eBay Mandatory Return Requirements 4 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

[Exhibitman]

eBay can take their 1% and shove it. The 30 days doesn't bother me; the "free" bothers me immensely, esp. since the shipping will be at eBay rates with the label they will take the cost of from my account. The buyer has to have some skin in the game. If I have to refund the outgoing shipping and eat the return shipping I am potentially eating $5.32 per single graded card. I can't sell the cheaper stuff that way.

I also don't think the powers that be understand eBay. As a buyer, i don't go to eBay expecting a retail sale experience for collectibles. No one should. eBay had (has) a great niche as the world's garage sale. All of these changes that punish P/T sellers, though, it is just going to drive us off. And they wonder why they don't get the growth they fantasize about in the eBay C-suite each time they institute one of these asinine policies.

eBay, pulling defeat from the jaws of victory every time.

[ibuysportsephemera]

I have been a Top Rated Seller for as long as I can remember. I will be giving up my 10% discount as of June 1. I will never offer free returns on anything unless I made a mistake on the description. IMO, when a buyer is offered free returns, they have no skin in the game at all. As least if they have to come out of pocket to return something, they might think about it a little bit.



Jeff