Think yourself as a buyer – what are the factors that influence you to make a purchase?
Factors that influence most buyers include:
- Is the item priced too high or too low?
- Does the item meet your requirements?
- Are the photographs of the item clear and detailed?
- Does the listing have multiple variations and/or quantities?
- What feedback have other sellers given the item?
- Does the seller offer multiple shipping options?
- Does the seller provide free shipping?
- Does the seller accept returns, if the item has a defect?
Why should you be offering Returns?
Gain Buyer Confidence:
- Offering returns boosts buyer's confidence in you and the products listed by you.
Encourage repeat buyers:
- By providing a return policy sellers take a big step towards developing buyer loyalty.
- A good returns experience can give you an increased repeat business.
Drive online traffic:
- The eBay search algorithm actively boosts the search results ranking of listings with 30 or 60 days returns policies.
Improve your sales:
- Global buyers are experienced online shoppers. A 30-days returns policy is the standard "best practice" that many buyers expect from trustworthy sellers.
- Global buyers are experienced online shoppers. A 30-days returns policy is the standard "best practice" that many buyers expect from trustworthy sellers.
If returns are not offered, buyers tend to doubt a seller’s intentions and/or the product quality. By not offering returns you might lose an advantage compared to your competitors. Put simply, buyers need to know if they can trust you.
Note: Sellers that offered offering 60-days free returns on their listings have seen conversion lifts of up to 25%* (*Conversion lift seen based on Q3 2017 data. Individual results may vary. eBay does not guarantee that each seller will experience the same lift or any lift at all. "Free returns" refers to when the seller pays return shipping no matter the reason for return, with no restocking fee.)
So, if you are not offering returns, then no matter how good your listing or product is, you will simply loose the chance of appearing in the search results of certain buyers.
Regards,
eBay INCBT Team
