Stop Selling on eBay. Return Policy. Double Listing Fees.

[kyuzo42]

I've been selling items on eBay stochastically for 10 years now. Recent selling experience has caused me to pull all of my listings.

eBay's new Buying system encourages customers to return items. Instead of having buyers simply push the "Leave Feedback" button, eBay has made it super easy for customers to return items - without paying for the return shipping. The "Leave Feedback" button has changed to "Return Item." An obvious way eBay can help sellers is by making it a little harder for Buying Customers to go through the process of returning an item. Instead, returning an item is clear as day for Buying Customers and the first button available after a sale.

Additionally as many Sellers know, eBay takes a transaction sum immediately after the sale AND a final value sum after the end of the month. This is ridiculous.

[lewisburggold]

Yes they have made it very easy to return anything.   But we still get text from ebay that our returns are too high.  Double edge sword.   We just keep rolling.  Best regards

[castlemagicmemories]

Ebay has chosen to make the return button prominent.

There may or may not be a listing fee, and a final value fee assessed, and that has always been the case.

You have been selling a long time, even sporadically, but it is hard to understand why the return button is an issue, along with the listing fee and final value fee which have always been in effect, but good luck to you.

[jonathankirkland]

Yep that's becaue eBay only cares about eBays bottom line, not the bottom of line of the small/mid-range seller.

By making the return system extraordinarily prominent, it is more enticing than ever for people to spend their money here 100% worry free.

[ripcityresell]

As a 95% seller here, I still do not find anything eBay does as 'encouraging returns' rather they are 'encouraging trouble-free buying' by offering easy returns if necessary. Just because a very very very tiny percentage of buyers (and yes, it is a very very very tiny percentage) abuse it doesn't mean eBay is encouraging them.

You would think my items would be returned all the time...easy enough to buy them, rip them and return them, but I have less than 1/2% return rate (half percent).

[slippinjimmy]

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@kyuzo42 wrote:

Additionally as many Sellers know, eBay takes a transaction sum immediately after the sale AND a final value sum after the end of the month. This is ridiculous.

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Would you care to explain what you mean by this statement?

[daneiac]

a person can really cut down on returns (at least with used items) by writing a complete description pointing out the tiniest blemishes, tiniest hairline cracks, tiniest amount of odors, this might take an hour or two to make one listing, but cuts chances down significantly of a return

[thatsallfolks]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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@kyuzo42 wrote:

Additionally as many Sellers know, eBay takes a transaction sum immediately after the sale AND a final value sum after the end of the month. This is ridiculous.

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Would you care to explain what you mean by this statement?

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It means he doesn't understand the fees he's paying. But you knew that.

[thatsallfolks]

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@kyuzo42 wrote:

I've been selling items on eBay stochastically for 10 years now.

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There's a word I never expected to see on an eBay message board.

[m60driver]

Well, the primary online competitor (not to mention Costco and Walmart) allows returns with  few questions asked so it should not be surprising that Ebay follows suit in order to attempt to remain competitive.  But people do not see the glaring difference.  Ebay profits from the postage in both directions, less so the competiton.  So you now have to have either high gross profit margins or high volume or something inbetween to make a net profit over time.

And "selling stochastically"??  I would venture to bet there is a pattern.  My pattern varies with the seasons.

[slippinjimmy]

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@m60driver wrote:

Well, the primary online competitor (not to mention Costco and Walmart) allows returns with  few questions asked so it should not be surprising that Ebay follows suit in order to attempt to remain competitive.  But people do not see the glaring difference.  Ebay profits from the postage in both directions, less so the competiton.  So you now have to have either high gross profit margins or high volume or something inbetween to make a net profit over time.

And "selling stochastically"??  I would venture to bet there is a pattern.  My pattern varies with the seasons.

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Explain to me (in detail) how eBay profits from returns?

[jonathankirkland]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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@m60driver wrote:

Well, the primary online competitor (not to mention Costco and Walmart) allows returns with  few questions asked so it should not be surprising that Ebay follows suit in order to attempt to remain competitive.  But people do not see the glaring difference.  Ebay profits from the postage in both directions, less so the competiton.  So you now have to have either high gross profit margins or high volume or something inbetween to make a net profit over time.

And "selling stochastically"??  I would venture to bet there is a pattern.  My pattern varies with the seasons.

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Explain to me (in detail) how eBay profits from returns?

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I realize you aren't asking me, but I'd just like to add:

Ebay doesn't profit from return. What ebay profits from is lulling buyers into a false sense of security that they are 110% safe buying anything on ebay and if they aren't happy for any reason, including the fact that it's raining outside, they can return the item with absolutely zero cost to them.

This makes people want to buy more, even those who may have previously been apprehensive.

[consolejb]

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@kyuzo42 wrote:

eBay's new Buying system encourages customers to return items. Instead of having buyers simply push the "Leave Feedback" button, eBay has made it super easy for customers to return items - without paying for the return shipping. The "Leave Feedback" button has changed to "Return Item."

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I noticed this recently too. As well as eBay's new policy of not investigating return cases anymore, I am somehow even less impressed with their business model.

[rixstuff]

I have a no return policy.  It may cost me sales but it does weed out plenty of "renters" who wear items for a special occasion then return it for a refund and just maybe a buyer thinks twice before buying without doing homework.  I get very few returns* and I always respond that I will refund upon reciept of hte item back. Ninety percent of the time, the item never comes back. 

*Obviously, if I make a mistake or the item gets damaged in shipping, I do a return but most of the time no.  I dont think it has harmed me in any way.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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@kyuzo42 wrote:

Additionally as many Sellers know, eBay takes a transaction sum immediately after the sale AND a final value sum after the end of the month. This is ridiculous.

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Would you care to explain what you mean by this statement?

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Not putting words in the OP's mouth, but I think the OP feels that is double dipping.