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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

So due to COVID-19 eBay has for at least a couple of months now allowed buyers WAY more time than usual to ship a return item. The thing is, the only thing I ever saw about this was 10 days instead of what used to be 5 days, but the time it's allowing buyers to be able to return now is A MONTH  I've got requests made June 9th that don't close until July 10th. They literally have that long to ship a return. It's totally absurd.

 

The returns are just stacking up, but inactive. Some just expire but others the buyers wait until the last minute. 

The thing is, almost ALL my returns are for hair clippers because I sell a lot of them. So basically buyers are able to say they "ordered by mistake", get a free month of hair cuts, and then return a used clipper with hair in it and I'm expected to refund them. Worse, you have buyers claim it's "not as described" or "not working" when it is described correctly and is working just so they can get a free return AND get a free month of haircuts AND a REFUND after they finally return the used hair clippers full of disgusting hair.

 

How much longer are they going to continue to allow this absurd return window? They've taken away a lot of the supporter for us sellers, but this one for the buyers remained. I don't see any reason that they need this much time and if we're being honest COVID-19 is NOT causing issues that cause them to need that extra time.

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

As i understand it, as you are a Top Rated seller, you have the added benefit of deducting up to 50% off the refund for an item that is returned in a used condition. Is there some reason you are not doing this? Are you not eligible?

 

And also for TRS, eBay will reimburse you for your shipping costs on fraudulent Item Not Described Cases, as well as remove any bad feedback left as a result. 

Below is the link to those benefits and others for the Top Rated Seller program. Good luck to you!

 

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/service-and-payments/top-rated-program.html

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

I do deduct the 50%, but even then I'm taking a lost. I can't resell used hair clippers. It's just unhygienic, especially during this pandemic. As for fraudulent returns, my experience with this is most of the time eBay does not back sellers, myself included, on these and the process of trying to get that appeal processed is awful. Also, if the buyer opens any sort of case, it can't be done.

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

As an update to this I had two people finally send their returns after over a month on the **Last day they had to do so** I'm sure they'll come back used and opened even though one reason is "just didn't like it" (aka free haircut) and another is "ordered by mistake. Yeah, I can do the 50%, but I still lose money.

 

This whole situation is made worse by the continued use of guaranteed deliver dates. I had a guy try to extort me for a 35% refund because it was a DAY late over the guaranteed delivery date. Basically he said he didn't want to leave bad feedback because I have such a great rating, but needed a 35% refund so this wouldn't happen. It was literally a "nice place you got here, hate for something to happen to it scenario".

I called him out for what he was doing, reported him and blocked him from buying anything else. I heard nothing back, but the next day after it shows delivered he opens a return claiming it doesn't work (this is another hair trimmer, btw). I get it back and not only does it work fine, it's used with nasty hair all over it. I give him the 50% refund and he opens a case complaining. In what he wrote he points out that I blocked him from buying, which means he tried to buy something else from me! In the end, eBay gave him his money so a scammer dirty bag got 100% and a free haircut and I got to keep 50% and got a lot of headache.

I also now have a return request opened because it was late too. The return is "arrived late" and the buyer is holding the guaranteed delivery date against me. Who knows how long it will take for the buyer to actually ship the item and now I'll lose again.

 

Oh and in both cases I told the buyers about the eBay voucher for guaranteed delivery and in both cases it didn't matter. No one cares about a $5 VOUCHER.

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?


@voguevintage wrote:

Oh and in both cases I told the buyers about the eBay voucher for guaranteed delivery and in both cases it didn't matter. No one cares about a $5 VOUCHER.


What do they care about? Are they asking you for a refund?

 

I ask because I've had a non-trivial number of people ask me for a refund because their package was late. I assume this is what they're talking about. I'm not sure though. After letting them know sellers aren't part of ebay's Guaranteed Delivery program, that was the end of it.

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

What's super awesome is after a month of a buyer not returning the item, ebay auto changes the status to "return delivered" like they're trying to trick you into a refund. A recent return was accepted on 5/2, and it took me 2.5 months to get ebay to close the return...and even then I had to contact them to request it, even though I had been told that the timeline was 35 days.

it's getting slimey around here.

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

You may not realize it but it all works in a seller's favor in a very passive defensive way...

1.  An increased window makes it more likely the buyer will forget to return the item completely.

You mentioned yourself a few buyers never return the item, sellers win right there.

What they say, you snooze you lose?

 

Also who cares if the buyer gets it all back so long ebay's paying for it as a courtesy?

Who loses here, yes they will eventually raise fees to cover these costs but guess who pays for that?

You have to start thinking more like a boss, less like a worker.

 

Get creative with reselling practices, can those used clippers be soaked in 90% Isopropyl, do you have a parts washing machine, perhaps an ultrasonic cleaner?

Maybe it wouldn't be too difficult to take the scissory clipper end apart, just one piece moves back and forth the other is stagnant, take off the one piece and clean it all up, do you have access to compressed air?  Careful don't blow tiny screws or pieces away with some Office Duster lol

Then, when it's all clean and "rebuilt" you just might be able to resell it for 70%-90% of your own full retail.

Sell it under condition "seller refurbished" or some such...

Keep the 50% on half the refund as well.

Then don't forget to raise the price of your new ones by about 10%, tack on a 5% promotion fee and now your 'sponsored' items appear higher in the results (and on google), you sell more, make more money and the buyer pays for it all...

 

You have to start thinking more like a boss, less like a worker.

 

Read this one part again:
The buyer pays for it all.

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?

Oh, I forgot to mention...

 

With this COVID *all* sellers will see more returns, unfortunately this will likely stay this way for the foreseeable future and therefore the increased return window helps STALL damaging defects from invading our precious metrics and costing us extra in fees.

 

Be GRATEFUL for delayed returns.

They HELP sellers if only in small ways.

 

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When will eBay end the absurd increased return window?


@pounur_0 wrote:

Oh, I forgot to mention...

 

With this COVID *all* sellers will see more returns, unfortunately this will likely stay this way for the foreseeable future and therefore the increased return window helps STALL damaging defects from invading our precious metrics and costing us extra in fees.

 

Be GRATEFUL for delayed returns.

They HELP sellers if only in small ways.

 


I have not been experiencing a higher rate of returns.  Slower deliveries to be sure, but not returns.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you." Quote from Edward I Koch

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