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💬 Welcome to the general eBay Q&A session on 23/07/2025 at 2:00 PM
Welcome to the eBay Q&A session!
With the eBay Community Team & the Community Support Team
Hello everyone and a ❤️ warm welcome to today’s eBay Q&A session!
Since we don’t have a special topic prepared this week, we warmly invite you to ask your general questions about buying and selling on eBay here.
❗ Please make sure not to duplicate existing topics from other members. Check first whether your question has already been asked.
🛠️ How the Q&A session works:
➤ One question per post
Please always ask only one question per post.
However, you can post multiple posts with different questions – that is expressly welcome!
➤ No new posts for existing questions
Please do not post follow-up questions or reminders for already existing threads such as
“I’m still waiting for a reply”
“My question has not yet been answered”
as a new post.
We want to keep communication clear and ask you to always stay in the existing thread so that no duplicate conversations arise.
➤ Q&A session period
⏰ The Q&A session is open from 14:00 to 15:00.
After that, it will be closed for new questions.
We will of course continue to answer all open questions. Please understand that it may take some time – especially if we involve colleagues to help clarify things so we can give you the best possible answer.
✍️ How to ask your question:
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Click “Reply” below this post at the bottom right
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Enter your question
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Between 14:00 and 15:00, click “Reply” to submit your question
ℹ️ Note on the format
We use the discussion forum format here, in which all posts appear chronologically.
The Community Team handles your questions in order and quotes the respective original question in the reply.
📌 The eBay Q&A session is a single-topic question-and-answer format.
It is not intended for discussions.
For conversations, opinions, or exchanges, please continue to use our discussion forum.
🤔 Missed it?
If you missed the Q&A session:
👉 Simply post your question directly in the Community Forum
or
👉 Come back for the next Q&A session on Wednesday – we look forward to seeing you!
steffi@ebay
We also want to sincerely thank you for your questions today - and a special thank you goes to @nina@ebay from our Community Support Team for her support!
If there are any open questions that should be answered by the next eBay Q&A session - or if there just wasn't enough time to respond to your post (or we accidentally overlooked something) - please start a new topic in the Community. If needed, simply tag us for support like this:
@miriam@ebay
@patrick@ebay
and @steffi@ebay also for all eBay Community-related questions
Stay in touch with the Community Support Team!
Feel free to add us to your private friends list via your Community profile - that way you'll always be able to see at a glance who's online and can help you.
mmstore74
·1 year agoPlease allow me one more question. @community-team@ebay @steffi@ebay @nina@ebay
So now there’s the exclusive eBay.de community group for private sellers!
One thing is puzzling me now, the following is being asked for
Exclusive exchange: Share your experiences and tips not only about eBay, but also about other online marketplaces.
Are we commercial sellers then also allowed to share our experiences about other marketplaces here, since up to now it has always been deleted immediately, or is this once again only a privilege for private sellers?
Kind regards
Marc
miriam@ebay
Hello @mmstore74 - I’m happy to take on this valid question. You as a commercial seller can also exchange information more openly about other marketplaces and your experiences there, specifically in the group Experienced sellers.
Community groups are generally not moderated by our Khoros moderation team, but the filters still react sensitively to mentions of competitors. However, that is no free pass to behave inappropriately in exclusive areas of the community and, for example, try to direct traffic to other platforms.
Kind regards
Miriam
mmstore74
·1 year agoAh ok, thanks to you too @miriam@ebay .
Wishing you all a nice day
Today is not every day, I’ll be back, no question 😁🌷
itec-systems
·1 year agoWhy does the Ebay app (current iOS version) show that there is no buyer protection for all shipping methods?
patrick@ebay
Hello @itec-systems ,
you mean seller protection? where it says no - are you on version 6.218.0 from yesterday?
Best regards
Patrick
itec-systems
·1 year agoSorry, yes seller protection. Yes exactly, that version is current
patrick@ebay
Hello @itec-systems ,
All right, I’ve passed it on to our colleagues.
Best regards
Patrick
blacksummer74
·1 year agoHello,
a few months ago I bought a hair color from a commercial seller at a low price. The item condition was listed as “new.” While mixing the dye, I noticed that it was clumping and had a slightly pungent smell. That seemed odd to me. I then researched the manufacturing date online using the batch code key on the packaging. It was listed as 2016 – so the hair color was already nine years old. I then complained to the seller. They apologized, saying that this did not meet their quality standards and that they would of course refund me the purchase price – which they did. A few days ago I bought another hair color from this seller, because in hindsight I had believed that he normally sells flawless goods. After receiving the hair color, before opening it I checked the batch code key on the packaging online just to be safe, and I was shocked: the manufacturing date was listed as 11 (!) years old. I immediately wrote to the seller asking how it could be that he sent me a completely outdated hair color – especially since this was already the second time. He replied that if stored properly there were no concerns about using it. But of course I could withdraw from the purchase – which I did. I will not be making any further purchases from this seller.
Online, the maximum shelf life of hair colorations is given as three years. In both cases here, that was exceeded by a wide margin. Judging by the seller’s ratings, I don’t seem to be the only one. So the suspicion arises here that the seller on eBay routinely sells completely outdated and therefore defective hair colors at low prices and knows this very well. In doing so, he is obviously also accepting possible health risks for his buyers.
So my question is: Under eBay’s policies, is a commercial seller allowed to routinely sell completely outdated hair colorations without pointing this out in the item description?
steffi@ebay
Hello @blacksummer74 and thanks so much for sharing your experience – totally understandable that you're disappointed!
🔍 Important to know: Commercial sellers must point out outdated goods in the item description – especially for products like hair dyes (skin contact!!!). “New” may only be used if the goods are really fresh & safe. Products that are 9 or 11 years old clearly don't count here ❌
📢 In such a case, a violation of eBay guidelines is very likely. I'd be happy to report the seller for you – for that, I’d just need the order number 🧾
Just get back to me briefly – I’ll take care of it then 💪
itec-systems
·1 year agoFor order 15-13318-72292, the buyer opened a return with the wrong reason, “defective.”
Since the processor was taken from a working device, I asked about it because the return reason surprised me. The buyer said that on his motherboard he wanted to replace his current 7th generation processor with an 8th generation processor.
That is technically impossible and a typical example of technical ignorance. It is comparable to trying to mount a tire that is too big on a rim that is too small and then claiming the tire is “defective.”
I don’t see why I should accept the return and take responsibility for a defect that doesn’t exist.
How can eBay support the seller in such cases?
miriam@ebay
Hello @itec-systems - it’s understandable that this kind of incident annoys you. Nevertheless, you should please accept the item back, because the return reason states that a defective CPU is suspected, and neither you nor we can disprove that statement at this point in time.
If it turns out that the item comes back in a different condition than when you sent it, you still have the option of a partial refund, and we can support you.
Situations like this come up every now and then not only in online commerce, and we can take a look at the case for you if you can prove a loss in value after it’s returned. I’m confident that you can resolve the situation satisfactorily with your customer, ideally before it is handed over to eBay.
Best regards
Miriam
itec-systems
·1 year agoIt can’t be that the reason for return "defective" is a free pass for every buyer.
The problem is clearly that the buyer wanted to install the processor in a system that is not compatible with the purchased processor. Nothing is being "assumed" here; rather, the statement is clearly supported by the fact that the processor to be replaced is a completely different generation.
And eBay can also see that from the message history.
If the processor comes back, it will be exactly as functional as it was when it was shipped. So what kind of partial refund is supposed to be made there?
Once again, as a seller, you have to deal with any arbitrary decision the buyer makes. It’s getting worse and worse what eBay puts on the sellers....
miriam@ebay
Hello @itec-systems! What is the problem if the fully functional processor is sent back to you, you list it again, and can sell it successfully?
Online buyers expect to be able to return items. That can sometimes mean that you suffer financial losses. We therefore recommend setting aside a certain amount with each sale so you can offset such losses.
Kind regards
Miriam
itec-systems
·1 year agoFirst of all, the problem is that because of the"defect" reason on Ebay, every return is allowed, then you have to pay shipping costs 3 times (including return shipping, which you then have to cover), and as a final touch you also get a defect in the service statistics. All this just because the buyer has no clue what they’re doing and acts carelessly.
Online buyers expect to be able to return items. That can sometimes mean that you suffer financial losses. We therefore recommend setting aside a certain amount with every sale so you can offset such losses.
Sorry, you can spare yourself such generic sentences. Online sellers expect fair return policies that are not interpreted and assessed to their disadvantage if they turn out to be inaccurate.
But when it comes to fairness, things are pretty badly off at the moment anyway...
mmstore74
·1 year agoHello everyone
@community-team@ebay @steffi@ebay
A buyer opened a payment dispute directly with the payment provider instead of with eBay because an item didn't arrive.
I took care of it right away and replied accordingly.
The postage label was bought through eBay, and I was already informed by eBay that this falls under seller protection.
Today, the shipment arrived in the mail with the note "The recipient cannot be located at this address"
I wanted to forward the photos of the shipment now, but that isn't possible because it was reported directly to the payment provider.
What can/must I do now so that the whole thing has no negative impact on the rating/defect rate, because this isn't my fault.
Kind regards
Marc
nina@ebay
·1 year ago@mmstore74 Hey. 🙂 You can also respond to the dispute through our site. Have a look here for detailed instructions.
Best regards,
Nina
mmstore74
·1 year agoHello @nina@ebay Thanks for your reply, I’ve already been there too, but (so far) I don’t have any way to respond to it anywhere and I also can’t contest anything because the matter is apparently being reviewed by the service provider.
Kind regards
Marc
nina@ebay
·1 year ago@mmstore74 I’d be happy to take a closer look at this for you. You already responded directly when the dispute was opened on 31/07 and disputed it, and uploaded the relevant documents as proof. You can see this when you click on the dispute details.
Kind regards,
Nina
mmstore74
·1 year ago....that's right @nina@ebay but today the shipment came back and the address is apparently a wrong one given by the buyer, since it couldn't be found at the address, and I wanted to upload this as proof pictures, because if there's one thing I absolutely don't like, it's when someone accuses me of something (completely) unfairly and I end up being the idiot.
And why does something like this go directly through the payment service provider and not through Ebay?
Best regards
Marc
nina@ebay
·1 year ago@mmstore74 Unfortunately, you can only respond to a dispute once, unless the payment service provider asks for further information.
Disputes are opened by buyers directly through the payment service provider, which is why the handling then no longer runs through us.
Kind regards,
Nina
mmstore74
·1 year agoOK @nina@ebay thank you very much, and then I’ll wait and see.
How could I defend myself in this case (it’s demonstrably not my fault) against a possibly negative rating or a defect complaint entry?
Best regards
Marc
steffi@ebay
Let's go 🤗