Changes w/ Closing Returns

[AtomicStar]

Twice this past week I’ve been asked by eBay to contact my buyer when the 5 day window was up to ship back items. eBay says they are now trying to work with buyers who have not shipped back their returns to do so with prompting from us. What the heck? Now I have to beg my buyers to ship back their returns? If there is a 5 day window to ship the item back, that’s it. I’m not responsible for hounding buyers to ship the item. Anyone else experience this? This came from anchor support.

[Jay]

We havent had to call to close a case recently, but this is good info to know when we do call.

I dont think eBay has officially documented any changes to returns. If eBay is truly not closing returns after 5 days, they need to make that official in their documentation.

[AtomicStar]

Jay, that’s what I said. They went on to explain that I took a risk forcing the closing of the return. And that if the customer proved with tracking that it was shipped in the time window (like as if they skipped printing the label and shipped it themselves) we will get a defect.

[T-Satt]

I haven’t forced any returns to be closed. We did have a return on a shirt (didn’t fit) that the buyer never shipped back. After about 10 days, eBay closed it on their own.

Sitting on one right now. Buyer requested and we approved on 5/22. Still hasn’t shipped. Just waiting on it since the ball is in their court.

[Julie B]

I’ve never personally cared for the practice of forcing a return to close after 5 days. To me 5 days seems rather short. Perhaps eBay was wrong in ever allowing returns to be forced closed within a set number of days from when a return is initiated, rather than basing it on the day the buyer received it (especially when compared to the return policy set by the seller). What if the buyer initiated the return the first day they got the item, didn’t ship right away and the return was forced closed on day 6, 7….or even day 29? That is before the 30 day return policy that many of us have set. As a buyer having the return closed before 30 days would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Second, most buyers aren’t as adept at shipping nor do their lives revolve as much around e-commerce as ours so the “return” becomes a slightly burdensome To-Do item in their daily schedules. Many buyers don’t know or can’t leave a package in their outgoing mail so a trip to the post office trip is necessary. If they work 8 to 5, they may never get a chance to make it to the post office while its open. Some have lobbies with package drop off, some do not, and regardless many buyers aren’t aware of the package drop off bins. Therefore, their only chance to get to the Post Office may be on Saturday before noon (if they aren’t working, or have children involved in weekend sports, etc).

Like T-Satt, I just let the return process play itself out. I’m not going to remind my buyer about their return. I’ll let Ebay close the return automatically.

[Sue]

How long is it before eBay will close a return when the buyer never ships the item back?
I have a return that is over 5 days now. I’d love to not have to get it back, but I don’t really want to remind my buyer either in hopes that he forgets to send it back.
Sometimes a buyer will find someone else who can use the item and will close the return because of that. I’m hoping that is what happened in this case of too small boots.

[Jay]

If you call, eBay will close it after 5 business days (so a full week). If you do nothing, eBay will automatically close the case after 30 days.

[T-Satt]

For us, it is random. Sometimes 30 days, sometimes less. I just let them sit until the buyer ships back or EBay closes.

[sonia]

I just let them sit as well until they auto-close. I agree with what Julie B says above.

[Retro Treasures WV]

I let one sit and ebay closed it after 10 days.

[Author]

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