Returns are one of the less enjoyable parts of selling on eBay, but if you sell enough items, they’re going to happen.
As of September 2026, my return rate is about 2.3%.
I’d obviously prefer that number to be lower, but I also sell a lot of used electronics. Phones, iPods, cameras and other older electronics can sometimes develop problems, buyers can misunderstand how something works, and occasionally I make a mistake too.
The way I look at it is simple:
Don’t panic about a return. Figure out why it’s happening, try to help, and deal with the item when it comes back.
Here’s my actual process.
First, I Look at the Return Reason
The first thing I check is why the buyer opened the return.
There’s a big difference between:
“I changed my mind.”
and:
“The item doesn’t work.”
Most of my listings have a 30-day return policy.
For buyer-remorse situations, such as someone simply no longer wanting the item, my policy generally has the buyer paying return shipping.
If the buyer says the item arrived defective, damaged, wrong, or not as described, that’s different. In those situations, the seller is generally responsible for return shipping under eBay’s rules.
So the return reason matters.
If They Say It’s Defective, I Usually Troubleshoot First
This is probably the most important part of my return process.
If somebody says an electronic item doesn’t work, I don’t immediately assume they’re lying.
I message them and try to help.
Sometimes I’ll suggest:
- Trying a different cable
- Trying a different power adapter
- Plugging the device directly into a wall outlet instead of a computer
- Letting it charge longer
- Trying another connection or setup
I’ve had this resolve returns many times.
Sometimes the buyer simply wasn’t using the right charger or wasn’t giving the device enough power.
They try what I suggested, realize the item works, and close the return.
That’s the best possible outcome.
The buyer gets to keep the item they wanted, I avoid a return, and nobody has to pay to ship the same thing back across the country.
This Is Why I Test Electronics Before Listing Them
I’m meticulous about testing.
If I’m selling an iPod and I’ve tested it continuously for a certain amount of time, I’ll often put that information in the listing.
If I’m selling something like a radio/cassette player and the radio works but the cassette deck doesn’t, I’ll say exactly that.
I don’t want to write:
“Works great.”
when what I really know is:
“Radio tested and working. Cassette player does not work.”
That distinction matters.
I go much deeper into my testing process in How to Test Electronics for eBay (Simple Beginner Guide).
Testing doesn’t eliminate every return, but it gives me a much better idea of what condition the item was in before I shipped it.
Sometimes I’m Wrong Too
I don’t assume every return is the buyer’s fault.
I’ve made mistakes.
I’ve entered something incorrectly in a title before.
I’ve missed things.
I’ve also sold electronics as untested because I simply didn’t have the equipment needed to fully test them.
I recently sold an Apple Pencil that I couldn’t properly test because I didn’t have the right iPad. I disclosed that it was untested. The buyer had the equipment to test it, found that it didn’t work for them, and returned it.
That’s fine.
If I make a mistake or an item genuinely doesn’t work the way I represented it, I take responsibility for it.
Sometimes the correct response is simply:
My mistake. I’m sorry. Send it back and I’ll make it right.
Most Buyers Aren’t Trying to Scam You
I think sellers can get too suspicious about returns.
Most buyers aren’t running some elaborate scam.
They bought the item because they wanted it.
Sometimes they changed their mind.
Sometimes they don’t understand how it works.
Sometimes something genuinely failed.
And sometimes the seller made a mistake.
I generally assume good faith unless I have an actual reason not to.
That keeps the whole process much less stressful.
I Usually Want the Item Back Before I Refund It
Unless it’s something so inexpensive that returning it makes no sense, I normally accept the return and wait for the item to come back.
I don’t immediately refund the buyer and tell them to keep a valuable item.
Once it comes back, I can see what actually happened.
I check:
- Is it the same item?
- Is everything included?
- Is it in the same physical condition?
- Does the problem the buyer described actually happen?
- Can I still sell it?
Then I issue the refund within eBay’s required timeframe.
For most normal returns, this is the cleanest way to handle it.
Returned Electronics Often Work Fine
This happens more often than people might expect.
A buyer says the electronic item doesn’t work.
I accept the return.
It comes back.
I plug it in and test it.
And it works.
Sometimes it works perfectly.
In those cases, I refund the buyer and then I can usually relist the item.
If the buyer selected a defective or not-as-described return reason and I genuinely believe the claim was inaccurate, I may report the return to eBay and explain what I found.
I’m not doing that to punish someone.
I’m usually trying to recover the return-shipping expense that I had to pay because the item was classified as defective.
In my experience, eBay has sometimes credited that cost back after reviewing the situation, but I don’t treat that as guaranteed.
Buyer Remorse Is Different
Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with the item.
The buyer simply doesn’t want it anymore.
I get plenty of returns that are basically:
“No longer needed.”
Maybe they ordered another one.
Maybe they changed their mind.
Maybe they realized they don’t need it.
That’s part of selling online.
With my normal return setup, the buyer generally pays return shipping on those remorse returns.
I’m not offended by it.
Just send it back in the condition you received it, and I’ll refund it according to the return.
Clothing Taught Me a Lot About Returns
I used to sell much more clothing.
Returns were one of the things I disliked about it.
I would photograph measurements with a tape measure.
Length.
Width.
Sleeves.
Whatever seemed useful.
And people would still return clothing because it didn’t fit the way they wanted.
Sometimes buyers don’t look through every photo.
Sometimes they do look and it still doesn’t fit.
Clothing can almost become an online dressing room.
That’s one of several reasons I eventually preferred electronics.
Electronics have their own return problems, but sizing isn’t one of them.
Good Photos and Descriptions Prevent Problems Before They Start
One of the easiest ways to reduce returns is to make the listing incredibly clear.
I want my photos to show exactly what the buyer is receiving.
One thing I see other sellers do all the time is photograph one item first, another item second, and then finally show everything together in the third or fourth photo.
If the listing includes several pieces, I prefer making the main photo show everything that’s included.
The buyer should understand the listing before they even start scrolling.
I explain my photo process in My Simple Photo Setup for eBay (What I Actually Use).
I also try to be conservative with condition.
I don’t want to oversell something and create an expectation that the item can’t meet.
If anything, I’d rather the buyer receive it and think:
“This is nicer than I expected.”
I’ve had buyers leave feedback saying exactly that.
That’s much better than promising perfection and disappointing them.
Disclose the Weird Stuff Too
Condition isn’t only scratches and dents.
Smell can matter.
I recently bought a group of electronics myself that arrived smelling heavily of cigarette smoke.
The odor wasn’t disclosed.
I actually wanted to keep the items because I thought I had gotten a good deal, but smoke odor can be extremely difficult to remove from electronics. You may clean the outside while the smell remains inside the plastic and internal components.
That experience reinforced something I already believe as a seller:
If there’s something unusual about an item that could matter to the buyer, disclose it.
The more accurately buyers understand what they’re receiving, the less likely you are to have problems afterward.
“No Returns” Doesn’t Prevent Every Return
This confuses some new sellers.
Putting “No returns” on a listing does not mean a buyer can never open a return request.
Under eBay’s current policy, if an item arrives damaged, faulty, wrong, or materially doesn’t match the listing, a seller generally needs to resolve the return even if the listing says returns aren’t accepted.
Buyer-remorse returns are different and depend much more on the return policy you selected.
That’s why I don’t think “No returns” should be treated as protection against inaccurate listings.
The real protection is:
Test accurately. Describe accurately. Photograph accurately.
What If the Wrong Item Comes Back?
I personally haven’t had a memorable case where a buyer returned an entirely different item to me.
But it does happen to sellers.
If something like that happened, I would document everything.
I’d photograph what came back, compare it with my original listing photos and identifying information, and contact/report it through eBay.
That’s one reason serial numbers and identifying details can be useful with higher-value electronics.
Most returns aren’t scams.
But if something genuinely doesn’t add up, document it instead of guessing.
I Look for Patterns
One return doesn’t bother me much.
Repeated returns for the same reason would.
If buyers repeatedly misunderstand something, I’d ask:
Is my description unclear?
Do I need another photo?
Am I testing something incorrectly?
Am I describing the condition too generously?
Could the first photo communicate the contents better?
My Simple eBay Listing Workflow is built around setting expectations correctly before the sale happens.
Returns can actually show you where that process needs improvement.
Final Thoughts
My current eBay return rate is about 2.3%.
I’d prefer it to be lower, but I don’t lose sleep over individual returns.
When one comes in, I look at the reason.
If there’s a technical problem, I try to troubleshoot it.
If the buyer still wants to return it, I generally accept the return.
I wait for the item to come back.
Then I inspect it and test it again.
If I made a mistake, I own it.
If the buyer simply changed their mind, that’s part of selling online.
And if an item comes back working perfectly after being reported as defective, I refund the buyer, relist the item if appropriate, and may report the inaccurate return reason to eBay.
The biggest thing is not to treat every return like a crisis.
Be honest.
Test what you can.
Take clear photos.
Set realistic expectations.
Help the buyer when you can.
And if you screw something up, admit it and do better next time.
That’s really the whole process.
New to Reselling?
If you’re just getting started, these guides cover the basic process I use:
