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I’ve got some concerns with the Summer Seller Update. Here’s what I sent to eBay for Business. Wondering if anyone here has any sound answers to my questions: I want to express my disagreement with the new Policy changes in regards to auto acceptance of returns when the Buyer selects INAD. 1. I have had very few return requests, and the ones I have had are often settled to the buyer’s satisfaction WITHOUT the return of the item. However, I still want to be able to decide to offer a refund without return or the opportunity to troubleshoot (many of my items are battery operated toys and most issues buyers have had after a sale are operator error that are quickly resolved…ie: describing where the on/off switch is) on a case by case basis. I am interpreting the new policy to mean I have to choose one or the other: Auto return label provided or business policies set up to refund without return, without the opportunity for communication with the buyer. If I set up RMA# requirements, will this provide me with the opportunity to address the customer’s issues before a return label is sent? 2. Why is “Item received damaged” a choice for generating an Auto return? If an item is damaged in transit, and it is returned to me, I am no longer eligible for a damage claim with the carrier. 3. We are required to upload Tracking info into eBay, the information is already there…Why are buyers allowed to open “item not received” cases when there is already Full Tracking proof of delivery to the buyer’s authorized address provided on the site? These cases should not be allowed to be opened against a buyer, since just re-stating the Tracking info already uploaded should result in the closing of the case in the seller’s favor. It is a waste of time. The dialog is always the same…check with family members, neighbors, your postal carrier, ask for the GPS tracking info from your local post office. Why can’t an automated message be sent to the buyer and then direct them to communicate with eBay (not the individual seller) if they are unsatisfied and want to pursue a courtesy “stolen from porch” credit? I would appreciate thoughtful consideration of my concerns and responses to the questions I have asked. Thank you.
Malinda,
It has been over two weeks since I reported pornographic listings listed in the Toys & Hobbies category. I’m not sure what kind of “sweep” they are doing because they are still there. I don’t want to click on too many of these (I have kids, and I keep having to clear my browsers/cookies to report these). But here is a flagrant example: ID# 152653643832
There are many more. They are popping up in the “People who viewed this item also viewed” as well as the “Similar sponsored items” feeds attached to toy listings.
This is completely unacceptable that these listings have not been taken down. I am considering reporting them as violating the Federal Obscenity laws, seeing as I have given eBay ample time to remove the listings and they have not.Great job, Sonia! March was a really good month for me, too. Top 3 ever for gross sales. In the Summer of 2017, things didn’t really slow down for my store. Hoping that trend continues this year as we head to warmer weather.
My numbers for the week of 3/25/18:
Total Items in Store: 136
Items Sold: 16
Cost of Items Sold: $48
Total Sales: $581 + shipping
Highest Price Sold: $82 (Roller Hockey Skates)
Average Price Sold: $36.31
Returns: 0Malinda, type “bust” in the search bar and choose “Action Figures” (a sub category of Toys & Hobbies). You will see them. I could give you screen shots or item #s if that’s what you need…but honestly I don’t want to click on any more of these. I have already had to clear my cookies/browsing history a couple of times because of this. But if you need more information from me, let me know the best way to contact you.
Ebay is known to not do much about something until there are quite a few reports. I was hoping some on this forum would be willing to file a complaint…whether by calling eBay, reporting individual offensive listings, or contacting eBay for Business Facebook Group. Kind of a squeaky wheel gets the grease idea that if enough complain, they will expedite shutting down these listings. It has nothing to do with my specific search, really (though typing in “bust”/Action Figures truly gives you the scope of the problem). These listings are popping up among toy results. And any eBay users are bound to get the same inappropriate listings searching Toys & Hobbies.
Malinda, I posted a very serious issue just a couple above this post. Any help you could give in getting these offensive listings shut down would be appreciated. So far it seems my reports to eBay have fallen on deaf ears. I just can’t understand why no action has been taken.
Attn: Malinda (Mallybills) and ScavengerLife community:
I hate to do this here but there is something that is really bothering me. About a week ago, I was doing some pricing research on a toy (Vintage Kenner Star Wars X-wing fighter). Checking out the other current active listings, I clicked to view a competitor’s item. In between the top part of the listing (with the pricing/shipping info) and the description, eBay has posted “People who viewed this item also viewed” with a row of 5 photos/listings that “should” be like items. One of these photos was an explicit nude photo. I scrolled further down on the listing to find that a row of photos labelled “Similar sponsored items”. 4 of the 6 photos were obscene. These listings were popping up because they were put in the Toys & Hobbies Category by the sellers…site issue/nothing to do with cookies etc. I clicked on the first one I saw, which was the most offensive of the bunch (Not being oversensitive here: not just an adult doll, which should not be in Toys category anyways, but a nude spread eagle with photoshopped “doll” arms) and reported it within the listing on the Report Link that ebay provides. I also called and the Rep saw what I saw, confirmed it was a site issue, and said he would report it to the correct dept. I talked to his supervisor, too. I truly thought eBay would shut these down immediately once they became aware of the problem. Days passed and none of these listing were pulled. It’s actually pretty rampant. If you type in “bust” in the search bar and choose Action Figures Category you will quickly see listings that should only be in “Adult”. I contacted eBay for Business, and they also said nothing more that they would put through a report. It’s been almost a full week now with no action taken.
I have never, in 8 years of selling, had things like this pop up. It is offensive to buyers who will quickly leave eBay and never return. It is in my main selling category which affects my business, it is illegal by Federal Obscenity laws, and it is just wrong on a basic level for these to be visible alongside children’s toys. I am asking for help in reporting these listings and keeping our platform safe.I’m in Ohio. When I purchase items for resale, it’s as simple as showing the Tax Exempt Form with my Vendor’s License # on it (takes seconds to register online for a license and Ohio Law requires it). Sales tax in my neck of the woods is 6.75%.
I am only required to REMIT sales tax on purchases to buyers in my state. It’s only a small percentage of my total sales that sells to an Ohio buyer…less than 5%. It’s quite a benefit. There may be slightly different rules in different states but your accountant should be able to guide you and there’s no reason not to do it.My numbers for the week of 3/18/18:
Total Items in Store: 128
Items Sold: 22
Cost of Items Sold: $63
Total Sales: $571 + shipping
Highest Price Sold: $54 (Vintage cookie jar)
Average Price Sold: $25.95
Returns: 0What I lacked in average sale price I made up for in quantity this week. So I’m happy with the numbers.
My thoughts about the podcast and the above conversations:
1. Re: Mobile Optimization. I list on my PC. I click the Fix It link just as a regular thing on every new listing I create. If it isn’t working that day (sometimes it’s glitchy) I add that meta tag to the html. If I don’t do this, 100% of the time my listings aren’t mobile optimized. Not sure why this isn’t automatic on eBay’s side, but they have stressed that this is very important. Do you guys not do this?
2. Jay and Ryanne, I second that it would benefit you to use a Sales Tax Exemption form for purchases. Easiest thing in the world to do. You have thousands and thousands of purchases through the years. It adds up.
3. Re: Philosophy. I started selling on eBay when my kids were little ones. It was a way to contribute to the family finances while staying home with the kids. I enjoy being thrifty, but eBay helped us with reaching savings goals quicker, home improvements, a bit more travel. I’m pretty sure I do eBay for the goal achievement aspect of it, more than for the money. There are a lot of tasks about being an eBay seller I like (sourcing, shipping), other tasks not as much. But I get a lot of fulfillment out of setting goals and reaching/exceeding them money wise. It never seems to get old going to a garage sale filled with junk and coming out with those items that that no one else knows are eBay treasure. It’s always cool when you sell that thing and it reaffirms you were right in sourcing it. It gives this personal feeling of success that I wouldn’t have had without eBay. That’s what eBay has provided for me.Personally, I have a Shark Vacuum…and I’d never go back to anything else. Love it.
The mention of a Roomba reminds me of a story that had me laughing till I cried. I’ll see if I can find it. Yep, here it is. I never actually read the whole thing…I can’t get past “the horror…”
My numbers for the week of 3/11/18:
Total Items in Store: 143
Items Sold: 17
Cost of Items Sold: $43
Total Sales: $521 + shipping
Highest Price Sold: $148.50 (vintage softball mitt)
Average Price Sold: $30.64
Returns: 0Ebay recently (as in the past week or two) has been updating their Help Pages. I think it’s a good idea for everyone to read through them. There are some tweaks that it’s our job as sellers to be aware of.
1. I’m glad the error regarding refunding Original Shipping on remorse returns was corrected quickly. I’m still pretty dissatisfied that paragraph 2 & 3 remain. Help & Contact (Return an item for a refund>You changed your mind about an item>Here’s how the seller may respond) now states:Issue a full refund and let you keep the item – This typically happens with low-cost items where the return shipping would cost more than the item.
Offer you a partial refund and let you keep the item – This can be a good compromise when the seller doesn’t accept returns, but wants to offer you a gesture of goodwill – say if you ordered the wrong thing by accident.While absolutely true that a seller may offer this resolution, I don’t at all like that it is stated in the policy. It sets an expectation. Kind of a “you teach people how to treat you” thing. I don’t think it should be stated that this is a reasonable outcome…for a buyer to keep the item and get $ back. It should be the sole discretion of the seller to do so.
2. Also worth noting, I have heard debates in the past about an changing address at buyer’s request. As long as the postage is the same, I do it without incident. Some are adamant that you shouldn’t for fear of losing Seller Protections. The eBay Help Pages now state: Make sure your shipping address is correct – If the shipping address you provided to the seller is incorrect, select Contact the seller and ask them to send the item to your new address. If they haven’t shipped your item already, they’ll be able to send it to the correct address.
Mallybills, regarding the Help Pages return policy I will say I have one more objection. I have voiced this to eBay for Business and thought the more eBay representatives to hear it the better, so I will post it here as well:
I am happy to see that the Help Pages have been corrected re: the refund of Original Shipping for Buyers’ Remorse Returns. However, I am still concerned to see the 2nd & 3rd paragraphs titled “Issue a full refund/partial refund and let you keep the item”. I realize, as a seller, this sometimes makes sense for a resolution when a buyer changes their mind on an item. However, I don’t believe this should be stated in writing for all buyers to see. It sets an expectation that this is a standard way to handle a return…when in fact it is a rare exception. It is absolutely NOT an industry standard in either online or brick & mortar stores to have a buyer keep the item AND be issued a refund. By stating this, it is only a matter of time before YouTube videos are made letting unscrupulous people know how to get inexpensive stuff for free on eBay. Please, please reconsider your decision to put this in the policy at all. It is really a sellers choice alone whether to offer such a resolution when a buyer has simply changed their mind on an item. It has no place in the policy.
