How much does a seller have to refund on a buyer's returned item?

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

How much does a seller have to refund on a buyer's returned item?  I know that if it is buyer's remorse, they are supposed to pay for the return shipping.  But once the seller receives the item, do they refund just the item or also the first shipping cost?  If it is a NAD return, does the seller refund both shipping costs (there & back) & also the item? I have only had a couple of returns in the last 15 years & can't remember what I did. Thanks

[momcqueen]

It depends at start on your Return policy. Ebay is pushing for sellers to offer 30-day and 60-day free returns for all reasons. 

That aside, with Significantly Not as Described cases, the seller pays Return shipping plus the total purchase price back in refund. This means postage on the original order too.

Remorse returns, you can charge a Restocking fee of up to 20 per cent if you have that listed, and keep original postage, I believe. Let me look for the link.

[momcqueen]

There's this to read. Always a good refresher.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/return-policy.html and 

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/return-process.html

This one on SNADs specifically: 

https://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/item-not-as-described.html

"If a buyer wants a refund for an item that didn't match the listing description:

• We ask the buyer to ship the item back to you—with tracking information—within 5 business days.

• Your refund to the buyer is the total purchase price plus the original shipping charge.

You're also required to pay for the return shipping charges and you can't charge a restocking fee.

Refund the buyer within 6 business days of receiving a returned item. If the buyer didn't pay with PayPal, refund the buyer using the same payment method used to buy the item. Refunding the buyer using the original payment method prevents a buyer from getting 2 refunds—one from you and one from the credit card company.

Once the buyer receives the refund and the return request is complete, you receive a final value fee credit."

And this also:

"If a buyer asks us to step in and help with a return request, either because you didn't respond to a return request by the deadline or you and the buyer can't reach an agreement, we review the request and come to a decision. If we find in favor of the buyer, we refund the buyer directly and recover the amount of the refund from you. That amount includes the cost of the item plus the original cost of shipping. We either ask PayPal to remove the refund amount from your PayPal account, place the amount on your seller invoice or charge your payment method on file. We let you know when we're seeking reimbursement."

But remorse..... this is a link skewed to the buyer's perspective: 

https://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/return-item.html

"All other returns:

If you return an item for any other reason, including changing your mind about a purchase, the seller can keep any restocking fee specified in the listing Return policy.

In these situations, your original shipping charge usually isn't refunded. Check the listing Return policy for specifics on shipping charges. You may also have to pay the return shipping charges.

For this type of return, your refund is usually the total purchase price, including item cost, sales tax, and other charges, less:

• Original shipping (unless specified otherwise in the listing Return policy)

• Restocking fee (if specified in the listing Return policy)

• Return shipping (if specified in the listing Return policy)"

[kawartha-ephemera]

According to the ebay.com spring seller update just released this afternoon top rated sellers must offer free 30 day returns with no restocking fee. Not doing so knocks the seller back to standard status with no fee discount or top rated badge. Ebay also implies a lower search ranking will apply to listings not offering free returns. The Collectibles category will be exempt at least for now. I expect the same return policy to arrive at ebay.ca soon enough. Lots of changes coming once again .

[katlover1952]

This is definitely a problem for Canadians with our high shipping costs. If they force this on .ca it will be very difficult to continue to sell here. I really am not sure why they are trying to force this on sellers. They tried to get us to have "free" shipping yet on Amazon very few things are shipped for free unless you have a prime account and you pay a yearly fee for that. Most places I have shopped on line if I decide I don't want the item and want to return it I pay to return it.

Domestically I could not afford to sell here any longer if this was forced on sellers. Shipping to the USA is a little less but if it needs to be returned with tracking would also become very expensive.

[momcqueen]

Shipping with tracking overseas is a $50 trip each direction. I might be able to add $30 to an item price to cover free domestic shipping and free domestic returns. Might. But it's impossible to add $100 to an item cost to cover the cost of free international shipping and free international returns. Or even a pro-rated amount. I'd have to hike my already-high prices even higher. High because I'm a Canadian who pays taxes on my items whether bought domestically or imported. Otherwise, I'd love to offer to my potential customers what ebay recommends. 

[katlover1952]

That is the whole problem here in Canada. We simply pay higher taxes on everything including our postage which makes it very hard for us to compete (already) & impossible if they force this. And of course when I say force I mean if our items don't get as good exposure if we don't have that then that is being forced to join or quit. It really does make me wonder about my future selling here. I feel many of us sellers have weathered and adapted to the changes eBay has forced on us through the years but this would IMO be impossible.

[momcqueen]

I did the Managing Returns webinar last week and 60-day free returns featured prominently win that. During the webinars, participants are allowed to pose questions. I explained the Canadian postage reality and asked if there might be a way to specify free domestic returns only, and the answer I got was 'maybe in the future thanks for raising that.' So, we will see. I'd consider offering free domestic-only returns if I could. Or if ebay helped to subsidize that. 

[zee-chan]

I agree on that free domestic-only returns. Less than 10% of my sales are to Canadians so if I have that option, I'm fine with dealing with potential returns only on 10% of my sales. Though I will probably change my mind if buyers are going to abuse the system and use me as a "comic book library". 

Though we're probably getting off-topic here. I think OP posted the question probably because their Aussie buyer (who wanted to "take a chance" at buying a necklace for his wife) is trying to return the necklace and wants to make the OP pay for it......

[momcqueen]

Ah, I see. I’d overlooked the connection to that other thread.

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Just an update about my Australian buyer trying to get me to pay for return shipping for a necklace he purchased. I have been talking with CS over 3 days & have dealt with 6 different people. The US, Philippines & Australia.  They have read all of the correspondence between me & the buyer & agree that it is Buyer's Remorse. 

My buyer sent me an e-mail yesterday stating that if I agreed to refunding him $25.00 he will keep the necklace & close the return.  So my original price for the necklace had been $69.99.  He said he would take a chance on it for $40.00 which I did.  And now with his last offer for me to take another $25.00 off, that would mean the necklace would only cost him $15.00 now.

He also mentioned that he returns a lot of items on eBay if he thinks they are not as described. The return policy works great for him. I think it is an abuse of the policy. Will see how he responds to what CS told me. They also said if he gives me negative feedback to phone to have it removed.

[momcqueen]

Sigh, from what you describe. this sounds like a user who has determined a sure-fire method to 'game' the system. How unfortunate. 

[momcqueen]

On the bright side, it sounds as if Customer Service is being decent and reasonable with your plight. The importance of that cannot be overstated. 

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I hope the buyer decides $24.00 is too expensive to ship back the item with tracking. But if he does send it back, it looks like I will have to refund him for the purchase price plus original shipping. But I can always resell it as long as he doesn't damage it out of spite.

[momcqueen]

If you receive an item returned that’s been damaged from spite, that’s a whole new dispute with eBay. You’d have to call Customer Service about that. eBay is wise to Returns Fraud.

[femmefan1946]

This is definitely a problem for Canadians with our high shipping costs.

Here are Canada Post's shipping costs.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

And here are USPS costs.

https://postcalc.usps.com/?country=10440

I agree that Canada Post parcel rates are very high, and that Canada Post should look into cheap Confirmation of Delivery as at least a domestic option.

But the costs to mail overseas from the USA is not nothing.  Play with a few numbers to see how the prices compare.

And another question is -- how often does this actually come up? More than 1% of your transactions? Less?

If it is more what can you do to prevent the problems?

[zee-chan]

What an a$$. I hope karma gets him one day.

[recped]

---

@kawartha-ephemerawrote:
According to the ebay.com spring seller update just released this afternoon top rated sellers must offer free 30 day returns with no restocking fee. Not doing so knocks the seller back to standard status with no fee discount or top rated badge. Ebay also implies a lower search ranking will apply to listings not offering free returns. The Collectibles category will be exempt at least for now. I expect the same return policy to arrive at ebay.ca soon enough. Lots of changes coming once again .

---

This is NOT true!!!!!!!!!!

Actually not just the part in red either, almost 100% of what you wrote is NOT true.

[kawartha-ephemera]

---

@recpedwrote:

---

@kawartha-ephemerawrote:
According to the ebay.com spring seller update just released this afternoon top rated sellers must offer free 30 day returns with no restocking fee. Not doing so knocks the seller back to standard status with no fee discount or top rated badge. Ebay also implies a lower search ranking will apply to listings not offering free returns. The Collectibles category will be exempt at least for now. I expect the same return policy to arrive at ebay.ca soon enough. Lots of changes coming once again .

---

This is NOT true!!!!!!!!!!

Actually not just the part in red either, almost 100% of what you wrote is NOT true.

@recped 

Perhaps you misunderstood the point I was trying to make. I wrote that post in a hurry and didn’t compose my thoughts very well.

The text below is a direct quote taken from the .com Spring 2018 Seller Update. Consider the future consequences to Canadians. I have underlined the relevant passages and noted an apparent ebay typo.

Top Rated Plus update

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.

Exceptions

30-day free returns is required for most categories, but there are exceptions in select categories.

You will be required to offer 30-day returns in the following categories to be eligible to receive  Top Rated Plus benefits: I imagine whomever proof-read the preceding sentence should have inserted the word "not" prior to "required".

• Parts & Accessories
• Musical Instruments & Gear
• Listings with Freight Shipping Specified
• Media

You will be required to offer 14-day free returns in Products in Collectibles & Art categories to be eligible to receive Top Rated Plus benefits.

I commented in my previous post that the Collectibles category was not impacted by these new requirements, that statement was incorrect as the preceding sentence makes clear.

You are not required to offer free returns in some existing categories to receive Top Rated Plus benefits. We will expand this exception to include the following categories:

• Prepaid Phone Cards
• Virtual Currency

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2018-spring/simplified-returns.html#m17-2-tb1

It seems to me very few Canadian sellers are likely to meet the new .com Top Rated Plus standard. Who's going to offer free 30 day returns to the U.S.? I suspect very few will.

Some will say “but Canadian sellers don’t need to meet the Top Rated Plus standard, being Global Top Rated is good enough for both .ca and .com and Global Top Rated sellers are not required to offer free returns”. That would be a true statement today but what about post June 01, 2018 and beyond? I think the odds are heavily in favour of the same free returns policy coming to .ca and once it does those not willing to comply will become Standard Rated sellers.

While we’re waiting for the free returns shoe to drop on .ca how will Global Top Rated sellers be treated on .com after June 1st?

Will ebay.com treat Global Top Rated and U.S. Top Rated Plus sellers offering free domestic returns equally in Grouped search results???

Will Global Top Rated or Standard Rated sellers in particular receive Grouped search placement at all?

Perhaps Canadian sellers offering free domestic returns might place well?

IMO it will be tough to compete in any categories that draw many sellers offering free returns unless doing likewise. The new Grouped search format has the potential to amplify the problem for Standard rated sellers.

---

[recped]

Who's going to offer free 30 day returns to the U.S.?

I will! I've offered free returns since 2012, first 14 days and then later 30 days AND I sell in Media mostly one of the categories where 14 days is enough.

One nice improvement (if they follow through) is that sellers will be able to have one return policy for "domestic" and another return policy for "International". Not sure how that's going to be fiddled with for Canadian sellers, maybe "domestic" for us will mean US/Canada with the rest "international".