Proper technique to listing..

[itsmrfixer]

Hello all and thanks in advance.

My wife has an ebay seller account and she has been selling 3-4 items a day.  It has been as high as 10-12 items so it's somewhat worthwhile.

Her problem, the returns are going sky-high.  IT seems like 1 in 5 things the buyer wants to return.

She offers free shipping on some items, so she will have paid the initial shipping, then the return shipping, PLUS have to return the money.

We've been told complete contradicting answers on how to follow a policy etc.

What techniques can she use to gather some sort of protection?  

We've tried the no refunds, no returns, that ended poorly, we've tried just about every way I can think of and it doesn't seem to matter anymore.  She is changing from a profitable hobby to a sinking waste.  

Ebay is or was an auction site.  Auctions used to be as is, or at least have some sort of seller protection.  How can anyone get ahead with such poorly thought out policies?

Walmart is Walmart

Amazon is Amazon

Ebay is neither Walmart nor Amazon, and with its current direction, will never be.

What methods should I educate myself with to stop this pandemic of returned items and people keeping the product and the money?

[wastingtime101]

It would help to see the account in question so we could look at the listings and offer tips. If there's a high rate of return it could be the listings that need improvement.

[chapeau-noir]

Can your wife post? She's the business owner and its better if she speaks for herself, plus it would be helpful to see what her market is. It makes it easier to help out, particularly if people here have experience selling what she is selling. 

ETA: Return rates internet wide are pretty high, but here on eBay (at least in my experience, and I sell mostly clothing), they are not. 

[itsmrfixer]

Feirinsfindings

[mam98031]

@itsmrfixer 

The return policies options are as follows.

1. No Returns
2. 30 day returns w/ buyer pays shipping
3. 60 day returns w/ buyer pays shipping
4. 30 day returns w/ seller pays shipping, AKA Free Returns
5. 60 day returns w/ seller pays shipping. AKA Free Returns
6. 14 Day returns in certain categories

With option number 1, No Returns the seller can completely deny taking a return for a Buyer's Remorse Return Request.  Or if they want to, they can accept the return and have the buyer pay the return shipping.  If the seller so chooses, they can withhold the original shipping if it was separately stated on the listing [not free shipping] when it is time to refund the buyer.

On options 2 & 3 the buyer is responsible for the return shipping on a Buyer's Remorse Return.  Plus, if the seller so chooses, they can withhold the original shipping if it was separately stated on the listing [not free shipping] when it is time to refund the buyer. As of October 1st 2019, sellers that are TRS have some additional protections as well as they can issue partial refunds if they use options 4 or 5 as their return policy.

On options 4 & 5 above, they are also known as Free Returns.  If a seller that has either of those policies, they will pay the return shipping even on a buyer's remorse return.  A seller can withhold the original shipping value from the refund if the shipping was separately stated in the listing [not free shipping].  Also, Seller’s offering options 4 or 5 have the ability to do partial refunds in certain cases if the item arrives back damaged, missing something or in a condition less than what it was sent to the buyer in, see the policy for more details, the link is below.  In the cases where a deduction in the refund is taken due to damage or other authorized reasons for a partial refund, Ebay will protect the seller from negative or neutral feedback.

ALL OPTIONS [1, 2, 3, 4 and 5] are required to process SNAD claims without exception.  Even if they are improperly filed and should have been a Buyer’s Remorse claim.

All return policies by sellers must meet or exceed what is stated in the Money Back Guarantee Policy!

14 day return policies are allowed in certain categories: Jewelry & Watches, Collectibles & Art, Cameras & Photo and Medical, Mobility & Disability Equipment.

For those with Free Return and/or TRS members with 30 day return policies, there are some added protection benefits, one of which is the ability to do a discounted refund under certain conditions.

[mam98031]

@itsmrfixer 

Thank you for the added information.  When a seller is getting that many returns, there is usually a reason for it.  

One thing that jumps out to me is that the descriptions are really slim.  When it is a used item any and all flaws should have a good picture of it and the description should describe in it detail.

Saying that it is in a preowned condition is no where near a good description.  

What are some of the reasons why she gets these returns.  Do you see any common remarks?

[soh.maryl]

You mention that you have tried "no refunds, no returns", which makes me wonder if you are fully completely with eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers.

The MBG means that, if a buyer opens an item not as described case, your "no refunds, no returns" stance goes out the window.  Ditto if the buyer opens an item not received case.  

[toysaver]

Your wife is selling lots of car parts.  This is a category with rampant returns.  Fit can be an issue.  

[kensgiftshop]

Better descriptions that mention any defects, and not just In Used Condition or Look At Photos For Condition.

Measurements in your descriptions on the clothing.

[chapeau-noir]

I also agree - just repeating the title in the description isn't enough. There needs to be more content - for instance, I don't see measurements on any clothing. I would not use the AI generated descriptions as they don't say any more, really, than just the title with a bunch of fluff. The description doesn't have to be long - a few descriptive sentences, but there does need to be a little more there. 

There seems to be a miscellaneous assortment of items for sale - can you winnow the returns problems to a particular market? Car parts (as mentioned above), collectibles, clothing or whatever? 

[redlinear]

She's selling a lot of car parts.  That's not easy to do unless you know how.
You have to know how to inspect and FULLY describe damage, flaws, cracks, imperfections. The bad and the good.
You have to know where to look on many parts.  Damage can be hidden, but on many parts, they all break in one particular location.  
Usually, the higher the demand, the more prone the part is to some sort of damage.
Basically, ya gotta know your stuff.  

Not saying she doesn't....however, that knowledge isn't showing up in the listings. 
SEE PICS FOR CONDITION doesn't get it.
   I can take somebody that can take apart and car, name every part, put it back together...blindfolded.  And they still can't convey the needed info to a description that would enable them to sell on eBay and the part not come back faster than it left.
  Of the 30+ employees that I've had over the years that thought they could do it better on their own? 
Only ONE made it more than a year on their own selling parts on eBay.
  I've got some that are really good at it. But it took them YEARS to learn.

She can do it, but she's going to have to type much better descriptions.  And that starts with the part itself, long before she even takes a picture. 
    

[itsmrfixer]

So we just got another negative....

The buyer never emailed us, or mentioned anything about being unhappy.

The remote has a screw from the factory.

It wasn't overtightened.

The remote worked, i tested it myself.

More of the same dumbness.

------

Car parts, I am fully aware how the parts work and what they fit etc.  Yes, there are times we make mistakes, that's not what I am focused on.

For instance, sold a faucet style mini hot water heater.  It can be found under our sold.

The buyer returned it because it wasn't all there.  The listing, title description all stated it was ONLY the tank.  The buyer stated he assumed since it was the box, it would have the faucet and all the other parts included.

HELLO!!!!!?!?!??!  Is the woman and child pictured on the box included also?

So she lost the shipping, money, paid for return, etc...

What are the best options for listing and selling?

Free shipping?  No free shipping?

We will work on the description portion.  That is good advice.

I would like to thank you all for replying.

[mustang707]

About the faucet hot water heater--You have to come to terms with the fact that all kinds of people buy on ebay-smart people, dumb people and people who don't read descriptions well. This is the risk you take when you sell a partial box or an item for parts only. There are many sellers who come here complaining about how buyers thought they were getting the "entire thing". Sometimes it might not be worth it to sell these kinds of items. I would recommend having 30 returns/buyer pays shipping to head off possible problems but up to you. Overall it looks like you are doing well with many items listed. Your pictures look good.

[aproudparent2010]

I'm curious why so many returns......I sell thousands of items a year and get maybe 10 returns if that a year.

[aproudparent2010]

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@itsmrfixer wrote:

So we just got another negative....

The buyer never emailed us, or mentioned anything about being unhappy.

The remote has a screw from the factory.

It wasn't overtightened.

The remote worked, i tested it myself.

More of the same dumbness.

------

Car parts, I am fully aware how the parts work and what they fit etc.  Yes, there are times we make mistakes, that's not what I am focused on.

For instance, sold a faucet style mini hot water heater.  It can be found under our sold.

The buyer returned it because it wasn't all there.  The listing, title description all stated it was ONLY the tank.  The buyer stated he assumed since it was the box, it would have the faucet and all the other parts included.

HELLO!!!!!?!?!??!  Is the woman and child pictured on the box included also?

So she lost the shipping, money, paid for return, etc...

What are the best options for listing and selling?

Free shipping?  No free shipping?

We will work on the description portion.  That is good advice.

I would like to thank you all for replying.

---

Is the tank usually all that comes in that box shown?