'i know times are hard for every one but buyers don't seem to understand they are trying to rip off small businesses.'

Unfortunately, the type of people who do this sort of thing don't stop to think/don't care about who they are ripping off. 

When times are hard, decent people cut back on non-essential spending, and don't resort to dishonest means to get what they want. I think buyers who claim false damage etc, are just as likely to be those who aren't particularly short of money - some people have no scruples about exploiting a business, or an individual, if they think they can get away with it. It's like those people who buy clothing they intend to wear for an occasion, then send back for a refund.

It could be that the more automated & impersonal the return procedure has become, more people are thinking they may as well 'try it on' and see if they can get a refund/partial refund for a trumped-up reason. Perhaps they don't see themselves as thieves or con artists... however, I'm sure if someone attempted to defraud them, or their family, that would be a different matter..!

'it would be interesting to see if there was a way to indicate how many returns buyers have made as i do believe an increasingly larger amount of people are doing false claims just to save money themselves.'

Yes - it would be very interesting to know if eBay has seen a significant increase in dubious return cases over the past year or so.