Return Policy

It used to be that ebay sellers did not need to have a return policy. Return policies were for brick-and-mortar stores like Target and WalMart. Stores that are making millions in sales every hour. But, little by little, ebay is trying to get small sellers such as ourselves in to having an iron-clad return policy for the items we sell.

I don't particularly like it, but it's something that sellers need to do- institute a return policy. I am somewhat ambivalent about it because I think it will open up a whole new can of worms and fraud against legitimate sellers such as myself. If I need to have a return policy, I'll do it, but it doesn't mean I need to necessarily make it a slam-dunk for my buyers. By that, I mean, if I have to jump through hoops to sell on ebay, then buyers will have to do the same to send me back an item for a refund.

Ebay wants sellers to offer buyers at least a 14-day return period. A return policy is pretty much silly in and of itself, at least on ebay, because buyers can return an item to a seller who doesn't even accept returns, let alone one who doesn't even have a return policy. Ebay's policy is, if a buyer returns an item purchased from an ebay seller, and if the buyer can prove that the item was returned and received by the seller, the buyer will get a refund. Period. So, it really matters little that sellers even have return policies.

I make my policy a little stricter than most. I sell predominantly older, vintage items, and I state that all the items I sell are used, and have pretty much already live a useful productive life. The value in the items I offer is in their collectability, not their operational status. As such, since my items are older and used, they can be expected to have minor defects and deficiencies here and there. I make it a point to write my descriptions so detailed, and offer so many pictures and, often times, videos to accompany my pictures that I pretty much place the onus for purchases (and the scrutiny of my items) squarely on the buyer. 

Furthermore, I state the buyer needs to be fully aware of what it is he or she is buying, should exercise his or her right to ask questions and/ or to see additional pictures, and otherwise be totally in tune with what it is in my listings, and should be satisfied with my listings, descriptions, pictures and videos to make an informed decision.

I further state that I don't accept returns for items simply because a buyer didn't like it. Or that it was the wrong color. Or that it wasn't in the proper condition as I had described. The pictures and videos that I provide should more than adequately convey to the buyer the condition, shape and function of each item I list for sale. There should be no question in my buyers mind when he or she clicks on the "Buy it Now" button.

Additionally, I add that any returns will be at the expense of the buyer, and that I will only reimburse shipping costs if I had made a mistake. For example, if a buyer ordered a red shirt and I sent a blue one. 

And finally, I make it known that items must me returned to me in the same condition as when it left my possession. Here, too, I have a built-in safety feature. If a buyer wishes to send me something back, and fails to insure it, or fails to add delivery confirmation, and the item gets lost or damaged in transit, do you think I am going to pay for the buyers' mistake? 

I'd be crazy to. If the buyer thinks he has a legitimate claim for a return, let him take it upon himself to take the necessary precautions and add the necessary insurance and delivery confirmation. I certainly won't accept a return for an item that I shipped out in excellent collectible shape, and which was returned to me in broken condition, and I certainly won't issue a refund for such.

Of course, the buyer can always complain to ebay that he he returned it, and that I am refusing to issue a refund. In that case, I'd send ebay some pictures of the item I had been sent back, proving that the item was damaged beyond repair, or at least damaged to the point where I could not sell it, or at the very least wouldn't be able to sell it for the same price as what I had originally sold it for. 

Some sellers think they need to issue a refund, no questions asked, in any and all return cases. I disagree. Once buyers get it through their head that buyers will issue a refund at the drop of a hat, where does it end? Can the prevalence of rampant fraud begin with such nilly-willy return polices?

That's precisely what I am afraid of, and precisely why I've created my return policy with some teeth. Let buyers who are looking for easy return targets seek out other sellers. They won't take advantage of me- at least not without a fight.

Some sellers with whom I've spoken are terrified of putting up a fight over a return, because they know a buyer can leave them a negative. I say, who cares? Let the buyer leave a negative. Negative feedback, while undesirable, is not the end of the world. While you, as a seller, may get a - FB from time to time, you will undoubtedly have decent DSR's to counteract such - FB. And, -FB drops off your feedback score after 12 months. So, it's possible to get a -FB, and 12 months later, return to 100% + FB once again. It's happened to me, in fact.

So, even -FB isn't as much of a tarnishing mark as it once was. While -FB is undesirable, FB as a whole is now only part of the whole picture. Your DSR's complement your feedback, and can often be seen as carrying more weight than ordinary FB.