Hot Topics:

Upcoming eBay Return Policy Change Causes Uproar

Sellers sound off against return center, longer return times; say policy favors large retailers.

eBay’s policy changes related to returns and its new, optional return center that will be available in May are causing an uproar among sellers, as a recent The Online Seller article proved.

In response to the article, “eBay Return Center: Becoming an Amazon?,” sellers’ heated objections to eBay’s new returns policy overflowed the comments section. The policy will, in part, do away with the three- and seven-day return options in exchange for longer return times. Commenters also railed against eBay’s new, optional return center, which is meant to automate the returns process, as Michael Jones, eBay’s vice president of Merchant Development, noted when he announced the feature in late February as part of eBay’s 2012 Spring Seller Update.

Sellers worry about scams

“It’s a horrible change for anything that can be used and then returned—clothes, accessories or, as in my case, audiobooks”

The change to return times will take effect in early May. When it does, merchants will have to offer 14-, 30- or 60-day return periods if they accept returns, eBay notes. “Merchandise credit” and “exchange” refund options will also be retired and, beginning May 2, sellers will have to offer “money back,” or “money back or exchange” options if they take returns, though they can still opt to not take returns.

In his announcement, Jones notes that “a good return policy—including a reasonable timeframe and the reassurance that buyers can get their money back” helps improve sales. However readers of The Online Seller worry that the longer return times will lead to more returns and scams.

“It’s a horrible change for anything that can be used and then returned—clothes, accessories or, as in my case, audiobooks,” one commenter writes. “I sell a ton of them—and two weeks is plenty of time to listen to one and then return it.”

“I sell costume jewelry… and I already have people ‘renting’ my stuff,” adds another merchant.

Others add that the new return policies may open the door for buyers to return the wrong items, or for shoppers to return items that become damaged en route back to the seller.

“With the few items I have accepted back, the items are never packed the same way I packed them,” says a seller identified as Nursefrogger. “The stuff is literally thrown in a box. Where is all the bubble wrap I used? Buyers don’t think or care that how can I resell this item when you have removed things or the item comes back damaged?”

Returns: Not for all sellers

“The return center will not help the needs of the core ‘little guy’ seller, who was eBay’s first customer”

The introduction of the new returns center, which is expected to go live in late May, also has sellers talking. With the new feature, buyers would initiate returns in their My eBay page by clicking the “Return this item” link next to the appropriate sale, specifying why they’re returning the item then printing the shipping and packing slips for the item. Sellers will then be automatically notified of returns, according to eBay.

eBay says it will pay for return postage upfront and then charge the buyer’s PayPal account or add the price to a seller’s invoice, depending on what the seller sets as their preference when they opt in to the center. The center is meant to automate the returns process, but merchants say it only helps some.

One seller notes that, though the new returns center will help people who treat eBay as a business, it will not help “the needs of the core ‘little guy’ seller, who was eBay’s first customer/seller.”

Some sellers are so unhappy that they’ve started to look for other places to sell.


363 Comments

  1. CHANDRELLE says:

    YES, THIS HAS UPSET ME SO MUCH! NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT THEY ARE NOT OFFERING THE 20% DISCOUNT I CURRENTLY GET, UNLESS I OFFER RETURNS WITHIN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME AND 1 DAY HANDLING. I AM GETTING SO BUSY I ALMOST CAN’T GET IT ALL DONE IN ONE DAY. I HAD 2 DAY HANDLING, BUT THAT’S JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH I GUESS FOR A ONE WOMAN SHOW… IT’S ALL ABOUT MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS. I WISH I HAD ANOTHER OUTLET BESIDES EBAY TO SELL.

    Reply
    • CSN says:

      I absolutely can’t do 1 day handling.  With the price of Gas there is no way I’m going to go out and mail my items every single day.  I have a 3 day handling and some items are 5 to 10 day because they’re special order items.  I guess Ebay doesn’t like giving those discounts.  Found a way to make us ship in 1 day.  Nuts to Ebay…I’m not doing it! 

      Reply
      • BROWNEYEDSUZY48 says:

         EXACTLY. I  STARTED    KILLING MYSELF TO GET ITEMS SHIPPED   BY  NEXT DAY JUST   TO GET MY LIMIT RAISED.   THEY TOLD ME JUST OFFER FREE SHIP AND DO EXPEDITED  ,  THAT WIL AUTOMATIC RAISE YUR STANDARDS AND  MAKE YOUR LIMIT HIGHER.  WEL  THATS     JUST SOMETHING THEY TELL US TO SATISFY US  AT THAT SECOND. I HAVE SPENT   HOURS    BEING PASSED AROUND FROM PERSON TO PERSON JUST TO FINALLY GET     LIED TO. I MEAN HOW CAN THEY EXPECT ME TO BE SO HONEST WHEN THEY ARENT.  

        Reply
        • Jan says:

          Expedited at the post office is 2-6 days. That won’t qualify for this new rule. I also live in the mountains and our post office doesn’t even offer 1 day shipping on anything. Right now, I’m trying to work on a sit in type of response to ebay. All sellers with stores would close their store for vacation for 3 days. I need help in getting the word out to all sellers. This would happen April 26-28.

          Reply
          • Sqwooz says:

            Sorry I missed  the sit-in.  Was it of any value?  I can only see it costing me money.

        • Melody says:

          … AND HAVE BEEN OUTSOURCED, DISCONNECTED WITH NO ACTION AFTER PROMISES OF REFUNDS AND A LIST OF ABUSES THAT NEED(ED) TO BE FIXED.  WHEN I ASK TO BE CONNECTED TO “ON SHORE”, THERE IS A DISCONNECT OR RESPONSE SAYING IT CANNOT BE DONE.  TIME IS MONEY AND TIME SPENT TRYING TO RESOLVE SELLER ISSUES SEEMS TO BE UNIMPORTANT TO EBAY AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES.

          Reply
      • Headfeathers3 says:

         If you ship Priority, you can request a carrier pickup.  You can count your 1st class packages as well as long as you have 1 priority package.  You can also leave your 1st class packages on/in the mailbox for the carrier to pick up. s. Sometimes I have shipments every day.  I am disabled and this works for me.  Hope is eases your mind as to having to take items to the PO.  

        Reply
        • Cindy Hymer says:

          I too use only USPS and they are the BEST. I sell jeans and I ship most of mine in a Flat Rate Priority Mail envelope. $4.90. 3 days guaranteed. The most excellent postal service in the world and reasonable rates. Daily pick-up arranged with my local post office and carrier so they know I am a business working out of my home and they treat me like a business. Via the USPS. As for eBay, man, do I feel skanked. Looking for other outlets to sell through. On my way to check out this ebid site now. Bid early and often, Cindy Hymer

          Reply
        • Conster_7 says:

          At least half the time, USPS doesnt do the pickup as requested, so I end up either being another day or making that trip to the post office. Of course there is no provision for this in ebay rules. . ..

          Reply
        • JJ says:

           Not an option when you ship every package Media Mail, Priority would triple my costs for shipping vinyl records. By the way, no chance in hell would I ever leave a packages out side for pick up, they would get ripped off in a NY minute.

          Reply
      • 2rtisticVintage Jewelry says:

        Why don’t you ship through stamps.com or do pickup via the post office.  You have to have at least one priority mail package for them to pick up but it’s free and saves on gas!

        Reply
        • jj says:

           No way would I ever consider leaving packages out side for pickup, The USPS is so stressed, I simply don’t trust them, I physically go to the USPS, I ship media. if I had to pay an extra 7-10 bucks for one Priority package to ship the rest media every day, That would be at 30 dollars a week in higher postage. that is way more than gas I would spend, and my USPS office is a 10 mile round trip. I would spend about 7 bucks a week in post office gas. The thing that killed me with eBay was that damn shipping inclusion on the final value fee. I have 4.00 limit per record, now with that fee (.52 cents) I don’t even break even on mailers and supplies. I would have to go out of pocket for confirmation, which I do for orders over 6.99 ( just my number)

          I am experimenting at Atomic mall, and looking into other places. if any one of them show real promise, I done with eBay, Tired of all the surprises.

          Reply
      • Queen of Lace== Ginger says:

         Got an Idea. We all print out the label for the item, and when we get to ship it, just pasted it on. I know it’s dated, but the post office takes it anyhow. I have printed out labels before, and forgot to take it to the post office only to find it out the next day. My package got delivered anyhow even with the wrong date

        Reply
    • anon says:

      Right on!
      Totally UNFAIR!!!

      Reply
    • Don Gentry says:

      eBay is the biggest bully on the block but there is Bonaza, At fire, Etsy and Ioffer.

      Reply
      • QuiteHappy says:

         I sell on Bonanza, Artfire & Etsy. My sales are not as high as when I sold on ebay. BUT, my profits are UP!

        Reply
        • Fretplayer says:

          I guess it depends on what you are selling, I sell guitars and have had a store on Bonanza for several months and have sold one guitar, where on ebay I sell 50 plus per month. 

          Reply
      • Jan says:

        I took your advise and placed my items in Bonanza. I also have Onlineauction.com which was started by an ex ebayer here in the U.S. I will look for more that I can place my products in so that I can have so many auctions out there that ebay will lose my business. Trying to get a protest going too. April 26-28, I will close my store and I’m asking all sellers to close their stores to make a statement.

        Reply
        • Jen says:

           I would close my store too. eBay has been pissing me off for years and it gets worse EVERY year! I’m a good honest seller and even now get taken advantage of by scam buyers with a 3 day policy so 14 days???forget it I would rather lose my 20% fvf discount. I sell authentic designer goods and my worry is that someone will use my item for 2 weeks then return it to me and I can’t do a thing about it OR they will damage it in that time and then return it saying it was damaged when they got it. So Jan how do we get the word out? I will spread the word to the sellers I know but that’s not all that many and we need a lot to even make eBay care.

          Reply
          • Queen of Lace== Ginger says:

             I sell mostly fabrics, and custom costumes. I had a lady wash my item, then say she didn’t like it. Ebay’s policy says if it is altered it can’t be returned. Well, she complained, and they gave her .her money back. Her messages to me stated she washed it. They read the emails too, and still decided in her favor.
            I love all of these post. You got my voted and I’m going on vacation in April, lol

    • THERETIREDGUY says:

      Try ebid.com I switdhed from Ebay to Ebid I love it only 2% fee to sell

      Reply
      • Chrisuk07 says:

        Me too a great site I switched 2 years ago as ebay are having a laugh with reference to fees and policyebid is a great site to sell on with low fees and if your item does not sell you do not pay any fees come over to ebid and leave ebay to shoot themselves in the foot like thousands already have have a look at my great store on ebid  http://its-all-99p.ebid.net/ 

        Reply
        • Sneek Peeek says:

           Great Idea
          I am a small seller and these constant restrictions will kill me

          LETS ALL STRIKE!!!! I am game for that…NAme the day and TIME for the VACATION

          Reply
          • Jan says:

            We are going to have the strike on April 26-28. A 3 day strike to try to make a statement.

          • Stopbyusinc says:

             Hello Jan, I have 30,000 items in 3 eBay stores. Removing all the items for 3 days, and then re-listing them is a lot of work, and money (even at $0.05/each). Any ideas of a less painful way of showing my support?

          • maneki neko's nook says:

            put your stores on vacation, then take them off after three days…no need to relist, unless they are auctions

        • stuart says:

          hi chris do you sell much on ebid i think its great with free listings and got upgraded to seller + life for free when they had the offer on over a year ago, but only sold 10 items in about 2 years,

          Reply
        • Gerald Elliott says:

           Check  out webidz auctions at webidz.com. check out my store at estatecoins

          Reply
      • Anonymous says:

        by the way, at least in the USA it is ebids.net

        Reply
        • Wondrouslight says:

          Thank you for directing me to the right site.  I will check it out.  Pleased to see that they are also in Australia.

          Reply
        • Sharonhorselady says:

          Still the wrong address….it is —-http://us.ebid.net/——-

          Reply
      • Anonymous says:

        it is ebid.net – at least it is in the US

        Reply
      • Anonymous says:

        what do you have to say about all the negative seller and buyer reviews here http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.ebid.net

        Reply
        • Recordgeek says:

           as a “vinyl record” Seller, I agree with the sellers. 14-30 days is too long for someone to “want to return” a record, so many things can happen should you not “take care” of the vinyl. I have never had a “return” item, (as my “feedback” will show), I was accepting “returns” within eBay rules, within 3 days of receipt, (delivery confirmation),what I am UPSET about is: final value fee on SHIPPING!! what the He!!. eBAY has nothing to do with my “packaging” or “mailing” yes I do the “click & ship” thru ebay or pp. my cardboard record mailers, bubble wrap & card board inserts, do  not come from feeBAY. as of May, “no returns accepted” signing off, l-svinyl

          Reply
          • maneki neko's nook says:

            Ebay’s biggest problem is communication….the fee on shipping was to thwart the scammers that were selling items for 99 cents, then charging the value of the item in the shipping and handing fees, to avoid paying ebay the final value fee.  ei…sell a jade bracelet for 99 cents, then charge $45 to ship it.  This caused a lot of grief with buyers that did not read the entire listing and created an unfair playing field for the honest sellers, who were losing sales to these weenies.  For eveyone that was reported for listing violations, three more would crop up.  eBay does allow seller’s to block buyers that appear to be abusing the refund system, low feedback, or poor buyer history.

        • Queen of Lace== Ginger says:

          Don’t you just love how you can’t leave a bad buyer negative feedback, so everyone looks good when they come to your site to buy!  Since they started that stuff, I have had so many bad buyers, and non payments it isn’t funny

          Reply
          • maneki neko's nook says:

            block bidders with non-payment strikes….ebay has tools to use that protect sellers…use them 

          • jj says:

             People know there way around that, plus they can have multiple strikes and still buy from you. have you looked at the settings lately? The specific block setting I don’t even think works, I had a guy by 3 records from me, he didnt pay for 2 days, then sent email saying he thought they were CD’s, I let him off the hook, but I did block him, 2 weeks later he did the same thing again. this time I called ebay and went berserk, they said it was a system glitch. they cancelled it. but come on.

      • Aherrera2550 says:

        Are your sales about the same? eBay is all for the buyers and it is getting ver old!

        Reply
      • Wondrouslight says:

        I had a look at Ebid and all it isn’t an alternative to Ebay.  It is just an advertising site for other websites.

        Reply
      • Conster_7 says:

        I switched too, but have no sales to speak of. Buyers will not leave ebay,  and why should they? Or to turn it to a positive, how so we get them to move?

        Reply
        • Sharonhorselady says:

          Improvement wont happen unless us sellers are pro-active and cause it to happen. Us sellers have databases of emails of all of our past customers. If others as I, mass email my past customers telling them we are moving to http://us.ebid.net/ and that our selling costs are lower so their buying costs will be lower. Do buyers want lower buying costs? Additionally no one else will inform buyers of a better avenue than us motivated sellers. 
          Chris

          Reply
        • F Dawber says:

          drop your prices slightly to give the buyer the saving ….as you sell still in ebay put a link in it to your ebid….once the buyers see that they can get the same item 10% cheaper on ebid they’re converted

          Reply
      • Queen of Lace== Ginger says:

         I’m thinking of going there too, How are you dong? I hear for a 49.49 one time fee, you never pay listing fees or final value fees.

        Reply
      • mkcjmom says:

        wow! have to check it out! thanks!

        Reply
    • Nostalgiabooks says:

       OK, I just had my second margarita for lunch and started thinking.  It was hard to drink in peace since those pesky Occupy people were parading in front of Bubba Gurney’s BBQ Rib Shack and Margarita Bar (I expect a free margarita for that plug, Bubba) and making all sorts of noise.  And then it hit me bolt of lightening (or maybe it was brain freeze from drinking my third margarita too fast) how about OCCUPY EBAY!  I’m sure some bright computer genius could refine the idea and get it out there…make it a cause, post on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube.  Choose one day.  Everyone buy something they’d like to use for 60 days (seasonal wear is always great) and then 60 days later RETURN the darn thing since it’s out of style.  Flood the eBay return center.  Show eBay the idiocy of their policy.  Just haven’t figured out how not to screw up someone’s business – don’t want to do that…hmmm, maybe after a few more margaritas it will come to me.  OK, OK, this was tongue-in-cheek but just wait.  Once the word spreads about eBay’s return policy the scammers will be coming out of the woodwork.  The more I’ve thought about it the more eBay is setting up their retailers for big problems.  Sounds like the time to buy  6 month “puts” on eBay stock or just short it!

      Reply
      • Jan says:

        Your idea is somewhat right but could hurt a lot of sellers. Everyone knows what the Vacation Button is on ebay. If everyone could get together and put their stores on vacation for not just one day but 3-7 days, that should make a good statement.

        Reply
        • Sugar says:

          Jan YOU HAVE A GREAT IDEA HERE!!!

          The problem is that you would have to get at least 75% of the Top Rated & other powersellers to take part or eBay won’t even notice.  I would do it.  That is the best way to get eBay to pay attention and to talk with us.  Without it, they just give lip service when they say they hear us – they DO NOT HEAR US OR CARE.

          Reply
          • Jan says:

            Ok, I’m not sure how we could contact the mass of Top Rated sellers. Somewhere that we could put a notice that they all could see. Something like Sellers with Top Rated selling status, doing a 99% protest of Ebays new rules. Close all stores for 3 days during the week of April 26-28.

          • Ginger says:

             Sounds good to me. I had in the last few months people wanting to return already, and have me send them money for the return. Ebay sides in their favor,but took the money out of their account and they person didn’t even have to return it anymore. He got his money back and got to keep the item too. I’m looking into ebid to sell. For a 49.00 investment, you list free with no final value fees for life. Not a bad deal and they are the second most popular auction per the internet.
            How can we get more people to go on vacation that week?

          • yea_right says:

            ecrater.com – no charge to list and no charge to sell/

          • Sqwooz says:

            Thanks for the name of ebid.  I had no idea  of its existence.  I’ll check it out.  eBay has made it almost impossible for the one man/woman operation to compete.

          • Eagle170ca says:

            ebid you say hmm know where I am going its that or kijiji

          • Gerald Elliott says:

            Good morning fellow ebayers, I to am sick of ebays prejudices towards the buyer and now have bought sites on ebid.com  and Webidz.com  I list with no fees and am not capped at 50 free listings. Lets build up these sites where we own part of the site. screw ebay.

          • dudesoy says:

            webstore.com  no fees

        • Terry says:

           count me in if you do.

          Reply
      • Reagentamber says:

         Hilarious! At least you have a good attitude…tequila often helps…
        CHEERS! 🙂

        Reply
      • Kevin19642000 says:

        Ebay sucks. Everytime you turn around keep imposing more and more restrictions on how I can conduct my own business. My 6 million worth of inventory is going to be taking a walk. How about letting me decide how to run my business

        Reply
        • zeum says:

          Unless you sell cars, houses or wine, holding on to 6 million in inventory is one of the most careless things a retailer can do. Business 101.

          Reply
    • A simple solution is to move all your ebay merchandise to onlineauction.com. I did – 3 years ago. Finally a site that lets you KEEP your money, so you can offer better deals and service to your customers.. 8.00 a month to list up to 8000 items, 4 FREE pics, FREE auto-relist, NO final value fees…no forced Paypal fees or “holds” on your money, REAL PEOPLE who answer the phone… It’s perfect.

      Reply
      • Jan says:

        Ditto, they have just purchased a bunch of new larger servers. Maybe we can get the word out about them and give them the business.

        Reply
    • yea_right says:

      I never got a 20% discount, so you are indeed one of the lucky ones.

      Reply
    • Vickyjack28 says:

      I know that’s right!!! You said it!!!! Thank you!!

      Reply
    • Sqwooz says:

      That’s my gripe too!  I’ve been  trying to keep up with one day shipping but I’m falling behind…just as I knew I would.  This is so unfair!  I use to offer 2 day shipping and I could handle that.  I thought I was doing really well. This new policy is obviously geared for people with a staff.  I’m bummed…I’ll probably lose my 20% off.

      Reply
    • There is always another way to do things, there is amaozon, or your own web site, with so many companys offering web sites today it is a no brainer!

      Reply
    • F Dawber says:

       there is   ebid 

      Reply
    • Sue Luckham says:

       Try eBid, cheaper and getting very popular.  There are loads of these sites now, try them and see what you think xxx

      Reply
    • Nelliekellie says:

       Try Bonanza!  Much cheaper to sell there.  No listing fees and much smaller FVF!  Many feebay people have moved there!  http://www.bonanza.com    People there are so friendly and helpful to each other, not at each other’s throats!  It is welcoming place to be!

      Reply
    • Dudesoy says:

      webstore.com currently no charge to list ypur items

      Reply
    • joe says:

      Yeah I feel your pain. It may come to the point where you will have to leave ebay and set up a shop outside of ebay making your own rules. Ebay has all ready pissed off enough buyers and sellers and it is not like it use to be when you could sell stuff at a good price. Ebay is for mom, dad, grandma and grandpa to sell a few items a month and wait in line at the post office. If you run a business and your not in China then ebay is not for you.

      Reply
    • foofighterubu says:

      If your Buyer doesn’t pay the first day this is a break for you. The one day handling is one day after payment.
      But if you use BIN and immediate pay, then your items need to ne boxed and ready for lableing and shipping out.

      I don’t know what ou sell, but if it is a fast moving item, I know you are having a very hard time.
      I build everything I sell and sometimes it is difficult. I do take time to write to all my buyers and ask them to wait for my PAYPAL INVOICE and I will write to the buyers email and explain that I invoice thru paypal because ebay will not hand me all of the mony they will pay for shipping. To avoid adding a charge of my own or raising my prices, I invoice off ebay and paste the tracking number as soon as I print a label.

      so many hoops to jump thru to legitmately protect MY BUYERS >>>>FROM<<< ebay!!!

      Reply
    • mkcjmom says:

      hey…check out yardseller on facebook – way easier without all these crazy policies! the only bad thing is you can’t have any bidding wars and make extra but you sell at a set price, offer free shipping and you’re good to go. none of this crap they’ve started on ebay. i’m very upset and so disappointed about my so-called part-time job!:(

      Reply
  2. Itinerant Pedlar says:

    Ebay are making it more difficult and expensive for the their core sellers.The present distance selling regulations in thr U.K. are reasonably fair and I see no reason why ebay should not agree for the seven day rule to apply if they wish to impose a central returns policy. I am also now looking for alternative platforms. 

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      As a seller and a drop shipper, I’m going to lose my Top Seller rank because of these new rules. I’m expected to give 1 day shipping when it takes 2 days to process payment. I deal with hundreds of wholesalers, it would be impossible to ship in one day and I lose the 20% discount which I need to make a profit. That is my only profit because Ebays fees are outrageous and then you get hit by paypal too. Every year I take a lose on my taxes just because of ebay. So, without the 20% I could go bankrupt. Ebay has to many rules and fees. They dictate to the seller how to sell and if we don’t, we lose. They are just a medium, without the sellers they won’t have any products to sell. I’ve already started to move some of my products to Online Auction.com. They only charge me $8 a month for as many listings as I would like and no Final Value Fees.

      Reply
    • Cookiefiend1228 says:

      I sell small grams of silver and ship using first class letter without tracking. Im currently top rated with my 20% discount. I refuse to put tracking on every single gram which is why I offer free shipping. I used to charge shipping but my sales suffered about 40% because of it. I sell about 1500 items monthly and this will kill my business. Im a college student trying to support my family on this. Feebay has gotten outrageous and only exists for the huge corporations and large sellers. Anyone hear or remember about buy.com??. do a quick google search on ebay and buy.com.

      Reply
      • Redtailhawk says:

        I sell small trinkets that ship for .44 first class. Now ebay wants me to buy their tracking – same item to ship – just under $2 to ship! This is on top of ebay fees – store fees – paypal fees etc. etc. I’ve been 11 years on ebay – it is time to go.

        Reply
        • QuiteHappy says:

           this is why I left. My item is scrapbooking embellishments. Why would I expect my buyers to pay more in shipping than they do for the item? I can mail them for a stamp. I began on Ebay in 2004. I left in December. Ebay gave my money to a fraud buyer – she had 2 auctions she won. I shipped together and had tracking. She filed a Not Received. Ebay found 1 in her favor and 1 in mine. I even appealed and called. When they said that I needed to reimburse them, I let them know exactly what they can do! I paid my 2 accounts (other than the Reimbursement amount) and closed shop. The credit card that I had on file for the reimbursement protection crap – null and void. They won’t get another thieving penny out of me! I will pay $.01 per month. It will cost them more to record that monthly payment, then what they milked me out of!

          Reply
        • Hoittp says:

           I here ya. I’m a small antique seller. I could go back to paying for space in a store at least the rules are better. Some take rent plus 15%. It’s getting to be about the same but in an antique store the prices you can get are better.

          Reply
    • brendan casey says:

       I have to agree with you. I would also like to have another sales platform so if you find one please let me know. wot-a-racket@talk21.com Brendan

      Reply
  3. Eric Graff says:

    feebay has changed constantly in the 11+ years I’ve been selling they ALL suck from the quick too

    Reply
    • It seems like if large stores were pushing to marketplaces like eBay and Amazon to se policies that only those large enterprises can afford. We can see the end of little merchants in the near future, specially in markets like consumer electronics, where profit is so tight…

      Reply
  4. Golddigger says:

    What about the people that bid and win your item only to bid and win another item cheaper within the time frame so they just return you your item to you. There is no reason for them to change the amount of time that we can give for returns, it should be left up to the Sellers. We should be able to set the rules, without the Sellers their would be no eBay. 

    Reply
    • 596larry0 says:

      596larry0
      i’m with you.WE PRODUCE OUR LOOMS AS WE SELL. THIS TAKES A LOT OF TIME.WE USE A 20 BUSINESS DAY FOR SHIPPING.WE ARE ALL SELLERS, EBAY HJAS NOTHING INVESTED, AND YET THEY WANT TO PUT THEIR FINGERS IN OUR BUSINESS. WE ALL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER PLACE TO SELL.

      Reply
    • Magicbelle says:

      Gee sounds like Obamacare, you do it my way or the highway.  I choose the highway, I have been on ebay selling since 2009 – guess the originals don’t count anymore.  The little guy is not what they want.  It is the money – just ask Paypal and their percentage as well as ebay’s, takes it all.  NOT what it used to be.

      Reply
      • Peterg says:

        No matter what the topic is, there is always some moron who brings up politics and the president. Why don’t you stick to the topic of the article and comment on that?

        Reply
      • Rome says:

        Magicbelle, the topic is not about Obamacare or politics. And please don’t call yourself an “original”. I have been on Ebay since 1998! The return policy sucks but it doesn’t scare me to run away….yet. Everytime Ebay comes up with ther “new” ideas, all you hear are the negitives. Well, I have weather the storms this long, I hope I can do the same this time. FYI, if you didn’t know, Ebay OWNS paypal. Picked it up for a small piece of change… 1.5 billion in 2002. They have been “winning” for sometime. But can you honestly say something is better than what we have now? I have looked for many years now. But I’m still with Ebay. Enough said.

        Reply
    • Headfeathers3 says:

       Set your returns to say that returns accepted ONLY IF NOT AS DESCRIBED.  From what I was told by eBay is that you can contact them and they will investigate the return and take the fair action whether to the seller or the buyer.

      Reply
      • Queen of Lace== Ginger says:

         I have the no return policy and they still will let the buyer return it if they file a complaint. They can say anything they want and what they say is written in gold. You have no say. I had a woman cut a hole in my fabric and told ebay she got it with a hole. She got her money back, and they took it from my Paypal.
        I hate Ebay

        Reply
      • Grammy says:

         Yes but in the meantime they put a hold on your money!  “Not as described” is a very loose term.  Do you want eBay to decide? 

        Reply
    • Recordgeek says:

       I sell vinyl records on ebay and feel that 14 days is too long for someone to “hold” a record and then want to RETURN it, a lot can be done to “vinyl” if you do not take care of it, why should I be responsible for someone who wants to “throw” their records around and get scratched up, then when they play it sounds like SH!!,  OH, they will just RETURN it..not happy seller in Fla.

      Reply
  5. P R says:

    Etsy is great for vintage items. I’ll use it more now. I’m a one person “business” and sell “rental” type items. I’ll forgo the 20%. Not worth the time and expense of returns.All but one return I have taken has been poorly packaged and damaged, and still got low DNR

    Reply
  6. Dollies123 says:

    The last sentence says it all, ”
    Some sellers are so unhappy that they’ve started to look for other places to sell.” I would love to find some other place to sell, but I do not know where. I have tried Ruby Plaza because I sell newer items; they just do not have the traffic that ebay offers so sells are much less.  

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says:

    You have really put me between a rock and a hardplace, with your new ‘mandatory’ return policy.  I sell cutting boards and counter-tops that are no way returnable.  Once a counter-top is installed it is ‘damaged property’.  A cutting board or counter-top because of health dept. regulations concerning FDA approved for food prep use, cannot be re-used or re-sold if it returned.  (Would you like to use a cutting board that someone had previously purchased, cut up their Thanksgiving Turkey on or cleaned their fish on, and then not cleaned it and returned it for their money back, this is a ‘joke’ as they are renting an item at no cost to them.) 

    I sell items that cost from $30.00 to upwards of $500.00.  Almost all of my listed items have the ‘free shipping’.  If it is returned, I will be charged by e-bay for the return shipping cost as it will be automatically taken out of my paypal account.  Now, if I have an article that sells for $150.00 I pay an average of $40.00 shipping, when returned I would again have to pay – resulting in this ‘free’ shipping policy (which really does help my sales), costing me double shipping costs to get the item back.  Then no matter what the condition, I cannot resell it.  So for the priviledge of selling this item, I have in effect donated my cost of the supplies and labor, lets say its $80.00 plus $80.00 shipping costs, so for my going along with this ‘new’ policy that is supposed to bring me more buyers, I have lost 160.00 plus I still have to return the $150.00 purchase price to my customer.  So now my cost for the priviledge of selling to this e-bay customer (you have so graciously provided me with) I am now out a total of $310.00.  Plus you have the guts to tell me this ‘great new’ policy is is keep me from losing my 20% discount you have been giving me if I don’t comply. 

    What kind of ‘thinking’ people do you have on staff to come up with something like this with the ‘across the board’ policy that one-size-fits-all, and obviously was not discussed, as in ‘pros and cons, etc.’ as to just what harm it could cost your sellers, just mandating that it be done?

    By your implementing policies like this, you have got to be raising some doubt in buyers minds (not confidence) as to just who they can trust, and sad to say, some buyers are not always honest and are going to see very big advantages for themselves to your new system.  E-bay should continue with their high standards, not become a laughing stock in the industry.

    In the seven years I have been selling on e-bay I have been completely honest and upfront, treating my customers as friends, they in turn have rewarded me many times over by returning for more puchases and sometimes just to drop me a note saying how happy they are with their purchase or that they have referred me to a friend etc.

    How long do you think I will be able to survive with your new ‘manditory’ do it or else rules??  I now have in place a very good system of my own that works by instilling confidence in our policy.  First we ship UPS Ground, and anything costing under $100.00 is insured.  Everything over $100.00 I pay extra to insure.  If there is obvious damage to the package, we ask that the customer refuse delivery. 

    Our policy (that works just fine, thank you) is we will Repair, Refund or Replace as necessary.  Shipping damages are turned in to UPS immediately.  Other damages (which are very few) we have the customer send pictures and we will then offer them compensation for if it can be used as is, ‘or’ we will replace the item and have them destroy the one they have, if it is not repairable or usable.  

    Please reconsider.  I have to this point been very happy with our working relationship and would be very sad to be forced to end it.

    Reply
  8. Rsprowls says:

    As a trading assistance, training specialist and top rated seller–I think there are two primary issues–eBay lowered the dollar figure required to qualify for the top rated seller designation. The result was eBay needed to figure out a way to reduce their 20% output. so this additional requirement was added and make no mistake you have to have good standings in the US and UK markets–and offer 1 handling, opt into the program and according to eBay they validate this but the tracking number being uploaded in your My eBay. Bottom line if you want the $20 you have to do it all.

    mooreruby817
    http://www.dazespast.com

    Reply
  9. I am also looking for other alternatives, but it is like rebuilding all over again. Some places will transfer you feedback from ebay but it seems that no one is getting close to the amount of traffic that ebay has.

    Reply
  10. SellerLooking4aNewSite says:

    The policy DOESNT MATTER, returns or no returns… buyer protection lets buyers return anything by opening a case within 45 days. The seller has no rights anymore. The buyer can pay or not pay, a UPI is pointless.. it doesn’t hurt a buyer. You can’t leave them negative feedback and you can get burned with 4 of their lame 1 or 2 stars and get your status yanked. Ebay doesn’t care about SELLERS because they’re a dime a dozen. Ebay was good years ago and now it is the worst. DSRs are subjective, buyers extort refunds from sellers or threaten negative feedback and stars. It’s a horrible place now!

    Reply
  11. Sheshechic says:

    I never wanted to have a no return policy indicated on Ebay but now it seems that’s the only option. I can just put MY policy in the description. Also, I never wanted to charge a restocking fee but now it seems as though I may have no choice. I sell books and knitting mags that could easily be copied and returned. I’m not a library. At least a restocking fee might keep those people away. This policy change might hurt my business but honesty, nothing has hurt my business more than Ebay policy changes. 

    Reply
  12. timelysales says:

    As a longtime seller the 1 day shipping rule will kill my Top Rated Seller 20% discount. There is no way I can run to the post office every day or even several times a week.

    I’m a one-man seller.I sell only vintage items. I don’t sell modern widgets that I can order by the pallet from China or wherever. My items don’t have SKU numbers as they didn’t exist in 1935!I only care about the 20% discount as e-Bay’s fees are very high.Who cares if I remain a Top Rated Seller without the discount?

    Reply
  13. I think now ebay should also increase the time required before a buyer can file a dispute so this can filter out frivolous returns.

    Reply
  14. Lilysmiles4u says:

    Like everyone else, I long for another succesful forum for online selling. I’ve tried a couple of alternate stores and have had no success. No one gets Ebay’s traffic, thus my business. I’m in a catch-22 and know that I have to continue to adapt. I just started accepting returns again (last time was a disaster) and it took only 4 days to get the first one. Ebay may require the buyer to pay return postage but I’m already out the postage to mail it out to them and if I don’t give a full refund, they only need to open a case against me.  Anyone ever win one of those? Then they get back 100% of their payment, including shipping even though I ‘ve already handed that over to the post office. I lose money on every refund. As a smaller seller, I cannot simply build that kind of loss into my sales. The truth is, Ebay has everyone over a barrel because no one has the resources and the know-how to open a viable alternative, and many have tried. It’s a matter of time before I become just another someone who “used to sell on Ebay”.

    Reply
  15. Countryhobo says:

    I agree that ebay has gone too far this time.  I sell clothing and they can wear it and then return it saying it was damaged or what ever excuse they need.  I think they need to remember who got them to where they are and not just keep padding their pockets and taking from us.  The buyer is #1 in their books, not the seller.  Something needs to be done, they need more competition!!!  Not happy with all the changes for the sellers!!!

    Reply
  16. Upyours says:

    . As of May 1st I am done. They keep slowly tipping the scales and I am so tired of being used I am done getting bent over the fire! You cant sell precious metals and not only have to wait 60 days to spend your funds but have to worry about what the spot prices are and if the prices go down they will just send it back?! I don’t think so.
    Ebay sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  17. Staceygordon says:

    I am in the same position as Chandrelle…. and if anyone has places to sell other than eBay then please post them here, my eBay days are at an end with this RIDICULOUS new policy! What  on earth are they THINKING??? I will either simply refuse the policies and suck up the 20% or find a new place…. maybe this will finally be the death knoll of the ‘evil empire’!!!

    Reply
  18. Square357 says:

    Ebay needs to go back to it’s basics and just be an outlet for people to sell. They are getting too much in the business of the sellers by dictating this and that for a company that handles no products or ships anything themselves. All these complications they are putting their foot in their own mouths. If someone comes up with another outlet to sell and they keep it simple stupid, the people will leave ebay and flock to the other. If a buyer agrees to a sellers terms then let it stand. Ebay you are no Ma Bell and even they got broken up by the courts!

    Reply
  19. passion-fashion says:

    I sell strictly vintage clothing and am a bronze level Power Seller – a one-gal operation and have ALWAYS shipped the stuff a few minutes after it was paid for or definitely the next day, i.e. within 24 hours. As a Power Seller I get a 20% off my already high Final Value fees, since I am a low volume seller. SHAME ON EBAY FOR BLACKMAILING ME INTO OFFERING A RETURN POLICY UNDER THE THREAT OF TAKING AWAY MY 20% OFF DISCOUNT WHICH I WORKED VERY HARD TO EARN!!!!!! After 12 years on Ebay, I’m closing my store. I sell vintage, one-of-a-kind pieces and I CANNOT AND WILL NOT TAKE RETURNS! BLACKMAILING ME INTO IT IS EVIL AND A LOW BLOW. SHAME ON EBAY! IT HAS TURNED A FRIENDLY MARKET PLACE INTO A GREEDY CORPORATION!!! 

    Reply
  20. watchguy47 says:

    Ebay sellers need to get together and form their own ebay type site. I wish I had the education & computer know how to start this myself. I sell new & very nice used wristwatches. I have always offered a 3 day satisfaction guarantee but being a disabled single man I cannot afford to let someone wear my NEW watch for 14 days and then return the USED watch. I will still offer a 3 day guarantee but it will not be supported by ebay.  

    Reply
  21. Bcmrr1947 says:

    I have already left for other parts. You know, I can take a 2% drop in business with the easier way to sell. Is EBay pronounced EDSEL?

    Reply
  22. Mikeemtp says:

    I am looking for another platform to sell.  this is rediculous.  there is no reason I as a seller of antique glass and collectibles should have to expcept an item for return after longer then 3 days. If you don’t like it when you get it, tell me and send it back. don’t keep it for 2 or 3 weeks and then decide that you don’t want it.  How do I know you didn’t go out and find another one like it that was damaged and then send that one back to me.  This just wreaks of scam possibility.  I am not happy and no one else should be either.   I will have to change all my adds to NO RETURNS just to protect myself.   when is Ebay going to ever wake up and listen to the sellers who pay their bills.  Without us there would be nothing to buy and no buyers.  Stop protecting the buyers,  start protecting the sellers.  And another thing, bring back the ability for sellers to leave neutral and negative feedback. 

    Reply
  23. Jolhan03 says:

    I`m really piss at Ebay for this change,I started to sell on Ebay 11 years ago , we made Ebay now they only think about making more money by taking advantage of us I will loose all what I work for,looks like its time for a new auction site on line,for us there NO RETURN ,we have to take our ground as ebay seller, email does douche bag CEO and let them know that not only it won`t work but US as Members ALSO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ,
    ” Michael Jones, eBay’s vice president”
    tHIS WILL NOT WORK maybe for a few but not for ALL OF US,YOU KNOW THE ONE THAT MADE EBAY WHAT IT IS TODAY,,,,,,,,,,,
    Email ” Michael Jones,” and let him know that WE THE SELLER are not please and this will back lash in his Face,,,,
    Jolhan03

    Reply
  24. Cinde000 says:

    As I told the representative who called ME at home to “inform” me of the new changes at ebay, THEY are the “ground” that ebay sellers SELL on…NOT the BOSS of OUR businesses. It is not right that they demand what our refund policies should be. I was so upset with this new “policy” that I informed the rep. that I was no longer doing business with ebay. Fortunately, I do not have to rely on my ebay sales to survive. It’s more of a hobby than anything. I REFUSE to accept these ridiculous and unfair policies that they keep rolling out to us. The ONLY people who will benefit from this in any way are the huge sellers who bankroll tens of thousands of dollars each month. I remind everyone that ebay was literally founded and is successful because of the small sellers like myself. Fairly soon, they will end up driving most all of us small sellers away leaving only the large corporate sellers to sell their cheap, low quality items that really few people want. I truly believe that these unfair, ridiculous policies are going to be the demise of ebay, and it’s a shame. It truly is. You know what they say..”the bigger they are…the harder they fall.”

    Reply
    • sunsetarts says:

      REMIND YOURSELF…A lot of small sellers make a BIG BUSINESS ….&
      Every Large Business was once a small business…………….

      Search & we will find a better ‘Ebay” or soon together we will create our own…
      Change is in the air…..Step Out…Expand & Explore   its a BIG INTERNET

      Reply
  25. Ratball says:

    The beautiful thing about eBay is that it IS NOT the same as Amazon, Overstock, or any other giant retailer.  It is supposed to be made up of little guys that have a few too many things in their homes.  It was always the place to go to find that certain “thing” that no other site had.  It was all about getting an awesome price through a bidding process.  Now, with every change eBay makes, they are becoming more and more like Amazon.  And each change takes them that much farther away from the business concept that made them so unique!  Soon, the only sellers left will be the giant power sellers.  This will inturn bring less unique items, fewer choices, and ultimately, less buyers.  Lets face it, if eBay keep losing sellers, the buyers leave too! EBay doesn’t sell the products, they simpley provide a meeting place for buyers and sellers to get together.  Somehow, eBay has forgotten this core principle and I fear by the time they remember, it will be too late. 

    Reply
  26. QUILL says:

    eBay is big enough top please itself regardless of what eBay sellers want. In  what other company do outside influences dictate the company’s policies? I shall seriously consider whether remaining on eBay [9 years to date] remains a viable option. Today there are plenty of more benign alternatives available to sellers.

    Reply
  27. shoptiludrop365 says:

    My thought is to keep my 20% discount I will offer the 14 day return policy, but the buyer will be responsible for all the shipping costs.  I may have a restocking fee that offsets the fees I do have to pay.   I doubt many people will want to pay shipping both ways so I hope I wouldn’t be receiving many items back.   It will probably hurt my feedback to expect the buyer to handle all the shipping costs.  I guess you can’t win no matter what you do.

    Reply
  28. Lentradirect says:

    We will be better off advertising our own website on Google Adword at least we will have control of our own business of 22 years and not some other greedy company (eBay) , as for receipt of payments there are other venues available that provide the same sort of deals eg. Escrow
    Cost wise with what we are paying eBay & PayPal we will be better off.

    Reply
  29. Incognito says:

    This new policy SUCKS.  It benefits the mega sellers.
    Why don’t you try the river?  BTW it sucks, too.

    Reply
  30. Steven says:

    I must admit, the seemingly constant changes, high fees and some absurd seller rules, do have me looking for the exit door.
    Not what I want, but…………………

    Reply
  31. Rakool38 says:

    FEEbay IS a more appropriate name for sure.
    In my 5 years as a Seller, life has improved considerably for Buyers, who seem to be in short supply & also likely to spend less as the years go by.
    Sellers however seem to be always getting the rising costs of fees, postage etc. with diminishing returns.
    Please advise me anyone, if there is a better avenue for Online sales in NSW, Australia.
    eBay WERE good once upon a time……..but that was a while ago now.

    Reply
  32. Jrj90620 says:

    I think I will just end returns.I sell classic audio equipment(30+ years old) and most Ebay sellers,of this vintage, already don’t accept returns.I think you could have the listing showing no returns and maybe put something in the listing about exceptions.

    Reply
  33. Tim says:

    “without the sellers there would be no eBay”….there wouldn’t be any eBay either, Golddigger, if there weren’t any buyers.  Point is, eBay feels they won’t lose many sellers, but have much to gain by making the buyers happier.

    The little guy is a pain the the rump to eBay.  They’d rather cater to the big sellers.  So what if the little guy is who got eBay started?  Get over yourselves.  eBay will do whatever they can to get rid of us little guys.  It’s their sandbox, and they set the rules. 

    Imagine telling AT&T that they need to change their phone service cuz we don’t like it.  I tell ya, so many sellers are so arrogant, just because they hate rule changes.  Again, it’s not your company…even tho you seem to think it is.  You’re simply a USER of their site.  That’s it.

    The real problem is lack of competition.  eBay has a very unique business model that makes it almost impossible for any competitor to get started.  They are truely the type of business where the first person to be successful, is the only person to be successful.  They’ve got a monopoly, without even trying.

    So, where does that leave us?  What can we do?  I see only one solution….unionize.  This is what unions are good for.  If every seller was a member of some sort of independent eBay sellers union, we could all threaten to stop selling for a particular week, and eBay would be crippled.

    Reply
    • Jbjblatona says:

      Hi Tim,

      I have to say that I do not believe unions are the answer. Unions charge fees to represent us. I for one am sick of all the dang fees.  Yes we are a USER of their site and they set the rules, as you can see by all the above and below posts many people are leaving e-bay because they are being pushed to far. E-bay sets to many rules in the buyers favor!!!E-bay is no longer listening to the seller, and has not been for some time, so if anyone needs to fix the communication issue I believe it needs to be them, or have they simply outgrown the little guy & no longer care if they lose hundreds if not thousands of sellers? I have slowly started selling less and less on e-bay because of the fees, the feedback policy and the lack of caring about the seller. I am sure I am not the only one who is fed up with the constant rules and regulations in only the buyers favor. 

      Because of the declining economy, some buyers are becoming more and more dishonest and quickly learning how to sham a seller. I am sure given the fact that the buyers will have more time to use the item they purchased or play the game they bought long enough to get bored of it then return it for a full refund within a month will be used to the fullest extent and us sellers will have no means to retaliate.  

      E-bay needs to start taking the sellers side & realize that they will not have buyers if they don’t have sellers. 

      We don’t need a union to accomplish this, we just need enough people to strongly voice their opinion and leave if they don’t get what they want. 

      Think about it E-bid, Onlineauction.com or most any other fair auction site out there can and will grow as big if not bigger than ebay if enough people fight back and go to them instead of being pushed into another policy change that is not acceptable. 

      Reply
    • Don says:

      I am switching to other sites on the internet. eBay has
      made it very obvious they do not want small sellers.  I am trying Webstore right now and will try Amazon.  There are a lot of options as small sellers
      move away from eBay.

      Reply
  34. anon says:

    UNFAIR!
    – 20% discount on eBay fees was a great incentive to maintain Top Seller status.
    How can eBay have a discount program that rewards for hard work and then just take that away?
    I was told by a representative who called me about this change. When I asked why ebay was doing this, he replied they have to remain competitive with other on-line companies. Then I asked who is competing with eBay? No answer.
    I’m with you Chandrelle- I wish there was another outlet too!
    I wrote to the eBay “Tell us what you think” link at the bottom of the eBay pages- no response.
    This is very sad…

    Reply
  35. CSN says:

    You could say “no returns” which would prevent Ebay from taking money for returns from your account.  I don’t get that many returns, because I don’t sell items people would want to rent.  People want to keep what I sell.  I don’t envy those who sell jewelry, audio books, or things which people like to return.

    Reply
  36. Kungfukoala says:

    As a seller of low price items (approx $10) that are sold all over the world,what will happen if eBay decides to automatically charge me trackable postage return rates from say the Russia? .
    Who decides the type of return postage if not eBay to make it comply with Paypal requirements,it looks like ,smells like and is another encroachment of the rights of sellers to make just a few rules of their own.Remember when there is a problem that might cost them it is “we are only the platform facilitators” .Where is a huge entity going to take over and run the place like a business that is fair fo all parties. 

    Reply
  37. Mocksock says:

    We should all just put no returns and then when you’re talking to the buyer you can negotiate that it’s  a 7 day return and that they have to pay the return postage..I’ve always done this and no one has sent anything back yet.

    Reply
  38. J Marsh says:

    Peope are stupid and lazy. There are a host of alternatives out there, but instead of researching and moving on, they sit still and moan. eBid offers free listing, they only take 2% IF you use the gallery, 5 free photos, videos in your listings, leave your listing there forever until it sells. AND they take all sorts of payment options failpal for the idiots, google checkout, cheques, pos, money bookers, anything you like. You are in control instead of being pinched by the nose until you can’t breathe and then led. 

    When the sellers all leave, the buyers will follow. 

    Until then, just sit and sing your song because *no-one* is listening.

    Reply
  39. Slr817 says:

    For the first time in 12 years I’m seriouly decided to give up my power seller top rated seller ebay business and find me a job outside the home. I sell used & new video games, who wants a game after they’ve played it, there are going to be returns coming back to me in droves if I agree to this, if Idon’t I Ilose that 20% discount that I can’t afford to operate without.

    Reply
  40. Anna Bee says:

    Ebay always make new policies in favour of the buyer and business more difficult for the seller this has been happening since I was a power seller back in 2006, every couple of months a new policy would come in that made business harder. They mask that it is to help the buyer but their blatant disregard for their sellers has lead to reduced sellers and as a result less buyers. Buyers don’t have the competition or variety they used to and prices have gone up because Ebay is loosing sellers continuously and the ones that have stayed don’t have the turnover and have increased overheads.

    They are not attracting new sellers because their best match search (one of their worst policies so far) leaves new sellers at a significant disadvantage. This is why sites such as Amazon marketplace and Etsy have risen while Ebay continues to fall. This site passed the point of no return with their best match search, unfair feedback policy and high listing fees.

    This policy is another nail in eBays coffin, completlty rediculous and unworkable as you DO get more scammer buyers on eBay than you do on a regular shop and this policy will be abused, buyers will say they have returned items when they haven’t, allow returns to get damaged in the post through inadequate packaging, wear things and return them and as Gold below says bid on cheaper items and then just return.

    Amazon charges ridiculous fees and eBid just don’t have their business plan correct. The market has been wide open for a serious competitor since 2006 at least. The problem is sellers want instantanious sales, so even if I built an alternative we are stuck in a chicken or egg scinareo that no one would list and therefore no customers, plus legal precedents on brand products etc could leave a new competitor open to lots of issues and not much revenue.

    Reply
  41. fedupebayer says:

    Is there a realistic comparable site for us to use instead? Amazon is way too expensive & I don’t like the way they hold on to your money until the buyer gets the goods. If I stay with eBay for much longer I will go out of business! I was the first dancewear retailer on eBay and have given consistently excellent products and service over the years but am kicked in the teeth by them at every turn. I have my own website where prices are lower but for some inexplicable reason customers still insist on making their purchases through eBay. Just when I really need the business to start paying me I am going to have to go back and start building it all over again. Any sensible suggestions?

    Reply
  42. Noroses4harry says:

    I am not clear about this. Does new return policy  include all items? Cosmetics and perfume foer example?. It would not be sanitary to accept returns on these items.

    Reply
    • Dvchang8 says:

      You have such a good point, how could a seller repost the skin care or cosmetics items and still guaranteed the next buyer that they are new and not been tested?

      Reply
  43. DONE WITH EBAY says:

    QUITE SIMPLY… WE NEED ANOTHER PLATFORM TO SELL ON.  PAYPAL is a scam – always allows returns to screw the seller and allow the thieving RENTING buyer to get their money back without any proof of same item returned… in same conditioned… dirty renters RENT FOR FREE – return dirty, food stained garments…  either PayPal gives them the money back or the Credit Cards give them the money back… I always avoid EBAY and Paypal when I can…. If I take some commission from EBAY… FINE, it just helps to recoup the money EBAY and PAYPAL have helped steal from me and other sellers.

    Reply
  44. jonashad says:

    This is one of the reasons why I no longer buy or sell on eBay – they are now naught but another greedy corporation with over-compensated executives, excessive fees due to a commanding market position, and a screw-the-customer bias.

    Reply
  45. Vanitaimports says:

    eBay is a Joke!  With all the catering that is going on with them for the “buyer” first taking the right of the seller to leave -Neg feedback but leaving that into the hands of the buyer is just one of the most stupid moves that eBay has done just to name one out of many!  Now with the 14 day min limit on returns will allow them to play the video games, finish and then return, I already have dishonest buyers tring to run scams buying my games and then telling me that the game is not as described and want to return it they “Swap” it out for their damaged game and keep the good one but attempt to send back a defect or damaged item… I have been so sick of ebay now for quite awhile I have soaked alot of “Sellers” fees $$$$ into ebay and YES! I’m one of the many that are looking for other places to go and soon will be closing my ebay store as well, I list hundreds of games and when I notified ebay about their return policy all they could say is that I’m sorry that I understand, Welp if you understand what the sellers are saying then you need to take action or ebays Stock and Sellers will drop and ebay themselves will be a thing of the past! ….. Now every time I even get on ebay for “anything” I keep going to the “Close my account button” or the “Delete my Store” and trust me the time is VERY close that I’m just going to hit the “CLICK” button and be done with then once and for all! …. Whoever is making these changes should be fired and they should replace their management staff that knows and understands “Who” is paying alll the bills it’s the “SELLERS!!!!!” not the buyers …….       

    Reply
  46. shame on eBay says:

    Shame on eBay
    The new return policy hurts top sellers like myself. We sell clothing, and don’t allow returns..when items have been returned in the past they have been worn, tags removed, covered with dog hair or smell of perfume/cologne…every returned item had to be trashed and could not be sold. And 14 days gives the buyer time to wear the item before they return it

    Reply
  47. Chris Scandale says:

    What about beauty products, Shampoo, conditioner, creams, & other items. This will give the buyer the chance to purchase these items & test them. If they do not like the way they work on there hair or skin they can just ship the,,,, now used products back for a refund. Then the sellers will be stuck with items that were tampered with that we can no longer sell… This is crazy..

    Reply
  48. Jlebay100 says:

    My parents owned a used store, Then I owned a used brick and mortar store for 15 years. My return policy was one of the most liberal for used items. We only accepted returns for items that were not working, or if they did not want it, they could exchange for merchandise. Returning used items, or items bought from an auction is unheard of.  I just refunded a customer for a pair of used jeans, because they didn’t fit her just right. The size was correct and the measurements were in the ad and correct. She gave me  neutral feedback because I didn’t refund the $12.00 international shipping. My NEW refund policy states that I will pay the shipping if it is damaged or misrepresented.  IS THIS THE WAY IT IS GOING TO BE?

    Reply
  49. Rick Drew says:

    The new policies are designed to make it impossible to qualify for the 20% seller discount. First it was 100% feedback. Then 4,9 stars. Then uploading tracking information in 24 hours. Now this return policy BS? Here I come Amazon. Get lost Ebay.

    Reply
  50. Skimbleshanks2 says:

    Why don’t we all start a new eBay one that works for the small seller one that has rules that work and isn’t a dump site for retailers mistakes or flimsy trash from the east. I don’t make money anymore because of the fees the eBay owners are billionaire and we gave that to them instead of reaping the profits. The focus is too buyer who can say and do almost anything and eBay doesn’t care because they still get paid our profits. Let’s go back to classic eBay US sellers only and take a big bite out of those profits

    Reply
  51. Nursefrogger says:

    I am Nursefrogger. Part of my comment is quoted above. Ebay left out that I sell Vintage and Antique Dolls. These items cannot be shipped back and forth like yo-yos and retain their integrity. This is the worst idea yet Ebay. 

    Although I have a Consistent Top-Rated Seller Performance,  I will forego my 20% top-rated discount in favor of not accepting returns. The Old Policy being fazed out works for me and my thousands of customers. But it somehow does not work for Ebay??  

    The One Day Handling??? I believe Ebay has lost their minds. 

    Reply
  52. Billie70 says:

    BUYERS CAN PURCHASE AN ITEM…WEAR IT..THEN RETURN THIS ITEM, AND, THIS IS NOT FAIR TO THE SELLER..I WILL NOT OFFER THIS OPTION…IT WILL RUIN MY BUSINESS. AGAIN, EBAY WANTS TO PUNISH THE SELLER BY TAKING AWAY THE 20% DISCOUNT TO THE SELLERS THAT HAVE A GREAT RECORD….I ALSO WISH ANOTHER COMPANY WOULD TAKE THE PLACE OF EBAY. WITHOUT SELLERS THERE WOULD BE NO EBAY FOR SURE….COME ON EBAY….BE FAIR….YOU USED TO BE A GREAT PLACE FOR BUSINESS FOR THE SELLER AS WELL AS THE BUYER….

    Reply
  53. Upset says:

    I’ve only been selling for less than a year and I’m so disappointed in ebay. Fees on top of fees, certain feedback that only the buyers can use and not the seller. Giving announcements in 2 or 3 different places instead of being consistant. How am I supposed to know what is going on and now this new return policy. Do they not like the sellers anymore? What did we do to deserve this? In the article above it says sellers are looking for other places to sell. Where are they going? What are the sites? I want to go somewhere else too!

    Reply
  54. AMC says:

    Welcome to the REAL world of retail whiners! Brick and mortor merchants have had to deal with return abuse for years! Some of you whiners probably are guilty of it yourself! DO NOT EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO SELL ANY THING RETURNED! EXPECT TO WRITE MOST OF IT OFF JUST LIKE REAL BUSINESSES DO! 30 DAYS SHOULD BE THE MINIMUM FOR EVERYBODY, AND EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE TO ACCEPT RETURNS, I HAVE HAD 30 DAY RETURN POLICY ON ALL MY SALES SINCE THE PRE-EBAY DAYS OF MAIL ORDER!  

    Reply
  55. bricks says:

    This will never work, there is a big difference between Amazon Buyers and Ebay Buyers, on Ebay any lowlife can open an ebay buying account using any info they want no questions asked and Ebay will stand behind them, and since Ebay Raised the prices for everyone shopping on Ebay that’s whats left LOW LIFE BUYERS Ebay doesn’t give a Rats … about its sellers or Buyers

    Reply
  56. Anonymous says:

    Talk about self-destructing, e-bay is on the super-highway. Its just a matter of time and when it happens E-bay will sit and wonder why it happened.What a bunch of dummies.

    Reply
  57. Obenki says:

    GreedBay is always changing the rules, but not to favor anyone other than themselves.  They have quietly added rule after rule that limits any seller the ability to get a discount on GreedBay fees, so having a 100% feedback means nothing.  It is only a matter of time before we will see a new platform that focuses on the small seller (the vast majority of GreedBay business).  This is the day when Greedbay will collapse, as they have a lot of bad will upon them after many years of abusing their customer base.  

    Reply
  58. sharkfoxbushcraft.co.uk says:

    Where can we go?! and they know it until some competion they will keep fleecing us small sellers 

    Reply
  59. Anonymous says:

    I use to have 700 items on EBAY now due to not stop changes (higher and higher fees). I now have gone to other web sites like Turfnet.com, Tractorhouse.com, craigslist in multiple cities 5 or more at this time and other web sites related to my business and now have no items on EBAY. The feedback change pissed me off the most and then the recent final value fee on shipping of every item sold, it all favors the buyer screw the seller that is EBAY’s attitude. Now the return policy is the final straw.  Nothing but greed runs EBAY they only care about the buyer and those who sell the most items. If you complain you end up on a watch list of combative customers. I use to do $50,000 to $80,000 a month on ebay till the fall of 2008 and now it is $15,000 to $30,000 a month on other web sites and I had 6 employees in 2008 and I am now down to 1 and a lot less stress being off of EBAY and hardly any fees and and no feedback extortion and pay pal crap. Ebay needs a competitor that will come in and kick there greedy butt.    I was on amazon.com the other day and got some great buys no more EBAY for anything!!  I use to be a big promoter of EBAY now I bad mouth them everywhere I go and to any one that will listen!!  Good luck with FEEBAY greed will destroy them!!

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      I agree except for Amazon. They are the same way as Ebay. A seller has no recourse to fight anything negative. They take a buyers word before the seller even when you have all the proof to prove the buyer is lying. There fees aren’t cheap either. Plus you have to ship within 2 days. That means I would have to carry every product in my store(over 1 million) in my home. Then you have to fight the sellers who order from China. They can sell their products a lot cheaper. I pay $8 a month from onlineauction.com. The only extra fees are featured ads which put my products on first page of Google. The owner is an ex-ebayer who got fed up with their crap. Once I get my store going in onlineauction.com, I will close my ebay store and make my business more profittable.

      Reply
  60. MarkyM says:

    First they start showing paid advertisments underneath our listings in our stores when some one clicks on them…THE SAME ITEMS! Then they start this stuff??? No company is to big to fail these days…have they ever heard of a website that can built for free these days? I know I am going to build one now…it will cost the same to maintain as my seller fees anyways….

    Reply
  61. Rong says:

    I am selling toys, kids always like their new toys in first few days, then look for new toys. this Ebay new return policy will let kids to get a way to play tons of new toys for some day, then return it. This is a terrible new Ebay policy.  

    Reply
  62. J0vian723 says:

    I agree, this policy change is an outrage. It was bad enough that sellers can no longer leave negative feedback. This leads to people taking advantage of the system. Now we must deal with oblivious cases of feedback extortion to get a refund and keep the merchandise. It is time to make a statement, do not buy or list anything new on april 15th 2012 . If you have to list something schedule it for the 14 or 16th. This could make a huge dent in ebays profit margin for just one day. That may be all it needs to get noticed.

    Reply
  63. Ron A says:

     I too wish there was another alternative to ebay.  Craigslist is the closest site that I am aware of and it is so far away, it isn’t even a close second.  Ebay’s do this and do that and do the other or we will not give you preferential treatment and we will put limits on your account.  As soon as the buyer says the item was not as described, ebay is on his side.  How about if the buyer did not read the ad closely or when he received it, it just was not what he wanted, or just anything, opening up a complaint puts the buyer in the drivers seat.  I have had several situations where I refunded some $$$$ back to the purchaser to satisfy a complaint, but as soon as the buyer opens up a complaint with ebay, then the refund button goes away. I have spent over 30 minutes on several different occasions trying to figure out how to refund money once a complaint has been opened.  I pray that some day soon someone like the founder of ebay will open up a new site like efleemarket.com (BTW, I just checked and that name is not taken) where it is just like going to the fleemarket and doing business one on one.  Just my food for thought.  EBAY, remember where your roots are. I know those big sellers make most of your money, but that is not where you started.

    Ron A

    Reply
  64. coinguy says:

    THIS IS OUR BUSINESS NOT EBAYS THEY ARE ONLY A HOSTING COMPANY AND HAVE NO BUSINESS TELLING US HOW TO RUN OUR BUSINESS. ALL THEY DO IS MAKE CONSTANT CHANGES AND NEVER MAKE ANYTHING BETTER, JUST WORSE. THEY ARE NO AMAZON AND NEVER WILL BE. PLEASE JUST DO YOUR JOBS AND LEAVE US ALONE SO WE CAN DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO. HERE`S AN IDEA, HOW ABOUT HELPING SELLERS FOR A CHANGE INSTEAD OF GIGGING US CONSTANTLY.

    Reply
  65. Tonye76 says:

    where else can i sell?
    please let me know as im over ebay

    Reply
    • Nancyswhatnot says:

       yardsellr.com, totally free, and bonanza.com, low fees only when the item sells and items stay put once you list them, no time limit.

      Reply
    • Tias_treasures says:

       ebid.net

      I left eBay three years ago, did a lot of research first. I’m happy to report that I guessed right!

      Reply
      • Jan says:

        What auction house do you go thru? What type of products you sell? It would be nice to have another auction house for backup. I already have a couple but I could use another one.

        Reply
  66. Babulicious61 says:

    Ebay rep called me (as they do occasionally for my FB on new “rules” and when I mentioned the return policy, I asked….just get to the nitty-gritty, what is the longest time. She said 45 days (WHICH BY THE WAY IS RIDICULOUS) but now I am reading 60 days.
    What a laugh, I sell jewelry….I told the rep, I could literally sell a OOAK Christmas piece, they could wear it the whole month of Dec. and then return in January.
    I have been saying for the last couple of years, I am going to take all of my eggs out of the ebay basket as so many others.
    They REFUSE to hire more people to “POLICE” their own site and rules, nor enforce them when we honest sellers WASTE our time to report ESPECIALLY Chinese sellers with a “wholesale” lot of 24 sterling rings for a ridiculous price like $10 with $75 ship fee….SO OBVIOUSLY circumventing fees, that now they will just make us pay fees on our ship cost also.
    I could go on and on, but we sellers know the drill, ebay DOESN”T want the smaller, unique sellers, and has been opening a literal FLOODGATE for dishonest buyers to rip off, good, honest, and hardworking people just trying to make a living.
    I TOO am finally sick of them and will start devoting my time to two other sites I have……I really hope they crash and burn, they will surely burn ONE DAY…..if you know what I mean, LOL!!
    Seller in SC….USA!!!!

    Reply
  67. Jetskier1234 says:

    After years of constant changes and added fees we have finally decided to take a stand and close up shop. I’m done giving eBay most of my profits and now they want more. Losing my 2o % top rated seller discount is the straw …….

    Reply
  68. Bsmi021 says:

    This is no surprise to me i gave up on eBay some ago with other [eBay updates] and then to top it off they shafted me out of over $1000 ! Yes ouch for a small seller. So leaving eBay is not the end to the world and should only strengthen you and hurt eBay so be my guest!!

    Reply
  69. Haasman says:

    These upcoming policy changes are too extreme for me, a core seller. I try to sell coins on eBay and currently offer a very substantial 3 day return period. If a person needs longer than that to review a coin…well it’s just inconceivable that the buyer needs longer than that. Plus buyers can always ask for extended return period to have the coin professionally inspected. But as always eBay is shoving unrealistic policies down the seller’s throats again. I need to find a new platform on which to sell my items.

    Reply
  70. Taylor says:

    I do not know why Ebay keeps trying to be like Amazon.  They are not Amazon (at least I don’t think they are unless something has changed) and we don’t want them to be.  When I call in to Ebay about something they even say, “Well that is how Amazon does it.”  We sell on Amazon also and hate it.  Our Ebay sales used to triple if not quadruple what we did on Amazon but with all the changes on Ebay our Ebay sales have definitely gone down.  I agree with other people that have said that this extended returns policy now will allow buyers to “rent” our items.  There are alot of honest buyers out there but there are alot of dishonest ones too and they will definitely take advantage of this.  Ebay should not force sellers to run their business a certain way because that is what they believe the customer wants.  If the customer wants certain options and a seller does not offer them then they will simply not buy from that seller.  Eventually, the way things are going and knowing what I know from a seller’s standpoint I would be more successful to just buy on Ebay and then take advantage of all of the “Ebay buyer protections” than I would be selling on Ebay.  Buyers and sellers alike just need to have common sense and Ebay needs to let the buyers and sellers have the option to chose.  If Ebay wants to change something, maybe they can make the important stuff more visible to the buyer or have returns policies pop up prior to the customer buying.  If the seller chooses not to read it then shame on them.  Anymore society is enabling and making people dumb because no one is accountable for anything.

    Reply
  71. Bestgal says:

    I agree with Chandrelle….I’m a one-woman show as well….I have 2 day return just in case of bad weather, emergency, so much to package…or a variety of other unforeseen circumstances…and the 14-day return policy….it will turn into a zoo….rent an item, wear it, use it, abuse it and 2 weeks later it is stuffed in a box for us to resell?  Could be smoke-ridden item…does not take long for smoke to penetrate any item….I don’t agree with the new policy at all, and hope ebay modifies the policy that is more realistic and supports all of the one-woman shows out there.

    Reply
  72. Iluvnh1 says:

    The new policies ebay has initiated in the past few years are all geared to the cutomers and have hurt the sellers to the core – beginning with taking away our feedback ability to let other sellers know they are dealing with a deadbeat.  Ebay uses feedback to rate the seller for reputation and fees; buyers use feedback as ransom to get their way with the sellers and even when you bend over backwards to accommodate the buyer’s unreasonable requests you can still get negative feedback (and I have).   I’ve received “return items” that I KNOW were not the items I sent.  It stinks on ice!  I’m finished with ebay.  It was fun when I started in 2002 but now it’s just a hassle.

    Reply
  73. Bobd102 says:

    I primarily sell brand new software. It’s worthless to me after it’s been opened and copied, or installed. Nobody will buy used software because it can’t be installed.  I have a no return policy. I will still be selling with a no return policy after the ebay changes take effect. All the ebay changes do is screw me out of my 20% final value fee discount.   

    Reply
  74. Patrishaa says:

    Ebay has always favored the buyers. The seller has her arms tied. I think Ebay FORGETS that without sellers the would not be buyers. 

    Reply
  75. eBay Sucks says:

    eBay has become such a joke it’s ridiculous! There needs to be an auction site that can grow to compete against this Internet monopoly! I’m stuck with eBay for now until another better site comes along. I’ve called eBay just to tell them I think they are ridiculous and that I wish I didn’t have to rely on them so much.

    Reply
  76. Firekingkid says:

    Ebay’s policies are always in favor of the BUYER….if it is not broken, don’t fix it.
    A long time ago Ebay wanted a rule to control the amount of a reserve that a seller
    put on their item!   Unbelievable!   I wonder if Ebay is ever going to hang itself…

    Reply
  77. Mardk1 says:

    Ebay constatntly changes the rules to benefit their bottom line. They don’t care about THEIR customers, the sellers. Anyone who would run a business like they do would quickly go under, as your customer is your bread and butter. Ebay is run by more and more idiots every day.

    Reply
  78. patty says:

    Ebay used to be a great source for buying items that were used or that someone no longer had a use for.  The average person could sell something, recycle an item and get paid for it.  Now between all the fees and holding sellers responsible if a piece of thread has pulled fewer people are selling and fewer people are buying because you can no longer find the deals like you used to.   My purchasing is down 50% over what it was 5-6 years ago.  And I no longer want to hassle with trying to sell a $5.00 – $10.00 item and have a buyer return it just because they changed their mind. 

    Reply
  79. Gara says:

    I think the Ebay 14 day return policy is a horrid nightmare for Ebay Seller’s!  It’s great for Ebay Buyer’s, they can use the item and return it easily and claim it’s not damaged, when it is. What Ebay Seller can afford this open return policy and make any money?  Ebay Seller’s have bill’s to pay and this new policy doesn’t help Ebay Seller’s in any way.  More returns?  Why would Ebay Executive’s want to make Ebay Seller’s have to endure that extra burden.  Does Ebay want to think out the Ebay Sellers?  It seems that way to me.  I have worked really hard to maintain a Power Seller Status and I’ll lose that status when I won’t agree to the 14 day return policy.
     Not fair at all.  I won’t be receiving my 20% Power Seller Discount any more either.  What are the Ebay Executives thinking? The Ebay Executives are definitely not thinking about the Ebay Sellers that make them ton’s of money.  Selling on Ebay has alway’s been a passion for me, I truly have loved it.  The passion for loving Ebay Selling is about gone.  This is a terrible idea that compares to America’s Health Care Pkg. I’m goint to start to check out other options, I can’t afford this Ebay decision and don’t want to.  Yuk.

    Reply
  80. Anonymous says:

    my understanding is that returns are still optional.  in the 13 years i’ve been with ebay i have always selected ‘returns not accepted’.  nobody’s ever asked me for one either. 

    if the new return policy is a joke to you, just stop taking returns.  i don’t remember ever bothering to check what the return policy on a seller is.  i think ‘returns’ are for people who just ‘change their mind’, i’m not interested in serving those types of customers and steer them towards sellers with return policies.

    if something’s wrong with the item, a buyer is still covered under paypal/ebay policies, so there’s really no need for returns anyway.

    Reply
    • rodeogal88 says:

      You are right about it still be optional to accept returns or not to. The big gripe I have, and a lot of the people on here is, Ebay is going to take away our 20% Top Seller discount if we DO NOT offer returns and 1 day handling. I have worked hard (7 years) to earn Top Seller and Powerseller status and that 20% discount really helps cut some of the inflated fees that Ebay keeps charging and going up on. Now, without it, I am seriously considering closing my store and looking elsewhere to sell my items.

      Reply
      • Free at last! says:

        ebay is going to take your discount away anyway whether you agree or not to any of their new policies.
        They have just cut our TRS discount here in the UK from 20% to 10% because they say TRS has become to successful and is costing them too much money!

        I shut my ebay shop last month due to losing half my discount as I feel it is no longer worth the stress with buyers becoming more demanding and the constant attacks on our account from competitors to knock us down on search which also resulted in less sales with ebay always taking 3 or more days to sort it out.

        I started my business to be my own boss and not to be bossed around by anyone especially some site I ‘PAY’ to list my goods on.
        Sellers are now bound & gagged on ebay and have no freedom of speech to the point you feel you have been taken over by communists.
        I for one will be amazed if ebay is still up & running in the next 12 months.

        Corporate greed is clearly on the rise and to give in to it is like saying “Little people like us don’t matter”
        R.I.P ebay!

        Reply
      • debk255 says:

        ditto  ME TOO   am taking serious notes on all the other auction sites to check out.  After several years, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH of ebay’s dictatorship. 

        Reply
  81. Decoy_cannon says:

    I sell vintage items on e-bay, now what’s to stop people that buy the item thinking they might be able to RE-SELL the item for a profit and if they can’t RE-SELL the item in the 14 days or 30 days just return it FOR A FULL REFUND. Just makes me think DID ANYONE FROM E-BAY EVER THINK OF THAT????????

    Reply
    • Vanitaimports says:

      A business of your own on eBay isn’t your business ebay is your Boss as they control just about every move you can make!  … Your question that you asked is justified as this was my same problem all I get from ebay on the phone is alot of sorry’s well ebay you are sorry! … eBay will be as vintage as some of the things we sell online they are going to sink their own ship!  We seller’s are the ones that Pay $$$ to Host a store, Sell items and not even to mention the fee’s that’s all charged for buying/selling and God knows what in between …. I just don’t know how they stay afloat when we the seller’s are the ones that pay all their bills not the buyer,  Welp this is one ship I will jump from because ebay just thinks their isn’t anyone else out there…..

      Reply
  82. Wvmarine says:

    These new policies are a pure and simple money grab on the part of Ebay. They  have made it very difficult for top rated sellers to accomodate these changes which will result in Ebay claiming back their 20% discounts. They did not become top rated sellers by not having quick shipping times and reasonable return practices. So what is the rational? $$$$$.

    Reply
  83. Anonymous says:

    Ebay management doe snot understand that small and midsize sellers do not have the financial power to offer the generous returns terms that big sellers can offer. If Ebay was really interested in keeping these kind of sellers, it would offer the financial backing to those sellers to make it happen. Instead it just treats us like we can afford it. ‘Pretending’ is a well-developed art with Ebay management. For them reality is optional.

    Reply
  84. Crystal Forbes says:

    It’s funny how I suddenly became a “Top Rated Seller” with a 20% discount. This will be taken away if I choose not to accept returns. I guess they are trying to give this to sellers that did not previously qualify as an incentive to jump on the bandwagon. I for one have lived without the discount for this long and will continue to NOT accept returns. I sell vintage dishes and sometimes they sell for high amounts. I do not have large amounts of cash to leave sitting in my Paypal account to cover things that could be returned 30 days later. I have to invest that money in more inventory to sell. Etsy is a great place to sell if you are looking to sell vintage or handmade items. Bonanza is also a good place but does not yet have the traffic of Etsy or eBay.

    Reply
  85. Beabestoysandgifts says:

    I’ve had buyers “return” my merchandise, only to discover they’d switched the authentic with counterfeit.  One buyer returned a very expensive item, but her husband smashed it before it went into the box.  It took FairTrade and Paypal to sort that mess out in my favor.  Having this new return policy will allow even more dishonest buyers to hurt small businesses.  It’s bad enough we can’t leave negative feedback against these trolls…  One more reason for me to stop selling there.

    Reply
  86. Dirt-fisher says:

    I do believe it is time for a new action site. But where to go? That is the question…..

    Reply
  87. movinon says:

    It seems obvious ebay does not care about its sellers. Their fees just keep going up. They forget that without sellers ebay wouldn’t exist. I have set up shop at Etsy and hope by May I’ll have everything moved. My sales on ebay have dropped tremendously, and it’s not worth the hassle anymore. We need to find creative ways to get our products out there through social media and other venues and move on without ebay.

    Reply
  88. Rbindianss says:

    This is a terrible idea for the seller!! It gives the buyer way more time and chances to scam the seller!! Ebay has turned into a place that cares more for the buyer than the sellers, yet without US the sellers, ebay would not exist!! Am looking for another place to sell my items.

    Reply
  89. Cousinsgold says:

    E-Bay and Pay Pal with all their buyer friendly rules and regulations can stick it where the sun don’t shine. Their hierarchy are MORONS with no clue to the reality of what a seller needs and what is fair. We can’t leave negatives, can’t offer insurance, have to offer ridiculous return policy’s, are responsible for what a 3rd party does in shipping after it leaves our hands, have to be held to feedback extortion and the list goes on and on and on. I’m now going to look for investors to open an auction site that will make Fee-Bay look like the MORONS they have become. Watch out E-Bay your days are running out!

    Reply
    • Deanna Kane says:

      Hi cousinsgold. I just posted a reply to a seller’s post on the ebay antiques message board about getting a bunch of people together to start a new site to bring ebay to their knees. If a bunch of us get together, pool our money and hire a few talented web designers and computer specialists, I think we can start something really competitive. I am seriously sick of ebay’s lousy treatment of sellers. I sell antiques and vintage items and ebay is trying to hard to be a big box store. I’ve tried listing on other sites, but am getting very little traffic. What did you have in mind?….
      ~Dee

      Reply
  90. Heydad419 says:

    IT HAS BEEN 8 YEARS SINCE I POSTED ON EBAY,WAY TOO MUCH WORK FOR LITTLE RETURN,YOU AVERAGE ABOUT $5.00 AN HOUR IF YOU ARE LUCKEY. PEOPLE SHOULD START RETURNING TO ANTIQUE AND TRADE SHOWS,PARTICPATING LIVE AND DOING BUSINESS ONE ON ONE  WITH THE CUSTOMER IS THE BEST WAY TO GO.WHY LET THE CEOs OF EBAY GET ALL THE CASH?

    Reply
  91. James says:

    Ebay has regulated itself down to a $**t outlet for sellers…almost every change they have made has continued to inch the average joe seller trying to make some extra cash away from using their website

    Reply
  92. Sharon Poprocki says:

    This is ridiculous and not well thought out. What if their E-Check bounces? They not only get the item, but don’t even have to pay for it if they cancel their payment after the “One Day Shipping.
    This also means that we have to pay “up front” the shipping amount and could lose that also. It is bad enough that there is so much fraud on Ebay, now Ebay is making it easier for the seller to be totally out of cash! What if my house payment bounces while Ebay takes the unpaid funds out of my account ??!?
    It would be less expensive for me just to quit selling on Ebay!

    Reply
  93. paulbryans says:

    The old saying ” if you can’t do, teach” certainly holds true with ebay corporate.  They don’t sell, they have most likely never had to make a dollar on their own but because they went to college and have a degree they know everything. 

    Their driving force  is to keep that stock price high so that when they bail they will have a nice parachute.

    I, for one am glad that they are cutting into the golden goose.  These new ” rules ” and the rest yet to come will offer a competitor auction site a chance to get going and give us all a new and viable alternative. 
     
    One thing I know from 40 years of self employment.  If you loose a customer it’s very, very costly to try and win them back.  Keeping those you have is the secret.  Ebay doesn’t get that.

    I sell mostly in the collectibles cat.  So my view is a little narrow.

    I will loose my power seller and top seller rating and thus my 20% seller fees discount.  I suppose you could call these changes a sneaky revenue increase.

    Either way I am not going to offer returns, or one day shipping when that would be a very poor business practice on what I sell.

    Let’s all keep watching for that new alternative site and hope they offer us sellers and the buyers a new fun palce to do business.

    I now offer the soap-box to someone else.

    Thank-you.

    Reply
    • Magicbelle says:

      FUN is the key word.  Ebay used to be fun, it is no longer.  It is all about the $$$$ now.
      A real auction does not do what ebay does.

      Reply
  94. Richard Hohn says:

    I can understand how many will be upset.  I can also understand the reason behind the
    changes.  There are many people selling
    on eBay that treat their business as a table at a flea market.  In other words, you buy it its yours and so
    what if you don’t like I have the money and you have the purchase.  This attitude has cost eBay many shoppers
    over the years because many of the sellers were less than accurate or deceptive
    in their descriptions.  Now eBay wants to
    be considered a safe place to purchase and instituting a reasonable return
    policy is just one way to make new eBay shoppers more comfortable.  What’s important is that you as a seller are
    going to be able sell without accepting returns.  Of course, you may pay more fees if you select
    to sell without returns.  Accepting
    returns or not is something that each seller has to decide for themselves.   

    Reply
    • windsor says:

      Interesting points, but many sellers offer a return policy regardless- The current system is fine, and 3 or 7 day return policy should be more-than-reasonable time to inspect/return an item-  Unfortunately,  14, 30, or 60 day return policy is unreasonable for most types of items- Providing Great Customer service does *NOT* mean having to be a doormat- Success on Ebay should be based on a reasonable mutual-respect between the buyer and seller- : ) 

      Reply
  95. Laura says:

    Ebay is just getting more and more greedy and they don’t give much in return. I am a one person show who supplements income thru ebay selling. I cannot let money just sit in my pp account for 2 weeks in case a buyer decides they don’t like the color or they gained weight and now something doesn’t fit or they wear/use it and then return it. My sales money is money for bills, not play money. It goes out almost as fast as I make it. Without putting a return policy, I am now paying 20% more to sell on ebay after just having our fees recently increased when ebay decided to charge a selling percentage on our shipping and handling fees.  They did this when they realized they could not convince enough sellers to offer “free shipping” so that they could make their percentage on the whole enchilada instead of just the selling price. Why should ebay make money off shipping and handling? they they pretend they are offering a “discount” on shipping by printing the labels thru them. How stupid do they think we are. They try to hide all their increased fees with “concern” for the buyer. Its bad enough that buyer protection just takes the money out of my account for an item not received and then I have to plead with the buyer to fill out the insurance claim after they’ve already gotten THEIR money back! they say “Ebay doesn’t make me fill out anything!”  Thanks for protecting your sellers for all the money that you make off us, Ebay!  If I had another outlet, I’d go!  Unfortunately, Ebay owns Amazon…and Paypal…and…

    Reply
    • Richard Hohn says:

      eBay does not own Amazon.  Jeff Bezos and its stockholders own Amazon. Amazon requires a 30 day return policy for their marketplace sellers in most categories.  We sell on Amazon and eBay and our Amazon customers buy more expensive items than our eBay customers.  It is a different clientele…a better clientele.  That better clientele is what eBay is courting.  Now, I agree with most comments that an alternative is necessary for USED merchandise as eBay is no longer interested in that business. 

      Reply
  96. tometoad says:

    As a buyer on ebay, I appreciate all the protections. But as a seller, I think their policies need looked at. I had a buyer purchase and item and then I suspect had simple buyers remorse. But she made an unprovable accusation about the item – which I has so many of in the best with all positive comments. I promptly returned her money. She then refused to return the item to me unless I paid her to do so. Apparently, Ebay doesn’t have an established procedure for dealing with this. They ignored my 3 initial complaints. When they finally did respond, it wasn’t to give me an answer about what their policy was but to insist that I call them by phone. Attempts to do that were not successful. In the end, the buyer got their money back, stole my item, and so much time had passed with ebay stalling that I could not even get a refund on the fees they charged for the sale.

    There was nothing wrong with the old return time limit. This is another example of ebay assuming virtue on the part of all buyers, and casting suspicion on the integrity and credibility of sellers.

    Reply
    • market says:

      Ebay will tell you never ever refund a customer until you have received your return merchandise. If customer starts harassing you, again ask for the item return and suggest that they contact ebay. Ebay has always told me to never issue a refund until you have received your merchandise back. Do to the dishonest buyers that ebay has acquired with some of their policies, the buyers know that the sellers are scared of bad feedback and ratings, so they pray on sellers by claiming something with the item and they are not going to return the item but want their money back. Ebay has told me in the past,, if the customer contacts you again, have them contact ebay. Keep all you e-mails from your customer also. I have found that after the customer has been told to contact ebay and that you have already contacted ebay, you usually do not hear from the customer again. This is when you add that customer to your ebay no buyer bidder list, which blocks then from ever buying from you again with that buyers username.
      Also make sure all your items have the buyer responsible for return postage marked on your sells and auctions.

      Reply
  97. Midstatecollectibles says:

    I havae a no return policy and also a note in all my listings that 90% of my Collectibles, Pottery & China are formerly owned/used and I also point out that frequently there are minor flaws in China & Glassware when it comes from the factory. IT DOES NOT TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO SEE A “FACTORY FLAW” AND KNOW WHAT IT IS. I try very hard to note any chips, cracks or crazing and also scratches; etc. on the item. Have had a complaint once though that a Mug was marked “Made in Ohio” vice “Made in the USA”. I guess Ohio left the union. Why try to argue; I gave the “withch her money back and had her return the Mug. I sent it Priority Mail; it was returned Parcel Post. This “BRILLIANT” idea is going to be one hell’uva mess in 3 months. Just wait and see.

    Reply
    • JBA says:

      I sold a mug recently, it was vintage and nothing wrong with it. She said it was different than the other ones. I asked her to send it back and I would give her a refund. She said no but still wanted her refund. I gave it to her to keep my 100% positive feedback and top rated seller status. Recenty, the same thing happened with a handbag. I sell only a few items a month and I can see I am going to be out of business with this new policy. Very disappointing.

      Reply
  98. fred says:

    Looks like no returns may be the way to go. This sounds like a losing proposition for the seller, unless the seller charges a restocking fee. Too many scammers and frauds out there to be in the “rent for free” business.
    My wife who has been a pretty big seller on ebay for years has a no return policy. She has great feedback and many repeat customers.

    Reply
  99. Netpik says:

    If I ever win the LOTTO, I will spend all the money replacing ebay AND THEY WILL NOT BUY ME OUT like all the others that have attempted.
    IF all sellers could STICK TOGETHER somehow (which ebay makes if very difficult for sellers to communicate)
    MAYBE WE SHOULD ALL FOREGO the 20% and SHOW EBAY THE POWER SELLERS REALLY HAVE
    I have watched this company “change the world” since 1998 and TAKE OVER .. for GOOD and BAD .. they still do not have a clue how small business works. Small businesses should cannot compete with the BIG GUYS  

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      I’m trying to let all the sellers know that April 26-28 I and other sellers will close our stores for 3 days. I’m hopeing all will join us. Spread the word, get this out into the internet.

      Reply
  100. Lhj1966 says:

    I don’t like the way this sounds.  Right now I don’t offer returns and this makes it not happen at all.  There is no way I can do a 1 day turn around.  A lot of my items are custom made.  If I happen to have two or three in one day there is no way I can do it and do it right.  This is also a one woman business.  Sourgrapes to ebay.  We are not AMAZON!!!!  If I have to I will go other routes too.

    Reply
  101. 3rdFloor says:

    I sell CUSTOM MADE items on eBay.  Etsy does not offer me the volume of customers that eBay does.  So I not only cannot turn an item around in 24 hours, because it is all HANDMADE, I cannot afford a return policy either.  My supplies make that impossible and are not reusable.  Because I am a great seller with 5star ratings, and NO negs or neutrals or revised feedback (EVER) I will lose the 20% discount on my PowerSeller fees, because eBay wants me to run my business like Wal-mart.  It is hard enough to maintain those perfect PowerSeller rankings and now I am being punished for being unique and filling a niche…oh wait, wasn’t that what eBay used to be about?

    Reply
    • Headfeathers3 says:

       I agree.  I make doll clothes as well as reborns, and the fees are killing me.  Buyers want something for nothing and don’t seem to care or realize that sellers have to pay to sell to them.

      Reply
  102. Lotsalilys says:

    I am not going to accept returns, I cannot ship next day, and the FLOP SELLER program is a joke. I had 1 buyer buy 4 cassette tapes leave nuetral feedback with 1 or 2 stars cause me to lose my discount for months. I gave him a full refund, got the “bad” tapes back and listened to them. There was nothing wrong with them, it was either his tape deck or he duplicated them, got his money back and stuck it to me. I am seriously thinking about just closing my store and doing the flea markets.

    Reply
  103. Power Seller says:

    Another problem with this return policy change that I have found is that practically speaking, there is no true way to maintain a No Return policy on eBay, even though eBay says they offer that as an option. So eBay actually is enforcing a 14 day return policy now (which I’m thinking will soon be upped to 30 days in another roll out anyway).

    Sure eBay says you can list your items as nonreturnable, but what I have found is this leads to customers not contacting the seller (as the listing says No Returns) and simply filing Item Not As Described (I forget the specific language) complaints to obtain a return instead. I have found eBay always backs the buyer in those cases, and the seller will be required to accept a return, (and is encouraged to offer a refund without a return of the merchandise). Complaints mean the seller’s standing on eBay will also go to crap in very short order. For small sellers, getting two of these unfounded complaints in a year can lead to account suspension.

    I’ve been getting over time that eBay is courting all the major retailers (and I’m sure makes special deals with them) and wants uniform policies to court buyers and that is the way it is going to be, and they are not concerned with small sellers with small profit margins (if they ever were). eBay is going the Walmart route.

    Reply
  104. Michellej52 says:

    I for one will not be selling on ebay when this new rule comes into affect. i have been a ebay srller since 1998. sellers need to band together and leave ebay. EBay is not for the sellers and if no sellers ebay will mot have buyers.

    Reply
  105. BJ says:

    Ebay does everything to provide help & protection for the consumer. There is no protection for the seller. We are the ones that keep ebay running. Lets boycott ebay & pull all our listings & let ebay sink like the titanic.

    Reply
    • Angry says:

       Far from doing everything possible to protect the consumer, eBay UK allows the notion that the law does not apply a so called “private seller”, which is absolutley contrary to section 210 of the Enterprise Act.

      Reply
  106. Danizoo1 says:

    According to National Retail Federation (NRF) the return of stolen items and NON-DEFECTIVE merchandise, including special occasion apparel and certain electronics, “continues to pose a huge problem for online retailers”.

     These common types of fraud cost American Retailers $14.4 BILLION in 2011!!! Ebay continues to set small sellers up for even more loses in income while they continue to pocket more revenue!!

    Without return policies that EVERY seller can formulate appropriately for what they sell and, unless ebay begins providing REAL seller protection, “de-shoppers” will quickly learn that, more than ever before, ebay is THE place to get something for nothing!

    Reply
    • Nostalgiabooks says:

       And what would happen to eBay’s 60 day return policy if every pissed off small seller started buying on eBay from the big sellers…and then started mass returns.  Do you think the big sellers would scream then and eBay would realize the flaw in their new strategy?  Haha.  Yes, that would do it.  Sorry, just an early lunch margarita talking.

      Reply
    • Jan says:

      PROTEST APRIL 26-28. CLOSE ALL EBAY STORES FOR 3 DAYS.

      Reply
  107. Grant says:

    I am moving to bidstart

    Reply
  108. BROWNEYEDSUZY48 says:

    I STARTED  EBAY TEN YEARS AGO. WHEN I FIRST STARTED IT WAS   HARD FOR A BUYER TO EVEN HAVE A VOICE. NOW   SELLERS ARE ACTUALLY CLOSED OUT OF EVERYTHING. IT REVOLVES TOTALLY AROUND THE BUYERS WANTS. I HAVE SPOKEN TO EBAY BUT THEIR EXCUSES IS THEY KEEP BUYERS HAPPY TO HELP ME GET MORE BUYERS?   HOW THE HECK CAN    DISCRIMINATING AGAINST SELLERS DO ANYTHING BUT  GIVE   BUYERS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE     ANYTHING THEY WANT TO THROW AT US.    THE   FEEDBACK IS  A SAMPLE OF THAT.   WHY  EBAY??   WHEN   HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR SELLERS THERE WOULD BE NO CUSTOMERS, NO EBAY. SO HOW CAN YOU ALLOW  THEM TO LEAVE NEGATIVE  AND   AS A SELLER I  CAN ONLY LEAVE A POSITIVE OR NOTHING.  YOU HAD COME A LONG WAY BABY, BUT IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL  WE ARE GOING TO ALL BE LOOKING FOR OTHER SELLING SOURCES. WHERE WE ARE TREATED AS EQUALS.   
    I RECENTLY  SOLD A   525 DOLLAR IPAD ON EBAY, GOT PAID THRU PAYPAL. GOT  RIPPED OFF  BY THE BUYER AND  EBAY YOU DID NOTHING  BUT SAY OH WELL   YOU JUST LOST IT. I MEAN I SOLD   ON YOUR SITE, YOU STATE YOU PROTECT US    ,  BUT   I COULDNT EVEN LEAVE THIS LADY A NEGATIVE TO TELL OTHERS SHE WAS A SCAMMER.   WHERE HAS YOUR LOYALTY TO SELLERS GONE?
       ITS GOING TO BE LIKE THE DAM BROKE WHEN    WE START GETTING ALL THESE RETURNS.   SOMEBODY CAN BUY A NORTHFACE FROM ME    IN THE WINTER AND SEND IT BACK IN THE SUMMER FOR A FULL REFUND.    AINT GOING TO HAPPEN. I WILL JUST REFUSE TO ACCEPT ANY RETURNS.   THEN YOU CAN DEAL WITH  ALL THEIR COMPLAININGS.

    THANKS, LITERALLY FOR NOTHING.
    I PAY YOU TO SERVE ME, BUT YOU HAVE BECOME INCAPABLE OF DOING YOUR JOB. MAYBE ITS TIME SELLERS BAN TOGETHER AND ESTABLISH A NEW     SELLING SPOT. I WOULD  PROBABLY BE FIRST TO SIGN ON.  I LOVE EBAY  CUSTOMERS, I HAVE MET SOME GREAT PEOPLE BUT HONESTLY I HAVE COME TO HATE EBAY        .

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      That’s exactly how I feel. It would be something if all ebay sellers did what the 99% have been doing in politics. Lets say, close our store for 1 week. We are on Vacation. But we would have to get everyone to do this. That’s the hard part. But I have found a website onlineauction.com. They started years ago because of ebay. Read their profile. I’ve also heard that they made some very big changes and getting bigger. For only $8 a month you can’t go wrong.

      Reply
    • Magicbelle says:

      Unfortunately, by going through paypal they can return the money and then YOU have to deal with paypal.  Even if you do not accept returns, Paypal does and you get caught.

      Reply
    • Jan says:

      I’m trying to get sellers to protest by closing their stores for 3 days. April 26-28 is the date that we all should close our stores to say we’ve had enough.

      Reply
  109. Nostalgiabooks says:

    While all of us run our own business on eBay it should be remembered that eBay is a publicly traded company with one  motivation – keep the stockholders happy via sales and profit growth.  It is a company that has been in constant change since it started and the current management is simply implementing a business strategy that it feels will achieve their goals, albeit at the expense of losing some of their long time customers, sellers. Only time will tell if the direction they are headed in will be the most profitable.  I think it will but we’ll see in several years. As small sellers we have simple options; we can work with their restrictions and/or find alternative venues to sell in.  As for me I’ve already had an account on Amazon for years that works quite well and I’ve just opened up an account on eBid which looks to have the potential to replace a large part of my eBay business in vintage books, paintings, coins, etc.  Yes, I intend to keep selling on eBay and simply react to the new rules by implementing my own sales policies to protect my business.  My policy is simply “no returns”.  It removes all the problems of people “renting” them for up to 60 days.  I’m willing to forgo the 20% to protect my business model.  And, of course, if there is a genuine problem voiced by a buyer about the product they purchase I’ll gladly offer a full refund.  This will be treated on a case-by-case basis, just as I do now.  I’ve always included lots of photos to adequately show condition of items and I clearly state that I only accept returns for condition, not content.  This doesn’t protect against buy happy people who just bid and don’t read descriptions, but it will help in any dealings if Paypal or eBay complaints are opened.  It’s happened five times in the last 4 years and I’ve been successful in each case.  It’s up to us to protect ourselves with our own stated policies and descriptions.  The more detailed you are the better you will do when a problem arises.  Certainly these people will leave negative feedback but who cares?  It is inevitable with the new setup where the seller has no input into the buyers’ actions in transactions.  I think it is necessary for the small seller to accept that eBay will simply continue to raise fees and we can forget about discounts.  The only questions we have to answer individually are:  is there a way for us to still sell profitably on eBay and what are our alternatives?  We all sell different items and our selling needs are different,too.  Alternative sites like Amazon, Etsy, Ebid, Bonanza all offer growing alternatives for everyone.  eBay’s new policies of turning into a shopping mall rather than a flea market may very well open the door for rapid growth for these companies as the word spreads.  I’m going to be very interested in seeing how my sales are on Ebid and Bonanza.  It may take selling on 3 or 4 sites to equal eBay but with “grabber” downloads it should be pretty easy to list and sell.  Fasten your seat belts. 

    Reply
  110. Alfredpagano says:

    I’m both a buyer AND a seller on ebay.  This policy is already live on ebay, as I’ve found out as a buyer who had to return a broken item that a seller had advertised as “working great”.  That seller refused to take the return until ebay stepped in and forced him to do so.  I was surprised when they sent me a prepaid label.

    As a seller on ebay,  (for 11 years),  I’ve found that buyers are MUCH more willing to buy if there is a strong return policy.  After all, buying online is fraught with uncertainty.  Most buyers, in my experience anyway, are decent and ethical, and not out to cheat an honest seller.  As a seller, if you aren’t willing to stand behind whatever you are selling, than no one should buy from you.

    By the way, I have 100% positive feedback.  And, I don’t find it is onerous to offer a return policy.  I also have a “day” job, and a husband, so it’s not like I have a lot of free time on my hands.

    It’s the nature of the beast.  A strong return policy makes buying online more attractive to folks who might shun it otherwise.  I welcome it.  My sales are surging already, even before it is mandatory on ebay.  Stop whining.  It’s not a bad thing.

    Reply
  111. Jimbo says:

    I stopped selling most of my new and media items on eBay when they went to the one-way feedback. Selling on Amazon is easier, and much more streamlined- punch the UPC code into the computer, and there’s your ready-made listing. I also make more money selling there, because items sell for higher prices. Why? Because Amazon customers expect (and get) excellent service with their “A to Z Guarantee”. Their customers tend to be well-educated, and do not mind spending extra money for this piece of mind. They also rarely ask silly questions about items, because all the information they need to make an informed buying decision is in black-and-white.

    Amazon also is not a place to sell collectibles and vintage items, that’s what eBay is for. I also sell in an antique mall & auction house and their policy is “all sales are final”. This must be done because someone can perpetrate scams, such as the “switcheroo”- substituting an item of lesser value for one that is worth more money, and/or is in better condition. Or they can return an item after a case of buyer’s remorse. It is a generally accepted practice in the vintage / collectibles market that there are NO refunds or returns. Period.

    eBay gives the seller the tools to post as many as 12 pictures, and unlimited space to accurately describe every last detail of an item. If a prospective buyer cannot make an informed buying decision based on the details on a listing, then they can ask a question. I always sell items that aren’t mechanical or electronic with NO RETURNS OR REFUNDS WHATSOEVER, and have had no problems. Small sellers like myself cannot afford to hand out refunds for simple misunderstandings (also, we would lose money on the shipping costs to send out an item, since the original purchase price & shipping costs would be refunded).

    I will continue to do this, and will eventually lose my hard-earned Top-Rated seller badge & discount. Like many of us sellers, we are fed up with this dictatorship called eBay, and will not be told how to run our businesses. How about being charged a commission for shipping that is PAID FOR BY THE BUYER?? Absurd!!! Face it, we sellers are nothing more than independent contractors working for a company. Well, it one doesn’t like that company’s working conditions, the choice is simple: get a job with another company that pays more, and has better benefits. Myself and others are now on the lookout for a new company to work for. And this upcoming mass exodus of sellers will certainly hurt their bottom line. WAY TO GO, eBay!!!!

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      Amazon does not work for drop shippers and their fees are high too. I know I just quit them. They tell you have to ship in 2 days. I’m a dropshipper and it takes 2 days to process and is shipped within 5 days. Ususally by the 3rd or 4th day. Amazon was on my behind to get it shipped in 2 days. They wouldn’t work with me either. And they are always changing their rules as does ebay. I know I was with them 5 yrs.

      Reply
      • Jimbo says:

        This is because they want all the low profit margin dropshippers to sell on eBay (or elsewhere). It may have been a great idea to have another company package and ship items years ago, but there are just too many people now dropshipping. Hundreds of sellers offering the same items for basically the same price would put a drain on their system. Amazon wants people to use their fulfillment centers (which I don’t, won’t, and never will- it just doesn’t make sense for my business).

        Their buyers expect a very high level of customer service. They know they will receive their items much faster. Yes, their fees are probably higher than eBay / PayPal, but the difference in the prices I get for an item more than makes up for the extra costs.

        And also the fact that the process is overall easier than eBay to list and sell, well, it works fine for me. I always ship my eBay items within one day, so the two-day shipping on Amazon is no problem. I also don’t get the silly questions (well, very, very few) like those that come from eBay buyers. (Such As: “Will You Ship The Item For Free”, or “I Know Your Price is $100, Would You Take $40 For It”, or “What Color Is The Black Purse You Are Selling”).

        Reply
        • Jan says:

          Yeah I’ve received a few questions like that. But Amazon still tries to get you to ship thru their process system like ebay. It’s no different. As for dropshippers, many of us work out of our homes, we don’t have warehouse or a place to store products. Because I’m disabled, I can’t make items either. I sell nothing but brand new products and because I’m a dropshipper, I’m one of the little companies because if it wasn’t for the dropshippers, you would only see big companies selling in ebay. Which leaves us dropshippers being forced to sell cheaper than most people think. I could sell a ps3 for over $400 and my profit after ebay, paypal and my supplier plus shipping is a lousy $6. I would have to sell a heck of a lot of product to make any kind of profit. It’s a tough business. That’s why I spend hours working on the computer putting my products into other auction houses like onlineauction.com. This site started by an ex ebayer who got tired of ebays garbage. That’s why there’s no final value fee, insertion fees or anything else other than a flat $8 a month. At least I know what I have to pay each month, not like ebay.

          Reply
    • Vanitaimports says:

      Please tell me where you are selling on amazon?  I really want to sell my things and badly want to get away from eBay!   email: vanitaimports@yahoo.com   Thanks

      Reply
  112. C says:

    I stopped selling on eBay 5 years ago and instead sell exclusively through my own website, with google adwords driving traffic (as well as some other SEO tricks)…this stuff is not rocket science.  I make more money today than I ever would have through eBay.

    Reply
    • Magicbelle says:

      And, I am sure without all the pricey fees.  We sell direct on Forums too.  Too bad eBay messed up – it was Fun at one time.

      Reply
    • Jan says:

      Yeah, I have a main store that was created by my dropship company and I tried for years to get customers to my store. Even tried Adwords several times but when you go thru $200 in less than 2 weeks, the cost is high for me. I usually set up an adwords ad just before Christmas but still don’t get any sales to my website. I’ve been told that google doesn’t like the urls I have in my store. Because the products change often, my store has to have these urls. I also don’t have the expertise to use the spread sheet format that Google uses. I use to place my products in google thru their base program and I could list 1 item at a time but these new uploaders end up putting me in a mess with their system. I would love to get my products back into Google but can’t at this time. Can’t afford someone to help me with a spread sheet that will work with google.

      Reply
  113. jerryrube says:

    I too, was upset with the new return policy. We talked to an Ebay rep and was told it was ok to have a restock fee. However, we wouldn’t be allowed to charge the restock fee if our item was not as described. Therefore, there will still be room for the customer to abuse the system by arguing that the item wasn’t as described. I guess Ebay has forgotten their roots.

    Reply
  114. rena9590 says:

    this used to be an auction site, not a retail store.  i am sick of the fees from ebay and paypal.  they take a big chunk from your profit.  some of my items are almost given away.  we all need a new place to sell.  i am using ecrater, bonanza and having some luck.  hope it takes off because i need to leave ebay before i give all my items away.  ebay go back to being an auction site not a retail site.  rena9590

    Reply
  115. Snapmac says:

    Bad enough with the out of hand fees and that ebay owns almost all sources that charge the seller these fees, but now they want to tell the seller how and what or when the buyer can return an item. Ebay is becoming more of a control freak. I was tough that when you bid on an item in an auction that is what you get and that there are NO returns ever. Every auction works in that manner and Ebay is dictating how an auction should be run. I am not a high end seller, but that does not mean I should have to suffer as well as the preferred sellers. Ebay has to be put in there place and have Ebay stop controlling the sellers. If a person came to my place of business and told me to do things, I would tell them were to go, same applies to Ebay. There is only so much sellers can tolerate to make a decent income. Items such as under garments, cosmetics, jewelery to name a few should never be allowed to be returned!

    Reply
  116. Personofleisure777 says:

    Once again, eBay has initiated yet another UNFAIR POLICY for many sellers on ebay.  I sell collectibles – often, one of a kind, unique items. Never in the 20+ years I’ve been selling AND buying collectibles have I ever encountered sellers at swap meets, flea markets, collectible shows and so forth, accept returns for collectible items such as Star Wars action figures, movie poster one sheets or vintage board games the way you would return toasters and blenders and cameras at Walmart or Best Buy.  Return policy for collectibles makes no sense – it gives unscrupulous buyers even more chance to return authentic items they purchase off eBay with non-authentic items or items in worse condition (and this HAS happened MANY times I can assure you) and when it does happen, eBay takes no responsibility – says it’s buyers word against the seller’s and guess who eBay sides with most of the time – yep, THE BUYER.  It also gives buyers who purchase the collectible, time to then hunt for a better deal elsewhere and of course if given time, one can almost ALWAYS find a COLLECTIBLE for less price elsewhere (letting buyers hunt for better deal may be fine for new merchandise such as toasters and blenders, but in the world of collectibles – this is a death sentence to the seller – between the time the buyer takes the collectible item off the market then decides to return it perhaps a REAL buyer WOULD have purchased the same collectible with no intentions of returning – that’s why COLLECTIBLE DEALERS DON’T OFFER RETURN POLICIES!!!!), and lastly, half the time buyers have no CLUE what QUALITY PACKING means or the VALUE of QUALITY PACKING when it comes to shipping and handling rates (thank eBay for this as well by NOT including a QUALITY OF PACKING Detailed Seller Rating in their feedback system as well as working to make FREE SHIPPING the norm – how is a small one-person business supposed to be able to subsidize shipping losses the same way giant billion dollar retailers like Walmart and Amazon do????) so when it comes to RETURNING merchandise, buyers almost always do NOT pack with the same professionalism and care in which it was originally sent.  Then I’m out the money AND the item if it gets returned damaged.   In any event, eBay continually makes “improvements” in a HALF-BAKED way.  Sure, I’m all for return policies on NEW, NON-COLLECTIBLE MERCHANDISE – even if you’re a small one-person business – if you sell the same brand new merchandise you can buy at Target or Walmart (and are lucky enough to even make a sale in the first place since almost always you will not be able to compete on price with these giant retailers to begin with), then you should offer a return policy. But eBay should be making a distinction between the TYPE of seller you are – COLLECTIBLE/USED MERCHANDISE MERCHANTS and NEW MERCHANDISE RETAILERS – these two types of retailers should NOT be held to the same standards when it comes to return policies.  eBay doesn’t seem to understand that it’s the SELLER who matters most on eBay – without SELLERS, ebay makes NO MONEY and buyers have NOTHING to buy.  eBay makes money off sellers no matter what – even if they DON’T sell – sellers have to PAY to have their items listed on ebay.  eBay ONLY makes money off buyers IF and WHEN they buy but even that’s not entirely true because it’s NOT the buyer paying eBay anything – it’s the SELLER AGAIN paying eBay a percentage of the sale. So tell me eBay, why is it that you’re always catering your policies in favor of the BUYER when it’s the SELLER who is responsible for you making billions???????

    Reply
    • market says:

      File an Appeal

      I have been with ebay since 1997 and we are their puppets. No matter what policies you set for your business, ebay policies rule. Did you know if you have a 7 day return policy, ebay says the customer always has 60 days no matter what. Turn the tables on ebay. If a customer returns a damaged item to you, did you know you can file an appeal with ebay so you do not have to eat the loss. Call or e-mail ebay and tell them you want to file an appeal on the item because the item was not in the same condition as shipped to the customer. One of ebay’s policies is the item must be returned in resaleable condition by the customer. One of the items I sell on ebay are paper items. When returned folded or creased they are no longer resaleable. 
      Be Honest, because you will have to send documentation of the damage and they will probably want the item sent to them for proof. I have done this several times and ebay initially granted the customer a refund, but after filing an appeal with ebay on the damaged item, ebay gave me back the money because I proved the item was damaged. Not only do you get most of your money back, but ebay is paying you and the customer, this is pulling money out of ebay. Don’t eat your damaged items, use ebay’s policies to get back at ebay. If more and more people filed appeals on their damaged goods ebay would quickly figure out they were loosing money and maybe change some of their rediculous policies.

      Reply
      • sunset says:

        Please give me the number, the email, or where to call to get anyone to do that for ME ON EBAY… No matter what it is, I can never reach anyone…it takes 5/ calls 2-3 days sometimes weeks  & I rarely 2% get any justice, help….

        Reply
  117. selina says:

    I am a small seller and buyer on eBay.  I have been with them since 2001.  I have been selling less and less since the DSRs started and now with the return policy am probably not going to sell at all.  Ebay use to be a great way to make a little spare cash for me by selling items I had around and no longer wanted.  A great way a to recycle, by the way.  But, I would sell mostly used items.    Most of the times my used items are in the collectible and close to or antique category.  Many times these items are delicate to begin with because of age.  You don’t want a lovely old piece shipped back and forth risking breakage, etc.  Returns are not for me so I guess eBay has pretty much sealed my fate.  As a buyer, I mostly buy to add to my collections or buy discounted yoga wear which I am thoroughly familiar with.  I have no reason to return items because I am not an impulse buyer.  But, there are a lot of impulse buyers on eBay and I think this return policy eBay is not enforcing is going to cause more trouble than it is worth.  Too bad, eBay used to be a fun place to buy and sell.  Before all of their new policies were enforced, I never ever had a problem with a seller or a buyer.  Twice in my early selling career, I did not describe an item properly and I immediately returned the buyers money and paid for the shipping both ways.  I didn’t need eBay to tell me how to deal with the buyer then and I still don’t.

    Reply
  118. traderherb says:

    The system is flawed that they are rolling out. I ship all items in 24 hours most are packaged in a hour. I have a tracking number that was not uploaded because I delivered the item personally to the buyers house. It was less than a mile away and on the way to my Post Office. I marked it shipped and the buyer marked it received and gave me positive feedback. I guess if you offer local pick-up you wont get a 20% discount either. So what is a seller to do that sells large items that need to be picked up by a freight company or the buyer or you offer local pick-up? Small sellers that have just one local pick-up would loose their Top Rated Seller rating. This is TOTALLY unfair to sellers. I am thinking of opening up my own online outlet to sell on.

    Reply
  119. margie says:

    The new return policy will allow buyer to relist and and see if they can resell in 5 days and if not return at no cost to them other then the listing fee. Sounds like the perfect scam!!!!!

    Reply
  120. Billy says:

     Return is a dirty word to most sellers. When selling I will do returns for 2 reason’s only these are the reason’s ” The item  is DOA on delivery ” “I failed to describe item correctly ” I have never had a return request on E-bay. The one thing at least 50% of sellers are guilty of is listing in the ‘Used” category then using words like un-tested or as is in their describtion  The used category clearly states “Used is an item that is fully functional and works as intended but may show normal wear on surface” If you list as used it better work as intended or the buyer has a ironclad case to report to E-bay.

    Reply
  121. Chet Slate says:

    I know the new policies are the worst ever. 99% of what I sell is used and sells between $30 and $70. I can’t offer returns on the stuff. Never did – never will. I’m one of the MANY who will lose the 20% seller discount because of it. So I’m just planning on passing the cost to the buyer through shipping costs. The new shipping policies are going to make everyone’s shipping prices go up anyway and mine are rock bottom already.  I figured if I add $2 to $3 to every shipping price that would be about what I save in seller fees.  One suggestion to anyone like me who sells items they have in their hands is to pre-package the stuff before you list it. Punch in the shipping weights as custom weight when you list. That has been an essential role of maintaining many positive feedbacks regarding the speed of shipping. In the morning I just pull everything that has been paid for and go mail it. I know that doesn’t help those who are not near a PO or use drop shipments and the like. But for some of you, I highly recommend it. Items stay exactly how they were when listed – clean, pre-weighed and always ready to ship.  It also helps to take FULL advantage of all the USPS priority mail packaging you can get your hands on. For example – you get the regional A rate boxes and charge flat rate medium box prices plus $2 for shipping.  The regional rate box ships for less depending on your location. A lot of times I make $4or 5 extra that way. If the medium box is cheaper – you just throw the regional box inside the medium box and away it goes.  Educate yourself about the regional boxes and padded envelopes and all the free stuff available. It will help you a lot.

    Reply
    • market says:

      Don’t forget home or business pickup by the postal service for your priority shipment, I’m 15 miles from the closest post office. So each day I get my orders ready, go online to the postal service website and request next day pickup. My postal delivery lady drives up to my back door and I hand her all my packages and letters, an I do not have to waste the gas to drive to the post office to mail my items. Great service, but not available everywhere 

      Reply
  122. Jackie44 says:

    I am a a veteran of e-bay since 1997.   Top Rated Seller. I was more than dismayed by this change.  As a seller of 1 of a kind / antique items this new mandate will force me to change to a no return policy.  The concept that a rare item could be returned after 14 days is beyond stupid.  Example:  Buyer thinks he /she can make some money of this item, buys item, cannot find anyone to buy it for his/her price.  Therefore sends it back.   The SCAM possibilities are endless.

    Reply
    • Don says:

      eBay is making ecomerce shop lifting wery easy all you have to do is say you never received an item and eBay refunds the buyers their money and comes after the seller.

      Reply
  123. Bxclent2 says:

    I have been on Ebay for over 10 yrs & am a small power seller.
    I sell only new merchandise. Rarely, a excellent quality collectable.
    And don’t get me wrong, most buyers and sellers are honest people.
    I have my power seller status not because of volume, volume, VOLUME but because of great customer service.
    I can’t have people returning things after 14, 30, 60 or more days !
    Buyers are getting much more agressive since they know it is no longer an even playing field.
    They don’t even care if they are wrong. It’s a I want what I want mentality and “What are you gonna do about it, seller ?”
    I have already had people wear or use items & them return them after 7 days.
    Longer, if they file a chargeback with PayPal.
    Ebay/PayPal found in the buyers favor even though I have explained it had been worn, washed or smell of smoke, perfume, etc !
    As of May 1, I am closing my store.
    It is not worth the hassle or headache anymore.
    I would rather donate the rest of my merchandise to charity (and will) than unscrupulous buyers.
    It’s true that Ebay is not what it was and has decided to evolve in a whole new direction.
    Once again it is the core people who helped Ebay grow & thrive that are being tossed aside in favor of the “mega-mart” mentality.

    Reply
  124. Horsetradermark says:

    I’m not happy either! eBay has made it so only top sellers get any sort of perk, and then made it impossible to attain Top Seller status unless listings conform 100% to whatever benefits eBay best. Conforming to all ebays whims means more money in ebays pockets and exploiting the seller. I am guessing that return or no return, ebay will make money on each transaction, while leaving the seller as the patsy. I’ve been selling on eBay for 10yrs, and the second a viable option presents itself… I am gone.

    Reply
  125. Mcfaith says:

    I left eBay a while back and never looked back.  Facebook yard sales are great!  No fees, no shipping.

    Reply
  126. Cloitz says:

    E-Bay is an auction site, you go anywhere in the USA to an auction, no matter what it is cars, stuff, houses and so on , the first line you will read , all sales are final and bought as is . I’m tiered that E-bay gives the buyers all the rights and kicks the seller , E-bay forgot who made them as big as there are now, the little guy, I’m an E-Bay member since 1998 , E-bay was fun than , now it is how much money can there get , for get the little seller there don’t bring enough money for us 🙁 What a shame .

    Reply
  127. Lee says:

    I’ve been away from ebay for many years, as due to their and paypal’s non compliance to their own policies, i just had NO faith in them to operate in fairness any longer. After a customer switched her shipping address to a NON confirmed addy, after i emailed her to let her know “i am ready to ship’…I merely asked her to CONFIRM the addy change so we would both be covered by ebay/paypal ‘protection’. TOTALLY in line with Ebay/paypal guidelines. Instead, she reported me as ‘refusing to ship item’ that same afternoon(!) and paypal locked up my account for the money and ebay decided in her favor! I was COMPLETELY in line with their own policies as stated, and in fact the customers item was ready to ship…THAT is why I had sent her the courtesy email to let her know that, in the first place! Which is when she responded with the sudden addy change.
    I contacted both ebay and paypal by email and phone…and got ONLY rude repsonses; finally screwed for using the very policies THEY set. I would never have expected that, or believed that unless it happened to me. THEN, I started learning what a scam ebay and paypal are so often; to so many others.
    Ebay and paypal must be stupid!? There I was an honorable and thankful supporter of this online seller and they crapped on me regardless. THAT did not fit at all in my ethic that goes into my hand built product and I lost money after leaving ebay but I HAD to for these reasons.
    Who pets a snake once they find out it is a cobra?
    So I am not surprised to hear this new policy of ebay. I was actually thinkoing of coming back and this shows me that I do not dare. I hope others will leave ebay before what happens to me happens to them. I went to youtube and via my videos of my gear in action, I started getting lots of sales…no ebay or paypal in the mix. But there are those that will never buy if they cannot use paypal. it could be a good thing…but it just seems to want to get worse. I will pass on ebay!

    Reply
  128. Sugar says:

    I am so with Chanfrelle.  I have the same problems.  I can’t tell you how many times I have worked through the night up to noon the next day to get things out in the 24 hours, only to have to fall down and sleep after being up more than 24 hours and I still have a few items that didn’t get shipped.  When eBay began charging fees on the amount I collected for postage, becase they couldn’t control those who would scam eBay by charging 99 cents for an item and them $20 or some ridiculous amount for shipping so they made their money without paying ebay a fair price, that hurt many of us already.  I make 10 to 20 cents profit if I am lucky and get my 20% discount.  Under the new rules in June, I may lose that discount because this one woman show can only do so much.  I too had to change my 2 day handling to 1 day to get that little bit extra from eBay.  I tell you, if I knew how to do it, I would create a competing selling site, not like Quibids or whatever that is, but like ebay used to be, even just 3-4 years ago.  I too wish I had another outlet.  I have loved ebay but they are making it too hard to stay in love with them.  I tried ebid but their reputation was so bad that I couldn’t make any money there.  Ioffer had an ever worse rep.  I have been on both sites.  Etsy is mainly for the artists which is great and I do sell there.

    You know, read down,  I think JAN has an idea there a 3 day boycott to make eBay hear us and talk with us.  It has to get most of the TR sellers and other powersellers involved though or they will look upon those who do take part as they do now, as expendible – a business that can be replaced or at least nothing more than a pesky gnat.  You would have to get at least 75-80% of the TR sellers and other powersellers to take part in order to get eBay’s attention.  COME ON LET’S GET WITH JAN AND BRAINSTORM IT

    Reply
    • Benzgemz says:

      Look, if you are only making 10-20 cents, you are better off flipping burgers. RAISE YOUR PRICES! You might be surprised how much better you do, even with fewer sales (and less stress). Remember that you don’t have to have it out or even packaged in 1 day (the next business day) you just have to print the postage….

      Reply
  129. ~sp says:

    I consider myself one of the people who ‘made’ ebay.  I am a small seller, mostly selling things from my own closet and the closets of friends, and I am not a commission or consignment seller.  I have consistently provided ebay with revenue over the years, certainly not anything large but what I thought was the core of their business structure, an alternative to mass merchandisers and retailers.  With every new ebay development, I am further pushed out.  The excessive fees, punitive buyer-biased feedback structure and seller fee scale that marginalizes all but the big sellers has completely destroyed any hopes I had that ebay would effectively present an effective alternative for both small sellers and discriminating buyers.

    Reply
  130. EVESALES99 says:

    ebid.com  $49.99 FREE LISTINGS FOR LIFE

    Reply
    • Beyond Cynicism says:

      EVESAL|ES99:

      Unfortunately, at least here in the UK, buyers don’t think to look at ebid.com . We tried it for several months and got just one nibble.

      Reply
  131. ebayseller99 says:

    This is just another in ebay’s long line of policy changes designed to hose the seller and do away with ebay as a fun place to buy and sell.  It is really sad to see ebay go the way of Wang and WordPerfect, but that’s where it’s headed. eBay, you will NOT be able to out-Amazon, Amazon – so don’t even try.  Already, for the past few years, the really interesting antique items have been waning and sales of new products like cell phones has been increasing.  With this trend, buyers interest is waning too.

    Get the message eBay!

    Reply
  132. Ed LaRue says:

    Great article Olga. Thank you so much for bringing this to everybody’s attention. Don’t let it go!
    -Ed LaRue. http://thelittleguy.com

    Reply
  133. Eajlouny says:

    Ebay is a time suck. So more automation is better for me. 

    Reply
  134. Ckairouz says:

    I’ve been selling on eBay for 5-6 years now. Mainly small makeup items and shoes and clothes that are preloved. I don’t have a store but I pay eBay around $120 a month just to sell.
    In this time I have scammed plenty of times and have started hating ebay more and more.
    Every policy change they do, craps on the sellers & gives buyers and scammers more leverage to hold over our heads.
    Now I only ever ship fully tracked and signed for, no returns or exchanges at all and PayPal only for payments.
    I WISH THERE WAS SOMEWHERE JUST AS BIG TO GO, BUT COZ EBAY HAVE GIVEN ALL THE POWER TO THE BUYERS, ALL THE BUYERS ARE ON EBAY SO NOWHERE ELSE IS EVER GOING TI

    Reply
  135. Ckairouz says:

    WE ALL NEED TO BAND TOGETHER AS SELLERS AND DO SOMETHING !!!
    Anything !! Just so eBay remember that without us… There is no eBay !!!
    I’ve had enough of being kicked over & over again by them. I’ve been loyal for 6 years but when is bough enough ?? What’s it gonna take ??
    Come on sellers !! Let’s get on Twitter or something and work out how to do this !!
    We need to abort eBay for a few days so THEY can feel the pinch.

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      We are trying to get everyone to go along with us and close our stores for 3 days. The dates are April 26-28. We are all fed up.

      Reply
  136. American says:

    Unfortunately, eBay has been “doing” changes to upset the small seller for years now and each time comes a new cry to do something about it.  Until eBay’s bottom line is hit (i.e.; stop using eBay and Paypal), NOTHING WILL BE DONE to correct the situation.  Stories like this inflame, but do little to nothing to actually change what is going on at eBay.  The advertisement above is for “Auctionsniper” which is a program for eBay (a little hypocritical considering the editorial).  People keep selling out and until they stop selling out (like this article and it’s advertisement), or using Paypal and eBay services, then nothing will change.  This article does nothing except for the author/editor of “the online seller”.

    Reply
    • Jan Miles says:

      IT SOUNDS GOOD BUT FOR NOW WE ARE STAGING A PROTEST ON APRIL 26-28 BY CLOSING OUR STORES FOR 3 DAYS. THAT WILL BE A MESSAGE AND WE WILL KEEP IT UP UNTIL THEY CHANGE THEIR MINDS OR WE JUST PURELY LEAVE.

      Reply
  137. Wizard4it says:

    These changes are not due to the vast majority of sellers on ebay that I am sure a genuine, honest and reliable. Its for the overseas China, Hong Kong and so on market where you pay for something, ( usually fake but not always ) wait 30 to 40 days for it, its now beyond the paypal and ebay dispute time  frames and return policies even if it has not been received. Usually apon sending a report or leaving negative feedback, seller leave the buyer the same although undeserved and thus some buyers dont say anything, the idea is to try and keep 100%. Some sellers wont sell to 99 % people.

    Anyway, I advise most sellers to go about thier normal business as this will have very little to no impact in a negative way , but will protect the buyers. Remember, buyers pay you, you pay ebay and paypal so in real fact the buyers pay your bills, if the buyers feel more secure in their dealings on ebay, they will buy more and that cant be bad for business.

    On a side note, I purchased 3 x 4Gb mp3 players almost 4 years ago, never received them, totalling $160, I raised disputes as instructed, to this date paypal has been unable to recover my loss, this was before paypal decided to ensure we got the money back, however as part of the retuirn policy I had to pay 14 dollars each to send the units back to the seller, who no doubt under another name and acct sold those items I have not been paid back for, so I lost in the whole process 160 + 42 = 202.00, none of which I have ever got back, this is why ebay is trying to be nice to the buyers, these sellers sold 10000s of items a day and a 99.7% rating yet I got scamed.
    Please be nice, it not you, its not the buyers, its the criminal fake sellers ruining the system for all of us.

    Reply
    • Beyond Cynicism says:

      Wizard4it:

      Complete nonsense. Sellers from Asia are as reliable as any other in my experience and that of my extended family who also purchase from them.

      This measure is aimed solely at increasing eBay’s take of the pie without thought to the margins or viability of the many thousands of small businesses who contribute significant sums every year to eBay and PayPals’ coffers.

      Reply
  138. Angry says:

    According to section 17(4) of the UK Distance Selling Regulations: “The consumer shall not be under any duty to deliver the goods except at
    his own premises and in pursuance of a request in writing,…”, never mind a chance to “return” the goods.

    When will eBay get around to telling that to the members?

    A keen journalist would do well to put the question!

    Reply
  139. Emilverton says:

    I am a private seller with 1495 feedback. Because eBay is an online business it has fallen into the trap of staffing its sales department -at all levels- with people whose only experience of sales is online. I do not believe that anyone at eBay has ever sold in the reality world. In the real world, 90% of retail sales are offline and require a certain level of common-sense sales ability. In comparison, online sales are all about manipulating software or web content,  to gain percentage advantages against your customers, distributes or suppliers. This is the mind-set that informs every eBay sales initiative. Every eBay change comes about because an overpaid geek with time on their hands has discovered a new angle that will give eBay an extra percentage from somewhere. This then goes to their P.R. department who are given the task of dressing it up as a ‘customer focussed’ initiative. It is then implemented ‘Big Brother’ style without consultation or appeal. This is all standard online sales procedure. So before anyone becomes a professional eBay seller they should first analyse eBay’s entire rules structure. They should only then proceed if they have an eBay acceptable system that gives them the advantage. Business is business. Knowledge is everything. Either you are going to have the advantage over eBay or eBay is going to have the advantage over you. eBay is not the sellers friend, and never was.

    Reply
  140. Betty says:

    I got tired of being scared to open my email over some whiny buyer,and scared of losing my account over a few deadbeats,so I ended up just putting on less items. One sides feedback is a dumb idea. I’ve had to be nice to psycho buyers,when I just wanted to say F-OFF.

    Reply
    • Jaszczurka26 says:

       I agree with you, I work very hard, and get punished by Ebay.  Buyers who want my merchandise for free and Ebay allow them to that , I must be nice and send apology so I ken avoid negtive feedback on top of loosing my money

      Reply
    • Jan says:

      Boy do I know what you mean. I had one this last week. A man purchased a ladies leather motorcycle vest for his wife. He ordered too small(wishful thinking I guess) and wanted to return it. My listings clearly say all sales are final but can be returned under certain conditions or you could be charged a 20% restock fee. When the man received his RMA# within 2 days of his request, it had this notice and he blew. He sent back the vest and wanted his refund. I told him before he sent it back that it could take a few days after he returned it to get his refund and I told him I would give him a full refund. Because we don’t pay for the shipping back, that’s up to the customer. Anyways, he wrote me said that the packaged was signed by the supplier and wanted a refund NOW. I gave him his refund immediately because I was trying to be a good seller. This jerk gave me a horrible feedback. Said it was the worse transaction he’d ever done. He only has 12 feedback, he surely doesn’t have a big track record to make that comment. I called Ebay because I feel that with all the emails we had that this feedback should be removed, well I guess wrong. They said that was his feelings and could put what he wanted but I’m not allowed to put what I want and a response only allows me 80 characters to respond to this negative feedback. Support says that it would be ok and I told her she was wrong because when buyers are allowed to do this and us sellers have no recourse, we lose out top ratings and end up with our accounts being put on hold. During Christmas I had to purchase the item sold and wait 2 weeks for not just delivery of the item but 3 days after to get my money. I live on a fixed income and can’t afford to take my bill money to support Ebay and Paypal. I was sooo stressed during the holidays because of these stupid rules that allow buyers to abuse the feedback system.  

      Reply
  141. Emaileddy69 says:

    Ebay is just looking after the buyer, returns, disputes fixed shipping cost, and feedback, they have forgot who made eBay as big as it is now….  IT IS THE SELLERS. The sellers are ebays staff and we all know what happens when you don’t look after your staff they move on.

    Reply
  142. judy says:

    I AM UPSET TOO…I HAVE HAD AN ITEM RETURNED AFTER 1 MONTH …IT WAS PRISTINE AND SHIPPED IN A BOX PADDED WITH TISSUE PAPER….I RECEIVED IT AFTER I MONTH AND IT WAS ROLLED IN A BAG, FULL OF CAT HAIR..I ALSO SELL LARGE GLASS LAMP SHADES AND UNIQUE ITEMS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL PACKAGING AND IT TAKES ME UP TO 3 DAYS TO PREPARE SOME ITEMS FOR SAFE SHIPPING…..I WILL HAVE TO FORFIET MY HONORS STANDING, I AM NOT A MIDDLE MAN WHO TOSSES A SMALL ITEM IN A BAG AND SHIP IT…WISH YOU FOLKS WOULD RECONSIDER THE DEMANDS YOU ARE IMPOSING ON US SMALLER SELLERS…MAYBE CUSTOMERS SHOULD SHIP THE RETURN ITEMS TO YOUR RETURN CENTER AND YOU SHOULD EXAMINE THEM  TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT DAMAGED, THEN RETURN THEM TO SELLER…ALSO, I PAY FOR INSURANCE..WHAT IF THEY DO NOT TAKE INSURANCE AND I GET A BROKEN ITEM RETURNED..OR IF THEY ARE NOT ACCOUNTABLE FOR TRACKING  LIKE WE ARE??!!

    Reply
  143. goemerald says:

    I’ve found that even though you print a shipping label, your item doesn’t necessarily have to go to the post office that day.  All the computer reports is that it shipped.  If you need a couple of days more to get the item out, so be it.

    Reply
  144. Cindyross says:

    If anyone is going to EBAY ON LOCATION please be our voice and let the Ebay employees at the conference know that the sellers do not agree with the 14 day return policy and 1 day to ship. They are all Ebay employees not the overseas rep’s you speak to on the phone in the customer service department.
    If you are not familiar with this event just Google it. I went to the one in Orlando and it was great and everyone there works in the actual Ebay office.

    Reply
  145. CZee says:

    Well, I haven’t sold on ebay for a while, but I do not offer returns since I am not a store like some of you are.  However, if ebay doesn’t listen to the people, would it be impossible for you to sell without offering returns??  I think that might be the best of both evils.  I agree that ebay should not be telling their sellers how to run their business.  Hello, this is America.  I realize you make the rules in your own home, but I am with the stores here.  Leave it alone.  Thanks for the names of the other sites that are available.  I will check them out and sell there.  Any other suggestions that will help ebay realize that this is crazy, I am onboard.  I think common sense alone would tell you that the scammers will be all over this and laughing all the way to the post office,  Good luck with this.  God Bless.

    Reply
  146. Jason says:

    Once these new Top Rated seller requirements were announced, since their is absolutely no way, 1 man with 4 kids and wife, can do the 24 hour shipping, this makes everything else a moot point, I will lose my discount, so why would most worry about offering returns? or confirmation? how does this help the buyer? it doesn’t, just like eBay’s inclusion of shipping in the final value fee, its a lie, only eBay benefits from this new stuff as well. I will continue to run my business the way I always have, 1-3 day shipping, confirmation on 70% of orders. and great communication.

    Reply
  147. Jim Allen says:

    I have a solution to this socialist system if E-bay what to play with fire, then fire they will get you put this in place so E-bay looks like Amazon Then I will do what sellers do at Amazon I will put a $30.00 restocking fee as a requirement for returns of my items 

    Reply
  148. Boofishnp says:

    Ebay is competing head to head against Amazon on the backs of the same sellers that made the company what it is today. Amazon should establish a serious competitor to Ebay. Buyers already hold all the cards and now they get access to the chips.

    Reply
  149. Youngm427 says:

    The 1st ebay policy that I was opposed to was the NO Negative feedback for a buyer!  Then paypal can return a sellers payment without the sellers permission?  Who’s money is it???? What kind of rules are we following?  You get scammed by a NPB and can’t pass that info on to another seller?  The good performance ratings are hard enough to earn because it is impossible to please every buyer and God forbid…you tick a buyer off…your ratings go down the tube!  Now buyers will have the upper hand again and can scam all they want while leaving a seller negative feedback and poor ratings!  EBAY stop the discrimination against sellers before you lose them all!

    Reply
  150. Eggink says:

    BEWARE… It dosen’t matter if you say ‘no returns’ in your description. I had this and ‘as is’ in my listing, provided pictures and accurate description, including stressing the unusual size. Even started amout low and sold for half what simular of this item are going for. Thought someone was going to be pretty excited getting such a deal! Ha! Even tho I stated the above (am sure item was wrong size!) buyer gave me no time to reply and filed a claim stating reasons that you could tell in my picture were NOT TRUE! I didn’t want to even deal with it, decided to go ahead and refund but said NO to total refund and clicked on prompt stating no refund of postage. Before I knew it, Paypal refunded the whole amount! They did this based on Ebay decision, and NEVER notified me that they were doing this.  Shame on Paypal too!
    I am not only leaving Ebay, already feeling ‘screwed’ before these new policys, as a seller… as a buyer Ebay will no longer be my first (2nd or 3rd) place when ‘brousing’, because all the (‘little people’) like me won’t be selling on here anymore! I don’t shop Ebay for items I can buy at Best Buy or Target!
    As of April 1, see ya Ebay (and Paypal). It’s just not worth the headache.
    They ruined a good thing! So Sad.
    ** forgot to mention, when I called customer service about the above, I was told to ‘re-sell’ the item to re-coop’. Re-coop this!

    Reply
  151. Jimbo says:

    ………..and if Top-Rated sellers lose their status, why should they continue to bend over backwards for customers?? Earning the 20% discount while not opening themselves up to scam buyers will be IMPOSSIBLE!

    In other words, this may backfire on eBay!!! 

    Reply
  152. Justcleaninghouse says:

    If I treated my customers the way eBay treats me as a seller I would be
    OUT OF BUSINESS!

    Reply
  153. Feedback says:

    I think they just figured out a way to avoid giving us our 20% discount.  I will stay long enough to see if I can make any money at this, but I cannot offer same day shipping on all of my items and I will have to stop taking returns.  I sell rather intimate items that would be like returning bathingsuits after 30 days of wear.  I have sold on eBay since 1998!!  This is just about the clincher for me.

    Reply
  154. Benzgemz says:

    Wow, so many people with so many problems. I’m a low volume bronze powerseller on ebay and yes, I already offer 2 week returns for any reason and one day shipping (no, I don’t ship the day it sells… per ebay policy I PRINT my shipping label the day after the sale (and usually mail it the next day). I’ve been selling since 2001 on ebay so I’ve been there through all the changes that make it harder to be a seller. What they have done is made it harder to be a casual seller. They have forced me to be more professional. (oh, and I’ve never had a return and only 2 times have I been ripped off by a buyer, but I’ve been scammed a half dozen times by bad sellers, who cares if you can leave bad feedback if they just close the account and start a new one.)

    So some advice, worth every cent you are paying for it. Multiple Channels! Don’t be an ebay seller, I sell on ebay, ebid, Etsy, Bonanza, Craigs List, classifieds on free on topic newsletters, my own website (address included with every package I ship), and in on topic group postings on yahoo. Soon I’ll open a brick and mortar address as well. Ebay is actually a high overhead site. I plan 15% and cost of shipping into each and every price I set and keep within the free auction limits to minimize the heat, and I consider a certain part of my ebay expense advertising.

    Keep records! What you sell, what it cost, what it cost you to sell it! Who buys from your website and where did they hear of it. (use ebay to promote to your buyers! not on their site, give them a discount coupon for buying on your website right in their ebay package! Convert them to YOUR customers, not ebay customers!

    You want to use those millions of eyeballs on ebay but you don’t want them to own you. Remember, It’s your business. Think of how YOU can USE ebay and not the other way around!

    I do prefer the paypal shipping for first class items. OK, I’m not charging people the $1.64 for up to 2 ounces it costs to ship, but they are paying it. In my price. I like just printing my labels online, having my tracking automatically uploaded, being able to select a ship date up to 3 days in the future (so far ebay doesn’t seem to care what the ship date is) slap it on a padded envelope (I drop in a couple packing peanuts to keep it within the postal size regulations for 1st class packages) and drop it in the night slot at the PO. The price has gone down since we now get a bigger discount buying postage this way.

    Above all, stay calm, if this is negatively impacting your business ask yourself why, what can you do to keep the buyer from returning? How badly do you need the 20% discount? Perhaps you will do better without accepting returns, perhaps you get enough sales on other sites to make it worth while to deal with ebay, perhaps you need to adjust your pricing or what you sell…. If you don’t evolve, you are dead in the water anyway.

    Ben

    Reply
  155. ASTRIDFIT says:

    I GUESS I WILL TRY, HOW IT WORKS FOR ME AS A LITTLE SELLER – HOWEVER I AM CONCERNED THAT THEY RETURN THE MERCHANDISE USED OR DAMAGED  AND I WON’T BE ABLE TO COVER THESE LOSSES AND HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER OPTION FOR MY STORE

    Reply
  156. rick says:

    i sell gold and silver on ebay, if i offer a return , people who buy when the market is high will want to return if the price drops.. i can’t buy stocks and want to return them if the market drops during the week!!!!! i think ebay better get their shi- together here… 

    Reply
  157. Jetskier1234 says:

    In protest to feebays new policies we are closing our shop. Losing the 20% discount that we have worked so hard at is the final straw. We will continue looking for other sites to sell on and hopefully the sellers who have left eBay stay united in this plight.

    Reply
  158. Amachan12 says:

    This new policy actually demeans and cheapens items sold in the collectible area.  The policy is actually promoting returns, teaching buyers to consider returns.

    This is Similar to teaching buyers to expect to receive their packages faster than the near-bankrupt USPS can handle. Causing sellers to take responsibility for shipping.  Most of us don’t own ponies or stagecoaches to independently deliver items faster than estimates.

    The bottom line is that buyers will return more and also purchase more when they can shop, reconsider the original purchase and return it to use the same money for a comparative item purchased at a later date.  This will cause an increase in statistics of purchases pleasing to stock holders.  Of course, leaving seller casualties all over the road in the meantime.

    This thinly veiled assault on sellers ought to be protested in a peaceful manner.  Sellers are confused and not organised so we accept this ludicrous change meekly. Etsy works very well.  And, there are many sites now from which to sell where sellers are actually valued.

    Reply
  159. T.J. Fitts says:

    Gee, I am a 70yr old disabled seller.  My 2 day shipping is hard enough.  14 day returns?  So, my item is gone, cannot use the money till the return time has passed.  ebay loves the buyer ang we can(sellers) go to hell, even though we make ebay ALL their profit.  Buyers pay squat, we pay listing fees etc. and make that much less.

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      I’m disable too and that’s why we are holding a protest on April 26-28 by closing our stores. Tell everyone to join in.

      Reply
  160. Seeker says:

    The handling time is not a problem for me. I am lucky enough to live about a quarter mile from the post office. But those who do not have this luxury will suffer. As a seller of fashion clothing items, the new return policy is a major problem waiting to happen. The policy will be abused by unscrupulous buyers(and there are many) to use for a function and then returned.
    I accepted a return recently that was just thrown back in the box with no regard for potential damage. I sent the buyer a message,and of course was ignored. Ebay and PayPal are making incredible profits…. and again are throwing sellers under the bus!
    May I suggest that sellers be allowed to leave negative feedback for buyers who continually abuse the system, so sellers may have a some protection against 25% of buyers who I would block from purchasing if I had this information.

    Reply
  161. Anthony Woodcock says:

    Welcome to Pharoah Ebay.  Sitting up on the throne, dictating to all below to build them an empire.
     

    Reply
  162. Gina says:

    I am a Top Rated and Power Seller and have never and will never openly offer returns and refunds unless there really is a problem.  Between the change in return policy and shipping time requirement (which is usually no problem) with the threat of taking away the 20% discount, I have to reconsider whether or not to continue with this venue.  They already are taking a percentage of the shipping fee, we can’t leave negative feedback for rotten customers and now this.  As stated by others, this is no longer fun to do. It is a constant vigil to actually not lose money. If you add any extra fees to your sales, the customers complain or give negative feedback, so what’s the answer? I will check out other sources. I know they probably won’t have the response, but it’s a lot less headache.

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      Try ONLINEAUCTION.COM. I just started and already have someone interested in my motorcycle jacket and a cookware set. I’ve even seen a couple of my listings that I featured on the first page of Google.

      Reply
  163. kirby0107 says:

    We have been selling and buying on Ebay since 2006, more selling than buying and have always felt we worked hard at being as honest and above board as possible. When the feedback policy not allowing negative feedback for a buyer, and the ever increasing fees, it is looking like the end of the road for us as sellers and buyers on this site. We will definately take off the month of June from all listings. Hopefully if enough of the core sellers, all of us little guys Ebay seems to be setting the crosshairs on will do this too, we might be able to shake up the attitude and not invoke unfair return policies that will kill our businesses.

    Reply
    • Jan says:

      We are having a protest on April 26-28th. We will be closing our stores for those 3 days and maybe again, just to show ebay we mean business.

      Reply
  164. 1152lynne says:

    I already offer a 7 day money back return. In spite of the fact I stipulate that for a return to be accepted, the item must be returned in the same condition it was received, it has been my experience this is not the case. I have received items back that were ‘tried out’ and then returned. Most items I sell are brand new. Obviously, if they have been ‘tried out’ they are no longer new and cannot be re-listed as such. I previously quit ebay for about 4 years because their policies at that time nickled and dimed small sellers to death. I hope this proposed new return policy of theirs doesn’t cause me to rethink using ebay to sell my items. It’s very disheartening to learn that a buyer may be able to return an item and receive money back automatically through paypal from a seller’s account without the seller’s involvement in the return.

    Reply
  165. Jen says:

    WAKE UP EVERYONE!!!!!!!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT EBAY WANTS!!!!!!

    THEY WANT US “LITTLE SELLERS”  G O N E ! ! ! ! THAT’S RIGHT, YOU DON’T SEE ANY 100,000+ FEEDBACKERS ON HERE COMPLAINING.

    YOU KNOW WHY, BECAUSE ONCE US LITTLE SELLERS ARE GONE, THESE “COMPANIES” WILL TAKE OVER “OUR” PROFITS. AND WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO EBAY? THEY WILL BE GETTING THE “FAST SHIPPING SELLERS” AND MAKING THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY.     MAKE SENSE? YEP

    Reply
  166. dave3164 says:

    My main objection with ebay is the anonymous low dsr’s I think they are extremely unfair,as they could be left by competitors,new buyers who don’t know the system or even by ebay themselves who wish to deprive buyers of their FVF discount.I wonder if they are legal under British law.
    I also agree with an earlier contributor who states there should be some kind of group to represent sellers-a sort of ebay sellers trade union

    Reply
  167. Treasuresonauction says:

    A disgrace and without sellers there will be no eBay. There are lots of other sites that treat their sellers much better and are much less expensive. As a power seller I’ll be moving to another site, just too costly and time consuming to continue on eBay.

    Reply
  168. Coralnbeads says:

    If I treated customers as ebay treat me as a seller, I would have no customers, it is tome to move

    Reply
  169. tdracer says:

    wah wah wah. 
    ebay LOWERED the FVF when they started charging on shipping. They started charging on shipping because too many sellers were selling a $100 item for $10 with $90 shipping (example).

    A return policy is fair game. It’s the law in most states and provinces. Most have a 7 day cooling off period where you can back out regardless of the contract. 

    There is an unwritten return policy for all items sold. Might as well make it visible. Buy an item then just say it is ‘not as described’. Voila! you can now return it. Blame ebay? then buy through your credit card who offers a 60 day return policy.They call it buyer protection, same thing.

    As a buyer, you flock to stores like Costco for their great prices and great guarantees and return policy. Should you offer less? If so, why?

    I have a return policy and 99% items that get returned are ones with errors, mistakes, shipping damage. There are scammers but you learn and can dodge them most times. As for the jerks, such is life. There’s lots out there. At least you can ban them on ebay.

    EBay and paypal are watching the scammers. 

    Ebay DOES take into consideration both the seller and the buyer and are always trying to maximize profit. As a seller it seems you are put upon, but that’s because you have to follow the rules. No matter what the rules, buyers don’t. Right now a buyer can buy something, say they didn’t receive it and get their money back. It requires lying to their credit card co, but if they are going to steal they are going to steal. 

    One day shipping is the time it takes for you to package it and ship it out. For custom ordered items, you are out of luck but most people can print the waybill and ship as fast as they can. Done. 

    For my complaints, I do agree that ebay considers large sellers too much but they are kind of stuck doing it. I do believe large sellers will push the rules to their advantage. 

    The feedback system is a joke and does not provide any real idea of whether a seller is good or bad, as it requires a larger sampling to be accurate. For big sellers fine, but under a 1000 per month and it can be way off. 

    Reply
  170. Dbradys says:

    Of the 12 years I have been on eBay, I had found someones comment kind of funny as they said, “I have been here for 10 years and now with the changes, I am just to old, as you can’t teach a old dog new tricks”

    I want to know what he did in the past years of changes at 1 or 2 a year??

    Everyone always threats quiting and sure some do, but there is no place even close to eBay to afford the opportunity to sell what you sell there.

    What ever eBay may throw my way I will always adapt.

    Even with their fees, here is still cheaper than a brick & mortar store, heck even the antique malls charge more. Here no theft, very little returns 2%, or less some years. And with the new rules if it even doubles it is all the cost of doing business and any costs you accure is a tax deductible.

    12 years and looking for 12 more, even with the expected changes that are always coming!!!

    :~)

    Reply
  171. nayla17 says:

    I choose the “no returns accepted” option when listing my items and then state in my listings that I will accept a return on a per buyer/per item basis should a buyer “contact me” with legitimate concerns regarding the item.I also state that the item must be returned “in as listed and sold condition” with original packaging materials and that the buyer is to pay return shipping costs.Yes,I know a buyer can open a case for “item not as described” and get around my policies but I make sure to have lot’s of pictures and a very accurate description of the item.

    Will ebay get a “report”  and tell me I am violating their policy and remove my listings?

                                WHO KNOWS??

    I am so sick of the BS that I just don’t care anymore and I really think this is going to end up becoming a real BIG mess in the long run.

    I ship from 1 to 3 day’s depending on the item and I don’t want them back once they sell.I don’t want to send a buyer something for them to play with and use for a short time only to return it and get their money back.

    It is almost impossible to maintain a Top Rated Seller status on ebay as it is now.The “buyers” can do anything they want  and get away with it.They don’t have to make contact to discuss any problem they may have before leaving neu/neg feedback and some just don’t care to even try.Some will leave negative feedback after you have done everything possible to make them happy.

    A good example:I have a cousin who bought a couple of items on ebay and one arrived damaged,the other did not work at all.He called me for advise on how to handle the situation and I told him to contact the sellers and let them know so they could have the opportunity to make it right.Both sellers gave him back his money in full including shipping AND told him to not worry about sending the item back.He called me and informed me of this but said he was going to leave both of them NEG feedback anyway.

    Of course this instantly got a rise out of me — being a seller and having had this happen to me personally.I asked him why on earth would he do that when they both went above and beyond to make it right.He said the items were not described properly in the listings and that the sellers knew this and they deserved it.

    Unfortunately,this is the mentality level of a lot of buyers,especially newbies to ebay.

    BEHOLD THE MIGHTY POWER OF THE NEG —  ebay will do nothing for the good honest seller who did everything right in following ebay’s policies.

    My so called Top Rated Seller status has been taken away and reinstated so many times already due to these type of “buyers” that I just don’t care anymore.Sometimes I got the 20% and sometimes I didn’t.

    I have ALWAYS made every attempt to make a “buyer” happy with their purchase — when I know there is a problem.I can’t do anything if I am not informed.

    No one should be surprised as to these and other changes as it is all about keeping more $$$ in ebay’s greedy pockets.

    IT IS NOT ABOUT US — IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT THEM — AND IT ALWAYS WILL BE

    Reply
  172. Deenajewelers says:

    First ebay took away the seller’s ability to leave negative feedback, which was a very bad move. Now you are making us accept returns from 14 days and longer.  How unfair can you get? I sell jewelry on ebay.  People buy jewelry for daily wear AND especially for special occasions. How easy have you made it now for people to just “rent” my jewelry, wear it for that special occasion and then return it?  I feel that ebay works only for the buyers and never for the sellers. They do everything to please the buyer and take away sellers rights.  Without sellers, there would be NO buyers.  Think about that, ebay.

    Reply
  173. Tony says:

    Ebay is Ebay, money is money – and that, my friends, is all Ebay are bothered about. Soon, all currencies in the world will be replaced by ‘the Ebay dollar’. It’s like society in general – the law abiding citizen have no rights whilst the yobs and thugs in society have all the rights! Sellers are the life blood of Ebay but are always treat as second-class citizens, no matter how bad the ‘buyer’ is, we as Sellers can’t do a thing. I’m seriously questioning whether or not I want to continue with my Ebay Store – the hassle and ‘punishments’ given out by Ebay are getting to be just too dictatorial.

    Reply
  174. Aeronautony says:

    The new policy will encourage the sellor to opt for a none returns policy even when the item doesn’t warrant it.
    And as for the purchaser being able to return the item at the sellers expense before any dialog has taken place is it certainly quite unfair and one sided.

    I will seriously be looking for other sales outlets.
    Tony H.

    Reply
  175. Jan says:

    Everyone close your stores April 26-28 for a protest.

    Reply
  176. Addie says:

    Unfortunately, as of May 1st I will not be accepting returns. 

    Reply
    • sunsets says:

      RIGHT ON!.   Good Buyers, Antiquers, Vintage hunters want the Item, are used to  sales are final. 

      TELL ME HOW WE PREVENT EBAY FROM GETTING INTO THE MIDDLE, SWIPPING IT OUT OF OUR BANK ACCOUNTS FOR THE SCUM BUYERS WITH THE  FALSE-NOT-AS-DESCRIBED  Excuse ???!!!!

      Reply
  177. Sellerbynight says:

    I’m in.

    Reply
  178. Ritadv000 says:

    Offering returns on certain items is not prudent. I sell sportscards and the condition varies greatly. But because these cards are not all individually numbered or otherwise identifiable, they can be purchased and return their own cards which may be of a lesser grade, off center or miscut. Some of these cards are valuable enough to be worth the trouble. Very unfair to make refunds mandatory or lose the 20% discount.

    Reply
    • lpjazzprince says:

       Oh Man I feel you pain. I sell vintage vinyl records. god knows what kind of scratched crap will be sent back to me.

      Reply
  179. betsydenise says:

    I HAVE BEEN A SELLER ON EBAY FROM THE BEGINNING, AND I MUST SAY THE NEW RULES ARE TERRIBLE. YES, IT’S GOOD FOR “BIG BUSINESS” — BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LITTLE MAN, THE PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT THEY BUILT THEIR BUSINESS BY. BETWEEN EBAYS FEES AND PAYPALS FEES (OH AND THEY ALSO CHARGE A FEE FOR SHIPPING) THE BOTTOM DOLLAR IS SINKING FAST. I SELL FOR A SMALL COMMISON AND THIS IS A BIG CHUNK OUT OF BY SELLERS BOTTOM LINE. 1 DAY HANDLING TIME, REALLY IS THAT ANY OF THEIR BUSINESS TO BE DICTATING— 14 DAY RETURN POLICY–MY SELLERS WANT THEIR MONEY–THIS TIES EVERYTHING UP!

    Reply
  180. Alaina Bensley says:

    In vintage categories the 14 day return  is a problem.  We don’t sell products that Amazon does, it needs to be treated differently. It opens the door for all sorts of scam, fraud, etc.
    It’s naive of management to not KNOW the difference between Antiques and Cell Phones.

    The automated return opens the door for not returning items at all, same, damaged or just dissappearing.   For a Small Seller, it makes willy nilly out of a Bank Account…imagine where the rent went with no need to give notice takings.

    If I saw improvement in Seller Customer Service  instead of the downslide/ where it’s turned into good luck on reaching someone who doesn’t just HOLD & HANG UP…. 

    From Missing Auction LIstings, Taking Twice of Monthly fees with no return, One Way Feedback, it’s becoming a downward slide. 

    Many ARE LOOKING for an Alternative….  and together they will begin to form one that suits them better…  

    Surely even the few that were able to complain-wasted their time are just the tip of the iceberg of a Titantic. 

    Reply
  181. yea_right says:

    I publicly don’t take returns, however if a buyer states something to me that seems that it should be returned – I will accept the return with the following conditions.  1.  It must be packed appropriately (not thrown in a box or envelope).  2.  It must be in the same condition as when I sent it (I take pictures of it in the box before I close the box to ship to the buyer).  I usually just give the money back and block the buyer.

    Because my ebay policy on the auction states no returns, this makes it easier for me to continue doing what I’m doing.

    Reply
  182. Shadl says:

    This is crazy, every year ebay does this and we all get pissed then slowly we just adjust and let things be , why because we cant afford not too we all got bills to pay.

    I had enough last year and started my own online store, its not easy if you want to be found by buyers you have to pay and spend a lot of time doing seo at the start. I still sell on ebay i can’t stop that income.

    My sales went down the drain starting march, apparently if i don’t offer 14 day shipping and 1 day handling my visibility in the ebay search is crap. I sell custom mad decals and i normally ship next day, but sometimes customers don’t tell me what what color they want i have to wait for them to replay.  So again i had to adjust and change all of my listings so the big boss ebay is happy and i m hoping soon i get more sales.

    I really W#$%$3  hate eBay

    I personally can’t wait for real competitor to ebay all of those other sites are good but we all know your wont get the same volumes of sales as you do on ebay.

    I recommend to everyone to start there own online store and invest in seo with a professional i will be doing that now and its not cheap. AT least this way you wont totally dependent on them.
    I like to see how one day ebay will be bought by china and selling tons of crap from there, while we north american sellers have our own online mall. 

    Reply
  183. im not teling says:

    I have been selling on ebay for over ten years if this comes into force I will be moving to other sites and close down my ebay shop I sell over 1000 items a month so this would have a serous affect on my online trading As I think some buyers will just buy to return items I also think this will have a serous affect on trading outside the Uk as shipping so expensive
    why change what is a very good system just now
    i will be going on strike as well wonder if ebay can afford to lose all us power sellers

    Reply
  184. lpjazzprince says:

    eBay can stick their TRS discount up their corporate keister! 20%?  big deal! of what? it’s not like their shaving 20$ of my total fees any way. I will lose about 30 bucks a month looking back the last year. I have accepted that I will lose 20% of the top anyway. I will just cut Delivery Confirmation out on anything less than 10 bucks. that will make up the difference easily. plus I am not going to the USPS everyday any more either. 3 day now it is, more savings.

    they keep annoying me with emails to comply or I will lose my prized TRS status!

    1 day handling –  yeah right! I have 4 kids and a wife, 48 hours isn’t fast enough? WTF!

    14 day returns? – yeah right! now they can play my record 2 or 3 times, find one cheaper and return it?  expect me to pay return shipping as well, no thanks!

    100% positive feedback, many happy customers. and real relationships built with some of them, I am lucky, they are loyal to me. they will follow me elsewhere if need be.

    But Atomicmall and eCrater? Kind of generic and need an overhaul I think. I am going to test some sights out. AtomicMall has some potential. I listed 20 records over there. I have only sold 2 of them. but U did notice a lot of views for the other. in fact I surprised at how many were being viewed in a week the same as eBay in a month.

    The bottom line is this. I have seriously considered my own store with a hosting service. I do a lot of blog promoting. and have directed many hundreds of customers to my store this way. I could be doing that for Atomic Mall or my own independent store.

    I just need more guts to make the leap. desperate times call for desperate measures.

    Reply
  185. nan says:

    This upsets me more than even I would have guessed.After 8 years od sellin and 100% feedback,the last two weeks ,folks have been DUMPING returns on me in droves.It’s unprecedented.It’s as if they can “borrow” a thing,then slam it in a box & return it without notice in some cases.I will be looking for that “old”ebay place.If anyone hears,sees,or smella a new thing thats more for the “little guy” please let me know!

    Reply
  186. Mb Whitcomb says:

    Too bad their new policy downgrading their sellers who don’t turn items around within one day of order will result in the consumption of more fuel in trips to post offices and also a penalization of their disabled, rural, and part-time sellers who need the time to get orders out.

    My post office is a 30 minute round trip drive.

    As a person with fibromyalgia I can’t work a regular job.  Ebay gave me so much hope that I might have a means of making a living (without being discriminated against) that I went to business school.

    The first thing I will do upon completion is to find another platform.  I have lost years of work because of this as I can no longer compete in their market place as a low volume seller of quality hand made items.  Despite years of work and 100% feedback, they don’t want me any more in order to serve their stockholders and people in need of “instant gratification.”  

    I would like to know how they will do that without sellers and a bad reputation of their own?

    Unfortunately this will remove me as an Auctiva customer as well.

    Reply
  187. Mb Whitcomb says:

    Too bad their new policy downgrading their sellers who don’t turn items around within one day of order will result in the consumption of more fuel in trips to post offices and also a penalization of their disabled, rural, and part-time sellers who need the time to get orders out.

    My post office is a 30 minute round trip drive.

    As a person with fibromyalgia I can’t work a regular job.  Ebay gave me so much hope that I might have a means of making a living (without being discriminated against) that I went to business school.

    The first thing I will do upon completion is to find another platform.  I have lost years of work because of this as I can no longer compete in their market place as a low volume seller of quality hand made items.  Despite years of work and 100% feedback, they don’t want me any more in order to serve their stockholders and people in need of “instant gratification.”  

    I would like to know how they will do that without sellers and a bad reputation of their own?

    Reply
  188. JRJ90620 says:

    Can I just put a 20% restocking fee and buyer pays return shipping.That should end up with the buyer paying shipping both ways,which would discourage most from returning purchases.

    Reply
  189. Anonymous says:

    As a Power Seller and TRS I am absolutely Livid.  I have tried to hold my peace but enough is enough.  WHAT IS GOING ON………. IS IT ME? I post  “No returns accepted” for my products.  However, there have been times when I will offer buyers a refund to keep them happy and maintain my ratings. If you don’t, they will slay your ratings and often times it is new eBayers.  However, my profits are shrinking super fast. I offered a refund on a pair shoes that the person said were “uncomfortable”.  I just received these shoes back. When I posted them, they were nearly new.  You should see these shoes, they are ready for the garbage.  I don’t even want to touch them, toally disgusting.  Yes, take my shoes, wear them for 45 days, or to that special event THEN RETURN THEM? This is all LOSS.  My profits are shrinking super fast and if I offer a refund policy it is going to decimate me.  Also in the past two weeks there has been an increase in buyers asking for refunds and/or finding problems.  Don’t know how long I can keep doing this.

    As far as one day handling, there are a myriad of reasons when you cannot ship within a one day timeframe.

    Don’t die
    Pray no one in the family dies
    Don’t get sick
    Don’t get hospitalized
    Don’t take emergency trips out of town
    Don’t go on vacation
    Please don’t forget
    Post offices located in rural areas
    Post offices closed on Saturdays
    Snow storms and other acts of nature
    Road closures due to snow storms
    Gas prices upwards $6.00 per gallon for a daily runs to a post office that is located 15 – 20 miles away.

    Would anyone else like to add to this list?

    Reply
  190. Frump says:

    Something I think it kinda funny is how people are freaking out over these changes, yet the fact that my partner and I have been running an eBay business that is compliant with these rules for over a year now because we both felt like that’s how we’d want to be treated if we were customers, with the exception of the return policy because we sell used video games.  Yeah, we’re newer compared to most of the folks complaining but I also think the posts are pretty silly from most of these folks.

    Yes, eBay is in to make money, just like every one of us.  They do a darned good job at it as well too, I’d say.  Whether or not I agree with or enjoy every policy they make is not my point here.  eBay cares about their bottom line more than any of their sellers’ bottom lines because that’s EBAY’S money, y’know?  The hypocrisies coming from so many of these people on this comment section just blows my mind.  They don’t like eBay dictating how they run their business, but they wanna dictate how eBay runs its business.  It’s a really big disconnect to me.  No one else has noticed this?  Nobody?

    We’ll probably be losing our Top Rated Seller badge as well.  I’ll concede that I’m not pleased about it, but I also don’t view eBay as a simple hobby.  It’s a business and if I’m not gonna put my whole effort into making sure my customers come back, I shouldn’t be complaining about 1-day handling times.  For the entire time we’ve been doing our eBay stuff, we HAVE been doing 1-day handling just because it’s the right thing to do.  We probably do go to the Post Office almost every day at this point, but you know what?  It’s part of the job of selling online.  I hate it when someone makes me wait for a product I’ve purchased online, so I’m not gonna do the same for someone else.

    I know I’ll be accused of being an eBay shill.  I’m okay with that.  I don’t work for eBay and I have no ties to anyone who works at eBay.  I’m just so tired of reading all of the bile that comes out of so many of these other sellers.  It looks bad on you and eBay sellers as a whole when everything you post is nothing but hateful rants.  It’s like that on every single eBay-related message board or posting site from the last ten years and it’s always the same thing.  Don’t believe me?  Just go Google it yourself for a heaping helping of blood vomit.

    Reply
  191. Save2play says:

    The return policy change admittedly sucks and buyers will definitely use it as a way to rent items. Worse, though, is the tracking requirement. There needs to be an article written about that! I sell trading cards. I tried to send everything in bubble envelopes with delivery confirmation, but my sales plummeted. Buyers don’t want to pay the extra cost for shipping. 65 cents versus 1.65 is a big difference to customers. There’s no way I can put tracking on a regular envelope with a stamp. Since there’s no way to meet this requirement, why should I bother changing my return policy or handling time? Either way, I’m still screwed out of TRS and my discount.

    Reply
  192. Julie Stuckey says:

    just when i though it it could not be more absurd for ebay sellers… i also buy on ebay so of course i appreciate “buyer protections” .

    ebay has not followed the outlined policy that is in place as it is… a seller can have all the proof they need as according to ebay’s stated buying & selling policy (exspecially with the “item not as described” case) BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER. It is all up to the individual who the buyer connects with from ebay customer support. it is an ethical outrage. I just read the “update” and just like the ‘old’ policy, the whole thing is contradicting… in a nutshell, EBAY SELLERS HAVE NO CHOICE AND NO RIGHTS PERIOD WHEN A BUYER CLAIMS “ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED” AND NOW, SELLERS WILL HAVE TO PAIN FOR IT EVEN MORE WITH FORCED SHIPPING CHARGES.

    I am currently looking for somewhere else that actually has honest business practices that protect BOTH PARTIES FAIRLY. If ebay had actually followed their own rules, it would be difficult for people to screw each-other over. But, I guess it is too much to ask for ebay customer support (ebay corporate as a whole) to actually have to support their decisions on RULES as it is easier to decide by personal opinions or worse, APATHY.

    Reply
  193. Glassmanwch says:

    I too am one of the many who think the new eBay policies are terrible and in some cases, downright stupid.  A minimum of 14 days for a customer to return an item?  For the items I sell, mostly collectibles, if a customer can’t decide when they open the package and view the purchase they made from me whether or not they want to keep the item, then I feel there is something seriously wrong with the customer.  Luckily, for me, this has never happened.  A few broken items in transit, 2 to be exact, but returned not because the customer did not want them, but because they were broken.  There are some items, yes, that may need a long multi day return policy.  TV’s, appliances, computers and other electronic items obviously would need more time to determine if malfunctions may occur.  I believe that each individual seller should be able to set the ‘return days’ policy according to what they sell, not have a blanket amount of days tossed over us.  I lost my ‘top rated’ seller status a few months ago but just gained it back.  But when June comes, I will lose it again, as I cannot ship my items out within one day at this point in time with my job, my family and all that goes with that. I read an article in a newspaper several years ago that eBay was attempting to become another Amazon.  Well, it appears they are well on their way.  If they continue to cater to the Big Business’s, the little guys like me will be shut out.  Ebay is still the biggest game in town, but if it gets to the point that it’s not worth it for us little folk, then we will have to leave.  And I really don’t think ebay would care one way or another.

    Reply
  194. Jayappraisal says:

    We have been selling on eBay since 2003 and we are just shaking our heads about the new return policies. To all the people who sell clothes and smaller items, this will be interesting, “buyers remorse” will be a big problem. eBay is making a Netflix type of change and watch alot of people jump ship! 

    Reply
  195. Beverly Miller15 says:

    I think being forced to have a 14 day and up return period is wrong. It seems to me that eBay is punishing the seller in a lot of ways over the past few years, and this latest one is a good example. They want me to “add the return policy” to an item that I can’t possibly take a return on because once it is opened, I cannot take it back no matter what, but they keep after me to add the return of 14 days to this item. You are equally penalized if you do not take returns, so what is one to do? I am close to joining those that are seeking other places to sell that place fewer regulations on how the seller chooses to conduct their own business. There can be a lot of damage created in 14 days, or like stated above, I read audio books all the time, and I could certainly read one and return it for a refund causing the seller to lose money on too many sales. That is just totally unfair. What about someone that sells an expensive parade saddle. One could purchase the saddle, ride it in a given parade, and then request a refund for one reason or another. This policy is just wrong from the get-go! I am going along for the time being, but I am also “looking” for other options! Just my opinion.

    Reply
  196. Mavis Watson says:

    I have been selling on eBay since 2003 and followed eBay new policy all that time.  This one way of competing with brick and mortar stores in addition to treating our customers fairly.

    Reply
  197. Jayne2209 says:

    I had to laugh at the original comment.  I am in now way wishing to tell ebay how to run their business.  What I do expect though is that ebay treats me as a valued customer just like I treat my customers as valued customers.  If one of my customers has a problem I listen intently!! AND GO ABOVE AND BEYOND to make sure they feel the issue is resolved.  I think ebay just needs to remember that the sellers that use their services are just as valuable as the buyers.  Without the sellers they would have any buyers.  I would be happy if I felt like ebay was at least listening to my concerns as a seller and at least pretended to care.

    Reply
  198. Christine says:

    The new return policy will greatly hurt sellers. Buyers can then buy the same item a week later for less at auction and already be using your item and then return the 2nd one that comes in the mail to you. This is going to be a huge mess!! I sell the same items as a buy it now that many of my competitors sell at auction.The whole point of buying something at auction or for a deep discount is that the price is low because you can’t return it. Retailers add costs into prices to offset returns. If you want to return it then shop the brand name retail store online and not try to buy it on eBay for 50% off or more and then expect a return policy too. If I decide to accept returns to keep my discount it will be the buyers who will have to pay more for the items. My prices will increase to offset lost revenue due to returns. Seems like the real winner in all of this will be eBay as usual.

    Reply
  199. Jmadi38876 says:

    eBay has forgotten that it is the SELLERS not the buyers who pay the bills. eBay has become totally unrepsonsive to the needs of thier REAL customers, and deserves to fail.

    Reply
  200. Fort Bliss says:

    By requiring that we work or DO SOMETHING within 24 hours, be limited to how much we can charge for shipping, be forced, or blackmailed, into offering returns by charging us higher fees, that is called:  EMPLOYEED. They are setting all the fees for a business, making requirements.
    We are now EMPLOYEED and actually work FOR ebay and ebay owes us minimum wage if in the US.
    I only make custom stuff, that takes several days to make, do now we will be charged 20% more becuase we cannot possibly work FAST ENOUGH.
    Ebay owes us minimum wages by forcing us to work in a certain way.
    Would someone get a employment lawyer on this.
    Ebay started out as an edvertising medium . . .  like a classified newspaper – online, to sell things.
    But now, we have to actually perform certain duties by certain times or get fired, charged or penalized. That’s called EMPLOYMENT any way you slice it.

    Reply
  201. Regkur says:

    ebay said last year they wanted to become more like Amazon. They said they will (and already has) start a new section for Store Retails (Target, ToysR us, top designers ect.) And I feel they want to get everyone else (mostly mom and pop shops) out of ebay. I heard this on the News a year ago. With all the new changes since then…seems they do want everyone to leave. I just would like to know if the Big Retail Shops and Designers have to follow these new changes also? Would like to try Ebid but not sure if my things will sell like ebay. I sell womans clothes (mostly high end) If anyone knows please let me know.

    Reply
  202. Eagle170ca says:

    this is why I stopped selling scams by buyers
    like so called stolen credit card after they buy item cheaper and product not returned now out money and product I stopped taking paypal after that

    Reply
  203. Paul Shields says:

    What eBay needs to get across to it’s BUYERS somehow is that “The People who walk in the door to Buy something don’t make the Rules. The Person behind the Cash Register does!”

    Reply
  204. Terry says:

    when i read these changes, i knew it would be having a negative impact on me personally. in september of 2011, i went in the hospital for a 4 day stay for a knee replacement. I always have had 3 day handling as i do travel on short term trips so the vacation thing was not something i needed to do. after 2 1/2 weeks in the hospital, i came home to  quite a bit of pissed off people. they bought but i could not ship thus tons of 1’s and 2’s. i contacted ebay to work with them to get this at least re3viewed. a supervisor said they were sorry but since i was doing so well in sales, it would be ok.  to make things right, not only did i make sure these people got their money back, i shipped them their item free of charge.at that time i was top rated. now, i am nothing and keep getting placed lower in the listings. i am fighting like hell and i will make it back to top rated but i know it will not be with any help from from ebay. all that being said, 100% of my sales are uploading tracking wise so this is good. where i have a serious problem is offering a return policy at all. i sell dog clothes. i specifically asked my vet about returns and he asked if i would wear someones elses underwear. i said no. he explained that even the healthiest dogs can carry all sorts of bugs, parasites, fleas, etc. and suppose you buyer buys and you ship the items. fido has gotten a little fatter and now her new sweater  doesn’t fit and she wants to return. so you exchange the item, return it to stock and resell it. a short time later you get a call from that buyers lawyer. she is suing you because her dog has a disease traced from the sweater you sold her and i am responsible for thousands of dollars of vet bills. knowing this, instead of a return, i have told people to give their old item to a neighbor and i will send them a replacement item. at this, because the customer did not do as my ad says and measured their dog carefully, it just cost me not only my ebay business, but possibly thousands of dollars.
    I am really looking hard for the double win but I can’t find it. Any ideas?

    Reply
  205. Callingh says:

    A Buyer on eBay.  Buyers are not really protected from sellers.  If a seller sells an item improperly described, or with parts missing or not working, the buyer is supposed to pay for return shipping when it should be the sellers responsibility.  You might be surprised how frequently this happens..   Honest buyers taken advantage of by “ethical” sellers.  Sellers
    should receive the consequences of sellers’ mistakes, not the buyers as it now stands.  

    Reply
  206. Folks i fully understand that that it is very hard to change when you are looking at money! BUT you need to show eBay that they are not the only ship and the users need to start doing some steering, open accounts with amazon,ebid your own web store. There are many ways to leave eBay like i did and stop being hurt and bullied by the eBay beast. So just start spreading around within your circles and the word will get out pretty fast.

    Reply
  207. guest says:

    eBay MUST take a closer look at sellers who mainly sell inexpensive items (under $5). Most sellers and buyers alike are content with the honor system of PWE mailing using a First-Class stamp to keep the prices low on these items. Even with this shipping method though, the cost of selling inexpensive items on eBay have long caused MILLIONS of sellers to not be able to sell on eBay, and the more the policies change to increase these costs, the more sellers like me are going to have to start dropping out of eBay altogether. Until then, the buyers will suffer as sellers will continue to charge the buyers the fees that eBay charges the sellers, driving up the prices on inexpensive items and causing a steep drop in purchases.

    Here is an example from my own experience: If I sell a $1 baseball card for $1.25 w/free shipping, I make a $.42 profit. Or if I sell a $3 card for $2 w/free shipping I make a $1 profit. RIght now this is acceptable to most sellers on eBay, but completely unacceptable for 100,000’s of other sellers not able to sell on eBay because of this fact.

    Now eBay is wanting sellers to use delivery confirmation to maintain top-seller status (and save 20% on fees) which means I have to sell a $1 card for around $2.70 and a $3 card for around $3.40. These prices are completely unacceptable to almost all trading card buyers and sellers.

    Think about this: There are 100,000’s of people like me who just buy and sell baseball cards online, and we have BILLIONS of cards and are all looking to buy and sell them on eBay. But about 99% of these people can’t, or nearly can’t even accomplish this right now and it’s only getting worse. And that’s just baseball cards. Think about the BILLIONS of other inexpensive items that people would like to sell but can’t because of the lack of profit. It seems to me that this fee structure and the continuing policies that is forcing sellers like me to spend more on less is costing EVERYBODY money, especially eBay.

    Reply
  208. Angelas Omistar says:

    It is simply going to be a buyer friendly place but not a selller friendly place , the buyers have the upper hand now and the sellers who really are the show are going to struggle ,
    with the way things are going althought I am a top rated power seller for now ~ with everything that goes on these days I am strongly considering my own web-site with a small link to ebay ,
    I have another web-site not ebay related and I don’t have any problems with it and it runs just  as well without the rules . I sell a large volumne of books , looks like it will give people plenty of time to read the book treat me and book like a Library , two weeks is plenty of time to read it and return it .
    I started off a small seller for fun maybe 9 years ago , now with all the rules and changes I don’t think it would be easy for the average small person to list and join any more ,
    never mind the smarter seller will move on ~ really need another web-site for myself  and I really need to move on too ,
    I had a buyer recently who demanded pick up of item in her own time , because she was so nasty and my feedback was threatend I let her come early on Sunday morning which suited her and she still left me negative feedback , it’s call dealing with the public , take out money to list , take fees at the end of sale and keep crunching their dollars and make themselves work .
    Why not just remove bad sellers and leave it at that ?
    They need to go commercial now and not deal with the little sellers any more, larger commercial companies probably can afford to take the blows and employ extra staff , smaller sellers will drop out or work twice as hard . My terms and agreement page is  so long that even I don’t read it , this is due to the discovery of all the problems I encounter and all the rules to stay on top .
    The fun of listing and a simple sale is gone now , go big , go commercial or get out , the smaller  sellers will leave , l will eventually I am sure .
    The world economy is tight , there will be more people who will scam now , there has to be , I have noticed a lot try to ask for freebies lately.
    I have a good system that sort of works now , instead of givng a straight out refund I ask the buyer to send a photo of the damage instead of shipping the item back , you 50% of buyers do not get back to me , simply they lie and just try me out , see if I am a soft target automatic refund to them ,

    Reply
  209. ARYEHSAX says:

    WE SELL COLLECTIBLE GLASS, ARE WE TO GIVE A PERSON 14 DAYS TO BREAK THE GLASS AND RETURN IT? THESE ITEMS CAN RANGE FORM $50.00 UP. BAD ENOUGH TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE SCAMS LIKE RETURNING THE BROKEN GLASS THEY WERE REPLACING. WE FIXED THAT WITH A UV PEN. BUT THE OTHER IS HARD TO DEAL WITH, I DO NOT MIND THE 14 RETURN BUT NEED AT LEAST A 3 DAY NOTICE OF THEIR INTENT TO DO SO.

    Reply
  210. mscbizjaybird on eBay says:

    with vintage guitars & other musical instruments, parts and packaging will vanish- my discount has vanished because 2 buyers asked me to postpone shipments until the buyers could receive them- sooner or later, I’ll be off eBay unless they change to meet my products’ needs

    Reply
  211. Guest says:

    I’m out as soon as I deplete inventory.  No longer worth it for the smaller guys/gals.

    Reply
  212. foofighterubu says:

    This policy, now being a act is a dangerous thing. On my auctions I include the text that as per ebay policy the buyers bid is the legally binding agreement to complete the transaction as well as agreement to Seller stated terms. Ad MY terms include that my return policy is a RETURN FOR REPAIR ONLY and that only if the shipper agrees to honor an insurance claim. Buyers who don’t purchase ins ship at their own risk.

    Sellers dealing in use and return items, should include language like unworn, unused, factory defect, shipping damage and eliminate any return or the reason “I don’t like the color”. Of course no one says that, and false claims have to be made when the is only a desire to get something for nothing at some one else’ expense. People do this. Not all, but enough that it is a problem even without ebay’s new way to devalue it’s Seller community.

    It’s called Buyer Protection and yet it creates a hostile atmosphere between Seller and Buyer.

    EBAY’s general policies for the past six years or so has been a push against the Seller, AND MORE SO , against the Buyer.
    When ebay instates new fee or hardship for the seller, the cost is manifest in higher item prices, added fees (i.e. fee to compensate the Seller for the “piece of the action” ebay calls the 9% Final Value Fee-SHIPPING) which ultimately come to bear on the Buyer.
    The Buyer sees he prices and fees and considered the ebay seller a greedy crook. That’s the angle.
    Tell the Buyer he is being protected from the greedy crook that is the Seller by ripping off the Buyer and making it look like the Seller did it.

    First it was forcing 10% increase on the Buy It Now feature.
    Then it was escalating Final Value Fees. The FVF_Shipping, Now forced return policies. And Soon, if you agree to end an item early to SELL it to the bidder in a sniper free ebay sale, there will be a charge for ending items early.
    In addition, Sellers MUST Ship w’in 24 hours of paid invoice. If invoice off ebay, Seller must supply a tracking number also within 24 hr.s. If these conditions are not met, along with the UNPRECEDENTED 14 day returns for MONEY BACK, mandate, Sellers are denied Top Rated Seller and Super Seller status and the much needed 20% discount that goes with it.
    And all of this, of course, began with the initial devaluing of BUYERS as well as SELLERS, in the removal of the Seller’s ability to leave appropriate negative feedback.

    This devalues Sellers by making them look like a community of liars whose opinions and discernment can not be trusted.

    BUT, it also devalues every single Buyer of integrity who had earned 100% Positive Feedback.
    The crooks, the people who take advantage of ebay’s policies to steal from the Seller, and who abuse the every opportunity to not pay for something, the Buyers who spend frivolously and over extend and end up with charge back automatically compromising the accounts and lives of honest seller… these thieves also boast 100% Positive Feedback and they did not earn it and do not deserve it.
    In all of this ebay claims it is soon the Buyer can bid with confidence… yeah… confidence in ebay to look the other way as their policies allow for more and more theft, and reward it as well with positive feedback … Sellers who are robbed leave no feedback.
    But you can soon look for a new mandate from ebay that the Seller must leave Positive feedback as soon as an item is paid for.
    never mind the Buyer, if he is a crook, can go in and using the right words tank a Seller’s score, costing him his status of high standing and discount and possibly even his ebay account altogether.

    Since the old CEO retired and the seat has been occupied by the new guy, Sellers have endure hardship and abuses from ebay’s new policies that have made it harder and harder to want or even be able to remain on the site.

    They do a really good job of not letting the Buyer know what they are doing to the seller.

    And they imply the Seller is the bad guy with the friendly sounding words “BUYER PROTECTION, But Buyer Protection really means a brutal exploitation of the Buyer by forcing hardship on the Seller that force price increases and establishing policies which promote hostilities between two groups of people who need one another in order for good businesses to survive, and, ironically, for ebay to exits at all.

    Without the Buyer, Sellers need not bother. Without the Seller, ebay need not BE.

    Anita S. Moore
    12 yr Veteran of ebay.
    Foofighterubu Wargames terrain Studio

    Reply
  213. bobbymommy says:

    I am late to the party here but I tried the 14 return policy for two weeks and had 5 returns. Three came back severely crumpled–handbags do not look good when they’re crumpled. How will I be able to recoup these losses? No returns for me. No discount either but the decrease in anxiety-producing returns (scams, damage, cigarette smoke infused, switcharoos, etc) is worth losing the discount.

    Reply
  214. Mike Trotter says:

    Everyone should get together and quit ebay in protest. See how many rules and regulations they come up with then wne they’re broke

    Reply
  215. Jeri Witt says:

    I agree with the complaints and I cannot offer a 14 day or longer return policy. My items are collectibles- I have already been scammed by customers who buy my item and return a broken identical one in its place. No thank you. I have been paying fees a long time to ebay and this is how they treat loyal sellers? I am not Walmart!
    Whew- thanks for letting me rant .

    Reply
  216. I wonder if there is any eBay change that does not cause an “uproar” .

    Reply
  217. Done says:

    After 10 years of selling on ebay, I am phasing out and will leave. The past year has been alot of work with little sales, little to no profit. I no longer have any reason or incentive to sell on ebay since the whole point was to run a business, not to work for a large company that dictates each step and pays nothing. Would you work for a company that dictates each process , asks you to bring your inventory and offers no guarantee of income? I have my own off ebay website and am looking to switch to some other seller sites also such as ebid. I sell clothing and don’t want used clothes coming back without enough incentive to absorb those that are damaged to the point of no longer being usable. Cigarette odors, perfume orders, ink marks put intentionally to say the item was damaged. There is not enough profit to cover these operational dissasters

    Reply
  218. Morgan Lane says:

    Ridiculous. Typically, once again eBay want to take a dump on the very people that made them. Let’s just hope NOBODY takes returns anymore. that would be excellent! eBay won’t become Amazon – ever! In fact by treating its merchants like this, it’s likely to become nothing at all.

    It’s already overflowing with fakes, scammers and people who want to use and abuse ridiculous laws that are meant to protect the INNOCENT and genuine shopper; not shameless tricksters.

    eBay is just getting to be a big, corporate suck-ass system run by people who do not have to live with the consequences of their actions, and instead just grow ever more detached from their customers.

    Let’s hope it just collapses; I’m cancelling my account.

    Reply
  219. Allen says:

    I wonder if it has occured to anyone that eBay is not really interested in what people think or do concerning their policies. Our solution was to dump them on move on elsewhere after eleven plus years. That we budgeted and payed $1.000.00 plus dollars in fees a month to both eBay and Paypal didn’t phase them in the least. But with the large exodus of sellers, the only reason I see that the shareholders don’t kick up a fuss, is that the larger sellers like China more than make up the difference with lower prices. There is still pennies to made here but not to many dollars.

    Reply
  220. none@yrbusiness.com says:

    We need to balance this discussion with some views from buyers who get screwed by cheap suppliers like Jumbodepot who sell garbage with the full knowledge that no-one will pay the high cost to return an item for a refund

    Reply

Leave a Comment