Scummy eBay practices

[freshest_finds]

I am a seller with 100% positive feedback. I have sold thousands of dollars worth of items on this site without issue. I was floored after someone purchased a white swimsuit and returned it used and soiled stating it didn't come with buttons, even though pictures and details state nothing about buttons on the item. eBay allowed them to return and made me pay the refund. I appealed it and provided pictures of the soiled item that I received. EBay did provide me with a refund. Now a month later I am dealing with the same situation. A buyer purchased an item, used it and broke it, and states it was received in this condition. The pictures they posted showed signs of use, dirt stains, and was clearly used and broken from misuse. Was taken out of factory packaging as sold. Once again eBay immediately refunded the buyer from my account funds. I appealed the case, provided pics backing up my claim and was told I'd get a refund after speaking to one of their reps. No refund came. 4 calls and five weeks later I managed to get a supervisor on the phone. Once again told my story, advised to review their reps notes, my pics, and requested a refund. Supervisor told me that their reps were wrong advising me that I'd be refunded. States since I was issued one legitimate refund in past 12 months, I am no longer eligible. Seriously?! I've generated thousands of dollars for eBay and this is how they treat their sellers?! Beware! Find an alternate platform to sell your items. This is how they treat sellers funding their horrible platform. Moving my goods elsewhere. Scummy business practices!

[lakefor94]

@freshest_finds 

I have heard the same over the years from sellers here on the boards that they give one courtesy refund back to the seller per year.  

EBay expects sellers to eat some of these false Item Not As Described cases from what I have learned. I don't get enough of them to effect my bottom line, but I don't sell apparel. 

Clothing can be a tough category for returns. Best of luck moving forward here or elsewhere. If the "elsewhere" uses a payment processor like eBay, the return rules are basically, the same.

[714ricki]

You should see the returns other online sellers including the big box stores receive via online returns. The buyers definitely have been conditioned over the years to return things no questions asked regardless of condition. 🙏

[mam98031 · Accepted solution]

Not everything that you don't understand is Ebay's fault.  You are hurting the health of your account by trying to fight these returns and ALLOWING Ebay to step in and make the decision.

What happens when you allow this is Ebay will rule for the Buyer, usually won't require them to return the item. you will be force to fully refund the buyer, you will NOT get your FVFs refunded and you get a Defect on your account.  This is NOT a good plan.  You need to STOP doing this.  You need to learn the policies and how to work within them.  You not knowing this isn't Ebay's fault, it is yours for not doing your homework.

This is part of the policy in the link below.

How to deduct from the buyer's refund when the item is returned in a different condition

If you qualify to deduct an amount from the buyer's refund:

1. Find the item in your Returns dashboard.
2. Select Report Problem or Refund Now and enter the reason for the deduction.
3. On the next screen, select the percentage you want to deduct from the refund amount (see our guidelines below).
4. Add a comment explaining why the refund isn't full.
5. Select Refund now.

Guidelines for how much to deduct from the refund

Here are some guidelines to help you determine how much to deduct from the buyer's refund.

Condition of return	Refund deduction guidance
Excellent condition: Unused, undamaged, or unaltered All items included in the original package Factory or vacuum seal must not be broken/opened (if applicable) Original tags included & attached (where applicable) Must include provided certificates of authenticity, grading, or appraisal	No deductions
Good condition: Missing original packaging Factory or vacuum seal is broken/opened, but the item is still in its original condition Original tags included but unattached	5%–10% deduction
Fair condition: Missing parts Some signs of wear or use Item has been installed Item has been registered or user has not logged out of the device's account, and it cannot easily be set back to factory settings Original tags missing	15%–30% deduction
Poor condition: Significant signs of wear, or significantly different than how it was shipped to the buyer Missing essential parts Item is damaged, scratched, defective, or requires service or repair  Missing provided certificates of authenticity, grading, or appraisal Opened items that cannot be resold (perishables, liquor, makeup)  Sold multiple items but the buyer didn’t return all of them	35%–50% deduction

Misuse of this protection

Sellers may only deduct an amount from the buyer's refund in order to recover lost value when an item is returned used, altered or damaged. Sellers may not use this protection to recoup market losses on items returned in the same condition or recoup return postage and/or restocking costs.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115#:

This is a long policy but you really need to know it as there is stuff for buyer rights and seller protections.  Don't make light of this and just wing it.  It can cause you to get too many Defects and get your selling account sanctioned.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

[fashunu4eeuh]

As a clothing seller, you might consider offering a more buyer-friendly return terms  to better protect your account from bogus Not As Described claims. I assume that is why you are being forced to refund? On eBay, any unhappy buyer can invoke the Money Back Guarantee and force you to accept and pay for a return and refund. The buyer’s claim will supersede a seller’s word on eBay every time.

To compensate for this, it is best to anticipate a certain amount of retail shrinkage and write such losses into your business plan and as a possible offset on your income tax, etc.

Not cooperating with the buyer on a SNAD means an account defect is recorded against you each time if you do not willingly accept the Not As Described return (and follow the policy guidelines). This can seriously downgrade your status on eBay, including an increase in your Final Value fees and being charged a penalty when eBay bills you for unreimbursed seller fees on the forced refunds. 

Sellers cannot fight Money Back Guarantee claims. The buyer-centric policy is meant to protect buyer interests at the expense of the seller. See the link below for the policy terms if you are unfamiliar with it and how it works here. This is a risk all sellers accept when using the eBay platform.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy....

[luckythewinner]

 Now a month later I am dealing with the same situation. A buyer purchased an item, used it and broke it, and states it was received in this condition. The pictures they posted showed signs of use, dirt stains, and was clearly used and broken from misuse.

On eBay, any buyer can steal or return any item by filing a fraudulent dispute. This has been true since 2008 when eBay introduced the Money Back Guarantee for buyers.

Let's say there was a second transaction almost identical to yours, with the same claim by the buyer and the same photos used as evidence by both sides. But the only difference in the second transaction is that the seller actually did send the dirty, broken item instead of the new one. 

How would eBay know to rule correct FOR the seller in the first case, and AGAINST the seller in the second case? They couldn't, because eBay has no way of knowing what the seller shipped, what the buyer received, or who is telling the truth.

If eBay decided cases based on pictures provided by the seller, then unethical sellers would list pictures of a brand new Rolex and ship a cheap broken Timex instead, and win cases by sending the pictures of the Rolex. 

It is not really a "scummy practice", it is just an unfortunate reality of an e-commerce site where the site does not observe first-hand what is sent and what is received. So it makes a decision based on what is in the site's best interests. 

[psfhobbies]

boils down to people being opportunists whether honest or crooks / thieves. People just need to realize its a type of stealing returning worn items or using and damaging. Started years ago at walmart people could return anything and get refund..then moved to the internet now we all got to deal with it. We got a fresh starting the 20th and we all need to do better to one another.

[fbusoni]

---

@psfhobbies wrote:

boils down to people being opportunists whether honest or crooks / thieves. People just need to realize its a type of stealing returning worn items or using and damaging. Started years ago at walmart people could return anything and get refund..then moved to the internet now we all got to deal with it. We got a fresh starting the 20th and we all need to do better to one another.

---

@psfhobbies 

I hate to burst your bubble but January 21st 2025 will be identical to January 19th 2025.

That's because human beings -- in contrast to dung beetles, earthworms, and all manner of what we refer to as "lower life forms" -- need to BE TAUGHT to not harm other members of their own species.

@freshest_finds 

Sorry this happened to you.  This sort of dishonesty stings because it is so utterly contrary to what well-adjusted people regard as basic human decency. 

It has not yet happened to me, but I know that one day it will because homo sapiens cannot help themselves.

All I can say is that if you have indeed sold thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on this dismal platform, then you can look at this latest loss in the context of great satisfaction at what I imagine to be your significant profits here over the years.  regards

[pickapaper]

@psfhobbies wrote: Started years ago at walmart people could return anything and get refund..

Actually, "return dishonesty" goes back much further than that.  Back in the late 60s, my husband worked in security at K-Mart.  At that time, when K-Mart would get a return, they would refund and anything that got refunded got thrown away.  It didn't take long before employees realized that a lot of those items that had been thrown away were coming back in the front door for refunds again because people were going through the dumpsters every night.  So then, they started cutting tags out of clothing items.  That still didn't work because people would say they themselves cut the tags out because they were itchy.  Finally, it got down to the store having to totally destroy items before throwing them away, and it wasn't just clothing, it was everything they sold.  (And back then, K-Mart sold TVs and appliances and a bit of furniture along with everything else.)

[jameshen1]

If you are moving to another platform, you better end your 183 listings ASAP.

[pickapaper]

@freshest_finds  wrote:   Beware! Find an alternate platform to sell your items. This is how they treat sellers funding their horrible platform. Moving my goods elsewhere. Scummy business practices! 

This board isn't a very good place to "warn" people about anything.   There are 18 Million sellers on eBay and this board is only visited by a tiny fraction of those sellers so there is a ginormous number of sellers who will never see your post.

Obviously, even though you have been a successful seller in the past, you have become unhappy with this "horrible platform and its scummy business practices".    Although that is your opinion, you think everyone who sees your "warning" should heed it?  Sorry, that will not happen.

There are a lot of other selling platforms out there.  Perhaps you will find one that better suits your needs, but I sincerely doubt it.  All selling platforms have problems of some kind, some worse than others.   

Whatever you decide, good luck to you.

[fern*wood]

There are some limited protections offered for faulty returns if you qualify by offering free returns or are a TRS with at least a 30 day return policy. 

[lux.ra_14]

---

@psfhobbies wrote:

We got a fresh starting the 20th and we all need to do better to one another.

---

Fat chance.

[ebeysince1998]

I'm sorry that happened to you, I have had buyers steal from me too.  I have stopped selling some products on ebay because the people that choose those items tend to not be trustworthy.  I also try to limit what I sell on ebay and choose other platforms that I don't think I can mention here. 

If this keeps happening to the same items maybe don't sell that on ebay or like you said, stop selling on ebay entirely, but if you do keep selling on ebay please remember ebay will likely always side with the buyer and take the money from your account without permission.  

[lux.ra_14]

---

@freshest_finds wrote:

Moving my goods elsewhere.

---

And you will likely find out the same thing as many other discontented sellers -- that eBay still allows you to sell more items for more money than other platform.