mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Join the Community team here at 1 PM PT on October 9th for our Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a set topic this week, so please bring any general questions you may have on buying or selling.
The chat will be open for questions from 1-2 pm PT, at which point we'll close thread. While no additional questions can be submitted after this time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that may still be unanswered.
If you're new to the chat, welcome! Simply Reply to this post with your question from 1-2 PM Pacific Time and we'll be happy to look into it for you 
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@golfingaddict wrote:My question is about seller protection:
This happens frequently, just last week.
I send brand new in package undergarments.
Buyer receives exactly what they order but says "wore them, don't fit well, are uncomfortable, bigger than I thought (or smaller) I need to return them" In about half the cases they claim Not as described because they do not fit. In about 100% of the cases, the items are essentially ruined and I cannot resell them. (worn, out of package, no packaging included with return etc..)
Does the new seller protections offer me any recourse? Protections? Am I just expected to take the loss because the buyer doesn't like them, they don't fit, they are uncomfortable or other (not my problem) issues?
Thank you.
Hi @golfingaddict, the enhanced protections for Top Rated Sellers give sellers the option to give a partial refund if an item is returned damaged, used, or altered. Doing a partial refund also comes with feedback, defect, and seller metric protection for the seller. You can view the partial refund guideline table here to see when and how much of a partial refund can be given in different circumstances. Additionally, if a buyer falsely reports an item is Not As Described, sellers can report the buyer to us and received a $6 credit on their monthly invoice, along with feedback, defect, and seller metrics protections.
The Seller Protections team will be here for next weeks Weekly Chat, so be sure to join us then if you have further questions
Ebay use to have a policy on Altered or items not in the condition in which they were sent. So this means Ebay is doing away with that completely. The best situation Ebay will allow is for the seller to lose 50% [using the partial refund option]?? So sellers now need to accept anything the buyer chooses to ship back to us in any condition?
What happened to the policies on items must be returned in the same condition as sent?
Brian
For example this policy. Which has been significantly re-written and seems to leave sellers out in the cold with the best they can do is be out 50% of the value of the item. Even when the item received back isn't what was shipped in the first place.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/condition-returned-items-policy?id=4763
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@golfingaddict wrote:My question is about seller protection:
This happens frequently, just last week.
I send brand new in package undergarments.
Buyer receives exactly what they order but says "wore them, don't fit well, are uncomfortable, bigger than I thought (or smaller) I need to return them" In about half the cases they claim Not as described because they do not fit. In about 100% of the cases, the items are essentially ruined and I cannot resell them. (worn, out of package, no packaging included with return etc..)
Does the new seller protections offer me any recourse? Protections? Am I just expected to take the loss because the buyer doesn't like them, they don't fit, they are uncomfortable or other (not my problem) issues?
Thank you.
Hi @golfingaddict, the enhanced protections for Top Rated Sellers give sellers the option to give a partial refund if an item is returned damaged, used, or altered. Doing a partial refund also comes with feedback, defect, and seller metric protection for the seller. You can view the partial refund guideline table here to see when and how much of a partial refund can be given in different circumstances. Additionally, if a buyer falsely reports an item is Not As Described, sellers can report the buyer to us and received a $6 credit on their monthly invoice, along with feedback, defect, and seller metrics protections.
The Seller Protections team will be here for next weeks Weekly Chat, so be sure to join us then if you have further questions
Ebay use to have a policy on Altered or items not in the condition in which they were sent. So this means Ebay is doing away with that completely. The best situation Ebay will allow is for the seller to lose 50% [using the partial refund option]?? So sellers now need to accept anything the buyer chooses to ship back to us in any condition?
What happened to the policies on items must be returned in the same condition as sent?
Good point Mam.
And what about returns that cannot (or should not) be returned for Health Laws following FDA guidelines - such as cosmetics, underwear, swimwear, food, etc?
I am confused on this. Thanks.
@toyetictoys wrote:
My eBay store’s traffic report has not updated since October 4th. I talked with a CSR and they told me that traffic reports could take a week or longer to update. Why can’t sellers receive real time traffic reports like most other e-commerce sites? Waiting a week to see my shop traffic is not beneficial.
Hi @toyetictoys, my understanding is that Traffic Reports should update daily, but there is a known issue that is causing updates to be several days behind. This is definitely something we're working to fix though!
@nc-daydreamer wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
brian@ebay wrote:
@golfingaddict wrote:My question is about seller protection:
This happens frequently, just last week.
I send brand new in package undergarments.
Buyer receives exactly what they order but says "wore them, don't fit well, are uncomfortable, bigger than I thought (or smaller) I need to return them" In about half the cases they claim Not as described because they do not fit. In about 100% of the cases, the items are essentially ruined and I cannot resell them. (worn, out of package, no packaging included with return etc..)
Does the new seller protections offer me any recourse? Protections? Am I just expected to take the loss because the buyer doesn't like them, they don't fit, they are uncomfortable or other (not my problem) issues?
Thank you.
Hi @golfingaddict, the enhanced protections for Top Rated Sellers give sellers the option to give a partial refund if an item is returned damaged, used, or altered. Doing a partial refund also comes with feedback, defect, and seller metric protection for the seller. You can view the partial refund guideline table here to see when and how much of a partial refund can be given in different circumstances. Additionally, if a buyer falsely reports an item is Not As Described, sellers can report the buyer to us and received a $6 credit on their monthly invoice, along with feedback, defect, and seller metrics protections.
The Seller Protections team will be here for next weeks Weekly Chat, so be sure to join us then if you have further questions
Ebay use to have a policy on Altered or items not in the condition in which they were sent. So this means Ebay is doing away with that completely. The best situation Ebay will allow is for the seller to lose 50% [using the partial refund option]?? So sellers now need to accept anything the buyer chooses to ship back to us in any condition?
What happened to the policies on items must be returned in the same condition as sent?
Good point Mam.
And what about returns that cannot (or should not) be returned for Health Laws following FDA guidelines - such as cosmetics, underwear, swimwear, food, etc?
I am confused on this. Thanks.
This goes back to another problem I've brought up many times. When a policy gets re-written and no notification to sellers of the changes.
@nc-daydreamer wrote:
@3r_technology_solutions wrote:
Buyers rarely read past the title and the pictures. 90% of all buyer related issues is because they dont bother to read the descriptions or anything else past those 2 things. At least this has been my experience.
Why is there not a check box at checkout asking buyer to confirm they have read and understand the listing and the item purchase is properly authorized?
Hi @nc-daydreamer - in our experience adding extra steps to the checkout process reduces the rate of checkouts completed. By completing checkout the buyer is agreeing to the listing. With that said, a seller's return policy still applies and a buyer would still be covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee.
