Think yourself as a buyer – what are the factors that influence you to make a purchase?
Factors that influence most buyers include:
If returns are not offered, buyers tend to doubt a seller’s intentions and/or the product quality. By not offering returns you might lose an advantage compared to your competitors. Put simply, buyers need to know if they can trust you. So, if you are not offering returns, then no matter how good your listing or product is, you will simply loose the chance of appearing in the search results of certain buyers.
Note: Sellers that offered offering 60-days free returns on their listings have seen conversion lifts of up to 25%*
(*Conversion lift seen based on Q3 2017 data. Individual results may vary. eBay does not guarantee that each seller will experience the same lift or any lift at all. “Free returns” refers to when the seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee.)
Think yourself as a buyer – what are the factors that influence you to make a purchase?
Factors that influence most buyers include:
If returns are not offered, buyers tend to doubt a seller’s intentions and/or the product quality. By not offering returns you might lose an advantage compared to your competitors. Put simply, buyers need to know if they can trust you. So, if you are not offering returns, then no matter how good your listing or product is, you will simply loose the chance of appearing in the search results of certain buyers.
Note: Sellers that offered offering 60-days free returns on their listings have seen conversion lifts of up to 25%*
(*Conversion lift seen based on Q3 2017 data. Individual results may vary. eBay does not guarantee that each seller will experience the same lift or any lift at all. “Free returns” refers to when the seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee.)
Accepting returns has its own benefits such as
Gain buyer confidence
Encourage repeat buyers
Drive online traffic
Improve your sales
Accepting returns has its own benefits such as
Gain buyer confidence
Encourage repeat buyers
Drive online traffic
Improve your sales
Who should be paying for the returns totally depends on a myriad of the reasons.
In any event, it is worth remembering that:
Reasons for returns vs What is generally accepted as “best returns practice”:
As a seller it is your responsibility to ship the right item, in the exact manner as you described in the listing. So, if you fail to do so, it is considered “best practice” if you cover the costs of the Return. Note that, this is the position in the eBay Money Back Guarantee terms.
You have done your best to ship the item, properly packaged and on time, but the item is damaged during shipment. In such cases, “best practice” is generally understood to mean (i) that you cover the buyers costs, and (ii) you then claim those costs back from your shipping provider.
Unfortunately, at times buyers may simply change their mind about having the item. In such cases, the buyer would often be responsible for the return shipping. Though, it is worth noting that some sellers will still offer free returns in such cases.
Who should be paying for the returns totally depends on a myriad of the reasons.
In any event, it is worth remembering that:
Reasons for returns vs What is generally accepted as “best returns practice”:
As a seller it is your responsibility to ship the right item, in the exact manner as you described in the listing. So, if you fail to do so, it is considered “best practice” if you cover the costs of the Return. Note that, this is the position in the eBay Money Back Guarantee terms.
You have done your best to ship the item, properly packaged and on time, but the item is damaged during shipment. In such cases, “best practice” is generally understood to mean (i) that you cover the buyers costs, and (ii) you then claim those costs back from your shipping provider.
Unfortunately, at times buyers may simply change their mind about having the item. In such cases, the buyer would often be responsible for the return shipping. Though, it is worth noting that some sellers will still offer free returns in such cases.
