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?

[albertabrightalberta]

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@itsmrfixer wrote:

No the tank wasn't the only thing in the box.  It was a tank and a faucet.

The faucet was missing.  She described it as it was.  Tank only.  It was new but not complete in box.

How can she be in the wrong?  

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She's wrong because she listed it as "open box" although that item didn't qualify as an open box listing.  (This was a legitimate NAD listing.)

This is ebay's description of what "open box" means. (The bold red is mine.) As you can see, the item should be complete: 

Condition

Open box: An item in excellent, new condition with no wear. The item may be missing the original packaging or protective wrapping, or may be in the original packaging but not sealed. The item includes original accessories. The item may be a factory second. See the seller's listing for full details and description. See all condition definitions

EDIT: Sorry. I hadn't read ahead to see that this was pointed out already.