Returns

[shrockstr2000]

There is no protection for sellers against returns.  My wife has had to refund 4 times in the last month because the purchaser doesn’t like an item or it doesn’t fit their body.  She offers free shipping.  Postage has gone way up and then we eat the whole bill even though she listed sizes according to tags and also give precise measurements.  Sellers beware.  

[downunder-61]

We are aware and as unhappy as you about it, but it is the cost/risk  of selling on eBay.

With the MBG offered by eBay any buyer can claim INAD and they are guaranteed a refund.

You accept the return of the item, send a label and get the item back and then refund, if you don't do any of the above, eBay will step in a refund without requiring the buyer to return.

Great system for the buyer, bad for the seller. Hope things improve for you, not all buyer's are bad.

[johnrj1226]

That is why I never offered free shipping (actually did try  some to see if it mad a diff  - I say no).  I believe that most buyer look at to cost  before they b make a buying decision and  if you have a lower item listing price  with the S/H deducted shoppers are more likely to stop and look at your listing as they search thru the same or similar items.  The key to success is getting their eyeballs on your listing with a listing that has lots of clear and close up pics with descriptions that are  short and sweet w/o a lot of flowery marketing jargon.

Stopped sell on eBay for personal reasons didn't move to another site.  I did make decent money - never had an a lot of returns - provided key  measurement on clothing, footwear and other items  like a fishing rod or jeweler piece - 'cause there are no universal standards for determining a size - like S, M, L XL or Tall  or a shoe or boot size - ya' can't tell how big or small any thing is from a pic.  Description are key.  Sold for 41 +years and my  prospective buyers proposals was a key element  in my sales success as no one person made the final decision to buy from me or not..

[annadryl]

Yup, we're aware. Clothes especially are a hard sell because of fit issues. It's a hard field to sell in. About all you can do is "pad" your prices a bit to make up for the hiccups.

It's not just eBay, it's e-commerce culture. Costco, Wally, the Big A and all others will always make returns and refunds easy because they want the customers to keep coming back. We've thrown our lot in with them. Welcome to selling!

Best of luck and Happy Christmas~

[jayjaspersgarage]

#1 - Don't offer free shipping if you can't cover the cost of returns.  Have the buyer pay for return shipping.

or

#2 - Donate the clothes to a charity and take the maximum tax deduction.  

[fashunu4eeuh]

Returns are now simply an accepted part of the business of retail, so there is no sense fighting them. Best to write the expense of returns into one’s business plan.

[vintagecraze50]

Some returns are a normal part of doing business . You must consider that a percentage of what you sell will be returned. You must structure a business plan that takes into account costs of having to pay for return shipping on these returns and increase prices slightly across the board on listings to compensate, write off on taxes, up the prices on some items that you know will go for a higher price, and other strategies to cover loss.

[kabilab]

I have been retailing for a tad under 30 years.  From the very beginning,  my solution to refunds works for me in my store, but, of course, would not be acceptable on e-Bay.

My primary products, electronic games and DVDs, are guaranteed, but only for an exchange; I will NOT, under any circumstances, refund money. The success of my policy is predicated upon NO refunds. Have I lost sales? Probably, but my rule has saved me far more over the years.  The honest shoppers understand and the thieves visit those owners they consider "easy pickings."

[katzrul15]

For us, returns are up this Holiday Season.  We usually get very few and usually AFTER 12/25.  We have had 8 this month so far and we typically have 1-2 per year on here.  Something is definitely UP as they say.

[luckythewinner]

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@shrockstr2000 wrote:

There is no protection for sellers against returns.

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Generally speaking, there is no protection against returns and no protection against fraud either. 

It has been this way since eBay introduced the Money Back Guarantee a decade ago. When it becomes a problem, some sellers adapt and others leave. 

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[lonebuck-books]

Stop with the free shipping, especially on clothing type of items.  You are not only penalizing yourself with the returns costs but you are also penalizing buyers who are close to you because they are subsidizing buyers far a way.  We all know free shipping isn't free, it is rolled into the total sell price.  That requires an 'average' shipping cost that you will expect and that always includes distant shipping costs.  A close in buyer who would pay $7.80 for calculated shipping ends up actually paying say $11 for "free shipping" because you have to expect some of your buyers will be far away. 

Start charging calculated actual cost shipping.  You might lose some far away buyers but you will gain close in buyers and as an added bonus, you can deduct that shipping cost from your refund if the buyer chooses any reason for the return that isn't seller faulted.