New returns policy

[resurrectionscooters]

Received a mail from eBay today advising, that Sellers listing in  Parts & Accessories categories are soon to become responsible for 50% of return postage if the buyer changes their mind or as eBay describe it a "remorse purchase"

eBay will pay the other 50% somewhat predictably only if the label is bought through them !

Is it just me that thinks this is wrong and will lead to more returns , it seems incredible that the seller should be responsible for the cost of someone's indecisions.

[jake-bullet-cybernautics]

It's a great* idea. You need a part to fix your car before the big car show in 2 days time. Order 5 of them from different sellers, fit the one that arrives first and send the other 4 back at no cost to you.

Ebay's obviously looked at the fast fashion sites struggles with buyers who order lots of things intending to return most of them and thought, yeah that's a problem we'd like to have too.

Place bets now on in 6 months time ebay announces this policy is a huge success so you're now paying 100% of the free return costs.

[ventexclutches]

I am sure this is an unwelcome change across P&A sellers. Initially it is raising a few questions / thoughts:

1. Will ALL remorse returns now be free, or just "Changed Mind" returns? This isn't clear from the original email.

2. We currently offer 60 day (buyer-pays) returns. After the change, will this be split this into first 30 days: Free return, and second 30 days the buyer pays?

3. One of the conditions for Free returns is that the item is based in the UK. If an item is located in China the seller will not be affected by this change. Is this intended? On the face of it this seems unfair to UK sellers.

4. The current P&A Assured Fit returns system has always been messy, where some returns come through as "Doesn't fit my vehicle" as intended, while some come through as "Doesn't fit".  It would be good to get some clarity on whether the "Doesn't fit" reason fits into this new scheme or the existing Assured Fit scheme, or even why they come through as different reasons in the first place.

5. As mentioned above this scheme is open to mis-use by buyers. We sell 16kg Flywheel kits for example, they cost about £11 postage each way. Imagine someone ordering 5 to keep the quickest one and returning the other four. That would cost eBay and sellers a combined £88 as a result of this change, with no impact to the buyer. This point in particular needs some serious consideration from eBay. I note "Heavy and Bulky" items are excluded - but no specific weights / measurements.

6. What is the long term goal with this? As previously mentioned this could end up going from a 50% eBay subsidy to the seller having to pay for the whole return cost. Currently eBay covers 100% of "Assured Fit" returns (only when they come through via the correct "Doesn't fit my vehicle reasoning" that is). Will these two return schemes be merged in the future so that the Assured Fit return cost is also covered by the buyer?

[ventexclutches]

Here's the eBay info page for those interested:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/postage/free-returns-for-parts-and-accessories

[darth_baggins]

Hilarious how they dress up 'save money' as one of the benefits, given that they generously pay 50% of the cost (provided you use eBay labels).

[palison_123]

I`m not  sure I`ve read this correctly but it states that is only apply s to UK sellers?

So Chinese sellers will not have to bare the cost of returns?

If that is the case surely its illegal ?

This policy will add 100 pounds in overheads and encourage people not to read the listings, creating even more returns and more expense. 

[road-and-race-online]

Another nail in the coffin by eBay. eBay paying 50% will only last for a few months then it will be all on the seller. This will cost £100s in return postage for UK business forcing many to put up prices or to use alternative sites or there own website for sales. Looks like China will have another advantage yet again.

[jlovie]

I notice private sellers are exempt.

[4_bathrooms]

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@palison_123 wrote:

I`m not  sure I`ve read this correctly but it states that is only apply s to UK sellers?

So Chinese sellers will not have to bare the cost of returns?

If that is the case surely its illegal ?

---

It's not illegal; eBay can introduce (almost) whatever contractual terms they want where business sellers are concerned.

This is a worrying announcement, though. Whilst it's initially only going to be for a limited number of qualifying items in one category* this sounds a lot like one of those trials eBay does before a planned wider rollout in the future. Also, if this is a typical "eBay label" the seller will be responsible for any loss or damage in transit and would have to claim through Royal Mail or Packlink for any losses. This would likely be pointless in most cases.    

*It looks like this is being introduced in the vehicle parts & accessories category but the announcement simply states "parts & accessories" without clarifying. There are two other categories with "parts & accessories"; "electronic smoking" and "watches".

[watchfan700uk]

I get 10 returns per month in part and accessories. Some of those are SNAD anyway where I have to pay.

It's not going to be too significant but I agree that it will encourage returns and ebay will lose out on fees and sellers on sales where a buyer sees it will cost money to return an item and changes their mind.

[palison_123]

@4_bathrooms 

Yes ..I guess your right they can do want they want ,but how unfair is this policy if it only applies to British sellers who pay tax in the uk and many of us buy are supplies from Ebay  which helps Ebays profits -only to be effectively being charged more per year in fees than foreign sellers.

Its also unfair because the 100s of "private sellers" who are clearly business won`t have to offer this "giveaway."

They are already paying much less then business sellers as it is .

Every seller should be worried about this because we all know that this will be forced apon all UK sellers soon.

[padanpcparts]

There are certain behaviours this will encourage from customers, but also from sellers. First of all, I would blanket block anyone who returned their 2nd item, unless they were a very good customer that had a history of purchases. 

I was actually thinking about this though....if we are paying return post, then the difference between INAD and remorse is much less. If E-bay got rid of all the rubbish associated with INAD returns, cases, extra fees, threats, etc. Then I would probably have no issue paying the return postage. E-bay would have to cover the lost parcel process though. If they are just going to force a RM label then make you go direct to RM to claim it's a bit of a cop out. 

This is definitely a pretty bad change all round for sellers on face value. It seems the squeeze on small businesses continues unabated. They do need to be careful though, as do all online platforms. There will absolutely be a tipping point where the convenience of ordering online is overshadowed by the more sociable aspect of going to a bricks and mortar shop. Price is certainly a consideration for a lot of people, even more so nowadays. 

[clickcarparts]

And yet they still refuse to force buyers to provide a vehicle Registration to check the fitment correctly and just expect customers to know what they are doing which 99% of them don't.

And Ebays fitment checker is useless too.

[top-deals-online]

This is a massive killer to my business and is asking for the returns Policy to be abused big time. Im on the phone to eBay about this right now none of their departments have a clue this policy is being introduced, all they said is lodge a complaint on my account.

90% of my listings are in this category and i have a fair few over the £10 mark, i sell spare parts and there are so many variants of tools and not all parts fit the same model and most buyers do not read the listing for compatibility and buy parts Willy Nilly. Once they figure out what reason to choose to get FREE returns its going to be a fee for all!! They are competing with Amazon 100%

Also not only will you pay the 50% postage fee, you wont even get your Promoted listings fees to promote the item back either!!

[uniquejaguarparts]

An Ebay rep called me yesterday to explain this policy to me. Asked me how I felt about it. I was lost for words. She was talking like it was a great idea, and will do wonders for my business. I told her Ebay should be going in the opposite direction and making BUYERS pay for postage BOTH ways. 

She said it will increase sales, I said, all it will do, is increase returns. Absolutely absurd. 

I block anyone who makes a return unless it was my fault. I have had 4 returns in a month, all buyers that have " changed their mind ". or they didn't check the description. So once ebay realise it was a stupid costly idea, and decide they are not covering 50%, that would have cost me in the region of £16. 

I had a heavy return which would have cost me £15 return, because they decided they didn't want it any more.

Dumbest idea ebay have ever had. Once again, the buyer wins. Free postage returns, sellers can't leave buyers negative feedback. I wish someone would set up a site how ebay used to be.

[4_bathrooms]

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@palison_123 wrote:

@4_bathrooms 

Yes ..I guess your right they can do want they want ,but how unfair is this policy if it only applies to British sellers who pay tax in the uk

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If a seller is registered outside the UK their UK sales are still subject to either supply VAT or import VAT depending upon where the item was located and/or the value of the sale.

By the way I'm not defending eBay's new policy (far from it). eBay's new policy for affected items is grossly unfair no matter how you look at it.

[4_bathrooms]

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@uniquejaguarparts wrote:

I told her Ebay should be going in the opposite direction and making BUYERS pay for postage BOTH ways. 

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eBay can't do that because of the Consumer Contracts Regulations (CCRs).

Under the CCRs the trader is responsible for refunding any basic outgoing delivery cost. If a consumer chooses an enhanced delivery service the trader is only obliged to refund the basic delivery cost but eBay forces business sellers to refund the full delivery cost anyway even if the buyer chose an express delivery service.

The idea behind this aspect of the CCRs was to make the cost of returning distance purchases - where the consumer has that right - for reasons of remorse fair on both the consumer and the trader. The trader is responsible for the basic cost of outgoing postage whilst the consumer is responsible for the cost of returning the item; a 50:50 split.

eBay are likely of the opinion that by forcing "free" remorse returns they will reduce false INAD claims but the category they have decided to pilot this policy on is ripe for abuse either way. I have a feeling if a buyer returns their old part instead of the new part they were sent for a remorse reason rather than an INAD one that eBay will offer less protection to the seller should they report the buyer for returning a different item.

[maarsy]

ebay is generous when it is not their money . 

[eyewear247]

I also sell on the River and in the categories I list in I am obligated to offer free returns.

I find returns are 3 or 4 times as many on the River compared with eBay where I do not offer free returns. Of course my listings on the River where I can I price at a slightly higher rate.

[blinkin-bonkers]

It absolutely stinks and is yet another reason why, after selling on eBay for 22 years, I cannot wait to leave. This is just another way of shafting sellers. We sell an item that is EXACTLY as described and because the buyer failed to read the description properly we now have to pay half the return costs!!

I just had a call from eBay to "run over" the scheme and he spouted the usual *bleep* that it was trialled in the US and it was a great success, it increased sales, blah blah blah, the usual rubbish. They treat us like idiots and cash cows and I told him straight about what I thought and he put the phone down! eBay used to be a brilliant platform but Google reports shows that they have lost 7 MILLION active sellers in the last 10 years, is it any wonder???!!! So what do they do to try and appease sellers? They shaft them even more.

eBay is completely buyer orientated these days, they couldn't care less about business sellers. I would love to sit down with the powers that be and tell them a few home truths as they are completely deluded, oblivious and deluded but they don't have the back bone to face us and just hide in their ivory towers. Rant over.....for now!