More options for item returns, e.g. without reimbursement of shipping costs (private sales) | Suggestions and Feedback on the eBay Platform

w-sky · 2025-05-13T12:15:22.785000Z

Hello, as a private seller I have “Returns: No returns.” on every listing, and yet every now and then buyers ask to return something. I’m not infallible, and I’ve even had legitimate return requests before because of errors in the description, but most of the time it’s just because the buyer changed their mind or made a mistake when ordering – an accidental purchase, basically. In such cases I’d like to be accommodating and allow the return, but not on the condition that I also pay the shipping and return shipping costs. That’s the only return option in eBay’s return system, except for: the customer keeps the item and gets a (partial) refund.I’d like to be able to offer the buyer that I’ll take the item back and refund the purchase price, but not the shipping costs, or at least not the return shipping costs, if I’m not legally obliged to take the item back in the first place. I think if it was the buyer’s mistake, it’s fair that they pay at least the return shipping costs if the item is returned. (I’d also think that was fair for commercial purchases, by the way, but I know the laws regulate that.) On the other hand, it’s very unfair if I end up taking a loss because, for a low-priced item, on top of all the hassle I’d also have to pay more for shipping and return shipping than the sale of the item even brings in. The consequence would be to just throw things away instead of listing them on eBay.

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