Perfect example of why eBay shouldn't force free returns on Motors or anyone

[esg-enterprises]

Had a Freightliner part listed, part number, general model/year range. Buyer asks will this fit a Cascadia?  

I reply I am not sure, I would suggest contacting your dealer. He messages me a day or two later and says its a 2000.

I reply from my additional research, which I did,  your truck is outside the year range, but again, call a dealer.  

Two days later he buys it and a week later he opens a remorse return. He has no problem paying for the label apparently. But eBay wouldn't want him to have any accountability here.

We motor sellers are now equivalent to a department store dressing room, only we eat shipping, so that's not even accurate, with the buyer having 0 repercussions for their stupidity or laziness.

[siamjane8]

@chariot_badges im sorry to see that this upcoming policy has forced you to leave ebay.   Im sure there will be many to follow because this forced free returns policy is just an overreach and a detriment to sellers big and small.  As we have seen before- when ebay alienates sellers and forces them to leave- they are also losing good buyers as well....... so this policy is trading good buyers (who are also sellers and have a vested interest in the platform), for potentially bad buyers whose sole motivation to make a purchase is predicated on being able to return it for free without consequence!  Think of that - who in their right mind makes a purchase based on being able to return for free---- uneducated buyers, impulsive buyers, abusive buyers, lazy buyers, mobile buyers( ebay mobile app does not even show the description or item condition unless you click extra times if you can believe that!!!).  These are the same buyers that other platforms are weeding out by strengthening their return policies- not loosening them.

@esg-enterprises hit the nail on the head in another post- this is going to cause so much buyer confusion and abuse of the return policy- its going to drive more and more sellers to other platforms----but at least the kid fresh out of college with no business experience that came up with the idea will get  a slap on the back and a bonus even though it will cause more long term damage to sellers and ebay alike.

[siamjane8]

I just re-read the ebay seller update and it it was more confusing the second time around.    It states that ebay will be automatically changing our return policy to free returns in the coming months if we do not do it.... but we are encouraged to do it first? why?   it also states that listings that do not comply will be blocked from visibility. if ebay is changing the listings automatically how could they not comply?   

    Does this mean ebay is going to bulk edit our entire inventory to free retruns or ONLY the P&A that are NEW/NEW OTHER and leave our used listing's return policy alone?   So basically do we have to manage various different return policies on a daily basis as we list new items- switching from 30 day- buyer pays to free returns at every listing level?---- terribly inconvenient and prone to overlooking the policy as we list new and used item concurrently and daily.....

   I also noticed that the ebay subsidized return label is only in effect if the buyer chooses "changed my mind" as reason..........when is the last time you had anyone return something using that reason? very rare for us- so we wil be stuck offering free returns at full label price for the majority of all returns.... this is a joke

[joltparts]

I just do not understand why eBay cannot let us choose what our polices are like they always have, and the buyers can still make the decision to purchase from. I will not leave eBay, but I am most certainly taking many of our larger listings down so that we do not get stuck with paying more for a return than we make in the first place. Bad idea eBay.

[siamjane8]

Another example of why this policy will backfire... I just had a return request last night that was 10 days outside our 30 day return policy..... Normally I was still consider accepting it but there is no way now that I would pay the return shipping! Denied the return

Ps- why does eBay even allow someone to open a return after the return policy has expired?? Only gives buyer a false sense of expectation for no reason

[gurlcat]

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@siamjane8 wrote:

Ps- why does eBay even allow someone to open a return after the return policy has expired?? Only gives buyer a false sense of expectation for no reason

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I asked this question just the other day, but about 'No Returns'.  I didn't even know this until recently because I've never had a 'No' policy -I just assumed the only kind of return a buyer could do with such a listing was an INAD, and if they selected any remorse reason from the menu, they'd get an automatic rejection from eBay.   But apparently I was wrong, eBay DOES enable remorse buyers to request a return, setting up their expectation and putting the seller on the spot, to either accept it or say 'no', and then if the buyer is angry about it they can leave a neg.  

Reminds me of the parent who avoids ever being the 'bad guy' by saying, "You'll have to ask your _________ (mother/father)" -even when they KNOW what their (supposed) partner will say, but won't support their partner with solidarity, just let them be the bad guy.  

EDIT:   Ha, actually I think that answers our question right there.  There isn't "no reason" behind this choice of eBay's.  -It BEHOOVES them to let buyers think of this or that seller as the bad guy, rather than the platform as a whole, because the latter could make them avoid ever buying anything here again, from any seller.   

-Guess I'll add this to the long list of reasons I have Free Returns.  

[siamjane8]

@gurlcat I can appreciate your willingness to offer free returns with what you sell- in some way it does simplify the process and you always know what to expect...but in the parts and accessories categories- we might sell a 150 dollar heavy item that costs 40 dollars to ship! so if it is returned now we will be out 60 dollars for a remorse return- how is that sustainable?

   This is bad for everyone ( accept those larger seller in parts/acc that already offer free returns to compete- they will at least pay slightly less with ebay picking up 50% of the return label- unless they already have integrated shipping and do not use ebay label like most large companies do

      Imagine selling a $12 car part with $6 shipping- it gets returned for any reason (likely buyer error) and this will cost us a total on $9 to get a part back- and hope that it was not opened and installed before returning.

    It costs the seller $9 to get a part back that cannot in good faith be sold again as new- It would have been 100% better to have never sold the item

[gurlcat]

I don't disagree at all, not sure why you got the impression that I did.  In fact I was agreeing with you about how eBay sets up false expectations with buyers by enabling them to request returns past the timeframe and/or outside the seller's return 'reason' criteria.    

[carlmarxx]

There was  hope  after John D.  left   eBay as CEO  11 years ago  his  replacement had  said  his plan  was to  fix the damage  done  John D.  including trying to make eBay a cheap copy of Amazon .  I'm amazed that  eBay hasn't yet trashed managed payments by now .

[siamjane8]

@gurlcat I did not think you disagreed with me. we are on the same page- i was just acknowledging that free returns do have a place in some categories......just not Parts and Accessories.

   Part of the problem is that ebay is going to go on an advertising spree, shouting to the world that you can buy on ebay and just return for any reason for free to get more buyers.   It is a flawed way to get customers- you basically are attracting people who have no idea what they need and who do not reach out with questions first or read the description or look at al the pictures... basically the worst kind of buyer and that is what ebay is targeting for us- at our expense

[gurlcat]

Do you think you'll quit selling auto parts on eBay because of this? 

[carlmarxx]

I know of several  seller's that said  they are going to quit selling  Auto parts over this policy  . And I know  of  very large Seller  that   said   they will be laying off  or will cut the hours of 3  employees  over  this policy  . there are others  that said they will  list  parts as used  still new to get around free returns .   

[gurlcat]

I have zero evidence to back this, but I would suspect eBay made this decision because this particular category is more trouble than it's worth, at least as a category that makes buyers pay for return shipping on parts that don't fit.  And yeah I'm sure that's buyers' error far more often than sellers, not to mention crooked buyers who "return" their old parts instead of the new ones they purchased, so forcing sellers to pay for that return shipping is going to be an extra cruel slap in the face. 

That said, I could imagine the shareholders looking at the overall cost of courtesy refunds and maybe also bad word-of-mouth from buyers who were angry they had to pay return shipping, whether it was their own purchasing mistake or not, raving on social media about eBAy being a bad choice for auto parts, etc. ........

...... and those shareholders deciding this category is problematic enough that they no longer want so many sellers in it.  The cost of losing some forever may well be worth the difference if the only sellers who remain here all offer 100% free returns.