eBay Mandatory Return Requirements 4 Sellers

[Santo10Fan]

From the site:
"30-day free returns is a retail returns standard and a buyer expectation. Starting June 1, 2018, Top Rated Sellers will be required to offer 30-day free returns to be eligible to receive Top Rated Plus benefits. eBay Top Rated Sellers earn those benefits by offering an elevated experience to their buyers. When you offer 30-day free returns, you’re offering a superior retail returns experience."

This one crept up on me, but it doesn't surprise me at all. Amazon (and Zappos) are big competitors to eBay and have liberal return policies. 30 days is quite a long time to keep funding handy, waiting to see if a buyer changes its mind on day 29. I'm fine with 14-day on any and all cards I sell, but I am not ok with any returns for the sealed hobby boxes I sell. There's too much potential for shenanigans. This seems a little blackamailish to me-it could really cost box/case sellers

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by Santo10Fan

From the site:
"30-day free returns is a retail returns standard and a buyer expectation. Starting June 1, 2018, Top Rated Sellers will be required to offer 30-day free returns to be eligible to receive Top Rated Plus benefits. eBay Top Rated Sellers earn those benefits by offering an elevated experience to their buyers. When you offer 30-day free returns, you’re offering a superior retail returns experience."

This one crept up on me, but it doesn't surprise me at all. Amazon (and Zappos) are big competitors to eBay and have liberal return policies. 30 days is quite a long time to keep funding handy, waiting to see if a buyer changes its mind on day 29. I'm fine with 14-day on any and all cards I sell, but I am not ok with any returns for the sealed hobby boxes I sell. There's too much potential for shenanigans. This seems a little blackamailish to me-it could really cost box/case sellers

You can remain a TRS and NOT offer "free" returns. However, you will lose your TRS discount (10% off of your FVF or 1 cent/dollar sold) on any items which do not include the 30 day free returns offer. Also, any items which do not have the 30 day free return offer, the "top rated plus" logo which appears next to the item in searches will no longer appear next to the listing.

So in your case, you can pick and choose which items you offer the free returns on....on the items you do have this offer, you will qualify for the 10% back on FVF and receive the "top rated plus" logo.

It will be interesting to see come June 1st how many card sellers on ebay will begin to offer the 30 day free returns on their listings. A handful of card sellers have, but the vast majority have not.

Personally, I the 30 day free returns offer does not entice me in any way to either buy or not buy from a seller. However, the offer to accept returns is something I look for when buying a higher dollar raw single, a set or larger lot of raw cards....I know if the item is not as described, there will not be a hassle (or cost) to return.

Interestingly, news reports have some amazon customers complaining about having their accounts closed due to excessive returns.

[aloondilana]

Total BS.
I will gladly give up my top rated seller designation over this.
So someone could buy a Tom Brady card in early January, then Pats don't win SB
and buyer gets to return the card?!??
Screw that!
eBay again screws it's sellers

[glchen]

I know the 30 day return policy sounds bad, but in 8 years selling on ebay with around 4000 items sold, I've have had around 4 returns. Basically, one every 2 years or one thousand items sold. Saying that I usually only sell graded cards and very few raw, so that probably makes a difference.

[jfkheat]

What difference does it make what a seller has as a return policy? If a buyer files a claim within 45 days the seller will have to issue a refund 99.44% of the time. I have never understood why eBay allows sellers to have a no return policy.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I stopped worrying about top seller status wen they cut the discount in half

[gregr2]

I also read that restocking fees goes away on 1 June. Much like others, I will not set my listings to allow free return shipping. With eBay margins as tight as they are, offering free return shipping makes no sense.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[slidekellyslide]

I’ve been offering 30 day free returns for at least a couple of years now without too much hassle. But I also don’t sell cards or other speculative items. There is only one time I can remember where a guy wanted to return an item because he found it cheaper elsewhere. He had no problem telling me that too. Most returns are for items that the post office destroyed or something I overlooked. I would think if eBay were smart they would exclude certain items from this policy.

[gregr2]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

I’ve been offering 30 day free returns for at least a couple of years now without too much hassle. But I also don’t sell cards or other speculative items. There is only one time I can remember where a guy wanted to return an item because he found it cheaper elsewhere. He had no problem telling me that too. Most returns are for items that the post office destroyed or something I overlooked. I would think if eBay were smart they would exclude certain items from this policy.

I offer 30 day returns as well, however the buyer has to pay return shipping. I plan on keeping my listings just like this.

[bounce]

Originally Posted by gregr2

I offer 30 day returns as well, however the buyer has to pay return shipping. I plan on keeping my listings just like this.

But what are you selling?

You're cool with selling say a PSA 7 or PSA 8 Hank Aaron rookie, and if prices drop you'll take it back in no problem?

This policy doesn't make any sense for collectibles and similar items.

Could I buy a gold coin, and then send it back a month later? Or maybe that's outside of this policy.

I haven't looked in detail, so I honestly don't know.

[cardsnstuff]

With this new ebay policy; it's doesn't matter what you sell, it's a bad deal for sellers.

Imagine going to Macy's buying a shirt, wearing it, and wanting to return it with a stain. Think they'll take it back, no way. or try to return an open video game to game stop, again no way, or a broken phone you broke to apple. Where I think this stupid policy hurts our industry, is buying a graded or raw card for that matter, ask for a minimum grade, review, whatever, and when you don't get it, you return it. Or buying a hot rookie card, when the prices drop {they usually do} and than return it. If the buyer has no skin the game as mentioned before, they have nothing to lose. Will ebay stop excessive returns, maybe, but I see new accounts every day. Ebay is trying to reinvent the wheel, why? Ebay is hurting themselves, when the sellers leave, and when they get charge backs, they will.

Imagine telling PWCC, I paid 25k for your card but I found a cheaper/nicer one in Heritage last week so I am returning it. It will be interesting to see if the big boys have to follow the same rules. PWCC clearly states no returns unless description/image are wrong.

[gregr2]

Originally Posted by bounce

But what are you selling?



You're cool with selling say a PSA 7 or PSA 8 Hank Aaron rookie, and if prices drop you'll take it back in no problem?



This policy doesn't make any sense for collectibles and similar items.



Could I buy a gold coin, and then send it back a month later? Or maybe that's outside of this policy.



I haven't looked in detail, so I honestly don't know.

LOL I play in a different sandbox. I don’t sell nor can I afford a Hank Aaron RC. I’m a low dollar seller but have been selling for a couple of years and I think I’ve had one return and it wasn’t even a card. I’ve always had a 30 day return policy but like I stated the buyer has to pay for the return. As has been previously stated, the buyer has to have some skin in the game.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Exhibitman]

We have to endure these spasms of stupidity from eBay because management at eBay has an ongoing problem with strategic thinking: they want to be Amazon but there already is a company like Amazon: it is called "Amazon." Instead of trying to be an imitation Amazon, they ought to try to be eBay. There is a huge and at this point underserved population of casual sellers who would use eBay if the rules for using eBay weren't so one-sided and oppressive.


How is this going to affect all of the eBay consignment sellers? Are we going to see COMC, PWCC and Probstein move to a much later payout because of the potential for charge-backs? Who is going to 'eat' the free shipping when waves of auction-fever-related cards come flooding back 2-4 weeks after the close of an auction from bidders with buyers' remorse?

[D. Bergin]

It's another irritation from Ebay to be sure. I don't really get returns, but that doesn't exactly make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Once you start telling people they can do something and get away with it, they will likely start doing it, even if they hadn't thought of ever doing it before.

If it starts happening to me, I will learn to just start blocking those people from bidding and move on.

Some of us mentioned that Ebay should consider making Collectibles an exception to this policy, but from what I am seeing on the Ebay boards, this is actually a much more destructive policy to many of the retail sellers then to us.

People renting clothes and bulky technology like printers and scanners. A $100 toaster oven that costs $35 bucks to ship. Some dude can buy it, use it for a dinner party, ship it back 29 days later, and the seller is on the hook for $100 for the toaster oven + $70 bucks worth of shipping costs (35 bucks each way).

Ebay is even going to let people return new and damaged items out of the original packaging by claiming they will back the seller up for as much as 50% of the original cost of the item.

So Joey from Minnesota buys an IPhone and smashes it on week 3. Requests a return with free shipping and Ebay grants it. Item shows up out of the original packaging and smashed................but hold on sellers Ebay says they have your back, and will only allow Joey to collect 50% of the sales price of the original item, while seller gets a smashed IPhone they can easily resell to recoup the 50% cost + shipping that Ebay just took from them.

I really don't know WTF Ebay is thinking sometimes, other then making everything under the sun, not their problem.

[ibuysportsephemera]

2 more points:


1) I think eBay is trying every way possible to get rid of the 10% discount for TRS and that is what is really behind this change.


2) I wish eBay would recognize how disruptive their 2x a year seller updates are. Typically, I have to go back and edit all of my listings. Even though most of the time you can do this in bulk, it is still a royal pain in the A%%.


Jeff

[swarmee]

Everyone should set their restocking fee to 20 percent in protest. Wait? Aren't they doing away with that as well? Ugh...