Log in

View Full Version : eBay making it hard to be a seller



rpepper9
01-27-2010, 10:42 AM
So I post my listing and after everything is listed eBay pops up a message that reads:


Attention Sellers:
Oops!
Since sellers are responsible for making sure their items are delivered safely to buyers, a listing can't include information like:

“I am not responsible for the item once it’s dropped in the mail.”

“I am not responsible for lost or damaged items.”

If your listing includes this kind of info, please edit it before posting it on eBay. Otherwise, this could prevent you from achieving eBay's Top-rated seller statusor could get you removed from the program.


So now it is the sellers responsibility to make sure the item arrives safely! I offer insurance, but I also list that it is not mandatory, stating that I am not responsible for lost or damaged packages if you do not purchase insurance (even then I am not, the Post will pay the insurance claim, but at least there is coverage).

I ship everything through PayPal, so a tracking number is figured into the shipping amount, but now it would seem that we need to figure insurance into the shipping amount too. That is going to add about 1.75 to each item, and that will probably prevent people from bidding on a 5.00 item when they have to pay 2.00 for shipping along with 1.75 for insurance.

Sorry if this has been posted before, but it is frustrating. eBay does everything to protect the buyer, and nothing for the seller, which is funny because all the listing, ending, and paypal fees are paid by the seller!

Does anyone know a way around this?

I offer insurance, but I cannot be responsible if someone chooses to take a chance and not add insurance to their package. I feel like after I drop it off at the Post, with option of 1st class or priority mail, and a tracking number, I have done all I can do and it is no longer my responsibility!

As a buyer, I would now never purchase insurance. There is no reason to do so. If a item arrives damaged or gets lost in the Postal system, it seems like eBay is on my side and I would get my money back.

Going down that dark path, have you ever gotten a package that had no tracking numbers on it, just a generic postage that the post office slaps on, or even a grouping of stamps pasted on the package? If you had paid via PayPal, you could claim the package never arrived and if the seller had no tracking number (which you can tell they did not from the package) they would be at fault and you could get your money back and keep the package!

That is a terrible thing, and I have never done it, but it is yet another thing that scares me about the way eBay and PayPal are set up. It is all about the Buyer, Buyer, BUYER!

skaar
01-27-2010, 10:54 AM
Cue Kaboomer in 3... 2...

jb143
01-27-2010, 12:04 PM
So now it is the sellers responsibility to make sure the item arrives safely!

That has always been the case. They just haven't always pointed it out as much as it appears they are doing now. Just think of it this way. If a package got lost in the mail and you didn't have insurance, the buyer could file a claim and get the money back from you whether you had that disclaimer or not...making it be your responsibility. If you did have insurance and it got lost in the mail, then it would be your responsibility to do all the work in getting the insurance claim.

rpepper9
01-27-2010, 12:36 PM
I'm probably getting worked up about nothing. I have had several items with no insurance not arrive. But I had a tracking number and PayPal seller insurance, so I did not lose any money. PayPal actually gave the buyer their money back without charging me anything because I shipped to the confirmed address and had a tracking number.

To me it just seems like a buyer can complain about the smallest thing and get their money back.

udisi
01-27-2010, 01:37 PM
Yeah, this has been a rule for a while now. Guess they're just trying to crack down on it more. It's not really just an ebay rule, but I'm pretty sure all by mail businesses have to adhere to being responsible for their product to reach their customer by US law. Think the government was kinda leaning on ebay to enforce this. That being said, you could add mandatory insurance to your auctions. Granted, even if the item is lost in the mail, it's the seller's responsibility to make the claim, and the seller will probably end up having to refund the buyer before you win a postal claim or if you even do.

Zthun
01-28-2010, 12:47 AM
I'm probably getting worked up about nothing. I have had several items with no insurance not arrive. But I had a tracking number and PayPal seller insurance, so I did not lose any money. PayPal actually gave the buyer their money back without charging me anything because I shipped to the confirmed address and had a tracking number.

To me it just seems like a buyer can complain about the smallest thing and get their money back.

That's how it works. Ebay is a buyers market. When you sell on ebay, you have a 45 day return policy whether you want one or not. If you sell broken shit and pass it off as is, then all the buyer has to do is make a claim and make something up about the item (or physically break it), and now you must accept a return.

The seller is responsible for the packaging arriving to the buyer safely. If the post office loses it, it's the sellers responsibility whether he or she likes it or not. The seller is the one who is supposed to purchase the insurance for himself/herself in case the package gets lost. Even if he/she a tracking number, if that isn't marked as delivered, the buyer has a right to the item not delivered claim. That's ebay for you.