Is it legal for ebay to take commission from seller's postage?

oldone_2

There is an aspect of fees on postage that annoys me. I always combine postage, but from time to time I have buyers who pay before I can send them an amended invoice.Up until now, I have refunded the excess postage they have paid.

From September, the fees will be on the Postage on the Original invoices, with no account of any subsequent overpayment refund. There is now zero incentive for a seller to combine postage in these circumstances, so the buyer pays more.

Road_Hog

RFW wrote: »

I'm not really sure which part constitutes 'bottom licking'. A return policy? Refunding lost items? Not being able to leave negative feedback? Despatching in good time?

Let's pick on a few.

Not being able to leave negative feedback. So when a buyer is a serial fraudster and crook, you think it is okay that sellers can't leave warning feedback for other sellers? For example, when of the items I used to sell, was mobile phone top up cards which would involve the sending of a code. So no online signature proving delivery and you think it is not okay for me to leave negative feedback for fraudsters that do chargebacks, so that I can warn other sellers?

Refunding lost items. Well, if the product goes missing and the buyer doesn't co-operate, i.e. filling in the RM claims form, then you get no refund from the RM.

Despatching in good time. I left an example earlier of a buyer that emailed me on Bank Holiday to demand where her phone was, that she had ordered on Friday. She ordered it at 1:15AM Saturday morning and wanted to know why she hadn't received delivery on the Bank Holiday Monday. Sure, if you're selling collectables, you'll have reasonable people, but some products attract the dregs of society - who do you please a buyer with fast despatch that doesn't understand the RM service doesn't deliver on Sundays and Bank Holidays?

A return policy. People that buy phones and send back a different phone (same model) that is broken or nick parts from it.

Return policy is fair enough, but the law says the package must be unopened and returned in the condition that it was received. Using a phone for a week and then deciding you don't like it, doesn't quite fall within that remit.

ballisticbrian

Refunding lost items. Well, if the product goes missing and the buyer doesn't co-operate, i.e. filling in the RM claims form, then you get no refund from the RM.

Just fill out your own RM claims form and tick the box that says "sender"?

sequence

Road_Hog wrote: »

Return policy is fair enough, but the law says the package must be unopened and returned in the condition that it was received. Using a phone for a week and then deciding you don't like it, doesn't quite fall within that remit.

That's not true (for business sellers at least). The law says you must be able to reasonably inspect and test the goods, that includes opening and breaking seals if it's necessary to test the goods.

RFW

Road_Hog wrote: »

Let's pick on a few.

Not being able to leave negative feedback. So when a buyer is a serial fraudster and crook, you think it is okay that sellers can't leave warning feedback for other sellers? For example, when of the items I used to sell, was mobile phone top up cards which would involve the sending of a code. So no online signature proving delivery and you think it is not okay for me to leave negative feedback for fraudsters that do chargebacks, so that I can warn other sellers?

Apart from the fact that no other selling platform allows you to negatively 'rate' customers, there isn't a point to leave negative feedback to 'warn' others. I've no desire to check every customer as they bid and is often worthless. By all means report dodgy customers and file the appropriate non-payment or whatever form to protect others. Negative feedback was abused by many sellers into bullying customers to do what they wanted.

Road_Hog wrote: »

Refunding lost items. Well, if the product goes missing and the buyer doesn't co-operate, i.e. filling in the RM claims form, then you get no refund from the RM.

SO if you get a lost item you'd rather make customers wait for Royal Mail to get a refund? What appalling service

Road_Hog wrote: »

Despatching in good time. I left an example earlier of a buyer that emailed me on Bank Holiday to demand where her phone was, that she had ordered on Friday. She ordered it at 1:15AM Saturday morning and wanted to know why she hadn't received delivery on the Bank Holiday Monday. Sure, if you're selling collectables, you'll have reasonable people, but some products attract the dregs of society - how do you please a buyer with fast despatch that doesn't understand the RM service doesn't deliver on Sundays and Bank Holidays?

You can't, some people are stupid. What does that have to do with being forced to 'lick your customer's bottom'?
A return policy. People that buy phones and send back a different phone (same model) that is broken or nick parts from it.

Road_Hog wrote: »

Return policy is fair enough, but the law says the package must be unopened and returned in the condition that it was received. Using a phone for a week and then deciding you don't like it, doesn't quite fall within that remit.

Some items are exempt and to not have that policy would be at the expense of genuine customers with a faulty item and as above those who have inspected.

Feel free to comment further on any other customer service policy you believe to be being 'forced to lick your customer's bottom', I'm still none the wiser.

Road_Hog

ballisticbrian wrote: »

Just fill out your own RM claims form and tick the box that says "sender"?

From the RM website.

'This may involve requesting additional documentation / information from either the sender or recipient of the item or inspecting the packaging and item in question.'

In my personal experience, they always write to the recipient if the refund is anything more than a book of stamps. The ebay buyer throws the form in the bin, because ebay will have already given him his refund.

RM then have the perfect excuse not to refund.

Road_Hog

RFW wrote: »

Apart from the fact that no other selling platform allows you to negatively 'rate' customers, there isn't a point to leave negative feedback to 'warn' others. I've no desire to check every customer as they bid and is often worthless. By all means report dodgy customers and file the appropriate non-payment or whatever form to protect others. Negative feedback was abused by many sellers into bullying customers to do what they wanted.


SO if you get a lost item you'd rather make customers wait for Royal Mail to get a refund? What appalling service

You've obviously never spoken with ebay CS, they are not in the slightest bit interested in sorting out fraudster buyers.

I don't lose items, the RM loses items. It would be nice to make the customer fill in the claim form prior to his refund, it's not that hard. Besides, if the seller has to take a hit on lost items, then all other buyers have to absorb that cost, which isn't fair on them. It isn't really that hard to sign an RM form saying that you haven't received the goods. I was obviously brought up in another world where good manners were included and signing a form so that the seller could also receive his refund was just common courtesy.

Things seem very different today, perhaps it is what they teach in schools these days.

Flyonthewall

RFW wrote: »

Apart from the fact that no other selling platform allows you to negatively 'rate' customers, there isn't a point to leave negative feedback to 'warn' others. I've no desire to check every customer as they bid and is often worthless. By all means report dodgy customers and file the appropriate non-payment or whatever form to protect others. Negative feedback was abused by many sellers into bullying customers to do what they wanted.


SO if you get a lost item you'd rather make customers wait for Royal Mail to get a refund? What appalling service

So because no other platform has negative ratings for customers it means ebay can't either? Buyers abuse the feedback sytem all the time, maybe they should just remove negatives for sellers too eh? If everyone looks like a good person all will be fine clearly.

Business sellers may not bother checking feedback, but as a private seller I do. I think it would be great if they had negative feedback for buyers again. You could block buyers who have loads of negative feedback - any buyer that has a large amount of negative feedback is clearly doing something wrong, there's not that many sellers out to abuse the feedback system. I'm sure business sellers don't have time to do that.

For a business I would expect a refund right away when an item is lost by RM simply because they should be prepared for the odd item losted. Personally I wouldn't mind if I had to fill out a form and wait for a refund, especially for a private seller. It might actually stop a few scammers from claiming item lost if they have to fill out a form and wait a little while.

RFW

Flyonthewall wrote: »

So because no other platform has negative ratings for customers it means ebay can't either? Buyers abuse the feedback sytem all the time, maybe they should just remove negatives for sellers too eh? If everyone looks like a good person all will be fine clearly.

There's an obvious need for negative ratings for buyers, there isn't one for sellers. As I pointed out it was being badly abused, whether you think it is pointless or not is another matter.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Business sellers may not bother checking feedback, but as a private seller I do. I think it would be great if they had negative feedback for buyers again. You could block buyers who have loads of negative feedback - any buyer that has a large amount of negative feedback is clearly doing something wrong, there's not that many sellers out to abuse the feedback system. I'm sure business sellers don't have time to do that.

Sellers abusing the feedback system was rampant, there were posts on the boards by sellers boasting about it. This upset customers who were leaving the site. Ebay surveyed lost customers and one of the reasons they gave for not coming back was for the fear of receiving retaliatory negative feedback. Non payers are easily blocked if everyone sticks to the system, scammers may be harder to filter out but negative feedback wouldn't stop them chancing it with someone or switching accounts or whatever.

Flyonthewall wrote: »

For a business I would expect a refund right away when an item is lost by RM simply because they should be prepared for the odd item losted. Personally I wouldn't mind if I had to fill out a form and wait for a refund, especially for a private seller. It might actually stop a few scammers from claiming item lost if they have to fill out a form and wait a little while.

You're in a minority. You would be happy to wait 3 weeks or more for a refund on an item from a private seller? That's without the problem of knowing if they were a genuine private seller or not.

RFW

Road_Hog wrote: »

You've obviously never spoken with ebay CS, they are not in the slightest bit interested in sorting out fraudster buyers.

I don't lose items, the RM loses items. It would be nice to make the customer fill in the claim form prior to his refund, it's not that hard. Besides, if the seller has to take a hit on lost items, then all other buyers have to absorb that cost, which isn't fair on them. It isn't really that hard to sign an RM form saying that you haven't received the goods. I was obviously brought up in another world where good manners were included and signing a form so that the seller could also receive his refund was just common courtesy.

Things seem very different today, perhaps it is what they teach in schools these days.

You're still making a buyer who hasn't received an item wait 3 weeks for a refund for not receiving an item they paid for in good faith. Do you really think that's fair and that refunding for a lost item within a few days of it not being received is being 'forced to lick your customer's bottom'?