eBay Premium Badging requirements too high for Australia compared with US & UK 14 days Return! WHY?

[auction_arc]

Why is 30 day money back a requirement for Premium badging in Australia when in the UK it's only 14 days, and in the US you can get a "Top Rated Plus" badge with only 14 days money back and NO EXPRESS POST! I think 30 days is too long and over the top! Another case of  Australian sellers being treated very unfairly by eBay with all these new requirements, plus the loss of the original "Top Seller" badge! 

Not doing it! No way! Too long a return period! Very unhappy!

[babylonfuture]

What's all this about express post? The requirements for eBay Premium service badging is free standard shipping, with an express post option (that customers pay for...). Free express post is not mandatory (at this time!).

example;

On my business account, I have an item for $10, free standard shipping, plus express option of $10

Offer 30 day returns, with conditions (restocking fee, 'free' postage component not refunded).

Though I do not offer many items with ebay premium service - I tend to do this for items that I have more competitors on - not sure if it sways customers or not though.

If you want the US/UK conditions - than it get's worse - as they are required to prove delivery (eBay), we only need to prove that the item has been shipped to the correct address (easier). Every country that ebay operates in has positives/negatives for sellers.

Singapore has no seller fees... Looks like they also can set reserves.

[italbiciprocycling]

As a 'Premium' Badged Seller, I believe if you can't Offer 30 Day Return Policy, You must have No Confidence in the Items you sell. I am a Sole Operator and only Make a Minimum Profit, but i have Faith in All the products I sell and can still offer 'Free' Post Plus Discounted O/S Air-Mail plus 30 Day returns and after 5 years of selling on ebay, I Am Yet to have a single return and only a Very few complaints, check my Feedback, My business is growing in leaps and bounds since ebay brought in there new standards.   That's My opinion. You have to sell what you have a passion For and Know your Product.

[auction_arc]

It's apparent from some of the responses that some sellers feel comfortable with a 30 day return period and that these sellers tend to sell durable types of products such as metal gears, bicycle accessories, etc.

On the other hand, there are categories of products on eBay such as "consumables" where a 30 day return period means that some sellers do not feel comfortable offering such an extended time period.

Some examples of such products are:  non-rechargeable batteries (alkaline, lithium and other non rechargeable batteries), disposable razors, saxophone reeds, products that naturally break during use such as guitar strings, etc (please feel free to add to this list).

The question to be pondered over is; if you were selling in these categories, would you feel comfortable with providing a replacement or a refund for a period of 30 days after the sale for a set of batteries from a buyer who claimed that the batteries didn't last as long as they should have and claims they are defective, or disposable razors that didn't last as long as one would have liked, or a saxophone reed that wore out after being used for 20 days, or guitar strings that broke after 25 days of use, etc? It's not a question of not having confidence in the quality of products one sells, but rather, the types of products one sells.

Although many of these sellers in these categories may still be top sellers, sell good quality products, offer a great service and have great feedback, listings not offering a 30 day return would not be eligible for an "eBay Premium Service" badge. To make matters worse, they lost their "Top seller" badge under the new system. Of the ones who do offer a 30 day return period in these categories, it's interesting to view the details of their return policies.  Confusing to say the least! 

It's also humbling to remember that many sellers on eBay are small to medium size sellers. We're not mega department stores with an infinite amount of stock or capital with the ability to offer no-question-asked 30 days returns.  Collectively, we compete extremely well price-wise and service-wise with these bigger stores; This is our strength and eBay's strength!  but thinking that individually we are on par with these stores, is in my view unrealistic and an overestimation of who many of us are as sellers on eBay.

If "premium badging" on a per listing basis is here to stay (and I hope not), and noting that 7 to 14 days return period is the average for small to medium size brick & mortar stores in Australia, I think that a 14 days return should be sufficient to be eligible for "Premium badging" on eBay. This period is equivalent to the US and gets them a "Top Seller" badge.

In my view, the badging system is better implemented at the seller level (as it was before and still is in the US) rather than a "Premium Service" badge on a per listing basis. You get a more "Top Sellers" badging this way, giving buyers more buying confidence when viewing many more categories of products! New ideas aren't always better just because they're new!

Personally though, the eligibility for "Premium Service" badging with all it's current requirements: eBay store, DSR (detailed seller ratings), feedback score, offer free shipping, offer 30 days return, offer express service, has lost it's appeal!

[italbiciprocycling]

I'm Back ,

Auction_Arc and other eBay Sellers, I Did not mean, in my previous post,  that ALL Sellers should have to Offer 30 Day Returns, and with the examples you provided, I Totally Agree, but so many sellers on here just seem to want to take the easy way out and Blame eBay for All their Problems, its more reasons than that which Slows Business Dowm, I operated a Retail Store for 13 Years in a position where All the Locals said I would Fail within the First six Months and Yet I became one of the Top Ten Sellers of An expensive German Brand in the whole of Australia. It wasn't to do with Discounting, Quite the Contrary, I was probably the only Seller who maintained a Retail Price very Close to the SRP , but Passion, and enthusiasm played the Main Parts of my success. 

I ran an Aquarium Store, you can't get a much more expendable item, although I and my Staff could always offer our Help and assistance with Water-Testing etc. where needed. Now, iI'm not here trying to Blow my own Trumpet,  but I too have had many Slow Days/Weeks , which can sometimes be  attributed,  to what is Happening in not only Our Country but world-Wide, e.g. Change of government,  always slows down sales, the previous Bushfires Tragedy, the weather, the GFC, Talk of Terrorism and many more, may Affect All Sellers, 

I Think I have Said enough, I'm not trying to create any enemies, 

Happy Selling Everybody 

Wayne