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Post by sunsetpainter on Feb 17, 2017 17:47:21 GMT
www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?%2Fpl%2F2017%2F2%2F1487338095.html
"eBay is considering more burdensome requirements for sellers who offer returns policy by expanding the minimum returns window, according to a survey it is conducting.
eBay also asked survey participants what they thought if it allowed buyers to search for items that offered free returns. In other words, eBay buyers may soon be able to exclude listings that don't offer free returns from search results.
Currently sellers who choose to offer returns must offer a minimum 14-day return window; and in order for listings to be eligible to receive the Top Rated Discount, those listings must include a 30-day return window.
eBay is considering changing those requirements from 14-day and 30-day return windows to 30-day and 90-day windows.
Upon reading about the survey in a recent issue of EB 411, some subscribers told EcommerceBytes they believed eBay is looking for ways to be more like Amazon - and believe eBay may also be looking to reduce the discounts it's required to provide Top Rated sellers by instituting a 3-month returns window."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2017 18:22:36 GMT
Mixed feelings about all of this. As usual this can hurt the small sellers who can't afford to have people returning items for free. Isn't there already a battle going on with rental clothing? So sellers will now approve buyers purchasing to try something on and then returning at no cost to the buyer. That could soon be the norm.
OTOH -People keep saying that eBay is moving to be like Amazon. Well Amazon is a huge success story, so of course that's what they're going to do. Amazon is a brilliant company who's on top of the online shopping game. eBay started off as an auction site - a novelty site. That doesn't work anymore. Auctions are only good for unique items and not the average item that has 10 + duplicates out there. I think this was discussed in another thread.
I guess sellers are going to have to up their game to allow for this return shipping if they want more visibility. Aren't some buyers already knocking out, in search, those who don't accept returns?
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Post by jandsknight on Feb 17, 2017 19:22:27 GMT
Yes, dantes, you can already choose "accepts returns" when searching.
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Post by zoesam on Feb 17, 2017 19:24:52 GMT
Interesting, I had just noticed "free returns" highlighted on a listing I was looking at yesterday & I thought to myself, 'that's a new one'. It was in one of those little highlight boxes that show up under your main photo. So, I think they're already gearing up for this, to some extent.
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val2525
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Post by val2525 on Feb 18, 2017 2:56:35 GMT
eBay forces free returns on sellers, I stop selling here.
Guess I better get my offsite site set up sooner rather than later.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 4:04:59 GMT
I think it may be a possibility in the future, Val.
Currently buyers can choose between returns and no returns. Now they'll be able to further drill it down to returns / free returns.
This doesn't include the free shipping choice either.
I'd love to know the stats for sellers in all categories. Free shipping vs paid, returns vs no returns, returns vs free returns. How much of an edge do sellers gain (or lose) with these choices.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 6:47:41 GMT
I'm gone too if I have to offer free returns. They mean free shipping? As in--the mixing bowl that cost me $14 to ship? And so if they decide they don't like it I get to pay $14 to take it back? I don't want to take things back in the first place so why would I pay to do so?
I'll just leave. I'm not renting out clothing for three months either.
Ebay is never going to learn, I guess. They can't think of anything different or creative. No creative work arounds. Etsy isn't too good lately but at least it's pleasant to look at and it's not full of Chinese junk. Where will we go without ebay though? That will be the last straw for me. 30 day returns are my limit and next day shipping. Not jumping through any more hoops while the selling prices just go lower and lower.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 17:02:59 GMT
That's a good example of how this can hurt small sellers, NEN. Large companies can absorb those hits.
Not sure what's out there that can replace eBay. I read about some of these other places like Tradesy and they sound good at first, but then things start changing and the complaints roll in.
Val said something about starting her own site. What about starting a site with all the sellers? Just thinking out loud here.... take something like that virtual mall and turn it into where a potential buyer can search all listings at once.
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val2525
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Post by val2525 on Feb 18, 2017 18:47:39 GMT
That's a good example of how this can hurt small sellers, NEN. Large companies can absorb those hits.
To an extent. I think if eBay forces FS and free returns on all sellers, what is being sold here will change significantly. Wouldn't surprise me at all if heavy and/or bulky oversized items were dropped from the site. eBay may not like the reduced selection that would be offered to buyers.
Doesn't Amazon reimburse sellers for some of those shipping costs? Like when a buyer uses their prime account to get FS, doesn't Amazon pay the seller something towards outbound shipping?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 21:52:50 GMT
Don't we have a few sellers here who are on Amazon?
I know they have their fulfillment centers. Not sure whether the sellers absorb the cost or Amazon takes it on.
As a buyer - love it. If they ever try to take something away from me, as a customer, I will go elsewhere.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Feb 19, 2017 3:16:01 GMT
Depends if you can find some of the unique stuff elsewhere that's on eBay and offered by small sellers who can't afford to be Amazon.
ETA: But it doesn't matter, I guess. Apparently (last eBay stats) only 19% of offerings there are used and we little people can be swept away pretty easily. It won't be by fiat, it will be by screwing us down so hard with FREE everything and dropping prices that it will no longer be viable selling there. Wonder if anyone will miss us?
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val2525
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Post by val2525 on Feb 19, 2017 18:29:21 GMT
Apparently (last eBay stats) only 19% of offerings there are used
I suspect if eBay factored out the cheap crap from China listings, the % of used items would be much, much higher.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Feb 20, 2017 0:44:55 GMT
Apparently (last eBay stats) only 19% of offerings there are usedI suspect if eBay factored out the cheap crap from China listings, the % of used items would be much, much higher. Absolutely! I'll bet numbers can be crunched in the C&A cats to find out just how much, too. But the Chinese sellers are eBay's darlings - that crap gets pushed on us at every opportunity. So much for Wenig's 'long tail items'. The site should be called Alibaybay. |
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