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Hey Scavengers,
So, I have an INAD and was talking to ebay about it and decided in this case even though I don’t really agree its an INAD I’d rather be able to dispute the negative by being able to show that I took the return rather than not and have a neg over an extra $18. However, I was talking to ebay and she mentioned that with free returns you can issue partials without buyers consent if you think the buyer is filing an inad that is false (like saying you sent them the wrong size even though its labeled) or if you don’t recieve the item back in the same condition it was when it arrived.
In the last year I’ve sold over 300 items on ebay and had 6 returns counting this one. 4 inads and 2 doesnt fit. 1 inad was not returned in the same condition it was sent in, and obviously this one was possibly a false INAD, but I need to call the company or do some more research.
So, my question is, those that turned on free returns, did you see an uptick in returns? Do you think it’s worth it to turn it on since most of my returns are inads anyways? Are everyones returns that aren’t free returns inads?
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I’ve got “60 days refund, seller pays return postage”. Had one return, of a magazine about embroidery as an art form (because the semi-literate buyer thought it was about how to do embroidery) out of about 1,500- 2,000 sales. That wasn’t an INAD, it was a “didn’t like it” return.
One complete refund and one partial refund, both to do with mould (mold) in camera lenses that I hadn’t noticed.
Haven’t had an INAD- have had +ve feedback “item exactly as described”. I nearly had a return on a 1,000 dollar camera, until the customer re-read the description (English wasn’t his first language). I now try to use Peter Comb’s idea of repeating the condition report in the main text, which I hadn’t done with the camera. I don’t use “see photos for condition”.
So I suppose the secret is to over-describe the item- a big wall of text is going to discourage buyers from claiming an INAD.
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Thanks @Antique-Frog, I appreciate it.
So, I’ve got to admit a fault- the Inad was totally justified. I thought were a pair of men’s shoes, and they were actually women’s shoes. They are a sportsman style and come in both genders and I bought them in the men’s section of the thrift store and didn’t even think about it being anything else because they are so manly looking.
Looking back on my post and my ebay numbers, the 6 returns were in 18 months, only 3 of them were in the last year counting this one. 1 was doesn’t fit, this one was justified, and the last one was a barometer that I didn’t specify was plastic instead of wood. I think I’ve gotten better at describing things, so it’s actually not as bad as what I originally thought. I read your numbers and was like “crap, what am I doing wrong?”
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Hi @lauren, I’ve got a friend who sells clothes on eBay, and her experiences dissuade me from doing the same. Especially her attempt to dispose of a stockpile of adult nappies via Craigslist (“what colour are they?”) Maybe people in the UK only buy clothes on eBay if they’re drunk!
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I seldom sell clothing. I don’t know if that category makes a difference. I have free returns turned on for almost everything in my inventory. I get a return request once every 2 or 3 months. And those are usually for small things that I can’t believe people would bother wanting to send back It’s worth the discount on the fees, and since you can’t avoid the crazies filing INADs it just makes sense.
The only items I don’t do free returns on are things that can be easily copied like DVDs (which have been opened).
I think we scavengers often forget we have a super power. We know how to send things in the mail. Do you realize how stressful shipping is for 90% of the population. Most people do not want to be bothered sending something back, they think it involves magic.
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I have free returns turned on for almost everything in my inventory. I get a return request once every 2 or 3 months.
We also do Free Returns and were worried about a deluge in returns. We probably get one return requests a month for every 100 items. so 1%.
I feel Amazon has trained people to buy stuff to “try it out” knowing they can just cancel it and possibly keep it. Unless we know the item broke in the mail or we make a mistake, we always make people send the item back. Many people wont send the item back which cancels the return.
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Good to know. I did just start selling more clothes, but I’m not entirely worried about those returns because they are usually less than a pound or at most less than 2 pounds. I think I’ll try it for a month and if it’s catastrophic, it can always be turned off. Thanks team!
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I sell mostly clothing and do not do free returns. I think there are still a few items in my inventory from long ago that may still have free returns on. In the last 3 months sold over 200 clothing items. I have had 6 returns (it felt like more than that probably because I cringe everytime I see a return notice on my phone). For most returns, the buyer selects the reason: “Does not fit” so I do not pay for the original or returned shipping. I think for the most part, buyers are honest. Out of the 6 returns, I’ve had 2 issues: one buyer left positive feedback but had a negative comment attached to it where she complained that she had to pay to return it. Last week I had a return from a buyer who is also a clothing seller and she reasoned that the dress was not as described stating that the item was missized because she has other clothing from that brand in the same size but this one didn’t fit. This despite the fact that I included all measurements. I’m 99.99% certain that she knows exactly how to get free returns and that is why she selected not as described as the reason. I could have withheld her shipping and return shipping by pointing out that the measurements were included but some things are just not worth the fight. I refunded everything and relisted while also biting my tongue which was not easy. More than once I started typing a response to her before deleting it. I blocked her and I also reported her to ebay for misusing returns just in case she’s done this to others. I’m not sure if that actually results in anything but at least it made me feel a little bit better. I can’t think of any other return issues I’ve had over the last year other than those recent 2.
I crosspost all of my clothing items to poshmark and am relieved when something sells on that platform over ebay because Poshmark does not allow returns for fit. Also, clothing sells for higher prices on Posh than it does on Ebay. The only downside is buyers are able to send offers with no way for me to turn that off so I always price quite a bitter higher on Poshmark to counter all of the low ball offers that I get.
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I just sold four lots via a live auction house. They post internationally; in fact they boast that 30% of their sales are made overseas*. Presumably they don’t take returns or refund money (I haven’t asked) but any further dealings are between them and the buyer- I’m not involved. The downsides are that I have to wait two weeks to get paid (used to be in cash the following Monday, but the virus changed that) and prices achieved are a gamble. So the four lots were bid up to £135; after costs I get £100.20. For the £35 they took the photos, listed it and prized the money out of the successful bidder’s pocket.
I think the key to successful utilisation of these auctions is to build lots specifically to attract bidding, e.g. an auction lot of similar objects like, say, Lladro figurines. Taking the P&P out of the equation is quite liberating!
*This scepter’d isle is entirely surrounded by sea, so everywhere else is overseas.
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We’ve had 11 returns in our last 364 items sold for 3%. That’s high and annoying. 4 of the returns were for new in box massaging heated blankets that you can currently buy at walmart or home depot. They didnt like them. We’ve sold about 120 of these. 2 of them were for squishy stress balls. How a stress ball can be damaged in shipping or defective is beyond me!
I agree, it’s more an amazon mentality. We purchase amazon returns, so we see just how they come back. Some are brand new, not even opened. Others were clearly very used but work just fine. People are people I guess.
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I definitely would not offer free returns for my store. If you sell a lot of commodity like items such as amazon, maybe it is worth it, but for “old weird stuff” like I sell, no way. Most returns I get are based on people not reading the description at all. I’m convinced most people don’t read beyond one sentence of the description.
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I’m convinced most people don’t read beyond one sentence of the description.
I noticed (on an iMac) that I have to scroll down through a bunch of promoted listings just to get to the description.
For example Bong BC (well, I thought it was funny, dealer label actually says “Bronze BC”). I get two rows of other paintings to look at (for some reason, not two rows of assorted bongs) before I get down to the guff that the seller wrote- “I will not lie and say I know much about this item “.
Well, I can see that.
So, basically, if I have a mind to buy this painting of a ten-gallon bong I don’t need to go anywhere near the description- in fact eBay is actively discouraging me from reading it. That’s kind of, like the attitude of a market trader- that’s the attitude I have when I’m selling at a garage sale “C’mon, pick it up, buy it, don’t ask me questions”.
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@workhorse
Returners gonna return.Returns are going to happen no matter how you have your store set up. You might as well get the extra savings on fees that come along with free shipping.
This year, I sold 1,165 unique items (if it’s not nailed down, I sell it – no commodity items here).
Out of those 1k + sales, I have had exactly one return based on a buyer changing their mind.
In addition to that one return, I have had about eight other instances where customers complained, fished for refunds, etc. Some I felt were valid, and some were ridiculous. Those eight returns would have happened regardless of my store policies.Because I offer next-day shipping with free returns, I saved approximately $500.00 in seller fees this year. The savings have more than covered my losses for those nine returns/refunds.
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