eBay

candy_girl64 · ‎09-09-2018

I have been selling on ebay since 2008, I am a top rated power seller with 100% positive feedback.... but wait .... I sell in the USED CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES DEPARTMENT!!!! In 10 years I can count on one hand how many returns I have had over the course of that time until..... Ebay made changes for sellers..... BAD BAD CHANGES..... FORCED FREE RETURNS..... So, Ebay did the promotion for sellers to try the free returns for a specific period and that Ebay would credit back sellers for any returns they got in that time period...I agreed just to prove a point..I knew I would have nothing to lose..... And so I accepted the promotion... and in that very short time.. I had to deal with 6 RETURNS!!!!!! ALL BUYERS REMORSE... in the meantime, I was calling Ebay about this new TOP RATED SELLER PLUS TITLE about 10 times.... Each time I asked the same question: " How is the Free Returns going to effect me after the promotion? Will I still have to be responsible for paying for the free shipping for returns if it is BUYERS REMORSE? ( anything other than ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED)? And I was told "No of course not.... the buyer will be responsible since the reason would be due to not fitting or just because they don't read the descriptions!!" I was told that by all 10 REPS ALL 10 times of calling in until...... 2 nights ago... I called about a credit that WAS NOT GIVEN TO ME FOR ONE OF THOSE RETURNS THAT WAS IN THAT PROMOTIONAL PERIOD.... so it had to go to the "Remorse Department" (that is what the rep from ebay called the department they were transferring me to), and I got a very nice rep.... who is a supervisor who specializes in that department... I asked him about my credit and then I started asking him about the "FREE RETURN POLICY" to see if he would give me the same answer....(NOW KEEP IN MIND THAT UP UNTIL THIS POINT I LEFT ALL MY LISTINGS WITH FREE RETURNS ON THEM EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AFTER THE PROMOTION) Well his answer was different.... He told me that I had been misinformed... and I quote" If you are going to offer free listings then that is what it is.... NO MATTER WHAT THE REASON FOR THE RETURN!!!! ..... Now, at this point I have realized something very important about this whole TOP RATED SELLER PLUS PROGRAM.....1. My sales are NO BETTER NOW THAN BEFORE THIS PROGRAM.. 2. IN ORDER TO GET 10% OFF FINAL VALUE FEES MINUS SHIPPING YOU HAVE TO EXCEPT FREE RETURNS!!!! (BLACKMAILED, FORCED...ECT) 3. EBAY CHARGES YOU 10% FEES ON FINAL VALUE OF ITEM THAT MEANS SHIPPING TOO!!! BUT ONLY GIVES YOU AND ME 10% BACK ON JUST ITEM PRICE.....(THAT IS WHY SELLERS TRY TO DO FREE SHIPPING) .... I ALSO HAVE A STORE THAT I PAY FOR EACH MONTH... WHICH I HAVE HAD FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS OR SO NOW AND I HAVE NOT SEEN A BIG DIFFERENCE IN SALES FROM THAT EITHER.... THAN WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE A STORE... also...I KEEP GETTING EMAILS FROM EBAY TELLING ME THAT I WOULD DO SO MUCH BETTER IF I PROMOTED MY ITEMS!!!!! WHICH WOULD COST ME MORE MONEY....!!! CONSIDERING THAT EBAY DOESN'T MAKE ANY MONEY UNLESS THERE ARE SELLERS....4. ACCORDING TO MY AUGUST INVOICE..I SOLD 1250.00 DOLLARS INCLUDING SHIPPING... I ONLY GOT $7.78 DISCOUNT!!! THAT ONLY COVERS THE COST OF 1 RETURN...NOT 6 .... I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER SELLER OUT THERE BUT I DO NOT WANT TO ATTRACT THE SCAMMER BUYERS... I AM ALSO A BUYER ON EBAY AND IN 10 YEARS HAVE ONLY RETURNED MAYBE 2 ITEMS....I MEAN FACTS DON'T LIE... SO.. Since I can not get an honest answer from ANYONE AT EBAY.... I AM GOING BACK TO BUYER PAYS FOR RETURNS... AND SO WHAT IF I DON'T GET THAT MEASLEY MONEY FOR BEING TOP RATED SELLER THAT I WORKED SO HARD FOR MY STATUS NOT TO MENTION THE CATERGORY I SELL IN IT IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF FOR THE STATS I HAVE.... AND I WILL BE CLOSING MY STORE AS SOON AS MY YEAR IS UP.... BEING TOP RATED SELLER MEANS NOTHING ANYMORE... TO ME... THINK ABOUT IT... THERE ARE SELLERS THAT SELL HUNDREDS OF ITEMS THAT HAVE HUGE AMOUNTS OF NEGATIVE FEED BACK BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR VOLUME IN SALES THEY ARE STILL TOP RATED SELLERS.... AND PEOPLE ARE STILL BUYING FROM THEM EVEN WITH ALL THE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK..... 2 MONTHS AGO I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING A BIGGER STORE... BECAUSE I DID A HUGE BUYOUT...NOW FORGET IT... this FREE RETURNS IS AN EPIC FAIL.....FOR ME ANYWAYS.... SO TO SUM THIS UP.... IN OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR...OR SO... MY EXPERIENCE WITH EBAY AS A SELLER IS THIS: I WORKED SOOO HARD TO HAVE TOP RATED POWER SELLER STATUS...TO BE REWARDED FOR THAT ACHIEVEMENT BY GETTING 20% DISCOUNT ON FEES, BOOSTED VISIBILITY, AND MOST IMPORTANT.. TRUST FROM BUYERS AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.... ONLY TO GET 20% DISCOUNT TAKEN AWAY.. HAVING TO PAY MORE MONEY FOR YOUR ITEMS TO SHOW UP... AND FORCED TO OFFER FREE RETURNS OR LOSE ALL STATUS.....!!!! WHAT AN EPIC FAILURE OF A COMPANY YOU ARE EBAY .... MAYBE NOT NOW ... BUT JUST LIKE I TOLD THE DISH NETWORK REP.... "ONE DAY SOMETHING BETTER WILL COME ALONG.... AND YOU WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST....AND IT HAPPENED......WINNING.......

calistas_closet33 · ‎09-16-2018

Use pinterest to promote listings..start a business account, it’s free, and then pin items and follow others related to what you sell..it helps

jmenterprises1 · ‎09-17-2018

You're speaking for alot of us sellers.

Ignore the ebay yes people complaining about paragraphs.

It's the only thing they can bust you on, what you are saying is the truth.

I too am out of here when my year is up.

Ebay needs to understand what the military understands.

Loyalty downwards equals Loyalty upwards.

Has anyone at ebay asked the following question?

Maybe sales are down because the sellers don't buy on ebay any more?

unicorn4u · ‎02-10-2019

This is my 19th year of selling on eBay. & I can totally identify with your post. I have gone from making over 80,000 yearly to making less than 10,000. Between eBay fees and the every increasing cost of postage it is really hard to make money on eBay these days. Believe it or not there was a time when eBay did not attach a final value fee to the postage. So now, every time postage goes up so does the final value fee. Groan! I just recently decided to try the free returns to see if it would increase my sales. Less than a week and am already getting hit with returns. More groans!!!! Has free returns helped anyone??? Thanks for the post, I think I am going to have to rethink this free returns concept.

honeybeez-15 · ‎02-11-2019

Same here. Just waiting for the end of June to end my store. No sales, on top of them nickle and diming us to death.

dirk12955 · ‎02-11-2019

Hardly anybody will ever complain if you use paragraphs.

I sell vintage postage stamps. I do not sell new or used clothing, and what I don't know on that subject would fill volumes.

I've been offering Free returns and 60 days for more than a year. Previously I offered 30 days buyer pays. I had 6 very good months at the onset of 60 days free returns. Then I had 5 bad months. Then December and January were good again. February has been fantastic, so far.

I saw no return increase whatsoever since I started offering free returns. I did not get free returns when it was 30 days buyer pays. I get no returns with 60 days seller pays.

Just offering my particular experience.

Your mileage may vary.

luxgoods · ‎02-11-2019

I am in the same boat as you. I would never offer free returns as there are way too many scammers and abusers on Ebay and Ebay absolutely does not care. I too sell clothing and I am competing with sellers selling clothing items for 5 and 6 dollars. I used to make a nice living doing this and every year my income goes down. I am going to wait for my store subscription to end next month and then I will bail.