Seller News August - free returns
Summary: The discussion revolves around changes in eBay's return policy for vehicle parts, specifically the mandatory acceptance of free returns for German sellers, sparking concerns among participants, particularly 3d_creativity_service. They express frustration over the disadvantage against foreign sellers, primarily from China, due to inconsistent application of these rules. melina@ebay from eBay clarifies that certain conditions apply, and eBay will share return costs if a specific return label is used. Concerns about the financial impact and competitive disadvantages are echoed, with several participants considering shifting their business to other platforms or adapting strategies to mitigate these challenges. miriam@ebay attempts to rectify misunderstandings, emphasizing that the policy applies to all sellers meeting certain conditions, regardless of nationality.
Hello everyone,
Have I understood this correctly, that I have to accept free returns for all vehicle parts?
If so, I would ask you to reconsider this decision once again.
Either I reduce all vehicle parts to under 10 euros, or I add the unfortunately extremely outrageous price of eBay return labels onto every item. Then of course there are still the eBay fees for the higher price as well as the advertising costs. That means if I sell an item for 15 euros now, I would have to sell it for 22 euros afterward to earn roughly the same... if I take an shl label, I already have to charge almost 25, so 10 euros more.... then nothing gets sold anymore anyway, because every Chinese seller is cheaper, since the location is not in Germany, they are not forced to do this- have I understood this correctly?
miriam@ebay
Hello everyone,
we'd like to jump back in here and break the topic down properly, since in the course of the discussion so far there have unfortunately been a few misleading or too blanket statements. Sorry for the confusion this caused. We'll also correct the corresponding replies here so that no contradictory information remains here.
The free 30-day returns for vehicle parts & accessories will not apply across the board to all listings in the vehicle parts & accessories category as of September 28, 2026. The policy applies to commercial sellers, and a listing must meet the relevant requirements: item location and buyer are in Germany, the item costs more than 10 euros (excluding shipping costs), the condition is New or New: Other, and it is a Buy It Now listing.
In addition, there are a number of exceptions - among other things, used items, auctions, local pickup, freight shipping, certain heavy, bulky, or hazardous items, as well as international orders are excluded. Correction:
For international orders, this applies when buyers or sellers are based outside Germany.Some vehicle parts categories are also completely excluded.Addition 12:20 pm: The seller's country of origin or location alone does not decide whether free returns apply. If a listing meets the relevant requirements, sellers based in China must also cover the cost of return shipping.
For eligible returns under the right of withdrawal, eBay covers 50% of the cost of the eBay return label. One requirement for this is, among other things, that an eBay return label is actually used. If you use your own return label, there is no contribution to the cost.
It is also important to distinguish this from claims: returns due to a defect or because an item does not match the description are still handled according to the existing basic principles. The new rule applies to the eligible returns mentioned above under the right of withdrawal.
You can find all requirements, exceptions, and the list of fully excluded categories together in our Seller Portal.
I hope this helps clear up the confusion that came up. If anything is still unclear or you have any questions, please feel free to post here in the topic!
Best regards
Miriam
3d_creativity_service
OP3 days agoThanks for the reply again. Unfortunately, the basic problem still remains here. The friendly Chinese seller does not have to pay the free return. The seller from Germany unfortunately does. I ask you to reconsider this policy once again, as in my view it represents an inappropriate disadvantage for sellers in Germany. Right now it is already difficult if not virtually impossible to compete with Chinese sellers. With this policy, it is definitely over.
miriam@ebay
Hello @3d_creativity_service - that’s not correct! What matters is not the seller’s country of origin or location in principle, but whether the respective offer meets the requirements for free returns. If that is the case, then even a seller based in China must cover the cost of return shipping.
The assumption that Chinese sellers are generally exempt from return shipping costs for a qualifying offer is therefore not correct.
Best regards
Miriam
fuhr-werk
·4 days agoI read the email about free returns the day before yesterday and thought to myself "good thing you pulled the ripcord half a year ago". I no longer sell on eBay and can only say that I should have done that much earlier. I put up with the constant micromanaging and ever new, ridiculous ideas from eBay for far too long. And only if enough sellers follow through and leave eBay will anything change.
Sadly, eBay has forgotten who they make their money from.
mia@ebay
·5 days agoHello everyone @mister-wob ,
many thanks for the follow-up questions about this topic. In the Seller News a bit further down, there’s also a detailed list of the excluded categories. These aren’t eligible for free returns. So things like hoods, rims, etc.
For typical shipping items, we support free returns with 50% participation in the shipping costs via an eBay return label. Even if the item was offered for pickup, but the buyer chose shipping instead, the 50% participation can be used via an eBay return label.
Best regards
Mia
mister-wob
·5 days agomany thanks @mia@ebay Mia
Then we’ll have to rethink the next steps. As a small “family business,” the many changes and mandatory requirements are pushing the limits of what’s manageable, and the actual core business is falling by the wayside.
Despite everything, wishing you all a lovely week
3d_creativity_service
OP5 days agoYep, it will hit all of us.... we’re currently in the process of putting all offers in the vehicle parts area on A... online, so that on the cutoff date we can simply switch off the Ebay offers. Of course we also have to pay the returns at A.... But - there it applies equally to every seller, i.e. there we’re still competitive, there we’re not yet being penalized because of our origin, to put it bluntly.... after all, this only affects sellers from within the country.... the friendly dealer from China is happy about that. Dear Ebay team, you are one of the biggest platforms for vehicle parts. Why are you working so massively right now to change that ? You surely don’t really believe that sellers are okay with being put at a disadvantage because of their origin ?
3d_creativity_service
OP5 days agoI’ve given this topic some more thought again. We can still achieve a certain degree of steering effect, since we’re clearly at a disadvantage here as German sellers. With free returns, we as sellers can decide ourselves which service provider we make available to the buyer. If they consciously choose a different one, they bear the costs themselves. If I, for example, make a provider like FedEx available for returns now, one or another buyer will surely think twice about whether they really want to send the item back at the seller’s expense — because FedEx only has a few hundred drop-off locations in Germany. If the label then isn’t used, FedEx doesn’t charge for it either, just like any other provider. Sure, that may not be the most customer-friendly approach — but at least it should offset a bit of the clear disadvantage that Ebay imposes on us here. At least until Ebay ensures equality here, meaning obliges every seller to offer free returns, because then everyone has the same burden to carry. Should Ebay prohibit that, you can always deactivate car parts on Ebay.....
mister-wob
·1 week agoHello everyone
this new rule is also worrying us a lot.
According to the eBay news, it says among other things:
What is excluded
The following offers are not subject either to the mandatory free returns or to the 50 percent share of the cost for eBay return labels:
•
certain heavy, bulky, or dangerous items as well as tires, wheels, batteries, and other explicitly excluded product categories
•
offers with freight shipping
•
•
items for which there is no right of withdrawal, e.g. customized items
is the conclusion correct that for all items where both free pickup and shipping are offered, this new rule does NOT apply?
Could someone please tag a responsible eBay employee for clarification / passing on the question, thanks very much
mister-wob
·1 week agosorry, I wanted to highlight the relevant text section in red, but it went wrong:
Offers with local pickup or exclusively for pickup
perfect-sally
·1 week ago@nina@ebay could you take a look? Thanks
mister-wob
·6 days ago@perfect-sally thanks a lot for marking and forwarding
since there hasn't been a reply yet, I'm bumping the topic again with this and asking the question once more:
does this new rule NOT apply to all items for which both free pickup and shipping are offered here?
The eBay news says:
" ...
What's excluded:
Offers with local pickup or exclusively with pickup ..."
thanks in advance for clearing this up :)
perfect-sally
·6 days ago@mia@ebay could you please help out here? Thank you very much
germanstorage
·1 week agoGlad that you all are already informed. I saw the email in my inbox this morning and thought I was going to fall off my chair....
What kind of nonsense is this that’s being cooked up again? Not only do you have to compete with each other, now everyone outside of Germany has an advantage.
Honestly, why should I have to cover the return shipping costs if the customer gives the following reason: "Ordered the wrong item" or "Don’t need it anymore"? If I order the wrong thing, then as the customer I pay for my return myself. Am I charity??
@3d_creativity_service And yes, I know some Chinese sellers on eBay.de based in China. They confirm to me that they are not forced to cover the return costs.
eBay will have to rethink this decision, because someone who has no clue about the matter made it!
We will close my shop on 28/09/2026 and I will look for something else. eBay has apparently forgotten who generates the sales here! No offer - no demand....
I feel discriminated against by this new rule as a German tax-paying commercial seller!
bmw-teilehandel
·Aug 10, 2026 at 10:51 AM · EditedGood morning,
so after months I wander into the "new" forum here and then there’s the next great piece of news.
We mainly sell used car parts, but we also have new parts for sale.
We’ll try it out for now and then draw our conclusions.
Since by now we only make 30% of our revenue on Ebay (cost issue, interference, other platforms) and are focusing more on other markets, I’m still pretty relaxed about it.
Because like with every new change on Ebay, you first think, holy crap, and it doesn’t end up quite as bad as you feared.
That said, it has to be said that all changes cost US money, and then you just have to consider whether Ebay is still economically viable for you.
Regards
Michael
www-lavicom-de
·Aug 7, 2026 at 5:51 PM · EditedIf no one complains, no one cares .... unfortunately there won’t be anyone who’ll speak up!
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 6:09 PMWell, you're probably right. Sadly, there's nothing else you can do; eBay has the right to control what happens on its platform, but that doesn't make the discrimination any better.
*sweet-melody*
·Aug 7, 2026 at 3:32 PMA friendly "hello" to everyone!
Then there would of course be other industries too with
spare parts.
Zalando has been doing it for a long time already. Back then people were already upset about it because all that
back-and-forth shipping is also a burden on the environment.
And I think this aspect should also be
taken into account and not always just the turnover.
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 4:07 PMFor me as a seller, of course, the main thing is basically revenue at first. But yes, you’re also right about sustainability. Buyers will then order and return a lot more - it’s free after all.... at least for those who are still left. Especially low-cost replacement parts probably won’t be found on eBay anymore, except from China. The others will probably move to platforms where the same conditions apply to all sellers, no matter whether the item location is Germany, China, Austria, or Switzerland. What eBay is pulling here, free returns only for German sellers in Germany, foreign sellers don’t have to offer it, is unique across all platforms...... and I also don’t think I misunderstood it if the rule is supposed to apply only to German item locations...
hasjana
·Aug 7, 2026 at 4:30 PM · Editedan auction offer with a fixed-price option is an auction, and a freight forwarder is a company that carries out the transport of goods
... just as a thought experiment
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:25 PM · EditedHello @3d_creativity_service
Thanks for your inquiry. In the case of a complaint, that is, if the item is defective or differs significantly from the description, we naturally expect sellers to offer a free return.
It is different in the case of a cancellation, if the buyer no longer wants the item, for example, or has changed their mind. In this case, the seller can decide in the cancellation policy itself whether they cover the return shipping costs or whether these are borne by the buyer.
Here you can find the details on handling a return.
Since your inquiry relates to the Vehicle Parts & Accessories category, it is correct that we are adjusting the return policies. You can find the information on this here.
Thanks for the tag @perfect-sally .
Kind regards
Melina
perfect-sally
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:28 PMAnd what's new about that now? That's always been handled that way.
Complaint: the seller pays the return shipping
Withdrawal: with most sellers, the customer pays the return shipping if the seller doesn't offer free return shipping themselves.
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:35 PMHello @perfect-sally
I added some additional details in the reply. So it is correct that the return policies for the category Vehicle parts & accessories are changing. Here you can find the information about it.
Best regards
Melina
perfect-sally
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:41 PMWow, another requirement from eBay and once again the withdrawal policy, etc. are supposed to be adjusted, which didn’t even work with the withdrawal button WITHOUT getting the framework conditions that you never created. And nothing has changed about that either, and eBay is keeping quiet.
Fortunately, this new requirement doesn’t affect me at the moment, but I’m sure eBay will come up with something to squeeze even more sellers!
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 1:33 PMSo, as feared, I’m being forced with car parts. And why don’t dealers from China have to offer free returns and get preferential treatment?!
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:40 PM · Edited@3d_creativity_service The measure applies to every commercial seller based in Germany.
Addendum 4.09.2026 by Community Team: The rule does not automatically apply to all offers from commercial sellers based in Germany. An offer must meet the corresponding requirements - among other things, the item location must be in Germany. This means: Even sellers based in China must cover the return shipping costs for an eligible offer.
Best regards
Melina
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 1:41 PMJust as feared. At least then will sellers from abroad on fahrzeugteilen in Germany be excluded, so that German sellers are not unfairly disadvantaged?
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 1:38 PMMelina, please don't get me wrong, but what chance is a German seller supposed to have then of selling vehicle parts on eBay for more than 10 euros at a profit? After all, you sometimes only have margins of 2 - 3 euros, and the rest gets eaten up by taxes, eBay fees and advertising costs.... I can't pay for a return label with that. So I'll really have to deactivate all vehicle parts over 10 euros on eBay as of the cutoff date, September 28. Sorry, but that just doesn't work. I think you keep forgetting that there are other platforms too....
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:49 PM@3d_creativity_service I can understand that you’re concerned about profitability. At the same time, free returns have been common on many other online marketplaces for quite some time and are increasingly expected by buyers. From experience, we know that free returns especially motivate buyers to make a purchase.
To support our sellers, eBay covers 50 % of the return shipping costs. You can also read up on all the benefits here again.
In addition, free returns also offer advantages: they strengthen buyer trust, increase competitiveness compared with other providers, and can help encourage repeat purchases as well as overall buying willingness.
Thank you for the open suggestions you share with us, and I wish you every success with the implementation. 😊
Kind regards
Melina
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 1:56 PM · EditedExactly that’s the problem. A free return encourages buyers to get 10 items from 10 different sellers and send 9 back. Especially since you’re only punishing the German sellers. The supposedly private Chinese seller is pleased about the massive increase in sales because the German seller is no longer competitive due to the massive price increases that become necessary. I also want to say something about the 50 percent. 50% of 6.80 for Hermes is still 3.40. I ship a lot by letter for 1.10. So the return already costs me more than double the outbound shipping. So let’s take an item that I currently sell for 15 euros. Then I’d add 3.40- since I have the risk with each one of the then much too easy free return. Then I’m already at 18.40. Then I add advertising and eBay fees. And taxes. That puts me at a relaxed 25 euros for an item that previously cost 15. The supposedly private Chinese seller of course stays at 15. So where will people buy in the future? Certainly not from the German seller. And with that you also don’t increase the competitiveness of German sellers, you reduce it to 0. Yes, good luck implementing that, thanks. It’s simple. On the 28th I’ll delete everything over 10 euros in auto parts. Then it’ll just be on a, on e... then soon on k.... But no longer on eBay. Since you’re bringing up other platforms so nicely right now. On other platforms, at least all sellers are treated equally and foreign ones are not favored. Sorry, it just doesn’t work like that. That’s really outrageous of you, sorry for being blunt.
bixtron
·1 week agoHi,
I’ve also already removed a big part of my inventory from eBay, since only eBay would make money from these items.
eBay doesn’t care, and you can see the kind of answers you get... "Other platforms do that, so we do it that way too (but totally screw it up and don’t even have a basic framework in place)"
Competitiveness - sure, if everyone has the same return settings, you’re definitely going to stand out from each other. At best, this is about eBay’s competitiveness...
The winners are the foreign sellers & eBay. And the private auto parts trade...
perfect-sally
·Aug 7, 2026 at 1:12 PMSince it doesn’t affect me, I didn’t read it carefully when it was announced either. But if eBay were to force sellers to offer free returns at their own expense, that would be the absolute bomb.
I think an eBay employee can clear things up here; she’ll chime in here.
Hello @melina@ebay would you be so kind? Thanks
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 1:31 PMYes, I see it that way too. Well, I mean - if it really affects everyone, then everyone has to adjust their prices too, then you can still just about live with it - but if it's as I understood it, when you buy an item from Germany, it only affects items with a location in Germany. In other words, the Chinese, who already now have the advantage that they basically don’t pay taxes in Germany and are very often tolerated as private sellers, will have won out for good in that sector - there’s nothing you can do about it anymore. Generally speaking, this makes eBay uncompetitive price-wise - even as a buyer..... meaning either you buy from evil A, or now from evil T, at the old price, or on eBay for 30 to 40% more than before, or on eBay from the Chinese at the old price..... a German seller can’t afford that without massive price increases. Especially not in the low-price segment of 15 to 20 euros, maybe up to 30 euros.... that thing about "we cover half the return shipping costs" sounds great at first - but - we send a lot by letter, so even with half reimbursement the return shipping costs us twice as much as the outbound shipping
... furthermore, return rates will rise massively, because then you only need to send a 50-cent cheaper offer after 3 or 4 days and it goes straight back..... at the seller’s expense, who’s left holding the bag..... furthermore, people will then buy even more carelessly, we already have the problem that many buyers don’t read the description and buy the wrong thing, that will get even worse.... or it’ll start like this and people will buy 10 of the same item from 10 manufacturers, 9 will just be sent back then, and you simply keep the one that suits you best.... so if this really comes to pass, I’ll have to keep every offer over q0 euros in the vehicle parts section active only on A. eBay just won’t work anymore......
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 3:05 PM · EditedHello @3d_creativity_service .
Thank you for explaining your concerns so openly once again. I fully understand that the change raises questions, especially for items with low margins.
I would also recommend not making any hasty decisions here and not going through the effort of changing your assortment straight away. Feel free to give the change some time - only practical experience will show how it affects your sales and return rate. .😉
However, it is important to us to emphasize that eBay does not favor sellers based on their location. Our policies apply equally to all sellers and are intended to create a consistent and trustworthy shopping experience.
We are convinced that a customer-friendly return experience strengthens trust in the long term and can have a positive effect on the listing, purchase willingness, and repeat buyers.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.
Addition 4.09.2026 by Community Team: The mandatory free returns apply only to listings that meet the corresponding requirements. Among other things, private sellers, used items, auctions, and international orders are excluded from this policy.
Kind regards
Melina
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 3:08 PMHi Melina, sorry, but you're contradicting yourself right now. In an earlier message, you said this applies to items or sellers located in Germany. So now I'm specifically asking you for an answer to the following question. Does a seller with the item location in China, or seller location China, also have to offer free returns with us in Germany?
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 3:27 PM@3d_creativity_service I think there’s a misunderstanding here. Two different issues are being mixed together here. My statement referred exclusively to the new measure for commercial sellers located in Germany in the affected category. The adjusted return rules apply exclusively to commercial sellers located in Germany. That was already explained above and is also described accordingly in the Seller Portal.
Regardless of that, it was only clarified that eBay does not treat sellers preferentially or disadvantageously because of their location or for other reasons. Those are two different topics that should please not be mixed together.
Best regards
Melina
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM · EditedBut that is exactly what is happening here right now. We sellers with Germany have to offer free returns on vehicle parts. As you have confirmed. You have repeatedly emphasized that this only applies to sellers with a location in Germany. I therefore ask again for a clear answer. Do sellers with a location in China also have to offer free returns, yes or no? Because if no, and only we Germans do, then foreign sellers in Germany are automatically favored because eBay does not impose this additional cost item on them. I personally see this very critically; if an immensely costly measure is rolled out exclusively for German sellers in Germany, but not for other sellers, that is already very discriminatory.....
melina@ebay
·Aug 7, 2026 at 4:18 PM · Edited@3d_creativity_service We at eBay Germany can only make rules and take measures that apply to the marketplaces we manage. Sellers based or registered in China are not managed by eBay Germany. The requirements of other marketplaces are not within our area of responsibility. So we cannot and may not integrate other marketplaces into the stated returns policy.
Addition 4.09.2026 by Community Team: The previous answer unfortunately did not answer the specific question clearly. What matters is whether the respective listing meets the requirements for free returns - regardless of the seller's origin. Even sellers based in China must cover the return shipping costs for a qualifying listing.
Best regards
Melina
mister-wob
·Aug 10, 2026 at 8:53 AM · Editeda friendly hello to start the week to everyone here,
unfortunately, with all of this I don’t understand how we affected commercial sellers can implement this in a legally compliant way:
the cancellation policy can only be stored in one form / version, either generally free returns for the buyer or the buyer bears the return shipping costs.
How am I supposed to distinguish between free returns for "higher-priced" items (where, in my opinion, the 10 EUR limit is simply ridiculous) and paid returns for items up to 10 EUR?
@melina@ebay would it be possible to get a statement on this as well, many thanks
3d_creativity_service
OPAug 10, 2026 at 9:04 AMYou can create different return conditions, and when listing items choose which one should be used.
mister-wob
·Aug 10, 2026 at 9:45 AM@3d_creativity_service many thanks
I just took another look at the whole thing
during the last "changeover" regarding the withdrawal button, I was no longer aware that the editing / storing of the withdrawal terms now has to be done exclusively in the return terms,
and there we can indeed store different terms