More eBay changes, now on returns

[skypinkblu]

This fall, eBay buyers and sellers will enjoy a more consistent and convenient after-sale experience. Starting in mid-September, all the actions that buyers can take after making a purchase—including tracking a shipment, asking sellers a question, and requesting a return—will be managed through a more streamlined process on eBay. For sellers, this new experience will make it easier and more efficient for you to manage and resolve buyer requests—and provide the kind of service your buyers are looking for.

Highlights

Streamlined experience makes it easier and more efficient to manage buyer requests

 

Starting in mid-September, buyers can simply go to their purchase history in My eBay and choose from a menu of actions, including tracking their package, returning an item, or asking you a question. In addition to giving buyers clearer, more direct access to these after-sale activities, the new experience makes it easier for you to manage and respond.

Starting in mid-October, this streamlined experience will be available to both buyers and sellers on mobile devices—so you can respond to requests and deliver prompt service more quickly, wherever you are.

Key to the new experience is an improved returns process that gives buyers a more convenient and consistent way to return items—right from My eBay. All returns, including eBay Money Back Guarantee requests, will now be handled through this simpler, more integrated process. Then, starting in early 2015, features of hassle-free returns—including return labels provided automatically to buyers—will be added to this improved returns process for more US sellers. By the 2015 holiday season, all eligible domestic returns on eBay will be hassle-free returns. Note, this does not mean you must offer returns—you will still be able to choose whether to offer returns through your returns policy.

We’re also streamlining the cancellation process to make it easier for buyers and sellers to cancel a transaction directly from My eBay. Buyers can request a cancellation if they change their mind within an hour after the sale (as long as you haven’t already shipped the item). This will help reduce the hassle of unpaid items and help you get your merchandise back up for sale faster. Sellers will also have the option to cancel transactions directly from My eBay instead of the Resolution Center and, if the buyer paid with PayPal, sellers will no longer need to wait for a response from the buyer.

Language in the new experience has been changed to be friendlier and more service oriented. Phrases like “escalate a case” and “dispute a return” will be worded as “ask eBay to step in and help.” Additionally, cases that have been opened for an item not received or not as described will now be referred to as “requests.” When a request can’t be resolved and eBay is asked to step in and help, that request will then be referred to as a “case.”

Important implications regarding returns

 

If you’re using the hassle-free returns process now, you won’t see any significant changes as a result of this new process. For all other sellers:

 

All return requests on eBay will be initiated through My eBay and handled through the same returns process so you no longer need to manage individual return requests through email. You’ll still be able to communicate with your buyer at any time through the eBay member-to-member communication system.

You’ll still be able to choose whether to offer returns in your returns policy, and will have the option to accept or decline a return request when it is not aligned with the terms of your returns policy.

You’ll now have the option of offering a replacement if your buyer doesn’t receive an item or there’s an issue with the item you sent originally.

You’ll be able to ask eBay to step in and help to resolve a return issue—for example, when you wish to dispute a buyer’s return for an item not as described.

As announced this March, any return request for an item not as described will count as a defect beginning with the August 20 performance evaluation.

Sellers will be responsible for return shipping when there’s an issue with the item or the item wasn’t as described.

Starting early next year and throughout 2015, the features and benefits of the current hassle-free returns process will begin to be added automatically for more US sellers:

An eBay return label provided automatically to the buyer requesting a return

Tracking uploaded automatically with the eBay return label so you can track the status of the return—and see when it will be delivered back to you

Assurance that the return shipping cost will not exceed the original shipping price if you used eBay labels for the original shipment

Configurable automation rules to streamline your business practices—for instance, buyer gets a refund instead of a return if the item is less than $10

Starting in mid-September, automatic refund to the buyer after 6 business days once the item has been delivered to the seller and as long as the seller has not asked eBay to step in and help

By the 2015 holiday season, all eligible domestic returns on eBay will be hassle-free returns. You can opt in to hassle-free returns today to get these additional benefits right away.

New safeguards for sellers are built in

 

The streamlined after-sale experience shows buyers the appropriate help options in My eBay based on where they are in the after-sales process to help reduce instances where they may inadvertently cause a defect.

To help buyers with after-sales support, we’re adding an option in the Contact Seller form that allows buyers to ask you a question about an item they’ve purchased or send you a message after the sale. This option will not be considered a "request/ case" and will not impact your seller performance.

To align with the seller performance standards, which go into effect with the August 20 performance evaluation, an expanded defect removal policy establishes clear instances where defects will be automatically removed from your performance record—without having to ask eBay to step in and help.

All buyers requesting returns will now have a more detailed list of reasons for returning an item—so eBay can determine why the buyer is requesting a return. This will help reduce the number of instances where buyers state that they’re requesting a return because the item they’ve received wasn’t as described.

 

[RCheli]

Configurable automation rules to streamline your business practices—for instance, buyer gets a refund instead of a return if the item is less than $10

 

I think that's something the seller assigns -- not eBay saying that you don't get the item back for sales less than $10.

[skypinkblu]

I dunno what any of it means, I was just highlighting, it's way past my bedtime, . I shouldn't have even read it.

 

I hope your interpretation is right...because if it's not, I'm consigning all my $10 and under books to you;) and I probably have a few boxes left of them.

 

As it is, it takes me forever to write a description, I'm worried about making a mistake . It used to be a fun part of the hobby selling there.

[Heronext]

Configurable automation rules to streamline your business practices—for instance, buyer gets a refund instead of a return if the item is less than $10

 

I think that's something the seller assigns -- not eBay saying that you don't get the item back for sales less than $10.

 

Yes - sounds like an example of what a seller might choose to configure

[jaybuck43]

Wow they are REALLY going heavy in favor of buyers. I would not want to be a eBay seller starting in October

[skypinkblu]

I might buy more stuff though, I just had a slightly sticky issue with a return, but we worked it out. First return I've made in years...ALMOST turned me off from shopping...so I almost see their point, but not as a seller.

 

I hope very few people decide to buy something then change their mind an hour after an auction, hopefully that is only bins.

 

Anyway:) good night!

[Buzzetta]

 

Time to get off my and start listing everything. I listed 20 items today after getting that email.

[dupont2005]

This is crazy. As a buyer I haven't had a problem on eBay since maybe 2004.

 

As a seller, it happens more and more often, to the point I don't want to sell anymore. Particularly with collectibles. If I'm selling an old shirt or CD, no problem. If I'm selling comics or toys, it's like a 50-50 chance it's going to be a nightmare.

[Bronty]

Fawk ebay

[kav]

Dang I just got an email from 'ebay' that said 'If уоu еntеr fаkе dеtаіlѕ уоur ассоunt wіll bе аutоmаtіс ѕuѕρеndеd.'

I better get on this.

[Buzzetta]

Let me explain to you how this can be exploited.

 

Okay... say I am participating in a straight auction for say Amazing Spider-man 50. I see that 24 people are watching a particular issue for listed at a BIN for $1000. I see another copy in the same grade that is on auction. So what I do is participate in the auction. I wait until there is a half hour until the auction closes. With a half an hour remaining I hit the BIN. I then participate in the auction anyway. I place a final bid in that is cheaper than the BIN for the copy I just bought.

 

Even if I am the winning bidder, I got the book for less than the BIN and I have enough time to cancel the BIN purchase as an hour has not elapsed.

 

yeah, sounds like a great plan. Let the dumping begin.

[kav]

100% pos FB, 0 low rankings in communication or shipping, 1 low ranking in item as described out of 63, no cases and I'm at STANDARD in ebay's performance rating.

My god what do you have to do to rate above standard or outstanding???

[Poe]

Let me explain to you how this can be exploited.

 

Okay... say I am participating in a straight auction for say Amazing Spider-man 50. I see that 24 people are watching a particular issue for listed at a BIN for $1000. I see another copy in the same grade that is on auction. So what I do is participate in the auction. I wait until there is a half hour until the auction closes. With a half an hour remaining I hit the BIN. I then participate in the auction anyway. I place a final bid in that is cheaper than the BIN for the copy I just bought.

 

Even if I am the winning bidder, I got the book for less than the BIN and I have enough time to cancel the BIN purchase as an hour has not elapsed.

 

yeah, sounds like a great plan. Let the dumping begin.

 

This is exactly what I thought of when I read the new cancellation policy. Tons of sellers have auctions ending on Sunday nights and you can easily find multiples of the same item ending within an hour of each other.

 

Find three, four or even five auctions that end close enough together and play them all. They currently have no limit to the number of cancellations you can do within an hour.

 

Since you can't force buyers to pay even if you deny a cancellation request they simply won't honor their bids. It is commonly believed that you can rack up a rather staggering amount of non-payment strikes with absolutely no consequence.

 

Just a very bad idea.

 

 

 

 

 

[Neopacket]

100% pos FB, 0 low rankings in communication or shipping, 1 low ranking in item as described out of 63, no cases and I'm at STANDARD in ebay's performance rating.

My god what do you have to do to rate above standard or outstanding???

 

 

Don't worry, it gets harder on the 20th of this month.

 

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/springupdate2014/sellerstandards.html

[Heronext]

100% pos FB, 0 low rankings in communication or shipping, 1 low ranking in item as described out of 63, no cases and I'm at STANDARD in ebay's performance rating.

My god what do you have to do to rate above standard or outstanding???

 

 

Don't worry, it gets harder on the 20th of this month.

 

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/news/springupdate2014/sellerstandards.html

 

Just read through that. Can't believe there are people at eBay whose job it is to think up all this baloney.

 

EBAY DOES NOTHING. They don't have goods and they don't deliver goods. So all they do is count money and come up with rules.

[PT]

This is putting me off using ebay even more now.

Got really narked the other day when I looked at all the charges on my seller account (I don't use ebay a lot) and was amazed to see how high they were.

This is just going to make me worry about those people who change their mind and have to go through the hassle of starting the auction over again...

[Thomas Nielsen]

This is crazy. As a buyer I haven't had a problem on eBay since maybe 2004.

 

As a seller, it happens more and more often, to the point I don't want to sell anymore. Particularly with collectibles. If I'm selling an old shirt or CD, no problem. If I'm selling comics or toys, it's like a 50-50 chance it's going to be a nightmare.

 

I guess this says more about the people into collectibles than Ebay, no ? oh wait...

[Ghostzapper]

Buyers can request a cancellation if they change their mind within an hour after the sale (as long as you haven’t already shipped the item).

 

So with that, a buyer can throw in a large snipe and win an item for a price they don't like and then within an hour request a cancellation because they didn't like the price, I mean changed their mind.

 

There should be no problems with that.

 

[Point Five]

I hear you guys... I see how there's potential for abuse with easy buyer cancellations. That is indeed troubling.

 

On the flip side, I'd suggest though that there are instances when this could come in very handy... for instance, if a winner of one of my auctions starts arguing about the cost to ship internationally, as has certainly happened a handful of times in the past, or just seems like trouble from the start for whatever reason. Maybe having an 'easy out' for both parties (before discussions get heated) won't always be a bad thing?

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

Buyer gets a refund instead of a return if the item is less than $10.

Makes selling stuff for under $10 even less appealing.