Prices for return labels
Hello dear Ebay team,
the topic of return labels has already been discussed here many times, but I still want to give my feedback on it too: I am very dissatisfied!
A DHL parcel, into which my goods would fit 5 times, with tracking and insurance at 12 times the value of the goods, costs 6.19 euros.
Your DHL return label costs 8 euros.
The same goes for DPD.
There is no way to initiate a cancellation via form without buying an overpriced return label.
I know that, in theory, there is the option of getting my own label, contacting the seller directly, and having the tracking number checked in via support. No one is going to go through all that hassle for just two euros.
I don't know whether this is just bad business processes or a scheme to take money from the customer. I only know one thing: this is not clever of you!
Until now I was happy to buy on Ebay, now I feel ripped off and will only buy on Ebay if it really can't be avoided. And most of the time it can be avoided; you have enough competition.
Best regards
corneb_0
·7 months ago@1nicThe 8 euros that eBay charges here correspond roughly to the amount DHL charges for a return. That may seem expensive at first glance, but at many other shops these costs are covered by the seller and are then usually already factored into the item price.
In the end, all you can really do is prefer to buy from sellers who offer free returns, or otherwise purchase the return label elsewhere. eBay's return function is not mandatory — cancellation can just as easily be done by sending a message to the seller, after which you send the item back yourself. The downside, however, is that in the event of problems, buyer protection may not apply.
1nic
·7 months agoHi, I've already had that experience twice now too. 8 euros for a return label is really too much and, in my opinion, dubious. I've been on ebay since 2001, now it's really no longer fun. So: buy even less or nothing at all on ebay.... Too bad!
sunrise1605
·7 months agoThen just buy your labels where they’re cheaper and more suitable. What’s the problem?
1nic
·7 months agoHey Sunrise 1605, what exactly is your problem? (Apart from gravel gardens, of course!) After 25 years on ebay, I should be allowed to voice my opinion on a topic. And no, this isn't about CHEAPER, it's about APPROPRIATE.
sunrise1605
·7 months agoThat also applies to reasonable.
No one is forcing you to use Ebay's voluntary service. Instead of being happy that Ebay, unlike in the past, which you should still remember, does so much for users, people keep demanding more and more.
People here have become so comfortable that Ebay probably really has to set up supervised buying and selling here. But even then, something still isn't right again.
And after so many years, I should also be allowed to voice my opinion, or does that only apply to you.
1nic
·7 months agoOh dear, now for the 1st time in ages I’m writing on this platform to say that I find something not okay, and already there’s someone who can really put on a show. At this point you can probably no longer talk about sunrise, but rather about sunset. In that sense: I’m sticking with what I said - precisely because I’ve been around for so long and know the earlier days on eBay - and I’ll rather buy more, or exclusively, somewhere else. Rien ne va plus.
kenn-i-di-1
·7 months agoThe return labels are based on a mixed-pricing model. The price always stays the same, no matter what the weight and dimensions are, as long as certain dimensions and weights are not exceeded.
This therefore means that smaller/lighter shipments appear overpriced, while larger/heavier packages can be purchased more cheaply than from the shipping providers.
For returns, eBay does not act as an intermediary, but as the seller of the labels. That means that for any deviation from size and weight, a recalculation would be made, and eBay would be billed for it.
I don’t even want to imagine how many users would just look at the price and choose the cheapest shipping option.
In the end, eBay would foot the bill.
In that respect, the prices are understandable and, above all, it’s voluntary to use the service or not.
sunrise1605
·7 months agoYou could come up with that yourself at any time with a bit of thought.
But none of that matters, 1nic just wants to complain.
frantalus
·11 months agoI have the same issue right now and I don’t see why I should pay more for a label.
The callback service works great (credit where it’s due), but the employee opened a case and is thus asking the seller for a solution.
She wasn’t aware of the option mentioned here to store the shipment number. I had mentioned this post.
miriam@ebay
Hello @martock2005 and everyone! Thanks a lot for the feedback on the topic of return labels.
The eBay return labels include tracking, insurance, and a consistent process for greater security in the returns process. We understand that costs and flexibility are important points, and that’s why I’ve just forwarded your feedback from this thread as a suggestion for improvement. The wish for more flexibility with returns is something that comes up again and again in the community.
By the way, for a year now commercial sellers with individual DHL rates have been able to link their DHL account with eBay - their personal rate is then automatically used for the return labels.
Best regards
Miriam
kenn-i-di-1
·1 year ago"Nobody is going to go through all that hassle for just under two euros."
Your statements don't add up at all.
Why would you send back an item of low value if it doesn't make sense financially and there's little to nothing left over?
The prices are known; you can accept them or reject them.
Oddly enough, nobody has ever come into the forum saying they were happy about the flat-rate price. Because anyone who wants to send back a large, heavy package benefits enormously compared with the prices at DHL directly.
Of course it would be desirable to be able to enter tracking numbers yourself, but eBay just wants to sell labels and make money from them. They’re hoping for customers like you who won’t bother for the sake of 2 €.
I suspect that eBay has a contract with DHL, for example, where the prices are not based on size and weight, but on the number of parcels shipped.
To reach the contractually agreed quantity, they just build in obstacles.
And imagine eBay would tier by size and weight.......how many do you think would choose the cheapest rate and eBay would get an additional charge with the monthly bill every time because it was underpaid?
voli-maus
·1 year agoThat will be a mixed calculation, @martock2005 .
Lots of buyers buy the label via eBay for a small package and basically end up making a loss compared to buying the label directly from the shipping company.
Lots of users buy the label via eBay and make a bit of a profit compared to buying the label directly from the shipping company.
If you buy the shipping label directly from the shipping provider, you can’t enter the tracking number yourself in the item, but have to contact customer service or post here in the community.
I find that more than cumbersome.
kenn-i-di-1
·1 year agoThat was actually new to me.
https://www.ebay.de/help/buying/returns-items-not-received-refunds-buyers/returning-item/return-shipping?id=4066&srsltid=AfmBOoqgRBPtTDmhfGMS2n93IqCVnvUSV_G1Cyk_sONhGntgRfJ55_VY#section4
voli-maus
·1 year agoI don't see anything about 8 euros there, @kenn-i-di-1 .
That's not so bad either.
I'm beat and the bed is calling me. 🙂
kenn-i-di-1
·1 year agoWith 8 € you can't see anything, because it costs 12 €....
martock2005
OP1 year agoitat Ken-i-di-1:
"with tracking and insurance at 12 times the value of the goods ..."
"No one is going to put up with all that hassle for just under two euros."
Your statements just don't add up.
Why send back an item of little value, ...
My statements do make sense: 500 euros insured value for the DHL parcel, divided by 12, is not that little money either.
Aside from that, I find your post very helpful. Thanks, you probably hit the nail on the head when you write:
"eBay just wants to sell labels and make money from them. They hope for customers like you who shy away from the effort over €2"
It really does seem to me by now that using your own shipping labels is being artificially made more difficult and that eBay is making money off it. I rarely send anything back and I hadn't been aware of that until now. It's not about 2 euros or the effort. It's simply business models, and that really gets my blood boiling!
I think we can end the discussion with that and in the future I'll buy more often from **bleep**. Until now, eBay had some sort of likeability advantage for me, but that's over now.
martock2005
OP1 year agointeresting what comes out **bleep**. Well, Bezos is pleased.
good night!
martock2005
OP1 year ago"You should first check up to what sizes and weights can be shipped with the ebay labels"
I’d be interested in that. As a consumer, there are DHL parcels for 6.19 euros, 7.69 euros, and 10.49 euros. Which parcel does the 8 euro return label correspond to?
"And the platforms can’t exactly offer the right label for every return!"
So more than one size should definitely be possible 😉
I stand by it, this is really poorly solved for the customer (and if you read the posts here like this, also impractical for the seller).
lehmmie
·1 year agoHey
I’ll jump in here too. I also think it’s outrageous that you only have two options to choose from 🤔😠, since I’ve been using eBay for a long time I can say that there used to be the option to buy a suitable return label without any hassle!!! It’s also a problem (which has already been discussed elsewhere) after buying a suitable label (not via eBay) to then enter the tracking number☝️😠😠! You have to contact eBay to get that done.
All in all, it’s a very user-unfriendly affair. I get the feeling they want to motivate users to go for eBay Plus this way ☝️😊
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 year agoHi @lehmmie
Ebay has its reasons for why you can't enter the return number yourself. In the past, too much abuse was done with tracking numbers.
I also don't think it's too much effort to write a message to customer service or here in the forum and ask an Ebay staff member to store the tracking number I provided in the return.
kenn-i-di-1
·1 year agoBut it does assume that one knows that. A lot of people just struggle with reading the rules.
On top of that, people are spoiled.
On the platform that may not be named here, often you don’t even have to pack it anymore.
You bring the item to the drop-off point, show the code, and that’s it.
You get used to that convenience, and what is initially seen as something special becomes, after a while, taken for granted.
Free shipping, free return shipping........that is what many people expect today. Very few think about the fact that, in the end, the buyer pays for that with higher prices.
martock2005
OP1 year agoWell, compared to other trading platforms, that just isn’t attractive.
I generally think it’s fair that the customer pays return shipping. But please, market-standard prices without artificial hurdles.
perfect-sally
·1 year agoOne should first check up to what sizes and weights can be shipped with the eBay labels before commenting 😉
And the platforms simply can’t offer the right label for every return!
sunrise1605
·1 year agoApparently no one is capable of actually taking a close look at the labels and thinking a bit further ahead. Disturbing.
martock2005
OP1 year agoI haven't bought the label yet, so I can't take a look at it. Please explain to me where I should look.
sunrise1605
·1 year agoThink about the fact that eBay simply cannot and does not want to create individual shipping labels for every buyer, because eBay can’t know how the item is packaged. For example ...
Another reason has already been mentioned.
You can use eBay’s service, but you are under no obligation to do so.
I honestly cannot understand how users managed to do everything back then:
no ability to buy shipping labels from eBay
no buyer protection
no returns processing through eBay
no ability to buy return labels from eBay
They must have actually done everything themselves, on their own.
Unbelievable, that achievement.
Compared to that, you can see how comfortable and inflexible people have become, not to mention the sense of entitlement.
There is no way to initiate a cancellation via form without buying an overpriced return label.
I know, in theory there is the option to get my own label, contact the seller directly, and have the tracking number checked in through support. No one is going to put up with the hassle for a mere two euros.
I don’t know whether this is just bad business processes, or a scheme to take money from the customer. I only know one thing: This is not clever of you!
You’re too lazy to buy a shipping label yourself that actually fits your item, and then you accuse eBay of ripping you off.
To be honest, I find that a pretty odd attitude.
Not only is that comfortable and inflexible, it’s also unfair and, yes, rude.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 year agoHi @martock2005 ,
You already wrote yourself that you can also use a return label you bought yourself. You can also post the tracking number here in the forum, then an eBay employee will add it to the return and that's it.
If that's too much effort for you (1 message) for a saving of just under € 2.00, that's your decision.