Why do returns only sometimes put the funds 'on hold' and other times not?

[gurlcat]

I don't get returns often enough that I've been able to observe any particular pattern of this; I just know that there have been ones where I would see the dollar amount of the buyer's expected refund showing as "On Hold" on my Payments page, but not always.  Like right now I have a return that the buyer filed on Friday.  Not sure if this is pertinent but I have free returns and this was an INAD but I still had to approve it ... or ... just approve the label? .... ugh I wish I paid closer attention to things when they happen rather than wonder later, but I think there have been times when I'd just find I had a return already in progress, like eBay just went ahead and issued their label. Maybe that's a false memory, honestly I can't even remember what my last return was.  

Anyway!  -This return did NOT put the refund amount on hold, even though there was more than enough money in my Available Funds to cover it.  -I went ahead and withdrew all my AF today because I need it for rent tomorrow, and I have no idea when (or even if) this buyer will actually send the item back.  

Is that the thing? -an acceptance scan on the return package- is that what triggers a Hold?  Or something else?  

[fern*wood]

When we were first switched to managed payments, any return sparked a hold on that amount in our account.  At some point, that stopped happening and hasn’t returned.

[gurlcat]

Oh, really??  So nobody is getting holds for any kind of return circumstances, or at any phase in the return?  I hope you're right.  -I'll mark your answer 'best' in a while if nobody comes and says something different.  

EDIT: Wait I just noticed your wording isn't quite clear. -When you said "we" I took it to mean "(all) we sellers" but did you just mean you and your partner(s)/whoever your work with?  

[12345jamesstamps]

Doesn't it have to be in the 30 day money back guarantee for a hold to happen?

I have had open claims longer than 30 days without a hold on funds...a had one or two where the hold on funds was only for a day. 

eBay allows buyers to open claims for 90 days (I had a few)...no hold on funds or maybe just the first day.

Doesn't mean buyer gets their money back.

[robbie31415]

I don't get any holds for 99% of returns.

If they ask eBay to step in a hold does happen.

If it's very expensive. I do get a hold on return.

Say you sell mostly $50 dollar items then you sell a $10,000 item. It's unusual behavior. A hold could happen.

An acceptance scan most likely has nothing to do with the hold.

Ebays language is vague on what can trigger a hold.

[chapeau-noir]

I get holds on all of my returns.

[robbie31415]

That's quite unusual.

You have 100% feedback, so I'm guessing your account is in good standing.

Do you sell enough to be out of the infrequent seller status?

[chapeau-noir]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

That's quite unusual.

You have 100% feedback, so I'm guessing your account is in good standing.

Do you sell enough to be out of the infrequent seller status?

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Yes, though I'm very part-time with sales, for instance recently I was off for a month, I sell pretty steadily. My metrics are fine. I don't have many returns and they're automated, no-hassle for the buyer. But the usual procedure for me is to be informed that I have a return (it's usually remorse/doesn't fit) and the funds are on hold. I figured it was just normal procedure - it has never changed.

eBay is good at offering different "experiences" for different accounts, so who knows.

[robbie31415]

Yeah it's hard to know because eBays language is very vague.

It could be a difference because of account type. Business vs personal seller account.

Maybe business accounts have more trust than personal ones.

[gurlcat]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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eBay is good at offering different "experiences" for different accounts, so who knows.

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And even different "experiences" for/within the SAME account.  Like I said I'm certain I have had them before but I don't on this current one.  

There has to be some automated trigger for it, sure would be nice if we could figure out what it is.  Hopefully more replies to come, this is kind of fascinating to me, such a wide variety of responses so far!  

[chapeau-noir]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

Yeah it's hard to know because eBays language is very vague.

It could be a difference because of account type. Business vs personal seller account.

Maybe business accounts have more trust than personal ones.

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I hadn't thought of that - I've never had a business account, even when I was full time and making my living here, just never thought to change. OTOH, @gurlcat reports having some funds held and others not (if I read the OP aright). But maybe a business account has different hold criteria.

For me, acceptance scan doesn't trigger a release of funds - I have to do it manually.

I swear, the only consistent thing around here seems to be inconsistency.

[gurlcat]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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I hadn't thought of that - I've never had a business account, even when I was full time and making my living here, just never thought to change. OTOH, @gurlcat reports having some funds held and others not (if I read the OP aright). But maybe a business account has different hold criteria.

For me, acceptance scan doesn't trigger a release of funds - I have to do it manually.

I swear, the only consistent thing around here seems to be inconsistency.

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Yes, I'm sure I've had both.  I just did some digging because I remembered a thread where I took a screenshot of my on-hold funds. The dollar amount was actually the total for 2 simultaneous returns, which I was waiting for but the buyers were just sitting on them after filing and getting their labels.  It was August of last year. 

Actually I wasn't picturing the acceptance scan releasing the funds -just the opposite; triggering the hold.  I was thinking maybe eBay doesn't treat the return as 'real' until the package is clearly in the carrier's hands, then it would trigger the hold to insure the money is there when the package gets delivered to the seller.  I thought maybe that could be the case because my (current) return only has the return tracking number but no acceptance scan yet.  BUT I no longer think that could be the case, because in that August '23 thread, I was complaining that I had funds on hold (already) for 2 returns where the buyers had no acceptance scans yet. 

I'm curious what you mean by "I have to do it manually".  

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https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Why-do-buyers-STILL-have-so-long-to-ship-a-return-package/td-p... 

[fern*wood]

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@gurlcat wrote:

EDIT: Wait I just noticed your wording isn't quite clear. -When you said "we" I took it to mean "(all) we sellers" but did you just mean you and your partner(s)/whoever your work with?  

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Yes, I was just referring to my account/experience.  Sorry I wasn’t very clear about that.

[chapeau-noir]

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@gurlcat wrote:

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

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I hadn't thought of that - I've never had a business account, even when I was full time and making my living here, just never thought to change. OTOH, @gurlcat reports having some funds held and others not (if I read the OP aright). But maybe a business account has different hold criteria.

For me, acceptance scan doesn't trigger a release of funds - I have to do it manually.

I swear, the only consistent thing around here seems to be inconsistency.

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Yes, I'm sure I've had both.  I just did some digging because I remembered a thread where I took a screenshot of my on-hold funds. The dollar amount was actually the total for 2 simultaneous returns, which I was waiting for but the buyers were just sitting on them after filing and getting their labels.  It was August of last year. 

Actually I wasn't picturing the acceptance scan releasing the funds -just the opposite; triggering the hold.  I was thinking maybe eBay doesn't treat the return as 'real' until the package is clearly in the carrier's hands, then it would trigger the hold to insure the money is there when the package gets delivered to the seller.  I thought maybe that could be the case because my (current) return only has the return tracking number but no acceptance scan yet.  BUT I no longer think that could be the case, because in that August '23 thread, I was complaining that I had funds on hold (already) for 2 returns where the buyers had no acceptance scans yet. 

I'm curious what you mean by "I have to do it manually".  

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I have to issue the refund myself - it's not triggered by the package showing as received by me. I'm given three days to do it.

(ETA - quote feature was weird)