eBay Motors Launches Free Parts Returns, Shifting Costs To Sellers - But Will Buyers Ultimately Pay The Price?
eBay has announced free returns for Motors Parts and Accessories with much fanfare, touting "returns for any reason at no cost" for buyers while shifting financial burden of returns to sellers.
The company press release take full credit for the new policy, framing it as an important step in building trust in the platform for which eBay should get all the credit.
Today, eBay, the marketplace with more than 700 million parts and accessories (P&A), announces free returns for qualifying P&A purchases. This lets everyone — from occasional DIYers to seasoned mechanics — shop with confidence, knowing they can return an item for any reason, at no cost.
“Buying a vehicle part online can feel like guesswork, but free returns let buyers purchase a part and easily send it back if it’s not right,” said Neil Sethi, Director of U.S. Commercial Operations, Parts & Accessories at eBay. “We’re removing extra costs and uncertainty, so shoppers can tackle their vehicle projects with assurance, every time.”
Building on eBay Guaranteed Fit, which protects buyers against fitment issues, free returns provide even greater buyer protection across a range of P&A categories. If a return is necessary, simply print a free shipping label and send the item back for a refund.
Other experience improvements include:
- Flexible Returns: Most parts and accessories can be returned within 30 days after delivery at no cost.
- Convenient Shipping: Shoppers can access free return labels and schedule pickups or drop-offs.
- Fast Refunds: Accelerated refund processing for peace of mind, including the option to receive an eBay credit to quickly resume shopping.
However, the reality is these free returns are the result of eBay changing policy to force sellers of Motors P&A items in new condition to provide 30 day free returns that was announced back in June.
Under the terms of the new policy, US sellers of new or new other condition parts over $10 listed as Fixed Price/Buy It Now in most Motors P&A categories no longer have the option to select no returns or buyer paid returns policies for remorse return reasons.
Driving growth and buyer satisfaction
Starting July 15, P&A sellers will be required to offer a minimum of free 30-day returns, creating a smoother and more consistent shopping journey. This streamlined policy helps eliminate confusion so buyers can have a hassle-free returns experience, strengthening their trust both in your business and in eBay.
Concerned about offering free returns? We’ve got you covered
While offering free returns can help boost your sales and have a positive impact on your business, we understand that you may have concerns. That’s why we’re taking these steps to support you:Subsidized eBay return labels: Enjoy a 50% reduction in label costs, applied automatically to ease return shipping expenses when you use eBay Labels.Continued seller protections: We’re continuously monitoring buyer fraud to ensure we have stronger safeguards in place to protect your business.Targeted marketing campaigns: We’re promoting free returns to help attract more buyers to your P&A listings.
eBay tried to make the forced returns go down a little easier by covering 50% of the return shipping - but that reduction only applies when you use eBay labels and only when a buyer selects "changed my mind" as the return reason, returns for "doesn't fit my vehicle will still be covered by eBay under the Guaranteed Fit program and the seller will still be responsible for the full cost of shipping on "item arrived damaged" or "doesn’t match the listing description" returns.
Even with that 50% label subsidy, this new policy has received major backlash from sellers with some putting off compliance until eBay actually forces their listings to be changed and others changing the condition on their new parts to "used" or "open box" to avoid the free returns mandate.
Liz Morton
Most sellers will likely end up begrudgingly falling in line, but if they find the new policy encourages more returns and/or that having to pay return shipping for remorse returns eats into their profit margins too much, you can bet they will make up for it by baking those extra costs into their product pricing.
That means ultimately buyers will probably end up paying for it one way or another - despite eBay's disingenuous "no cost" promise.
What do you think of eBay forcing free returns for any reason on Motors Parts and Accessories? Let us know in the comments below!
