eBay's Easy-Returns Pitch Rankles Sellers

[pierrelebel]

By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
October 14, 2013

eBay is using the promise of easy returns to entice shoppers to its marketplace, but some sellers object to the strategy, saying eBay is encouraging buyer abuse.

eBay sent a marketing email to users over the weekend that stated hassle-free returns were the best reason to shop on eBay. But is eBay placing too much emphasis on returns? "eBay is telling buyers how happy they will be to screw dealers," wrote one of many sellers who forwarded the email to EcommerceBytes.

For more: http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y13/m10/i14/s01

[anguscoinshop]

This is another small sign that ebay is starting to suffer due to a huge slow down in sales. This is the time of the year when sales should pick up steam but it has gone the other way.

I never seen it this slow on this site. I'm glad i have my home store otherwise i would be up the creek.

I will likely curtail the number of listings next month.

[pierrelebel]

"due to a huge slow down in sales"

???

It is possible that your sales are down but eBay still shows sales increases overall for the totallity of all sellers.  What you (and others) have lost has been gained by other sellers.  Overall, more money is spent on eBay today than ever before.

If you have factual information showing differently, please provide a link.

[anguscoinshop]

This is on another post, it applies here also:

Home & Garden doesn't cross reference or mix with Collectibles & Art

Electronics doesn't cross reference or mix with Collectibles & Art

I hope you are intelligent enough to understand.

[bb_cool_stuff]

What you ( and others ) have lost has been gained by other sellers.

Of course it has.

The onus is on us to be proactive, do our research in regards to completed listings & buy / list accordingly.

eBay provides the venue coupled with extensive information on how to buy & sell.

What we choose to do with the venue & information is up to us.

[mr.elmwood]

eBay's sales are consistently up and increasing. Moresellers selling more. Any given seller may experience a slowdown, but, one seller is proof positive that millions of sellers are down?

Angus, if that "intelligence" remark was aimed at Pierre, you could not be more poorly informed. Pierre was an eBay legend long before you even started.

[bb_cool_stuff]

Any given seller may experience a slowdown.

Of course.

Again simple solution.

If the product you are selling experiecnces a prolonged slowdown, it may be time to look at other product or a similiar or different line.

[mr.elmwood]

BB. Last time Grey Cup was in Winnipeg I was managing at the liquor store at Portage and Burnell. We were ready for the crowds, staff, stock, everything. It turned out to be a regular steady weekend as we got out-muscled by the Grey Cup Committee.

They did an outstanding job of organizing, promoting, and selling. We did not get the share we hoped for, but, the share still existed and just went somewhere else.

[rose-dee]

---

@pierrelebel wrote:

By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
October 14, 2013

eBay is using the promise of easy returns to entice shoppers to its marketplace, but some sellers object to the strategy, saying eBay is encouraging buyer abuse.

---

I'm not sure this comment is a completely realistic evaluation of the situation (I realize this isn't your comment Pierre).  I think eBay is just trying to place itself alongside other eCommerce sites who are offering completely hassle-free returns.  This, along with free shipping, seems to be everywhere these days.  Like free shipping, what was once a novelty and a great marketing ploy, will soon be practically obligatory for every site to offer because buyers have come to expect it.  

Of course big retailers like Sears have always offered trouble-free returns because they had deep pockets and an integrated system, but eBay has up until now allowed its individual sellers to decide how they want to deal with returns -- probably not for much longer. 

I would think that a big part of the reason for this is that eBay itself has changed, i.e. the type of sellers it's been courting are different from the "old standard".  The new ones are the large-volume commercial sellers who do not want to have to deal directly with customer issues and would rather simply return the buyer's cash - no muss, no fuss.  The following quote from the article you linked caught my attention in this regard (it's not the first time I've seen this mentioned):

"[...] and the new provision in eBay's user agreement in which it grants itself permission to automatically apply the eBay returns process to listings where returns are accepted. "Initially this change will only apply when a new seller account is opened.""

No doubt that qualifier "initially" will at some point be dropped.  This will be particularly hard on smaller sellers with a low volume, especially if returns for any reason are permitted -- we'll have to bite our nails for weeks waiting to see if a buyer has changed his mind about a purchase.  

[Anonymous]

As far as I am concerned, eBay is totally a jerk to offer this kind of requirements.

eBay needs to back off over controlling over how sellers on eBay to do their businesses.

I am sure that many of us sellers knew how to run our businesses and how long and when we should ship our items. 

It is funny because there is a policy (more likely a law) in Government departments, cannot remember exactly which department, telling us we have up to 60 days to ship our items!!!

When you order something that you cut out from magazines, it usually tell you it will take up to 6-8 weeks for delivery and here we are with eBay DEMANDING we ship them the next day, etc.!!  Very irony and very conflict with that policy by Canada governments!!

I often ordered from online or cut out from magazines, I see the message saying it take up to 6-8 weeks and we don't complain.  But with eBay buyers, whoa!!  It is like watch out!!  Thanks to eBay's insane policies!!  It is eBay's purpose to make our lives pure hell.  Again thanks to eBay for that!!

[reallynicestamps]

When you order something that you cut out from magazines, it usually tell you it will take up to 6-8 weeks for delivery and here we are with eBay DEMANDING we ship them the next day, etc.!! 

As most sellers know (and complain) shipping is vastly different from delivery.

That warning by direct sales companies is a PYA . They may ship the next day or in two weeks, but the delivery time is out of their (and our) hands.

EBay encourages fast shipping by giving sellers a tiny boost in Search when we do "one day shipping". This is not the same thing as "demanding" next day shipping.

[thebarterersdog]

With this 'easy-returns' pitch I'm concerned now with the items I sell that have diamonds or other gemstones in them. I do not take refunds on these items out of fear of a lessor scrupulous buyer switching the stones and then returning the item for a refund of their money.

...  this is not good...