The new seller protections are the most frustrating and disappointing thing in this round of updates, at least for me.
It's also very telling of what we already know is eBay's position on fraudulent behaviour:
"We already protect all sellers against abusive buying behaviour, and events outside of your control. From 1 October, we’ll provide additional protection for listings with an eBay Plus badge:
If you receive a false ‘Item not as described’ request
Let us know, using our new Report a Buyer tool.
If we determine the buyer made a false claim, we’ll credit your monthly invoice with a return postage label up to $9.
We’ll automatically remove any negative or neutral Feedback, defects, and open cases in your service metrics.
If a returned item is opened, used or damaged
Issue a refund - You can deduct up to 50% to cover lost value.
We’ll automatically remove any negative or neutral feedback, defects and open cases in your service metrics.
We’ll step in to take care of any issues with the buyer on your behalf."
I am thoroughly dismayed ebay has introduced this to reward sellers who have earned Plus on their listings (that's their choice of words, not mine), since sellers don't get to opt in / out of Plus on their listings, nor do they decide which ones Plus applies to.
If you let eBay know a buyer has opened a false INAD request, and they agree... why not protect sellers by denying the claim? Why is the "protection" to allow the return but cover the return postage? Sure, they wipe all negative traces of the issue from the seller's account, but that's not protection, that's blatant facilitation. 
Besides which, if their protections against false claims are so great already, this wouldn't even be needed.
I'm guessing the $9 limit on postage might indicate the maximum amount of shipping that can be on a listing before it no longer can qualify for Plus, it's a pretty token gesture as it is, but I'd hate to think a seller would be on the hook for a large postage difference in other circumstances.
Then there's the introduction of allowing sellers to retain up to 50% of the item price if it's returned damaged etc. That's a lot better than the other one (retain up to 20% in same circumstances, but only if you offered free return postage), but I'm disgusted this is only provided to sellers of items that eBay have deemed to be priced within whatever their acceptable risk band is and whaked the Plus logo on it - these are issues eBay created for all sellers with the introduction of the MBG, and now when they finally decide to step up to the plate with some flexibility in dealing with fraud, it will only be for a chosen few transactions?
Thanks, I hate it.
