eBay Sellers getting Screwed Again
djm
Posts: 1,563 ✭✭✭✭✭
eBay is changing their policy on buyer cancellations. The buy now has only one hour after the item ends to request a cancellation. After that time the buy is required to pay for the item and then return the item. Which means they will be filing SNAD because they don't want to pay return shipping. Hopefully they just won't pay.
From eBays update terms of use:
Buyers generally do not have the right to cancel an order. Buyers can request to cancel an order on eBay within one hour after their purchase or commitment, and the seller will have 3 days to accept or decline the request. If the order cannot be cancelled, buyers may still be permitted to return the item if the item is eligible for return. All buyer requested cancellations of orders must be in accordance with our Order cancellation policy.
Comments
I'm assuming the order can still be canceled after an hour has elapsed if buyer and seller mutually agree to do so. There would be tremendous pushback if that option were taken away.
Wow. If buyer requests cancellation and missed deadline or whatever and returns item he should not be allowed to post negative, neutral feedback.
eBay sellers don’t owe them free returns (approval service) IMO.
I hope so too. Nowadays you can't force buyer to pay for anything that they don't want to buy. It is much better to cancel than return even for eBay.
I always tell buyers if they have any doubt about the item or if they are not sure about the item is what they want or like then don't buy. I don't want any return.
Cancellation implies that the item was not shipped, so there's no return involved.
I don't see the problem. They are limiting the buyer's ability to cancel. This restricts the buyer more than the seller. It changes nothing for the seller at all.
Do you often get cancelation requests 24 hours after purchase?
Chill
Read it more carefully. This policy applies to the hour after the commitment is made, regardless of listing type.
They choose "Buy It Now" in a listing and pay for the item or select "Commit to Buy"
They win an auction
The seller accepts the buyer's offer
The buyer accepts the seller's offer
I'm not sure how many post-auction cancellation requests I get that hit the hour window, but I'm pretty sure it's most of them, so I'm not sure this will change much, but boy do I hate those. I don't sell fixed price so what happens there bothers me less, but outside of an incredibly obvious typo in a bid, I can see no reason eBay should allow a buyer to back out of an auction willy nilly since once they bid, if they back out, they taint the item.
Buyers are more important than sellers to their business model and one should expect the rules to reflect that. That said this sounds like a nothing burger
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
I've had a handful of buyers request cancellation a day or two later, usually after an auction. There's always some lame excuse. It's very annoying, but I'd rather they do that than change their mind after the item is paid (or even worse, shipped).
Cancellations have been very rare for me. But would rather them cancel than hassle of return. Worst return was some weird guy who sent wrong coin back to me on return and mine to somebody else. What a mess. We did eventually get things worked out. But it cost me return shipping on the wrong item and I was never reimbursed. Relieved get mine back. Blocked him.
So don’t like their decision on this.
I agree. None of that is any different now than before. I will gladly cancel any order that hasn't shipped.
Please explain to me how this decision is any different than conditions currently present.
The one hour cancellation period is a big difference. Policy change implies that there can be no cancellation if not requested in the first hour. If buyer has not yet paid it is all irrelevant. However if buyer has paid (i.e. Buy It Now that requires immediate payment to conclude the purchase) then after one hour buyer's only option is to return at the expense of the seller who now has two shipping expenses for an item that goes back into his inventory.
Remains to be seen if ebay will not allow a cancellation that is requested after the first hour.
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
Not true. Simply means the buyer can't cancel it. The seller can still cancel it if requested.
No difference.
True. Buyer could never cancel a purchase. He has always had to request the seller to cancel it. It is up to the seller whether to cancel or not. Appears the one hour window is for the buyer to contact the seller with a request to cancel with the seller having three days to process the cancellation.
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
No. They simply can't push the cancelation request button. They can still email you a request for cancelation.
There's simply no meaningful difference here in a process that rarely gets used. I have one or two such requests per year out of 2 to 3 thousand sales.
It forces the seller to eat the costs of a SNAD/return (fees, shipping) when the buyer can no longer simply request a cancellation at no dollar cost to the seller.
There is a difference in the cancellation process with the updated policy.
A normal cancellation that now has to become a SNAD return because of ebay's policy change makes a big difference to the ebay fees a seller pays with the SNAD, especially if it is a $2K gold coin. Also to be considered is the zero shipping costs with a cancellation vs. the seller-paid shipping fees in both directions on an insured $2K gold coin.
A seller prefers the cancellation over the SNAD for numerous reasons and a change in ebay policy that clamps down on cancellations is a meaningful difference.>
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
As far as I can tell, this is the latest policy: https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/buyers-can-cancel-order/buyers-can-cancel-order?id=4004
Based on reading the policy, @jmlanzaf is essentially correct, and @derryb, the contention that I buyer cannot request a cancellation after an hour forcing it to become a return is incorrect and not a valid point.
In summary: If within 1 hour, the buyer can request cancellation by clicking the "Cancel this order" button. If after one hour, the buyer can request cancellation by clicking "Contact seller"->"Request to cancel this order"->"Contact the seller" and then type their cancellation request.
So the only differences described are that it takes two additional clicks and you are supposed to write a short message. Unless there is more not written I don't know that I've seen anything to get less upset about.
Hang around a while.
You clearly don't understand how conspiracies work!
Finally a link to the policy being discussed. Thanks. It is now clear the the only real change is that the buyer will have a "cancel" button (good for one hour only) that he did not have before that will send his request for cancellation to the seller. After that any request for cancellation will have to be messaged to the seller. As always final decision of a cancellation remains with the seller.
Here is why this policy change is bad for sellers: Most buyers, who become aware of the one hour cancel button, will incorrectly assume, once the cancel button is no longer available, that their option of requesting a cancellation has expired and that their only remaining alternative to back out of the sale is to use the SNAD/return option that will cost the seller in fees and shipping in both directions. It may also cost a good seller to be hit with a selling "defect" that affects his rewards for being a good seller. The new "cancel" button can easily be mistaken as the new and only way to request a cancellation. Unless ebay makes it clear to a buyer wanting to cancel a sale that he still has the option of directly messaging the seller after the cancel button disappears, there is a big difference on how this policy change can affect a seller. Simply putting the change in "policy change" offers little consolation to a seller who would like his buyer to know that the cancel button is not the only way to request a cancellation.
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
It's just another ebay improvement that doesn't improve anything.
If a buyer wants to cancel within an hour, or the timeframe I'm given for shipping; not only am I going to accommodate them by cancelling, I'll be happy to prevent them from doing that again.
See, the only one bound is the seller, on that venue. So, basically nothing has changed.
Buyers have had a cancel button option before, too. That is not new but the 1 hour limit is. That said, seller can still cancel the sale anyway, if inclined to do so. To me, this "policy change" is essentially insignificant in practice, as a seller is not likely to refuse a request to cancel a purchase from an unhappy or unreliable buyer.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Yeah, seems highly likely that the average buyer will opt to pay for, receive, and return the item as opposed to just messaging the seller with a cancel request.
Oy vey.
It does not change anything about returns or SNAD. You'll are reading it like it mandates returns. All of its saying is you have limited cancelation ability as a buyer but retain return privileges. Big deal. That's exactly the case now.
When you and I agree, everyone else should reconsider their disagreement. Lol.
Unless they incorrectly assume, as pointed out earlier, that the disappearance of the cancel button means they can no longer make such a request. As pointed out earlier, the policy change to remove the cancel button after one hour is anything but good for sellers.
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
What I hate is the few times a buyer asks to cancel right after I get back from the Post Office after shipping. At least once a month a lucky buyer gets his item shipped in less than 1 hour!
eBay will never be perfect. I never had a problem with this. Whatever rule changes come about, some sellers or buyers or both are not going to like it. Things always change, I am getting to be one of those old persons who does not like change (except coins), but realizes that changes are unavoidable, and I have to accept them.
It's never stopped them before.
Just curious what will happen if you get all these messages of cancel cancel etc
after you return from 3 hour shopping trip or a 3 weeks vacation?
you missed all this???
As stated, I've had a handful of buyers message me up to 48 hours after an eBay sale telling me they wish to cancel. I've never had one use the cancel button. Small sample size, but since proceeding with the sale with the intent to return the item involves more effort (and possibly expense) for the buyer, I don't believe that will be a common occurrence... at all. People, like electricity, tend to follow the path of least resistance.
Furthermore, if you lose sleep over the occasional buyer behaving badly and costing you a little money, perhaps selling to the public isn't for you. It's just part of the territory. No set of eBay policies will ever fix it entirely.
I sell $2K + coins. Eating the ebay fee and registered insured shipping to the buyer and then the return shipping because a buyer chose the SNAD/return route over requesting a cancellation amounts to much more than "a little money."
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
Are you sure you eat the eaby fee on a SNAD other than the 30c transaction fee?
only thing I could find:
"If you need to refund the buyer or cancel the sale, you may be eligible for a credit of the variable percentage portion of the final value fee provided that you refund the buyer in full in resolution of a return or cancellation request. The $0.30 per order fee will not be credited."
Repetition of ignorance is ignorance raised to the power two.
Ebay refunds the fees
How often has this happened to you in the past?
Can’t u Just buy something from the snad guy, return it, then neg him? Then block him. Ya know I dont think you even have return it neg him (better idea). Or pay a friend to do it - revenge can be sweet
Guy in coin club bought 4 items from guy that snad him then neg him on all. He then paid some friends (cost of a drink)to do after he was blocked “like putting a bounty on them in GTA online” he said.
Yes it’s a screwball situation they only have one hour. 4 sure bad news for seller / those who disagree rofl.
I have had buyers pay 18-30 hours after winning many times a solid ticket item real good margin. No returns / happy ending.
Sometimes when went 2-3 days eBay would become involved and if they still did not pay buyer takes non payer hit. Last one some guy fb of 1 or 2 did not pay took non payer hit. Sales to low fb buyers make me nervous as most likely flake out.