Do you want to handle customer return requests on your eBay store like an expert? If yes, this article guides you to the best ways to handle return requests from your eBay customers. Read on to learn how to handle your return requests professionally. Understand (as a seller on eBay or any online platform) that you cannot avoid customer returns.
Distinguish yourself from other sellers on eBay. Handle your customers’ return requests in a unique way. Respond to return requests in a unique way to earn your customers’ trust and handle their return requests. Respond to return requests to earn your customers’ trust, but watch out for fraudsters.
To create a system that handles your customers’ return requests on eBay:
- Set Your Own Return Policy
- Guard Your Business Against Abuse
- Refund All Returns as Soon as Possible
- Report Any Scam or Suspicious Behavior to eBay as Soon as Possible
- Create a Template for Your Return Policy to Keep Things Simple
- Don’t Handle Returns Outside of eBay
- Close the Return With eBay When a Customer Doesn’t Return an Item
- Remove Negative Feedback When Possible
- Sell Quality Products to Prevent Excessive Returns
- Set a Clear Policy on Payments for Returns
- Document the Condition of Your Products at the Delivery Point
Do you want to know more? Let’s break it down.
1. Set Your Own Return Policy
To handle return requests smartly, protect your products from mischievous customers. Set a personal return policy for your products. Set the policy before you receive a return request for any product.
If you fail to do this, eBay forces its return policy on you, which may cost you the shipping payment for the returned product.
Therefore, set a return policy that not only works well for your business but also protects it. Use your policy to build a fair return window that boosts your customer service image.
2. Guard Your Business Against Abuse
To get high ratings in handling return requests, consider offering a partial refund when customers make the request; it gives your business positive ratings.
However, set clear rules for the partial refund to prevent abuse of the policy by customers. Maintain a stable policy to run a successful partial refund policy.
3. Refund All Returns As Soon As Possible
To maintain great reputation in handling return requests, do not let eBay handle your refunds when you accept returns. Resolve any refund case within 48 hours on eBay.
Set up a system that enables your refunds manually. If you do not refund after accepting a listing, eBay bars you from listing again.
4. Report Any Scam or Suspicious Behavior to eBay As Soon As Possible
To handle return requests like a master, allow eBay to add a note to your account if you find any customer’s behavior suspicious. Take action when necessary; don’t allow mischievous customers to play on your intelligence.
To properly handle return requests, protect yourself from customers who habitually take more than they deserve. Make proper documentation of the actions of such suspicious customers to help you report in detail when necessary.
5. Create a Template for Your Return Policy to Keep Things Simple
To handle return requests in a seamless way, don’t struggle for the right action when your customers request returns.
The template on your account gives your customers a clue about your possible response to their situation. Prevent some unnecessary return requests with your template return policy.
6. Don’t Handle Returns Outside of eBay
To make handling of return requests fun, keep everything you do with returns within the eBay platform.
You can be prone to fraud if you respond to return requests outside of eBay. Communicate with customers on the eBay platform only. Don’t remove yourself from eBay’s seller protection.
7. Close the Return with eBay when a Customer Doesn’t Return an Item
To handle return requests properly, ensure you accept a request that meets your policy, but don’t keep it open unnecessarily if the customer does not return the item within 7 days.
Don’t give customers the opportunity to return the product anytime they want after they make requests to return it. Make sure customers return the products on time and in good condition. After the 7 days period, contact eBay and ask them to close the return for you.
8. Remove Negative Feedback When Possible
To handle return requests with class, stick to the policy you set and be professional with it. eBay is always ready to protect sellers from unreasonable customers.
Contact eBay representatives to remove negative feedback from your account anytime you feel the feedback is false.
Don’t allow customers to extort you with the threat of negative feedback; rather, stay with the eBay policy.
9. Sell Quality Products to Prevent Excessive Returns
To reduce the number of return requests you handle for customers due to low quality product, ensure that you don’t list fake items on your eBay account.
It is no big deal to have return requests, but too many of them can affect your seller status on eBay. Scrutinize your products’ quality if you get excess return requests. Remember, eBay does the scrutiny for you if you fail to do it yourself.
10. Set a Clear Policy on Payments for Returns
To create stability in handling return requests, make it clear from the outset that the customers pay for the return if they are the reason for the return. Accept return requests but don’t pay for customers’ avoidable errors.
Return requests increase if you bear the cost always. Don’t give customers the opportunity to return your product for any flimsy reason. Pay for the return only when it is clearly your fault.
11. Document the Condition of Your Products at the Delivery Point
To handle return requests with class, don’t give customers the chance to damage your products before they return them. Deliver your products in good condition. Record a video or Take a clear picture of the products.
Many customers don’t take responsibility for damages. Create a cogent system to prove that a customer is returning a product in worse condition than when it was delivered.
Don’t try to avoid customers return requests on your eBay seller’s account. Every active online seller experiences customers making return requests due to different reasons.
Build a master customer service skills when you handle return requests situations to retain the customer without losing money.
Conclusion
To handle customer return requests on eBay with class, make a clear plan to handle return requests on your eBay seller’s account before those requests ever come. Set your own return policy beforehand, else when return requests come, eBay enforces their default return policy on your business.
Use partial refund to improve your popularity among customers but set your boundaries to prevent abuse. Do the refunds manually and resolve refund issues on time when you accept refunds. Report scam attempts to eBay as soon as you notice it.
Create a template for ease of reference and don’t handle return requests outside eBay platform. Monitor the quality of your products and don’t give in to threats of negative feedbacks from customers.
