Ten years ago I was selling a converter to connect analog fax machines and dial up modems to digital phone lines.
I typed in the entire owners manual to scare off the technologically impaired crowd.
They just plugged the equipment in and did not bother changing any of the numerous settings.
So in many cases it did not work on the first try and I got a lot of returns.
Sending messages to get the buyers to install and operate the item correctly did not work.
I gave up on selling the item to get rid of the unfair problem returns.
Are your buyers paying a monthly subscription fee to Cablevision, Comcast, COX, Time Warner, WOW, etc?
If yes, they could get a free replacement for a broken or stolen modem.
Maybe the cable company would want a copy of the police report.
The cable company would probably send out a technician to do the installation and run a diagnostic.
If no, then installing the equipment on their end might not result in service.
A legitimate customer paying a monthly subscription fee would not need to buy equipment from eBay.
You are probably paying eBay a 5% percent penalty for such a high return percentage.
You should study the service metrics policies to see if you are at risk for a temporary or permanent suspension.
Another seller got listings removed for a VeRO (verified rights owners) violation.
He was selling used satellite TV boxes.
Again, a legitimate paying subscriber would have no reason to buy a box from eBay.
