eBay Rolls Out "For Parts, Not Working" Changes - Will Sellers Really Be Protected?
eBay sellers cheer long awaited changes to limit returns and clearly communicate policies on items advertised in "for parts/not working" condition as improvements promised at eBay Open 2025 start to roll out to listing pages.
In one presentation at the annual seller conference, Senior Director Trust David Newman said starting in October, eBay will have sellers' backs on For Parts/Not Working returns with Final Sale blocking remorse return reasons, a 3 day limit on Item Not Described return requests, and buyers having to provide detailed pictures to prove INAD claims.
First off, we hear the concerns sellers have around final sale...And the next step on our journey toward a true final sale experience is in the area of the listings you have that are for parts are not working where you've marked them as no returns accepted.
So starting in October, there's going to be clear prominent messaging at every stage of the buyer journey on these listings. So buyers will see so from the item page through checkout all the way through post purchase buyers are going to see clearly that your listing is for parts or not working and no returns accepted.
This is all designed to reinforce that true final sale experience. And some key changes for these listings are that remorse returns will be blocked entirely and there'll be stricter requirements for not as described claims where the buyer is going to have to submit photographs that clearly contradict what's in your listing.
And we have and there's one more piece of this as well. We're going to shorten the claim window from 30 days to just 3. So, this is just step one and you can expect there'll be more protections for final sale listings.
While it's not entirely clear if these updates have been fully rolled out ahead of schedule, sellers have at least started to notice changes to the view item page experience calling buyer attention to the For Parts/Not Working condition and return policies.
For an item that is listed as "for parts or not working" with no returns accepted, eBay displays both the condition and the return policy prominently between the price and the buy it now button.
If the buyer clicks on the the i in the circle next to either one, a pop up appears with more information clearly explaining what "for parts or not working" means and that even though the seller does not accept returns, the buyer will still have 3 days from delivery to report if the item doesn't match the listing.
While experienced buyers and sellers are likely to understand that "no returns" just means "no remorse returns" and that a buyer can still file an item not as described claim per the eBay Money Back Guarantee (albeit with a shortened time frame), less experienced buyers may find the wording of this pop up confusing.
And whether buyers understand it or not, sellers know the odds of a buyer actually clicking to read this additional information is slim to none since it's hard enough to get buyers to read full descriptions even when they are on the same page with no click required.
Luckily, eBay has taken the additional step of also triggering a pop up message when the buyer clicks either add to cart or buy it now, requiring an additional click from the buyer to complete the action.
Of course adding that additional click also adds friction for the buyer, which could potentially result in abandoned carts, or it's always possible buyers may just ignore the message and click to continue without reading - but there's only so much that can be done to try "force feed" information to buyers and most sellers will likely see this as a significant improvement.
The next step will be to see how well eBay does in executing the changes to the return process when/if an Item Not As Described claim is opened within that shortened 3 day period - including how strictly they will enforce the requirement for the buyer to show images that "clearly contradict the listing" and if sellers will be able to appeal if they don't agree with eBay's judgment on the images.
It will also be interesting to see how eBay handles new high tech ways buyers may try to circumvent this policy as sellers are increasingly reporting experiencing or being concerned about the possibility that buyers may use AI to create images of their item showing fake defects or damage to force a return.
For example, this seller posted in a Facebook group claiming they had used AI detection tools to determine that buyers had provided altered images - though of course this issue is made even more complicated by the fact that AI detection tools themselves may not always be accurate.
Sellers in the eBay UK community forum also recently discussed this potential problem after seeing it brought up in an Amazon selling forum as well.
AI-generated picture as proof of damage to the item - BE WARNED
Thought Id share this from a post I saw on Amazon Forum - Someone AI faked an image to get a refund and It just wouldnt have crossed my mind - You can see the black in the rip is very Black but if it had been taken further away then this may not have been so obvious, but certainly something to be aware of.
Good to know there are reverse sites out there (Sightengine) that can detect is useful to know - As you can see the seller called her you on the messaging but suggestions on the post were to ask for more than one image before refunding
Several sellers replied to that thread saying they didn't believe most buyers would go through the trouble of creating fake AI pictures of supposed defects or damage simply because eBay would likely take the buyers' side any way even without photo evidence.
And others pointed out that eBay currently already does require an image to uploaded for many INAD returns, but it doesn't do much good because the buyer can upload a picture of anything and it doesn't appear that anyone at eBay actually reviews the image.
Generally speaking ebay requires a photo to be uploaded before a case can be opened. However it can be a photo of anything, no-one checks and as far I am aware, no seller has successfully won a item not as described case based on the photo alone.
Buyers don't need to go to the other of using AI.
In fact, eBay started requiring images to be uploaded for at least some returns back in 2021 and similar concerns were expressed about this very issue at that time.
Liz Morton
Sellers were skeptical that the photo requirement would do much to stem the tide of fraudulent returns since buyers c0uld upload a picture of anything they want (one seller received a disturbing picture of dead ducks) and others noted the requirement may just push buyers to file chargebacks with their credit card companies instead of using the eBay return process.
The 3 day limit under this new policy only applies to filing an Item Not As Described claim through eBay - most credit card companies will still follow their normal chargeback timeframes of 60-120 days even if eBay does not allow an INAD to be filed.
Based on the publicly available information about this new "for parts or not working" policy, it does not appear that eBay has done anything to address those particular concerns - so it's not entirely clear how much of a difference this new policy for "for parts or not working" items will really make.
Ultimately it seems that dishonest buyers may still be able to game the system and/or that those who are not happy with the 3 day limitation on filing a claim through eBay may simply go to their credit card or financial institution to force a refund via chargeback instead.
If you've received a return request under the new "for parts not working" policies, I'd love to hear about your experience and whether eBay actually reviews the photos to force the buyer to prove the item they received "clearly contradicts the listing" - leave a comment below or contact VAR!
