eBay and return labels
as I see it, return label is a hot topic.
eBay offers shipping labels for returns starting at a purchase value of €12.
You should click on a Hermes or DHL parcel label, with the goods insured for €500.
Only then will the buyer definitely learn the seller’s return address. That’s really nonsense!
If you already have a business relationship with someone, you have every right to know your trading partner’s details.
What’s the point of using eBay’s overpriced labels? If it gets lost, only the value of the goods (maybe just the €12) is reimbursed! Furthermore, it is also nonsensical to send goods weighing around 800g with a value under €50 as a parcel! Hermes offers insurance up to €50 with its small parcel plus tracking! So why pay the parcel price!?!
My suggestion: (to relieve sellers, buyers, the community and customer service) AI in the prese**Ouch**!
If the seller has accepted a return, they can immediately see for themselves whether they or the buyer should pay for the return shipping. So when confirming it, they should be able to make the return label available to the buyer right away.
If the buyer should bear the return costs, then the system should immediately send a notification,
- that EbayPlus covers the costs for them and then the label should be made available to them automatically
- or the system should inform the buyer of the seller’s return address and allow the buyer to choose between several options (Hermes small parcel up to DHL parcel).
In addition, not only tracking and the already existing selection options (either DHL or Hermes parcel), but also the other options should be linked with the shipping provider.
This would save the community, customer service, and sellers from this constant chaos and unnecessary overload: "I used my own label, how do I change the details", "where and how do I enter the tracking details", "why was my refund denied even though I shared the details with the seller", etc.
Admittedly, as a quick fix, it would also be a good solution if, when buyers make returns, they didn’t just click into the void on the "action" button, but instead had some options activated, including tracking details... or if the following link would finally work properly: "Return the item within 10 business days with tracking. Also protect yourself against false claims by uploading the tracking number when using your own shipping label."
miriam@ebay
Hello @hm_petrenyi and thank you very much for your detailed thoughts and suggestions for improving the return process at eBay.
I find your suggestion for an AI-based solution especially exciting, to automatically determine who covers the return shipping costs and then provide the appropriate return label directly.
I have passed your feedback on to the shipping team and we will take it into account in our considerations.
Best regards
Miriam