. When a buyer invokes the eBay Money Back Guarantee, it leaves the seller with very few choices. 

It is normally best, in my opinion, for the seller to have a buyer-friendly return policy to avoid these cases getting opened. The alternative can create the circumstances you are experiencing now. Sellers must guard their accounts and accepting returns is one way to do this.

Selling used electronics is tricky. Shipping can be difficult. Ebay expects the item to arrive in the described condition, and holds the seller accountable until that happens. So it becomes your responsibility to ship delicate items safely. It is the seller’s responsibility, not the post office’s, to deliver an undamaged item in eBayland.

While that may seem unfair, those are the edicts we must follow when using eBay’s platform. It is in your best interest to do everything in your power to avoid the buyer invoking the Money Back Guarantee.

Of course in the real world, the carrier does make mistakes, causes damage in transit, delivers items late etc. That is why shipping insurance can be a welcome avenue for a seller. It enables us to be made whole if the carrier damages the item. The buyer has the MBG for protection, sellers have shipping insurance.

You might want to rethink your having a store if you have a limited number of items, or not enough inventory to make a store worth your while. You get 50 free listings for the no-store eBay seller. If you are accustomed to listing less than 50 items at a time, it might be an idea worth entertaining. I know you said you are restricted now from listing more. How many listings do you normally run?

[gamersbaystore]

There is no way to avoid those "Not As Described" cases, regardless of your return policies. I offer free 30 day returns, and the not as described still counts against me no matter what.

Almost all return cases buyers open against me are a complete fraud to begin with. They never return the item, ever, and they send me all these ridiculous messages begging for a refund and to keep the item too.

Then ebay closes the return cases supposedly in my favor, yet the not as described cases still show up on my metrics anyway and ebay said they can't remove them, despite telling me it will not affect my account standing.

[gamersbaystore]

The system was designed to make you fail, its the whole reason I'm focusing on alternatives to ebay. All it takes is a couple of buyers to lie about the reason for their return and you're instantly below standard. I am almost at the 2% mark right now.

The day I can't list I guess I have no choice but to leave. Its as if ebay wants its sellers to fail, and they base our performance metrics purely on hearsay from buyers. It makes no logical sense to me that ebay punishes sellers over returns at all, there is no reason they should.

As for your items being damaged during shipping, you aren't packing them right. You should always fill the box, use appropriate protective materials like bubble wrap, etc, and use sturdy boxes that wont fall apart while in transit. Practice makes perfect.

Years ago when I first started selling, I used to get people complaining about broken game cases. I then started bubble wrapping all my games and movies, and I've only had a case get broken once in the last 5 years. I literally wrap every game and movie case in at least 12 inches of 1/16 bubble wrap, and for more delicate cases up to 24 inches of wrap.

[fashunu4eeuh]

My experience has been the opposite of yours. I have offered free returns now for five years with no cases ever opened against me. 

[gamersbaystore]

Not as described returns count against your metrics no matter what, regardless of your return policy, even if the items are never returned. I offer free returns as well, that makes no difference. If you're over the 2% mark, you're getting thrown below standard and forced to pay higher fees. Your free returns will not protect you.