8 ms·

This. I sell an eBay for a living and unless I have proof beyond reasonable doubt that the buyer is lying, I am required to provide a refund. Since I started

This. I sell an eBay for a living and unless I have proof beyond reasonable doubt that the buyer is lying, I am required to provide a refund. Since I started telling buyers that I log serial numbers for every item I sell, though, a surprising number of them started closing their own cases.

UI_at_80x24 5y ago
Count this as another anti-ebay opinion. My company (I) posted a used printer (HP Laser) for sale. In the listing I included the printer report showing the number of pages printed. I even had USED in the description 3 times (and title once). The buyer filed a complaint that the printer wasn't new. I responded with "Of course it's not, look at the title & description." Ebay made us pay for them to ship it back and refund the money. When we got it back there were 2,000 more pages printed on it. I'll NEVER do any business through ebay. You are either braver then I or have a higher tolerance for bullshit then I do.
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  It sucks, but it's a cost of doing business. Physical retailers get shoplifters, we get friendly fraud. Fortunately, most people do the right thing and with the mitigation strategies we have in place we lose only around 0.5% of revenue to (suspected) fraud. eBay's ~10% processing fee makes a much, much bigger dent in our bottom line.
  - Cullinet 5y ago
    I've forgotten the source but it was credible that over 50 percent of UK online purchases are returned. No way is this not costing everyone who tries to be a careful customer and choose wisely etc
    - AussieWog93 5y ago
      I would be shocked if it where anywhere near that high. For us, it's around 2% on both of our businesses, and we have very generous returns policies!
- philpem 5y ago
  Retail shops have to deal with similar. Basically they used you as a rental service, but used ebay's policies to force it through. When I worked retail, we used to get people buying cameras or lenses and using them for a weekend, then returning them under the 7-day "no quibble" refund policy. It wasn't uncommon for a camera or lens to come back with 10,000 shots taken. Best we could do with them is clean them up and sell them on as refurbished. A few went back to the manufacturer and came back as "factory refurbished".
dpweb 5y ago
eBay is for buyers, Mercari for sellers. Usually get better prices selling on eBay tho.
- Cullinet 5y ago
  my personal view of the accommodation and compromises made for retail consumer behaviour is that there's a incalculable sociological cost created by pandering to impulse satisfaction creeping into noticeably diminished personal and collective self control and behaviour in the current generation of young adults. /old man grump
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    Agreed with you 100% until you said "young adults". The Boomers are just as bad!

UI_at_80x24 5y ago

Count this as another anti-ebay opinion. My company (I) posted a used printer (HP Laser) for sale. In the listing I included the printer report showing the number of pages printed. I even had USED in the description 3 times (and title once). The buyer filed a complaint that the printer wasn't new. I responded with "Of course it's not, look at the title & description." Ebay made us pay for them to ship it back and refund the money. When we got it back there were 2,000 more pages printed on it. I'll NEVER do any business through ebay. You are either braver then I or have a higher tolerance for bullshit then I do.

AussieWog93 5y ago
It sucks, but it's a cost of doing business. Physical retailers get shoplifters, we get friendly fraud. Fortunately, most people do the right thing and with the mitigation strategies we have in place we lose only around 0.5% of revenue to (suspected) fraud. eBay's ~10% processing fee makes a much, much bigger dent in our bottom line.
- Cullinet 5y ago
  I've forgotten the source but it was credible that over 50 percent of UK online purchases are returned. No way is this not costing everyone who tries to be a careful customer and choose wisely etc
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    I would be shocked if it where anywhere near that high. For us, it's around 2% on both of our businesses, and we have very generous returns policies!
philpem 5y ago
Retail shops have to deal with similar. Basically they used you as a rental service, but used ebay's policies to force it through. When I worked retail, we used to get people buying cameras or lenses and using them for a weekend, then returning them under the 7-day "no quibble" refund policy. It wasn't uncommon for a camera or lens to come back with 10,000 shots taken. Best we could do with them is clean them up and sell them on as refurbished. A few went back to the manufacturer and came back as "factory refurbished".

dpweb 5y ago

eBay is for buyers, Mercari for sellers. Usually get better prices selling on eBay tho.

Cullinet 5y ago
my personal view of the accommodation and compromises made for retail consumer behaviour is that there's a incalculable sociological cost created by pandering to impulse satisfaction creeping into noticeably diminished personal and collective self control and behaviour in the current generation of young adults. /old man grump
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  Agreed with you 100% until you said "young adults". The Boomers are just as bad!