eBay's New Managed Returns Process

[Exhibitman]

What crappy seller protection--a scam waiting to happen. Every buyer will claim the item isn't as described so he can avoid the restocking fee and make the seller pay for return shipping with the inflated Ebay return shipping charges. Looks to me like Ebay will profit on the return shipping, which is higher than the rates you can get direct from the post office. If Ebay makes it mandatory I will have to rethink my use of their site for selling. It will be yet another reason to consign items to auctioneers and avoid the hassles.

[D. Bergin]

Waiting for the first:

"Item not as described"

translated as:

"Hello, I am returning your item to you, had no luck selling it at last weekends show."

[markf31]

As a seller, being on the hook for return shipping at the buyers whim is pretty ridiculous. If you move any significant volume of merchandise on Ebay this could have quite an adverse effect on your profits and your bottom line.

The inherent problem with Ebay, is that Ebay is simply a forum for a buyer and a seller to consummate a sale. Ebay never touches or handles the merchandise, like an auction house does, so they’re really stuck in a tough situation when trying to resolve issues such as “Item not as described”. They have to place more power either with the buyer or the seller since there is no 3rd party mediator for such situations and it seems they have, and will continue to place that power in the hands of the buyer.

Making the seller pay for return shipping for a fraudulent “Not as described” return is bad, but making a buyer pay for shipping for a actual “Not as described” item is just as bad…and how can Ebay make that distinction?

No matter what policies they institute someone will always find a way to take advantage of the situation and exploit it.

[Exhibitman]

True, Mark, but in this case it will be 100% the unscrupulous buyer who takes advantage. I don't appreciate being stuck with return costs [coincidentally I am in the process of sending back an item that was improperly packed and consequently damaged in the mail, and it will cost me several dollars to send it back], but if Ebay refunds my initial payment I am at least close to whole. I am just afraid that sellers will be screwed royally by the policy whenever someone can't flip a card or has buyer's remorse.

[markf31]

You're completely right Adam and I agree, as I mentioned, sellers who move a lot of volume on Ebay could be adversely effected to extremely damaging results now.

And if you turn the tables and push the cost and burden of return shipping to the buyer, I would think that would discourage a lot of buyers from doing just what you suggest they do which is buy a card, they realize they can't turn it for a quick buck, but now if they want to return the item under a false "Item not as described" claim, they have to eat the return postage. If they try unsuccessfully on say 5 items, all of a sudden they're eating a minimum of $25 in return postage. That could discourage some from the practice.

And let's be honest, how many times as a buyer have you received something worthy of an honest "Item not as described" claim? I think generally they are few and far between, especially if you stay away from suspect sellers. In my 14 years of Ebay I've come across such a situation just twice as a buyer. If you look at it from that perspective it would make even more sense to push the cost of return postage to the buyer.

[steve B]

The few times I've had a problem with an item I bought on Ebay it's been one of the bigger dealers. I've had few problems since 98. One item "lost in the mail" one lot only partly shipped, and one card sold as EX+ massively overgraded even without the trimming. All from large respected dealers. And lousy communication from two of the three. I've also had maybe 5-6 items sent with miserable packing but only a couple damaged.

I've also had great experiences buying from sellers who might be seen as "suspect".

Steve B

Originally Posted by markf31

You're completely right Adam and I agree, as I mentioned, sellers who move a lot of volume on Ebay could be adversely effected to extremely damaging results now.

And if you turn the tables and push the cost and burden of return shipping to the buyer, I would think that would discourage a lot of buyers from doing just what you suggest they do which is buy a card, they realize they can't turn it for a quick buck, but now if they want to return the item under a false "Item not as described" claim, they have to eat the return postage. If they try unsuccessfully on say 5 items, all of a sudden they're eating a minimum of $25 in return postage. That could discourage some from the practice.

And let's be honest, how many times as a buyer have you received something worthy of an honest "Item not as described" claim? I think generally they are few and far between, especially if you stay away from suspect sellers. In my 14 years of Ebay I've come across such a situation just twice as a buyer. If you look at it from that perspective it would make even more sense to push the cost of return postage to the buyer.