Looks like ebay has decied to change the law for business sellers

earthstorm

http://sellerupdate.ebay.co.uk/autumn2013/returns-policy

Standardised returns policy launching for the UK

From September 2013, you’ll be required to specify a minimum period of 14 days in which
your buyers can return an item and get a refund. You’ll also be required to specify whether you or your buyer is responsible for paying the return postage costs.

If you’ve not specified these options by September 2013, we’ll automatically default your returns period to 14 days and ‘buyer pays returns postage costs’.

yews i am a webhost what only offers the min. 7 days Return/Money back guarantee.

Just been onto my contact at Trading Standards who have told me that 7 days is still the minimum that can be offered.

So now according to ebay i will need to change my listing to min. 14 day, which means changing all this info on my website, so i wonder if ebay will cover my costs in doing this as they are the ones changing the law.

paulofessex

I thought the same, how can ebay change the UK law just like that. Of course they have us by the short and curlies each change they make. Yes we can decide to cease trading on ebay but look at the amount of potential customers we have access to.

alykatz

As far as i know ebay have done this to bring themselves in line with changes to uk law [effective from june 2014] where under dsr`s the minimum returns period will change from 7 to 14 days.
This is taken from ebay

You can specify the returns time frame and who pays for return postage when you create your returns policy. Please note that the minimum time frame for returns on eBay is 14 days. We've chosen this because a 14-day returns period will be required when changes to UK distance selling regulations come into effect in June 2014 .

RFW

Wouldn't 'changing the law' only involve decreasing the time period, not increasing it? Increasing buyer confidence is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

baffcat

It really makes no difference what the law says, as long as ebay's terms aren't under it.

So if the law says 7 days, then ebay's 14 days complies with the law. If ebay said 4 days, then that'd be illegal as it doesn't match or exceed the law.

The 14 days ebay will be imposing on sellers is one of the terms sellers will have to accept to continue to sell on the site.

That doesn't mean they have to offer ebay's terms if they sell elsewhere, so the 7 days specified in law would apply, if that's what you choose to do.

soolin

Well said baffcat, I do not understand why people believe that any site, organisation or business must only comply with the legal basics and not offer more.

Strapped

I do worry that there are people selling on ebay who can't tell the difference between "the law" and "ebay terms".

Road_Hog

RFW wrote: »

Increasing buyer confidence is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

No, it is increasing buyer cost. Every bit of red tape adds to the cost. The consumer pays for it in the end.

We live in a society where we are hamstrung by red tape and H&S. The buyer doesn't need 14 days to decide he doesn't like an item. Research the seller and his feedback, if it's good and he's well established then you know that he accepts genuine returns. His feedback would indicate otherwise if he didn't.

pinkshoes

earthstorm wrote: »

http://sellerupdate.ebay.co.uk/autumn2013/returns-policy



yews i am a webhost what only offers the min. 7 days Return/Money back guarantee.

Just been onto my contact at Trading Standards who have told me that 7 days is still the minimum that can be offered.

So now according to ebay i will need to change my listing to min. 14 day, which means changing all this info on my website, so i wonder if ebay will cover my costs in doing this as they are the ones changing the law.

The current law is 7 WORKING days from the day after receipt, so if received on a Friday, this would be the equivalent of 11 DAYS. 14 days isn't exactly much longer...

What costs are you going to incur?

ballisticbrian

Yes, I agree with strapped, what does eBays terms have to do with changing the law?

RFW

Road_Hog wrote: »

No, it is increasing buyer cost. Every bit of red tape adds to the cost. The consumer pays for it in the end.

I'll tell that to Zappos.com, I'm sure it will make them change their returns policy. The one that made them into a multi-billion dollar company.