Seller pays shipping on returns & no restocking fees allowed to retain Top Seller Plus Status

[georgkufne]

I sell as a Top Seller Plus & try hard to provide buyers accurate information to minimize returns and achieve high customer satisfaction. I believe a large percentage of my business is from small resale shops throughout the country. Most of these shops are reputable but a small percentage create significant potential return issues. Ebay has the data to monitor return percentages for bad actors and could take steps to limit their return activities but apparently does not care to do that.

Elimination of all restocking fees and forcing Top Seller Plus sellers to pay return shipping on all returns is a big risk for sellers like me for ebay’s “hope” that sales will increase significantly. I do not share ebay’s view that sales will increase enough to offset the cost of handling what I expect to be a surge in returns coupled with significant operating cost to a seller that chooses to retain Top Seller Plus status. Returns were tough enough when we had to argue with buyers about “not as described” returns.

I am convinced that a huge percentage of returns are from a small percentage of reseller shops that special order items for their customers then return items that their customers choose not to purchase. If I am correct about these reseller-return situations Top Seller Plus sellers are going to get hurt badly by these recent changes and the advantage will go to abusive reseller shops. Big problem that sounds good in the short term but will eventually hurt ebay sellers.

I will go along with this new ebay return policy for Top Seller Plus sellers for a time but will likely give up Top Seller Plus status and not pay return shipping. I may also consider a no return policy unless a buyer can make a very strong case for a not as described item return.

What say you?

[bmor3]

The bottom line is this. eBay cares about eBay and nothing else. If you read about how eBay is doing as a company you will find they are desperate to attract and retain new buyers. That is their focus, not how their new requirements effect sellers. They will do what ever they can to accomplish their priority regardless of how it effects you or me. As small sellers we are powerless. Either jump through each new hoop or move on. eBay cares not one bit which you choose. Period. 

[plumbingspecials]

They cannot attract buyers because many sellers are leaving and taking their goods with them. Some of us are weathering out the storm, but not sure how much longer we can operate without buyers and with these profitless policies that ebay is expecting of us.

[bmor3]

Looking at eBay stock on NASDAQ : ebay stock today is down roughly 19% since 2-9-19 and is trending down opposite the market as a whole.  That is a lot of money. The storm you are going to weather is just starting. Have you noticed the promoted listing option on the listing page. Mine says trending at 4.6%.  If you choose this option (and believe me if you want to sell you better choose it) it means your going to pay an additional 4.6% final value fee. That addition puts me at 13.75% for a final value fee.

Look at google search results for your items. A google search now shows one item not a list of items. You have to tic an additional button to see more items not just scroll as it was for quite some time. You can adjust the additional final value (promoted listing fee) up or down. I don't know what the cost is to place your item as a single search item result but it is not free. This is a fee raise with out an announcement.  For me it's time to start exploring new options. I have had a good run with eBay but its usefulness is fast ending.  Interesting that they still don't see me a customer.  

[ipm32]

I agree. After 14 years of trying to make Ebay see that if we sell our stuff, they make money. Instead of making it harder or more costly for us to sell our stuff, they should be looking for multiple people to buy our stuff. Auctions need two or more people for them to be successful. Ebay should return to its roots and pursue the auction format again. 

[trophillip1]

I SELL NEW TV PARTS,I SOLD A RIBBON FOR A SAMSUNG TV.THE BUYER SAID IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM.I TOLD THEM THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHAT PART OR PARTS ARE BAD BEFORE BUYING NEW PARTS.THEY WANTED A FULL REFUND ALTHOUGH I CLEALY HAVE NO RETURNS,NO REFUNDS.EB TOLD ME 

I WAS WRIGHT AND THE BUYER CAN`T RETURN IT BECAUSE SOMETHING ELSE COULD BE WRONG WITH THE TV.EB THEN TOLD THE BUYER THEY COULD RETURN 

IT.EB THEN TOOK MONEY OUT OF MY PAY PAL ACCOUNT FOR SHIPPING.I GOT THE PART BACK WITH A BURN MARK ON IT.SO IT`S NOT MY NEW PART OR IT GOT BURNT WHEN THEY INSTALLED IT IN THIER BAD TV.NOW I LOST MONEY AND THE NEW PART.I`M NOW LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT SITE THAT WILL NOT PROMOTE LIEING AND BASICLY STEELING.

[theglassslipper05]

We have been selling for 20 years, and had a top seller rating. Not any longer. Here's the gist of it. Ebay has gotten so far removed from what it was based on. They are, obviously, trying to compete with Amazon, which is an impossible task. The smaller sellers who were making a decent living on Ebay have been buried by t he mega~selling Chinese businesses. Ebay is now, regardless of their stance, a controlling partner in your business, even though they take a smaller share of the profit. It is now at the point where, sadly, we are looking at other options to Ebay. 

As an example, we primarily sell high end shoes, new and previously owned(which we refurbish). 30 day returns with free shipping are not viable for us, especially now that our ability to charge a restock fee has been removed(again, Ebay controlling YOUR business). Regarding disputes, Ebay ALWAYS takes the buyers' side. Example: We sold an $80.00 item, and the customer claimed they never received it. USPS Priority Mail tracking showed it delivered. Ebay sided with the customer, and RETURNED THEIR MONEY. Insane.  It is such a risk to the small seller to contest anything. that we just refuse to do it now. Customer service is a joke 9 times out of 10. ZERO consistency, and ZERO follow up. 

Another issue is non~paying bidders. We have had 5 in the last week alone. Ebay should hold buyers accountable by having a card on file, just as they do sellers. Non~paying bidder strikes are a joke.  

Ebay is my full time job. I work my ass off maintaining it, and enjoy what I do immensly. Knowing that Ebay is slowly taking that away, and could shut me down in a snap of their fingers is disgusting. 

[plumbingspecials]

I have used promoted listings on a few of my items and none of the mave sold. My sales are starting to come back from June without the use of promotions. I will use it on older listings with a healthy margin only... yet it doesn't really seem to "boost" the sale at all. If I do an internet search for my product, my ebay store comes up on the list in the "shopping" tab. I think ebay tells us things we want to hear and then charges us for them. It's best not to use their suggested business model, but a model that works for you, without taking a loss that ebay seems to think is just fine.

[plumbingspecials]

@theglassslipper05
If you are not resolving your cases, that is why you lost TRS. NEVER let ebay close a case for you. YOU need to follow up (not ebay) on those cases.

[theglassslipper05]

We always resolve our cases...

[ipm32]

In 14 years as a seller on Ebay I can count on one finger how many unresolved cases I have had. And it ws because the buyer did not act. The item was insured. Ebay chose to side with the buyer anyway. I couldn't do anything because the buyer needed to produce photos of the broken object. It bothered me and kept me up at night. I work so hard to maintain 100% feedback. So, more than a year has passed, and all it back to normal, except my sales.

[bricksntokens]

I encourage all sellers to give up their top-rated plus seals as I did.  The only way that we can keep Ebay from hurting our finances is by sticking together.  It is insane to allow buyers to return items at the seller's cost.  I have very few returns, but most of them are just the buyer changing his or her mind about the purchase.  I'm sure that my returns would increase if I offered free returns.  Since giving up my top-rated plus seal, my sales have actually increased.  I'm paying a little higher fees now that I no longer have the seller discount, but this is a principles decision and I think I am better off in the long run.

[stuff4divas]

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@bmor3 wrote:

The bottom line is this. eBay cares about eBay and nothing else. If you read about how eBay is doing as a company you will find they are desperate to attract and retain new buyers. That is their focus, not how their new requirements effect sellers. They will do what ever they can to accomplish their priority regardless of how it effects you or me. As small sellers we are powerless. Either jump through each new hoop or move on. eBay cares not one bit which you choose. Period. 

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I understand, but I was addressing this 1 particular subject, the 10% TRS+ discount,  to another post, not how eBay is suppressing seller's sales.

eBay may not care which I choose, but I care, since it is my $$. Period.

[bmor3]

And of course your both right. The discount is 1% of gross sales or 10% of final value fee on your sale but not shipping. Choosing to finance free return shipping for eBay is a sellers choice. The merchandise you sell will determine if free returns are going to work in your case or not. Large heavy items like mine where the average shipment is 12 to 20 dollars in shipping cost will not work. My point is that eBay is going to do things in the future that are good for eBay and bad for sellers. This is really not the end but the beginning of the changes. Have you noticed promoted listings which are trending at an additional 4.6% final value fee? Can you say fee increase with out an announcement.

[compocute]

I find it extremely unfair that buyers can return items simply because they don’t like them and that I also have to refund the postage it has cost me to send the item.  I think if there is nothing wrong with an item the buyer should not be entitled to a refund on postage. 

[classicshowcasecorp2013]

Won't work. No matter how accurate you try to describe your item the Not As Described feature could always be aplied (no exceptions), forsing one to accept return and pay for return shipping. Ebay cleverly inserted this loophole in their policy, effectively eliminating your NO Return policy.