eBay does NOT value sellers anymore - We are getting screwed on returns

[guito]

3 times in the last 10 days I have had returns marked as "Item not as described" when it the item was EXACTLY as described.  The most recent item was listed as "For Parts/Not working".  I described the item, its condition and advised I do NOT know whats wrong with it and selling as is.  Buyer got it and returned it stating that it not as described because its not working, the top does not come off and a small piece is missing.  I suspect the buyer took an internal component they needed and shipped it back.  I am not knowledgeable enough on the particular item to verify this.

I get the item back and the top is OFF, that "missing" piece is there and there is another internal piece rolling around that the buyer obviously took off.  I record me packing EVERY item and opening EVERY return due to how bad eBay treats us.  eBay makes US (sellers) cover original AND return shipping even though the BUYER lied. 

This has happened SEVERAL times lately.  

What do we do as sellers?  Do we start using other platforms that respect us?  Do we change our listings to protect us somehow?  I am at a loss.  24 years at eBay and it's never been worse as a seller.

[thescarletpimpernel]

eBay of 2023 is not eBay of past decades.  As a seller you are victimized just as the looters walk in and clean out stores.  Some folks have decided this can work on eBay now and escape consequences.  You haven't ANY recourse.  Also be prepared to get trolled by the cult of followers who view this venue as their religion and you dare not criticize.  There isn't any solution.  Sorry.

[guito]

Between this and the tax man telling me every dollar i sell on here is pure profit, I am about done.

There is a solution though: There are other platforms and we all need to start looking into them.

[ittybitnot]

@guito 

You are not the first, nor will be the last to ask these questions.  The eBay system is now automated.  The only thing that counts is what the buyer chooses from the dropdown menu when they want to return a product.  The reason need not be the truth.  There are a set of "reasons" in that dropdown menu that require that a seller front the return costs.  It did not take buyers long to figure out which ones triggered a refund/return on the seller's dime. 

The buyer pics a choice, then the auto system goes into effect with a clear path to the predictable results.  There a penalties for a seller who do not comply with the liar buyer scenario.  At the point where the buyer picks that choice, your description doesn't matter, your photos don't matter, nor any messages, or reasons posted in comments from the buyer.  

For example, you can post a listing for an antique toy wagon that is missing a wheel.  You can put in the title and five places in the description that the wagon is missing a wheel. You can show 5 photos of where there is a space where the wheel should be with big red arrows showing the wheel is missing.....buyer claims "not as described"  comments item missing a wheel, or the sweater has a hole in it, or I need the money to by crack... and NOTHING will change.  Nobody at eBay cares, and customer service is no longer allowed to intervene no matter what they tell you when you contact them on chat or call back. 

[luckythewinner]

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@guito wrote:

I record me packing EVERY item and opening EVERY return due to how bad eBay treats us. 

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What do these recordings accomplish for you?

[redlinear]

@guito 
 Item is damaged, does not work. AS IS, NO RETURNS (No refunds, even it works).
 That's how I word it, and I refund just like you.
Some weeks it seems as if nobody reads a description.
   I see lots of big sellers of used stuff that don't even have a DESCRIPTION anywhere in their listings.  And they sell lots of stuff, and they have really good ratings.  And I have no idea how???   
I try that and I can't sell anything.

[luckythewinner]

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@guito wrote:

Between this and the tax man telling me every dollar i sell on here is pure profit, I am about done.

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You are the one who tells the tax man what your profit is. Are you not deducting your expenses and cost of goods sold?

[dbfolks166mt]

Between this and the tax man telling me every dollar i sell on here is pure profit, I am about done.

There is a solution though: There are other platforms and we all need to start looking into them.

     I did that LONG ago and eBay now only accounts for a little less than 20% of my sales. A lot of the other sites have lower fees, better balance of buyer/seller protections and search engines that work based on what the buyer is searching for and how they are racking and stacking the results. 

     By far the local forums move the most simply because there is no shipping involved, seldom an issue with the sale since the buyer can see and inspect it ahead of time and most people have multiple payment methods these days: Cash, PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay....... 

[guito]

Oh I do but it takes lots of paperwork to show them that ... they assume that 30k of sales (and shipping fees) are all profit.  They should have a default formula for ebay sales like 50% profit (i dont make nearly that either)

[guito]

Makes me feel good i suppose.   At least I know I am doing the right thing.

[kenneth686321]

Let me give you a few options - It is your responsibility to understand which options work for you. Sone items are made to be sold on Ebay while other items should be sold elsewhere.

1. Sell locally for cash - Is there a large enough pool of interested buyers?

2. Try another E - commerce site - some have better seller protections, lower fees, less generous return policy, less competition but also less buyers. Ebay is not the only game in town.  

3. Open your own website - Minimum fees, no returns but you will have to spend a lot of time and/or money running expensive social media or google ads to be noticed. Money is spent whether or not you make a sale or not. 

4. Open your own B&M Store - no return policy, no shipping, no PL fees but high rent, staff and other fixed costs

5. Keep selling on Ebay and suck it up and absorb the cost of returns and fees into your business model. If every seller on Ebay chose options 1-4, there would be no sellers left on Ebay. But ebay will be here long after we are gone.  

[movieman630]

We just accept it, it's a write off on your taxes, cost of doing business.  Every company has loss, it's unavoidable.  B&M stores deal with theft of all sorts.  Be glad yours is only the occasional dishonest person. 

Make sure you add every single one of them to your BBL too. 

This is also why I don't sell high dollar merchandise, too risky.

[luckythewinner]

Oh I do

If you take your deductions, the tax man is not "telling you every dollar i sell on here is pure profit". The tax man is telling you that only your profit is your profit.

but it takes lots of paperwork to show them that

I buy all my shipping labels through eBay, so it takes me less than 10 minutes to calculate all my gross income, all my shipping costs, all my eBay fees, and all my returns and refunds. I export my transaction history, load it in a spread sheet, and do a couple sorts and sums.

I document my COGS when I list items, so summing that is as simple as summing the folder full of COGS documentation that I filed away as I sold items throughout the year.

They should have a default formula for ebay sales

They do have a default formula for eBay sales. It is the same default formula they have always had for everyone ... you file a tax return and and take your deductions, or you get no deductions.

[buyselljack2016]

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@guito wrote:

Oh I do but it takes lots of paperwork to show them that ... they assume that 30k of sales (and shipping fees) are all profit.  They should have a default formula for ebay sales like 50% profit (i dont make nearly that either)

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Some make way more profit, some make way less profit.

Sounds like you are a "flat tax" advocate of sorts.

[kensgiftshop]

Maybe better descriptions would help.

The first listing I looked at, the description says: "Thank you for looking!"

That doesn't tell me anything about the item or condition.