eBay Expands Time For Buyers To Cancel Orders But Will Give Sellers Feedback Protection If They Decline
UPDATE:
It appears we did not have to wait long for the answer - a similar update has now also been posted for the US as well.
eBay has announced changes to their cancellation policies in the UK and Australia, allowing buyers to request to cancel an order at any time before it is marked as shipped - will the US follow suit?
The current policy in both the UK and Australia allows buyers to initiate cancellation within 1 hour of commiting to buy an item, just like in the US - once it is past that hour, the buyer can still send a message to the seller requesting cancellation but the option to initiate it directly through the eBay cancellation process is closed.
Sellers are able to decline such requests, whether made within the first hour or through messages after, but it can often be a tricky situation that can lead to false Not As Described Returns and/or negative feedback if they choose to continue with the order and ship instead of honor the cancellation request.
The new policy, effective on August 28 in the UK and rolling out through mid-September in Australia, gets rid of the 1 hour limit and will now allow buyers to initiate a cancellation through the eBay process at any time before the order is marked as shipped.
Sellers will still have the option to decline the request within 3 days and will receive feedback protection if a negative is left because the seller declined the cancellation request as part of a larger overhaul of feedback policies that was promised during the Summer Seller Check In in June.
Those who sell customized items are advised to keep communication in the eBay messaging system if they are unable to honor a cancellation request, in case the buyer seeks a refund through their payment provider - but eBay does not give specifics about whether sellers would be protected from chargebacks in those instances.
From the eBay UK Community forum:
From 28 August 2024, we're launching a change that will simplify the order cancellation process for both buyers and sellers. Buyers now have the option to request an order cancellation using the Cancel order button before the item is marked as shipped. Our goal is to create a more user-friendly and consistent experience to build trust between buyers and sellers, and encourage repeat purchases.
In prior tests, these changes resulted in a minimal increase in cancellation requests (maintaining an overall average cancellation rate of 1%, with an increase from .9 out of 100 transactions to 1.1 out of 100 transactions). This also led to a notable 25% improvement in buyer satisfaction, which led to a higher likelihood of repeat purchases.
How it works
How can I see and respond to cancellation requests?
When a buyer requests a cancellation, you’ll receive a notice in your eBay messages. You’ll also be able to see orders with cancel requests in your Seller Hub > Orders > Cancellations.You'll have 3 days to accept or decline the request. On paid orders, eBay will automatically decline the request after 3 days, but we encourage sellers to respond quickly.
You have the choice to accept or decline a cancellation. When feasible, it’s recommended to accept the request, especially if it’s sent within minutes or a few hours of when an order is placed. Doing so has shown to discourage return requests or “item not received” cases, and encourages the buyer to return to eBay for their next purchase.
When will the new cancellation process update take effect?
It will take effect on 28 August 2024. Sellers may still observe some requests coming through direct messages as buyers adapt to these changes.What happens when I accept a cancellation request?
After you accept a cancellation request, we’ll automatically issue a full refund to the buyer and fee credits to you as per our fee credits policy. If the listing was of a single quantity or Buy It Now item, we'll automatically relist the item for you unless you select No next to Relist item? when cancelling the order.Protections
What if a buyer leaves negative feedback for refusing their cancellation request?
eBay will protect you by removing negative or neutral feedback on these orders.What protections are in place if I've already shipped the item?
Once you ship the item, be sure to promptly update the tracking information and order status to 'shipped' on eBay. When an order is marked as shipped, buyers will no longer be able to access the Cancel order request flow.If a buyer has requested cancellation before you were able to update the shipment status, and you have already shipped your item, you can decline the cancellation request.
What if a buyer wins an auction but doesn't pay and asks for a cancellation?
You'll have 3 days to accept or decline the cancellation request on an unpaid item. Cancellation requests for unpaid items will be automatically approved after 3 days if there is no response from you.
eBay monitors and takes action against buyers who habitually fail to pay. We proactively restrict such buyers from bidding. Don’t ship items until payment is confirmed, and ensure all communication is kept on eBay so we can assist if needed.
Customised & personalised items
As a seller of customised items on eBay, what if the order is already in process when a cancellation request is made?
If a cancellation is requested, communicate with the buyer via direct message to explain why the request will be declined, then proceed to decline it. Keeping your communication on our platform helps us provide support if the buyer seeks a refund through their payment provider.
eBay had given sellers a bit of a heads up about changes coming to the cancellation policies as part of the UK June 2024 Seller Update, but the wording provided at the time made it sound like it would only apply to orders with local collection.
To help cut down on 'item not received' claims and payment disputes you have to manage, we've improved the cancellation experience for eBay local cases.
If a buyer can't pick up an item, or changes their mind after seeing it, they can request to cancel the order up to 30 days after payment or until the collection is confirmed.
As a seller, you can review and approve cancellations, and the item will automatically be relisted so you can sell it again.
The eBay Australia announcement is very similar, with the exception of putting a 30 day limit in place.
From 30 August, we're simplifying the order cancellation process for both buyers and sellers to create a more user-friendly and consistent experience, build trust between buyers and sellers, and encourage repeat purchases.
Buyers will now have the option to request an order cancellation using the Cancel order button up until the order has been marked as sent or seller uploads tracking.
If the item has not been marked as sent, buyers have 30 calendar days after the order is placed.
Once the seller uploads tracking or marks an order as sent (for untracked items), the buyer will no longer be able to send a cancellation request.
Our Order cancellation policy will be updated to reflect these changes. This new experience is being introduced gradually and will apply to all orders by mid-September.
Interestingly, they also revealed they had tested this change for two weeks in April-May of 2023.
While there is currently no specific indication the change will be coming to the US as well, it's not uncommon for eBay to test or initially rollout new features or policies in Australia and the UK before expanding them to the main US marketplace, so sellers will want to keep an eye out and stay tuned for updates!
*Editor's note: after publishing, eBay made a similar announcement for Canada as well.
What do you think about eBay expanding the time buyers are allowed to initiate a cancellation? Let us know in the comments below!
