Returns % High

[retrogames10000]

I've had a few returns this year, how many returns until there is a penalty for me?  Buyers are using the returns because of ordering by mistake and a few instances of theft in my opinion.

Return 1 - 4 = same person, all the games worked, each $5 items and gave defective as the reason.  Worked when I received them back.

Return 5 - 6 = same person, this was theft.  Said both did not work when they both did - they kept the item when I refunded early

Return 7 - Person ordered 3 games, said none worked.  This was theft.  I just refunded most of the money to go away

Return 8 - Ordered by mistake - Meant to order English copy even though it was an obvious listing for a Japanese product.

Return #9 - a return in a different category - Buyer changed mind after 24 hours of ordering as soon as I dropped of the package at USPS.

I am receiving some cases where a buyer texts me to complain about the purchase saying it does not work, but as soon as I offer a partial refund the buyer says that it now works and is happy.

At what point will these returns start to affect me?  I feel cheated lately by some eBay buyers and my metrics are being destroyed

[allthings-collectible]

This is the reason I won't sell video games. 

[wheredidiputthatremote]

I hope you've blocked persons 1-6

[gamersbaystore · Accepted solution]

You're selling a lot of Japanese imports, and its obvious you're getting uneducated, unintelligent buyers who don't realize these games will not work on their consoles. I'd put a disclaimer in your listings that states they need the Japanese version console to play these games.

I blocked international sales of video games altogether years ago because of crap like this. Europeans were buying my NTSC North American PS2 and original XBOX games, then complaining they didnt work on their PAL version consoles. Of course they wont work, they dont have the right console to play these games to begin with.

I would ditch the Japanese imports, no one in America has a console that will even play these games, and if you continue to sell these types of games, the problems you're facing with INAD's will never stop.

Likewise, I always make the buyer return my product before ever issuing a refund.

As for service metrics, ebay evaluates performance metrics on the 20th of every month. According to ebay, you need to have negative reports from 10 unique buyers with 10 separate transactions within your reporting period before your account will be affected.

This is actually a lie, ebay has put limitations on accounts for much lower numbers of INR's and INAD's.

Additionally, ebay states "If we determine that a buyer has violated our abusive buyer policy, we'll automatically remove any 'Item not received' reports or 'Item not as described' return requests they had filed from service metrics."

This is a lie as well. I have never seen ebay remove INR's or item not as described reports from service metrics due to buyers violating policy. They wont remove it until the end of your evaluation period, regardless of whether the customer violated ebay's policies or not.

[buyselljack2016]

@retrogames10000 

check your metrics in the seller's hub to see where it shows you.

seller hub>

hover on performance>

click on service metrics>

[buyselljack2016]

Service metrics policy | eBay

[retrogames10000]

Thanks for the answer - 10 unique buyers to have a return problem.  So that is good at least since I have just 4 buyers with a return this year for video game catergory (so far..)

Thank you for the advice!  I do feel that Japanese games are doing well in sales for me, in fact I am so encouraged by sales for certain Japanese products that is going to be my main focus in the future.

The English market is the hard one to crack for me!

Thanks

[gamersbaystore]

Your very welcome friend! The evaluation period is 3 months if you had 100 or more transactions within that time period; or 12 months if you had less than 100 transactions. Given you only had 4 buyers who had issues this year, you should be fine.

I would agree the Japanese imports do sell, but its generally the collectors who buy them. The problem is dealing with those clueless buyers who think they can just play these games on an alternate version console, and that's a serious a problem.

Consider adding a disclaimer that notifies buyers they need a specific version console to play such games. It would certainly help to cut down on buyers opening cases and claiming the items were not as described.

[stainlessenginecovers]

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@retrogames10000 wrote:

I do feel that Japanese games are doing well in sales for me, in fact I am so encouraged by sales for certain Japanese products that is going to be my main focus in the future.

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Sales May NOT be 'doing well' once you make it clear they need to have the Japanese Version of the game console (very limited, pretty much nobody in Europe, US, Canada etc.) 

[gamersbaystore]

No doubt, its a rare event to come across anyone in America who has a Japanese version console. However, there is a market for these games, but its limited solely to the collectors or the very few casual gamers who just so happen to have these consoles.

I avoided such games entirely because of the very issues the OP is experiencing now.

Those import games are more profitable because they're generally cheaper to obtain wholesale. One has to weigh the benefits vs. the drawbacks I guess.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@gamersbaystore wrote:

No doubt, its a rare event to come across anyone in America who has a Japanese version console. However, there is a market for these games, but its limited solely to the collectors or the very few casual gamers who just so happen to have these consoles.

I avoided such games entirely because of the very issues the OP is experiencing now.

Those import games are more profitable because they're generally cheaper to obtain wholesale. One has to weigh the benefits vs. the drawbacks I guess.

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Yep,  also have to watch for the illegit copies as sourcing from Japan or Asia (Australia etc)  all too close to China where many of the more popular titles were illegit duplications.  Now a days players of the old retroware can just buy systems pre-loaded or easily loaded with a bazilion retro games for dirt.  With collectors they tend know the difference and thus they get a illegit duplicate they go batsomatic.

[gamersbaystore]

No doubt, the market has been absolutely flooded in recent years with counterfeits galore, mostly coming out of China.

Look at all the bogus Nintendo 64 games being shipped directly from China, a country where they they were never manufactured to begin with.

A dead giveaway is listings of rare N64 games brand new factory sealed, despite the fact these games haven't been produced in decades. They have rock bottom prices that are too good to be true, and it undermines legitimate game dealers and the market as a whole.