eBay

dutchman48 · ‎07-12-2018

Sellers may want to read the link below including opening up the blue+ 's since it affects sellers and returns.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-13-2018

Aren’t the changes just for some of the timelines or am I missing something? The change in the buyer refund timeline was announced in the sellers update (summer?) but I don’t recall the other changes being mentioned.

Dutchman why do you say it is incomplete...what’s missing?

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

Return shipping Before July 10, 2018 From July 10, 2018

Return shipping – Dispatch time

The maximum time a buyer has to send the item back, after the seller accepts their return request.

5 business days No change

Return shipping – Domestic transit time

The maximum time for a return to be delivered to the seller after the buyer ships it back.

13 business days 5 business days

Return shipping – International transit time

The maximum time for a return to reach the seller once the buyer ships it back. This timeline is used when one party in the transaction is based outside of the US.

New 14 business days

dutchman48 · ‎07-13-2018

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
Aren’t the changes just for some of the timelines or am I missing something? The change in the buyer refund timeline was announced in the sellers update (summer?) but I don’t recall the other changes being mentioned.

Dutchman why do you say it is incomplete...what’s missing?

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

Return shipping Before July 10, 2018 From July 10, 2018
Return shipping – Dispatch time
The maximum time a buyer has to send the item back, after the seller accepts their return request.
5 business days No change
Return shipping – Domestic transit time
The maximum time for a return to be delivered to the seller after the buyer ships it back.
13 business days 5 business days
Return shipping – International transit time
The maximum time for a return to reach the seller once the buyer ships it back. This timeline is used when one party in the transaction is based outside of the US.
New 14 business days

Basically what happens to both buyers and sellers when the timelines are not met.

momcqueen · ‎07-13-2018

I think I'll wait to worry about this until it affects me directly.

hlmacdon · ‎07-13-2018

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

Those dates refer to when a seller can call in and have a return request closed by customer service. The idea here is that if a buyer can't ship a return in a timely manner then it will be closed out so funds are not tied up indefinitely. Ebay is very reasonable in situations where a buyer dickers and can't be bothered to ship a return.

There isn't much to be concerned about here in these changes as it mostly a switch from calendar days to business days and a tightening up of how soon a return has to reach a seller and how promptly a seller has to issue a refund based on that delivery. Neither is unreasonable although sellers that provide a US return address and only periodically pick up their returns through a service like Chitchats will be impacted and may want to change how they handle US returns.

This change is US specific as the timelines here for the "domestic" portion are predicated on USPS first class/Priority Mail delivery times. Any changes to the Canadian side would have to be localized to reflect Canada Post delivery times.

dutchman48 · ‎07-13-2018

@hlmacdon wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??
Those dates refer to when a seller can call in and have a return request closed by customer service. The idea here is that if a buyer can't ship a return in a timely manner then it will be closed out so funds are not tied up indefinitely. Ebay is very reasonable in situations where a buyer dickers and can't be bothered to ship a return.

There isn't much to be concerned about here in these changes as it mostly a switch from calendar days to business days and a tightening up of how soon a return has to reach a seller and how promptly a seller has to issue a refund based on that delivery. Neither is unreasonable although sellers that provide a US return address and only periodically pick up their returns through a service like Chitchats will be impacted and may want to change how they handle US returns.

This change is US specific as the timelines here for the "domestic" portion are predicated on USPS first class/Priority Mail delivery times. Any changes to the Canadian side would have to be localized to reflect Canada Post delivery times.

And we all know how prompt Canada Customs can be

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-13-2018

@hlmacdon wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??
Those dates refer to when a seller can call in and have a return request closed by customer service. The idea here is that if a buyer can't ship a return in a timely manner then it will be closed out so funds are not tied up indefinitely. Ebay is very reasonable in situations where a buyer dickers and can't be bothered to ship a return.

No, the return shipping -Dispatch time refers to when a seller can call ebay and have a return closed if the item hasn't been shipped yet. That hasn't changed. My question was regarding the transit times which refers to the timeline AFTER the item has been shipped. So if an item has been shipped and the seller hasn't received the domestic return after 5 business days (or 14 bus. days for international), what then? Ive never seen that timeline before. I do know that ebay sends out automatic messages saying 'you should have received the returned item, time to refund' even if the item hasn't been received back yet or even shipped out yet. I've always ignored those messages. But is that what the timeline is for....an automatic message that we can ignore unless the item has been received back? Or is ebay going to automatically refund? Or?

hlmacdon · ‎07-13-2018

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
No, the return shipping -Dispatch time refers to when a seller can call ebay and have a return closed if the item hasn't been shipped yet. That hasn't changed. My question was regarding the transit times which refers to the timeline AFTER the item has been shipped. So if an item has been shipped and the seller hasn't received the domestic return after 5 business days (or 14 bus. days for international), what then? Ive never seen that timeline before. I do know that ebay sends out automatic messages saying 'you should have received the returned item, time to refund' even if the item hasn't been received back yet or even shipped out yet. I've always ignored those messages. But is that what the timeline is for....an automatic message that we can ignore unless the item has been received back? Or is ebay going to automatically refund? Or?

Same as current, it would get evaluated on a case by case basis and stays open till delivery. Refunds aren't automatic in that case and are tied to the seller triggering the refund. If the seller doesn't process the refund within the specified time once the item is verified as delivered based on the tracking scan then it would be automatically refunded. That deadline was there in the past to account for buyers electing not to use the ebay return labels and shipping via their own method of choosing. If a buyer hadn't uploaded tracking even though they indicated they had shipped a return you could call in and request to have return closed out. It is there to ensure accountability on the part of the buyer rather than being something punitive against a seller.

dutchman48 · ‎07-13-2018

@hlmacdon wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
No, the return shipping -Dispatch time refers to when a seller can call ebay and have a return closed if the item hasn't been shipped yet. That hasn't changed. My question was regarding the transit times which refers to the timeline AFTER the item has been shipped. So if an item has been shipped and the seller hasn't received the domestic return after 5 business days (or 14 bus. days for international), what then? Ive never seen that timeline before. I do know that ebay sends out automatic messages saying 'you should have received the returned item, time to refund' even if the item hasn't been received back yet or even shipped out yet. I've always ignored those messages. But is that what the timeline is for....an automatic message that we can ignore unless the item has been received back? Or is ebay going to automatically refund? Or?
Same as current, it would get evaluated on a case by case basis and stays open till delivery. Refunds aren't automatic in that case and are tied to the seller triggering the refund. If the seller doesn't process the refund within the specified time once the item is verified as delivered based on the tracking scan then it would be automatically refunded. That deadline was there in the past to account for buyers electing not to use the ebay return labels and shipping via their own method of choosing. If a buyer hadn't uploaded tracking even though they indicated they had shipped a return you could call in and request to have return closed out. It is there to ensure accountability on the part of the buyer rather than being something punitive against a seller.

Could you please show me where it states that?

Too many sellers have tracking, and Ebay still refunds before delivery and says oh well not our item, not our money.

Who is to say it won't have to buyers with refunds as well?

hlmacdon · ‎07-13-2018

@dutchman48 wrote:
Could you please show me where it states that?

Too many sellers have tracking, and Ebay still refunds before delivery and says oh well not our item, not our money.

Who is to say it won't have to buyers with refunds as well?

Based on my experience with call in and discussing returns with customer service people since I end up dealing with these issues frequently where a buyer never ships a return or marks it as shipped and it never shows up. Other than specifying a length of time for international returns this isn't an actual change as the US side has functioned like this previously with all domestic returns.

dutchman48 · ‎07-13-2018

Unfortunately we are not in the US and have a totally different mail service.

hlmacdon · ‎07-13-2018

@dutchman48 wrote:
Unfortunately we are not in the US and have a totally different mail service.

Mail services don't effect how the mechanics of the refunds work, but as I stated above we would want to look at a localized version rather than the US policy on .com which is tailored to USPS. Ebay Canada looks like they have a localized version that can be found here. Buyers in Canada have now have 10 business days rather than 15 business days (both reflecting the longer delivery times within Canada via CP) to ensure their return to a Canadian seller arrives. Again, a positive change as it shortens that window.

reallynicestamps · ‎07-13-2018

predicated on USPS first class/Priority Mail delivery times. Any changes to the Canadian side would have to be localized to reflect Canada Post delivery times.

My concern would be that the US HQ don't listen to the Canadian staff about Canada Post and just use the same timing.

many sellers have tracking, and Ebay still refunds before delivery

But there is also at least one seller on dotCOM complaining about having a closed case reversed and his buyer refunded just because the item was proved delivered after the case was closed.

Making it even better, he had then resold the item on AZ. So he had two payments for one item and was complaining .

hlmacdon · ‎07-13-2018

@reallynicestamps wrote:
predicated on USPS first class/Priority Mail delivery times. Any changes to the Canadian side would have to be localized to reflect Canada Post delivery times.

My concern would be that the US HQ don't listen to the Canadian staff about Canada Post and just use the same timing.

If you see the link I posted above they have already accounted for this and have (and apparently previously had) different timing for Canadian domestic returns in the policy. Even if it was shorter it benefits the seller rather than the buyer. That being said returns are generally tracked. If you called in to get it closed customer service would be looking at the tracking status to see if it looks like the item is delayed.

The spirt of the thing is to make sure buyers actually return the items when they go through the process of opening a return as it ties up sellers money once the return is opened. In practice the most relevant element here is how long the buyer has to actually ship the return out the door.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-14-2018

There was a discussion about this on the .com board and Brian.t from eBay explained the timelines and what they mean:

“If we do not have delivery confirmation (or a return tracking number) we will not automate a refund. If we do have delivery conformation, sellers will have 2 business days from that point to issue a refund. If a refund was initiated within 2 business days but is still processing after 2 business days, we won't take action unless the refund fails. If we do not see that a refund has been initiated within 2 business days, a refund may be automated. Keep in mind that automated refunds only occur on returns if we (eBay) have not been asked to step in and make a decision.

If a buyer returns an item, provides tracking, and the item hasn't been delivered within 5 business days, either the buyer or seller can ask us to step in at that point. If tracking shows movement within the last 7 days, we'll place the case on hold for 5 days for a domestic case or 10 days for an international case to allow more time for the package to be delivered. Tracking is reviewed before any decision is made.”

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/New-MBG-Timelines-as-of-July-10/td-p/28727777/page/2

happy_pigeon · ‎07-16-2018

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

This discussion appears to be about US policy, so I can't comment. Tyler may be able to as he's far more familiar with the US side than I am.

tyler@ebay · ‎07-16-2018

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Aren’t the changes just for some of the timelines or am I missing something? The change in the buyer refund timeline was announced in the sellers update (summer?) but I don’t recall the other changes being mentioned.

Dutchman why do you say it is incomplete...what’s missing?

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

Return shipping Before July 10, 2018 From July 10, 2018
Return shipping – Dispatch time

The maximum time a buyer has to send the item back, after the seller accepts their return request.
5 business days No change
Return shipping – Domestic transit time

The maximum time for a return to be delivered to the seller after the buyer ships it back.
13 business days 5 business days
Return shipping – International transit time

The maximum time for a return to reach the seller once the buyer ships it back. This timeline is used when one party in the transaction is based outside of the US.
New 14 business days

Howdy everyone - I can confirm that the input from @hlmacdon is accurate, the Return Shipping Time is looking at the time frame we allow for the item to return to you as the seller once an item is dispatched.

If there is no tracking update after the applicable amount of time, you would be able to ask us to step in and we would review the case to close it out at no fault to you, or in your favor.

Tyler,

dutchman48 · ‎07-17-2018

tyler@ebay wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
Aren’t the changes just for some of the timelines or am I missing something? The change in the buyer refund timeline was announced in the sellers update (summer?) but I don’t recall the other changes being mentioned.

Dutchman why do you say it is incomplete...what’s missing?

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

Return shipping Before July 10, 2018 From July 10, 2018
Return shipping – Dispatch time
The maximum time a buyer has to send the item back, after the seller accepts their return request.
5 business days No change
Return shipping – Domestic transit time
The maximum time for a return to be delivered to the seller after the buyer ships it back.
13 business days 5 business days
Return shipping – International transit time
The maximum time for a return to reach the seller once the buyer ships it back. This timeline is used when one party in the transaction is based outside of the US.
New 14 business days

Howdy everyone - I can confirm that the input from @hlmacdon is accurate, the Return Shipping Time is looking at the time frame we allow for the item to return to you as the seller once an item is dispatched.

If there is no tracking update after the applicable amount of time, you would be able to ask us to step in and we would review the case to close it out at no fault to you, or in your favor.

tyler@ebay

And what happens if it does not arrive when Ebay thinks it should is what is totally missing as usual?

tyler@ebay · ‎07-17-2018

@dutchman48 wrote:

tyler@ebay wrote:

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

Aren’t the changes just for some of the timelines or am I missing something? The change in the buyer refund timeline was announced in the sellers update (summer?) but I don’t recall the other changes being mentioned.

Dutchman why do you say it is incomplete...what’s missing?

I’m confused about the timeline below. tyler@ebay @happy_pigeon What happens 5 business days after a buyer ships a domestic return and 14 business days for an international return? If there is no tracking showing delivered I would hope that there would be no automatic refund at that time??

Return shipping Before July 10, 2018 From July 10, 2018
Return shipping – Dispatch time

The maximum time a buyer has to send the item back, after the seller accepts their return request.
5 business days No change
Return shipping – Domestic transit time

The maximum time for a return to be delivered to the seller after the buyer ships it back.
13 business days 5 business days
Return shipping – International transit time

The maximum time for a return to reach the seller once the buyer ships it back. This timeline is used when one party in the transaction is based outside of the US.
New 14 business days

Howdy everyone - I can confirm that the input from @hlmacdon is accurate, the Return Shipping Time is looking at the time frame we allow for the item to return to you as the seller once an item is dispatched.

If there is no tracking update after the applicable amount of time, you would be able to ask us to step in and we would review the case to close it out at no fault to you, or in your favor.

tyler@ebay

And what happens if it does not arrive when Ebay thinks it should is what is totally missing as usual?

Sorry @dutchman48 , I'm confused by your question, could you rephrase it?

If there is no delivery by the time we estimate and the return is escalated to us we would look for updates from the tracking number of the buyer's return. If there is recent movement on that we would place it on a hold to allow for it to be returned to you.

If there is no recent movement we could close the case out at no fault to you or in your favor.

Tyler,

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎07-17-2018

One observation I have made being both a buyer and a seller are the circumstances involved with the mailing a package. As a seller I offer shipping services based on the value of the item being sold. I realize if an item is worth $10.00 a buyer in most cases will not pay $25.00 for shipping and will go with the cheapest available option taking a chance on delivery time as to if & when it may arrive. If a parcel is delayed, late or gets lost it is NOT the fault of the person (usually - could have been wrong address being applied either by customer or seller error) who mailed the package but the postal systems involved. And now with limited options for signature service, not so careful delivery people and porch theft the odds of packages going awol have increased dramatically. The number of times I have seen negative feedback for sellers because of late or no arrives boggles the mind. As a seller they had no control once the package gets dropped off at the post office. To be really fair, sellers should not be held accountable in a good portion of these situations. I can be upset all I want. If I chose/paid for a cheaper mailing service and my package doesn't arrive, it's probably more my fault and the fault of the postal system than the fault of a the seller. It all comes back to taking acceptance of the choices one makes instead of trying to pass on blame.

This all follows forward to a return. If an item arrives damaged or is truly defective and can be verified that it is, does it really doesn't make sense to waste money to return that item at the sellers expense/higher cost than it was originally shipped as per eBay requirements. I realize there are many variables and everything is NOT cut and dried. It just seems it has become way to easy to creatively generate a reason for a return or NAD when it is not justified!!!

-CM