eBay Returns

[Is it safe to peek back out of the rabbit hole? That last post dang near killed me—took two days to write. I would have gotten it done yesterday, but yesterday was my birthday and I spent half the day on the phone! I talked to my friend-of-longest duration (this is how we avoid the word "oldest"—we're both writers) for two and a half hours. We've been friends since second grade, and that's been a minute. I got to talk to my son and a number of other relatives and friends as well. I still have other calls to return. So pleasant.

This one's just a toss-off, just in case it might be something useful for you to know. —Mike the Ed.]

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While I wasn't looking, eBay has made returns a whole lot easier.

This is just a little aside for people who happen to be in the same situation I was. I used to sell a lot on eBay, and used it constantly, but not so much in recent...well, decades. However, recently I had to return an item I bought (a keyboard that looked like a great bargain but arrived broken, proving once again that you get what you pay for), and the process was almost—dare I say it—pleasant.

You don't even have to deal with the seller. You fill out a form and add some pictures, and they issue you a QR code that you take to the Post Office. The PO generates the label. Return shipping is free, and your refund, which includes the original shipping cost, is back in your account the same day! You have a generous deadline for getting the return shipped (March 8th in my case).

I have to admit it's pretty slick. I thought I was in for a big hassle having to return a $45 item, arguing with the seller and paying shipping costs both ways, making my refund a paltry small percentage of my out-of-pocket. But I got every cent I spent back. And no arguments.

Accumulations
I don't have a camera and gear collection, I only have a camera gear accumulation. But I'm going to be selling a lot of it off soon, including some personal treasures such as two mint Rolleiflex 6008AF's (with rebuilt batteries and a number of the coveted battery housings, which everyone who uses that series needs but which are mighty thin on the ground) and things like an original signed Arnold Newman print. I'll have to get to grips with eBay again. It's nice to know that while I wasn't paying attention, eBay has been evolving. I was pleasantly surprised. So I thought I'd pass along the news.

Well, it was news to me.

And now I'm off to the Post Office! But breakfast first.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Patrick Perez: "I hope the Newman print isn't either Stravinsky or Mondrian, otherwise I'll be in trouble."

Mike replies: Mondrian.

Yoshi Carroll: "I'd like to request a post or two about the Rolleiflex 6008AF. Based on looks it seems to compete with the Hasselblad 500 and Mamyia 645, but I've heard almost nothing about the 6008AF and I'd appreciate the Mike take on it."

Mike replies: I'll take that under advisement. I believe I reviewed it (or maybe the 6008) when it was current, but I don't know how to find that....

Jim Grey: "I love eBay's returns as a buyer, but not as a seller, as about one in 10 buyers of my stuff want returns for spurious reasons and I have to eat it."

Mike replies: See also Scott's comment in the full Comments section. I can see how this would be frustrating.

In the past, though, I had more trouble as a buyer than as a seller. For example, a seller in Japan sold me an "as new in box" lens that turned out to be fogged, and when I complained he responded that the fog was the only problem and that he had reduced the price slightly to compensate. Otherwise, he opined, the lens was perfect. Except that it was unusable. Later, I tried to get it repaired, and I learned that the fog was caused by the cement between two cemented elements, so it was unrepairable to boot. Total loss. I could go on, but it would only put me in a bad mood!

Comments

[Stan B.]

That post gave me a headache just imagining all the additional problems I have (at the keyboard) that I'm blissfully unaware of...

[Yuan]

Well, think about the poor sellers... This is the main reason many sellers have abandoned ebay. Legitimate returns are easy; scam returns are equally easy.

[Chris H]

Making returns easy is great for buyers. Is it good for sellers?

[robert e]

Belated Happy Birthday, Mike!

[Scott]

eBay has indeed evolved, and not to the benefit of small sellers like you and me. A couple of years ago, in preparation for moving, I decided to empty our house of my accumulation of audio and photography gear I no longer used, needed or wanted. Most of my sales were successful, yielding me a fair price and I even had good dealings with some of the buyers when a problem arose in the transaction. However, I also discovered that eBay appears to take the side of a buyer when a dispute arises and the seller basically has no recourse.

Case in point: I offered for sale a Sony RX100 which had a non-working EVF. This was clearly stated in the listing, along with the statement that no returns would be accepted (unless the item was not as promised). I offered it at a low price, reflecting the inoperative EVF, and it sold quickly. Shortly after it was shipped, I received an irate message from the buyer informing me that the EVF didn’t work and they wanted their money back. I explained that they were not entitled to a refund, but they then complained to eBay who summarily clawed the proceeds back from my credit card. There was no avenue to appeal.

I assume that large retailers who use eBay get better treatment, but no small guys like me.

So … be careful.

[Alan]

I use Ebay a great deal for purchasing and yes the return policies are great for the buyer, but not so much for the seller. Even if you list an item as is, no return, the buyer can submit a return request, receive a free return postage label and as soon as the tracker shows being returned, the seller will need to acknowledge receipt. If the seller stays radio silence, ebay will automatically refund the purchase price plus shipping.
As a buyer of 2 recent cameras in the last few months, a Leica M5 and a Alpa 6D with Kern-Switar 50mm, that did not meet the description(s), I returned both of them.
One, the seller acknowledged the return, the other did not but I received full refunds on both.
Be that as it may, as a seller, one needs to be very careful in their description of items as the return policy has definitely pivoted much more to the buyers favor.

[Speed]

Remember when long distance calls (remember when they were called, "long distance calls"?) were charged by the minute. And on call-rich holidays like Easter you had to put your call on a wait-list and an operator would call you when a line was available?

And no, I never used a crank phone.

[Dan Khong]

eBay was a nightmare and minefield but my recent experiences have been pleasant. It was not about returns but getting battery replacements which are rare and no longer sold in shops.

My 10 year old Leica DLux 5 would be useless without batteries but I found a seller on eBay who still has new ones made for the Panasonic LX5 (both cameras use the same batteries). In the end it was so good that I bought another one.

And also one for my Leica VLux-4 just in case.

[Kye Wood]

A LOT OF GROUND. HANG WITH IT MIKE.
1. Happy birthday big fella.
2. Nobody makes great keyboards, just like nobody makes a guitar that's ergonomic. Which is why all professional guitarists are playing 'injured'. All of the time.
3. May you not be scammed on ebay. It's become a plague on that platform. People saying things never arrived - while they onsell them on another platform. It's organised and ebay having such a 'great' return policy just makes it super easy for them.
4. Keep your heart open.

[Bill Bresler]

Re: Ebay
Ive been hosed as a buyer and hosed as a seller. Ebay offered no resolution. In fact, I rarely got a reply from eBay. No more.

[John]

That great return policy is because eBay now screws over the seller. It has become a bad platform to trade on. For the seller because of eBay’s attitude to believe the buyer and squeeze the seller. For the buyer because eBay always adds tax, even for items coming from abroad and on which one doesn’t have to pay custom duties.

[Lars Jansen]

A belated happy birthday Mike!

[Christopher J May]

Kind of an aside from the main subject but lens haze from cemented elements isn't necessarily irreparable. Jason Lane cleaned up a vintage Wollensak wide angle lens for my 8x10 kit that had some balsam separation. He used modern cements in the repair. It performs wonderfully now. He made a little post about it here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-SstPFHZsU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

and you can see a resulting shot with the repaired lens here:

https://flic.kr/p/2jrXKqa

Jason, by the way, also manufactures modern dry plates (though production is currently on hold after moving halfway across the country) and designs all manner of lenses from cheap Leica thread mount lenses:

https://chroma.camera/en-us/products/double-glass-24mm-f11-m39-mount-lens

up to really, really, really high performing optics for clients with deep pockets.

[Nick Davis]

There are a variety of reasons why Ebay is tough on sellers. In the UK and Europe they have to accept returns to meet the requirements of the distance selling regulations. The other sad fact which I have found from experience is that some private sellers are unduly optimistic about the condition of the items they are selling (heavy irony here) and makes me suspect that most of Ebay's customer service effort is in dealing with these problems. Most small dealer businesses on Ebay are very reliable and honest in their descriptions. Having said that it would be a shame if Ebay became a business only platform. As Mie would say, "Just saying . . ."