Terrified to expand my business due to current return of non returnable issue that gets worse

[kikibyaccident]

Good Morning and thanks for trying to help!

I sold a pair of earrings that were clearly defined in the listing and they were paid for and shipped out.  The buyer decided she was unhappy that the earrings did not have a hallmark and only the backs, though that is clear in the listing, and marked them for return because what was delivered was not what I was promised.  I Called Ebay immediately for guidance.  I was told to discuss it with her and if we could not come to an agreement then a few days later I could request assistance.  That is what I did.  Immediately after requesting help she was authorized for return.  Clearly no care given to any discussions where she states that she received what was ordered.  I spent another hour on the phone with Ebay, no real resolution just to wait another 10 days.  In the meantime I got a message from the buyer that she received the item back due to an address issue.  Turns out that even though I am printing labels daily with the right address of mine there is an old one in the system in one area.  I apologized, fixed it and she was going to contact Ebay.  I waited..nothing.  I then got an email yesterday that they had fully refunded her.  I appealed as I don't have the item even, on top of my original issue.  They denied the appeal.  I called, 45 minutes last night, good time on valentines but I really needed resolution.  No luck.  I was told it is all my fault because of the address issue, that I can send her another tag and if she sends it back I can try to make another appeal but this is all my fault.  That there is no manager to speak with, no way to discuss this past the off shore call center.

Here is the thing.  I have purchased much more inventory I am getting ready to list.  I am terrified to do so because if this mess is how anything is handled I could lose far too much money.  I don't feel appropriately managed as a seller at all.  I am paying fees, and they are steadily increasing.  How much do I have to pay Ebay to have them listen?  I really don't know what else to do.  I am try to work with the buyer to get the earrings back but she has them and a full refund, I don't see what her motivation is.

[orangehound]

Five commentaries on what you wrote ...

1. With respect to the forced refund, eBay is correct ... you provided an incorrect return address, and an "attempted" delivery is equivalent to a delivery, so the buyer should have been refunded.   They are also correct in that you can provide them with a correct return label, but there is no guarantee the buyer will actually use it.
2. If you are serious about growing your business on eBay, then you need to learn eBay policies first ... perhaps invest in some coaching time with a coach or an experienced seller; or, you can learn a lot simply by reading through these forums and seeing how to deal with certain situations.
3. One factor you need to embrace is that all businesses have loss.   Learn about "shrink" or "cost of business", optimize to minimize it, and then treat these occurrences matter-of-fact rather than emotionally  ... spending multiple hours fretting over a customer return and being on the phone with eBay customer service is wasted time you could have spent sourcing, listing, etc.
4. There is no such thing on eBay as "No returns.  All sales final."   The eBay Money Back Guarantee gives any buyer the right to return a product that they feel is not correctly described, and they sometimes circumvent your "no return" policy by lying to get a return.  If you truly want to be a business, then your primary concern is "profit", and studies show that you will substantially increase sales (and presumably your profit) if you allow returns.
5. On-line retail sales is not for everyone. 

[a_c_green]

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@kikibyaccident wrote:

Here is the thing.  I have purchased much more inventory I am getting ready to list.  I am terrified to do so because if this mess is how anything is handled I could lose far too much money.

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I don't think this is likely to repeat for you (at least, not quite like this) because there are some things about that adventure that you're not going to do again.

For starters, I assume that you have now corrected your return address, so that returned items really will come back to you.

Second, you need to accept that if a buyer wants to return something for a refund, eBay is going to ensure that the buyer at least gets their money back, even if you dig in your heels and refuse the return. In other words, you can have a No Returns policy, but not a No Refunds policy, and the two are not the same. 

If this process is indeed terrifying for you, then you should really start by selling less expensive items than $169 earrings until you feel that you've got a handle on the whole process. Buyers are going to want to return things regardless of whether their reasons (if any) make any sense. It doesn't happen a lot, but it will happen again, so you need to expect it and be ready to deal with the situation. Good luck.

[juststuffisell]

Hi kiki,

As noted, it really is not the buyers fault that your account information was incorrect. That is on you unfortunately.
It doesn't sound like the buyer was attempting to keep them so the buyer will probably send them back to you if you provide the shipping label with the correct return address. If they don't, you should probably post another question in the community related to what you should do next if the buyer will not return your merchandise.

I am assuming - your item "description" was cryptic, that the earrings were suppose to be gold or sterling. As noted, no return does not mean no return. I will tell you as someone that sells jewelry items, you do not want to list pieces as no return whenever possible. Especially if you cannot guarantee gold or silver content. It is one thing to list something damaged or imperfect at a discounted price as sold as is and clearly noted with the reasons why with necessary photographs. I do it frequently without issue. But at the same time, it is really inviting issues to list all items as no return and even then - as noted - I will take back anything that I sell because no return does not mean no return.

As I like to say, jewelry is a very personal item. That means it is a category fraught with higher return rates (and fraught with fraud risks) because some people want to see, touch and wear the item to see if it speaks to them physically the way it did visually. Earrings are one of those item you have to put on to see how they frame your face (think issues with ear alignment). While applicable, it is not as prevalent where a ring, or bracelet, or necklace are concerned as it is not nearly as hard to visualize. When it doesn't look good to the buyer, they will want to send it back because these pieces are not typically inexpensive. You need to price your inventory accordingly knowing that a certain percentage will be returned.

If you cannot stomach taking a loss, you may be investing in the wrong inventory. No matter what venue you sell in, you are going to face risks of theft and loss. You are going to have items return - so plan your cashflow accordingly because no matter what you do - cash flow is the secret to winning in business. Even small brick and mortar stores get robbed. A friend of mine had her small store broken into. She lost about 100K in gold and sterling jewelry, much of it antique. A collection of inventory that took her life savings and 5 years to assemble. Just like that, she had start over and they never caught the person that walked away with all that merchandise.

eBay cannot "manage" you or your business. Only you can do that. Ebay is designed to connect buyers and sellers and mediate disputes within a set framework of policy. Everything else is window dressing. I don't know your business experience, but if you are new to being an entrepreneur, I would seek out recommendations on books you can read to educate yourself on how to start a business etc. The best thing would be to find a seasoned, successful mentor.

Orangehound gave you some fabulous suggestions! The most important are #2,3, & 4.

Cheers