eBay: abandon hope o ye who enters here

It seems so easy, you put up a listing, someone likes it and buys it. In perfect world that's exactly how it happens. However we don't live in perfect world. Someone buys it and says hmm I don't like it. And tries to return it. If they return it with the reason I don't like it or it doesn't fit, you have a close, you can refuse return, or agree to it, and they pay for shipping and you return their money upon receiving and checking the item. There are still pitfalls here, but I will return to it. 

Experienced buyer knows that they will have to pay shipping if they choose those reasons. So they choose "something wrong with the item" or "doesn't seem authentic". Here you cannot refuse to accept the return and you are the one paying shipping price. In this case you are stuck, you have to do it or your seller's rating will plummet and that brings another heap of problems. 

But wait, there is more! 

After you accepted return, and received the item you see there is something wrong with it. Broken, torn, completely different item, empty package... you as a honest seller notify eBay, right? Well, there is a problem, unless buyer admit it, your are screwed. In my case I had all of it, broken, another item, empty package. You will not be able to prove anything. You can call ebay, you will talk and they will be very polite to you until you will give up. Last time they offered me to pursue the buyer outside of ebay if I wanted. I didn't. 

Their "seller protection" is a joke, and don't you forget it. 

But wait there's even more!

The first idea of eBay was genius, safe marketplace for simple people, giant flee-market that span the world. It was genius, uncomplicated and people oriented. 

People who weren't really divided seller/buyer, just people. 

But with great power comes great greed. You, as a single person cannot compete with giant corporations selling trash for cheap. Your hand craft that you created with love and desire to make someone happy cannot compare to sheer amount of stuff churning out of large companies. The entire Alibaba/ AliExpress market is here, and it's millions of sellers from china who can easily afford to pay for a return and refund the buyer because they will sell it to the next available buyer, their losses are the cost of doing business and with sheer amount of stuff they are selling it's a drop in the ocean. 

For you however its livelihood. 

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just pointing out the problems you will face. 

There are a lot of other platforms. Right now I'm trying out some of them, trying to find pros and cons for all of them, and will report when ready. 

Lessons learned here:

1. Seller's don't matter. Not your opinion, not your work, not even any proof you can provide.

2. Buyer can do anything they want, including breaking the item or completely stealing from you if they know to put a proper return request. Be prepared for it. 

E