eBay

bill.purvis2012 · ‎09-14-2021

I thought they had 14 days. I have one that received their item 9/1 and filed a return that day. A new watch, Said it wasn't running. It was new so it shouldn't have been running. Still in box. But, I accept returns for any reason and pay for return. So, no problem. Ebay sent me the notice and it says they gave the buyer until 9/16 to mail it. Well, it hasn't been mailed. But, now it looks like Ebay changed the notice and gave them until 10/15. What? Another month after they filed the return? When did Ebay change this?

ittybitnot · ‎09-14-2021

@ittybitnot- Don't forget that they recently extended the INR process without telling us.

@coffeebean832

Isn't that the one that used to take three days, and now has an additional day or two with the "escalate" (ask eBay to step in) button after three days somehow never shows up after a week? Wasn't that for only for INR claims filed AFTER confirmation of delivery? or before (LOL)? I didn't forget, but I do know that after your INR (that wasn't really and INR, since the buyer just wanted to chat) is resolved it is put back into the payment flow which will add a few more days to your "on hold" payment to actually reach you.

None of that applies, however, if the false INR claim is made via a chargeback.

coffeebean832 · ‎09-14-2021

Yeah, something like that. 😂

bigdeals.etc · ‎09-14-2021

@68barbie wrote:
I had a buyer open a case on Friday so I immediately accepted the return and the system generated a return label. When I looked at the case today it said the buyer had until October 25 to return the item so in my case this buyer has 45 days to get it in the mail. It's been forever and a day since I've had a return so I was shocked to see this hyper extended return time. There's been no movement on the tracking as of yet (it's only been 4 days) so we'll see if the dates change after 15 days or so.

-C

Yea so I get returns all the time that I stopped bothering to count the days eBay allows anymore. But I just checked, I got one return filed and accepted on the same day as yours and like your return, eBay is giving my buyer until 10/25 ON PAPER to ship the item back. Who knows how long they’ll take to “automatically” close the return out if the buyer fails to return it by 10/25.

Just as a reference, I got two returns filed today 9/14 and it states eBay is giving the buyers until 10/27 to ship the item back on both of those returns. Who knows what the internal buyer return time window is anymore.

bigdeals.etc · ‎09-14-2021

Also I just noticed I have another return sitting here since august 25. The buyer hasn’t shipped it back yet and I see that ebay states the buyer has until October 14 to ship the item back. I believe that’s 35 business days, right?

coffeebean832 · ‎09-14-2021

You guys have me checking my own returns now. I've had a remorse return hanging open since August 13th and it was clear from the moment the return was opened that the buyer had no intention of returning it. At the time it said that if the buyer didn't return it by August 27th that eBay "may" close out the return. 10 business days.

That language about how eBay may close out the return disappeared on August 26th. Now it just says- 'We've informed the buyer to ship the item back by Aug 27."

Today, September 14th, makes 21 business days- a full calendar month. It will be interesting to see if eBay closes this thing due to inactivity within the next 24 hours- or if it's going to stay open longer.

ittybitnot · ‎09-14-2021

Today, September 14th, makes 21 business days- a full calendar month.

@coffeebean832

Well, do you or do you not have an "ask ebay to step in and help" button on that transaction? What will the estimated delivery date be if you add 35 business days to August 27 (which was a Friday) ? Don't figure it out...I was just being silly.

bigdeals.etc · ‎09-14-2021

Geez, now you got ME looking at more of my active returns (yes there are many). So you know how earlier I said I had a return accepted on august 25 that eBay says the buyer has until oct 14 to ship back. I just noticed one of my other returns accepted on august 31 (4 business days later) ALSO states the buyer has until oct 14 to ship the item back. There seems to be no consistency or pattern here.

That supports my theory that eBay is purposely moving all these dates and time windows around to confuse the seller so we would just leave it be, let eBay hold our money for an indeterminate amount of time, or even give up and just refund the buyer. Well played eBay 🙂

fm2000 · ‎09-14-2021

Dishonest buyers have 6 months due to credit card chargebacks.

I have had people try to do returns or claim their product never arrived 11 months after they received their items. Some people never fail to amaze me.

coffeebean832 · ‎09-15-2021

@ittybitnot- There's no option to ask eBay to step in- and the return is still open today. They removed the seller escalation option from remorse returns last year at the same time they grossly extended the return windows. I was wrong in my above post- it wasn't the 2019 Spring Seller Update, it was the 2020 Spring Seller Update.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2020-spring/service.html#returns-cases

Changes to handling return requests that appear abandoned

Starting April 1, 2020, we will no longer close returns early at the request of a seller when the buyer has not shipped the item back. Instead, we will wait to ensure buyers have sufficient time to provide proof items they requested to return were shipped back. If we do not receive proof of shipment from your buyers while the return requests are active, we will protect you by removing any negative or neutral feedback left on that transaction.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Updates-to-how-you-service/Sufficient-time-for-buyer-to-return/m-p/307...

When buyers are sent an eBay-generated return label, the return is closed if the label is not printed within 10 business days. If the buyer prints the label, we allow the return to remain open an additional 5 business days to ensure shipping scans are captured. When buyers are not sent an eBay-generated return label, we wait up to 35 business days before closing the return.

@bigdeals.etc- Those timelines were obviously thrown out the window. I always hated that a non-eBay label meant the buyer had an additional 25 business days (!!) to return their item. Leave it to eBay to complicate what should be a simple process. Would it be so hard to say a buyer has 10 (calendar) days from the time the return label is sent (whether eBay generated or not!) to get their item scanned in by a postal carrier- but with an unwritten rule that they'll get an automatic 5 (calendar) day extension just so they can't complain they didn't have enough time to return?

35 business days- that's 7-8 weeks depending on weekends and holidays. No buyer should need 2 months to return something! That two months is on top of the 30 days they get to file the return. I mean there's coddling buyers- then there's building a giant bubble for them. They get a quarter of a year to return- think about that- it's ridiculous.

From the examples we all posted in this discussion, it seems like every return filed is getting the extended time frame. I can't comment on that without every other word being bleeped- and those words aren't even part of my everyday vocabulary.

Edit to add- Then there's the amazing way Managed Payments fails you in the returns process- my funds are on hold, yet according to my Payments page my funds are not on hold. This is yet another change from how it worked when MP started. They implemented this lovely and confusing mess of a change circa Feb/March last year- before all the masses got their deadlines to sign up.

coffeebean832 · ‎09-15-2021

Here's another interesting discussion about this topic-

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Returns/Something-isnt-right-Buyer-Return-window-just-got-EXTENDED-by/...

coffeebean832 · ‎09-15-2021

@coffeebean832 wrote:
Here's another interesting discussion about this topic-
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Returns/Something-isnt-right-Buyer-Return-window-just-got-EXTENDED-by/...

velvet@ebay- Can you please look into return timelines? The info in this discussion as well as the discussion linked above shows that sellers are looking at 30 business day windows just for the buyer to get something in the mail. The above link suggests this is a glitch in the system. I'm worried it's another unannounced policy change like the INR discussion we recently had.

I have a current return from August 13th that has a ship-by date of August 27th- today is the 22nd business day and it's still open. Is it going to stay open 30-35 business days?

duffy4444 · ‎09-15-2021

Greetings, bill.purvis2012,

I had the same thing happen to me on a recent domestic sale. A buyer admitted he ordered the wrong item, wanted to return it, and eBay sent them a prepaid label. No problem. Then I waited... crickets.

Ebay's return comments on the return case said that the buyer had until August 31 to show the item was returned. That was the 30 days mark... Then, still no return for yet another week, and my money for the item was still on hold at MP.

I contacted eBay CS on Facebook (the only trustworthy eBay CS), and they quickly replied that the return would close "soon", if the item was not returned. Exactly 45 days after the initial return request, it finally timed out and the case was automatically closed in my favor and my MP funds for the item were taken off hold. Done.

So don't be surprised if eBay gives a total of 45 days or so from the return request to close the case if you don't receive the returned item by then... Contact eBay on Facebook (use "Message", don't just post), and maybe they will close it sooner. Who knows?

But be vocal about it to CS - it may make a difference.

Cheers, Duffy

velvet@ebay · ‎09-15-2021

@coffeebean832 wrote:

@coffeebean832 wrote:

Here's another interesting discussion about this topic-

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Returns/Something-isnt-right-Buyer-Return-window-just-got-EXTENDED-by/...

velvet@ebay- Can you please look into return timelines? The info in this discussion as well as the discussion linked above shows that sellers are looking at 30 business day windows just for the buyer to get something in the mail. The above link suggests this is a glitch in the system. I'm worried it's another unannounced policy change like the INR discussion we recently had.

I have a current return from August 13th that has a ship-by date of August 27th- today is the 22nd business day and it's still open. Is it going to stay open 30-35 business days?

Great question @coffeebean832! I was just talking about this in another post the other day. It can take up to 35 business days and you can go here for more about the return timeframes we have in place.

Velvet,

teth_1615 · ‎09-15-2021

All reports show a return timeframe of exactly 30 business days now.

@bill.purvis2012 wrote:
I have one that received their item 9/1 and filed a return that day.

Ebay changed the notice and gave them until 10/15. What?

From Wednesday, September 1, 2021 + 30 business days across 2 holidays:
Labor Day (Monday, September 6, 2021)
Columbus Day (Monday, October 11, 2021)
Result: Friday, October 15, 2021

@coveman2002 wrote:
I had a return that was placed and approved on Sept 02.

The original return by date ... changed to Oct 18.

From Thursday, September 2, 2021 + 30 business days across 2 holidays:
Labor Day (Monday, September 6, 2021)
Columbus Day (Monday, October 11, 2021)
Result: Monday, October 18, 2021

@68barbie wrote:
I had a buyer open a case on Friday so I immediately accepted the return

When I looked at the case today it said the buyer had until October 25 to return the item

From Friday, September 10, 2021 + 30 business days
Columbus Day (Monday, October 11, 2021)
Result: Monday, October 25, 2021

@fcr51 wrote:
I got one yesterday 9-13 and checked and

they have to return by 10-26 !!!! Craziness right here

From Monday, September 13, 2021 + 30 business days
Columbus Day (Monday, October 11, 2021)

Result: Tuesday, October 26, 2021

@bigdeals.etc wrote:
I got two returns filed today 9/14

and it states eBay is giving the buyers until 10/27 to ship the item back on both of those returns.

From Tuesday, September 14, 2021 + 30 business days
Columbus Day (Monday, October 11, 2021)
Result: Wednesday, October 27, 2021

coffeebean832 · ‎09-15-2021

velvet@ebay wrote:
Great question @coffeebean832! I was just talking about this in another post the other day. It can take up to 35 business days and you can go here for more about the return timeframes we have in place.

Hi velvet@ebay- Thanks for the reply. Could you please clarify on a couple of points-

1- Can you please review all the posts from this link- CS has opened tech tickets and sellers whose returns have already been open a month are seeing 30 business day extensions added. Please provide some insight on that.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Returns/Something-isnt-right-Buyer-Return-window-just-got-EXTENDED-by/...

2- Another issue is the policy itself being changed with zero notice to sellers. As of 1 year ago- the policy from the 2020 Spring Seller Update was in effect. eBay appears to have changed the policy in November without warning.

As a reminder- this is from the Spring 2020 Update-

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Updates-to-how-you-service/Sufficient-time-for-buyer-to-return/m-p/307...

When buyers are sent an eBay-generated return label, the return is closed if the label is not printed within 10 business days. If the buyer prints the label, we allow the return to remain open an additional 5 business days to ensure shipping scans are captured. When buyers are not sent an eBay-generated return label, we wait up to 35 business days before closing the return.

August 2020 policy-

Current policy that changed in November without warning-