eBay announced Tuesday new purchase protections for people buying in its Auto Parts & Accessories category. “With eBay Guaranteed Fit, shoppers can discover and purchase the right car, truck, and motorcycle parts to fit their vehicle – or their money back,” according to the announcement.
However, it didn’t address who funds the refund to the buyer – eBay or the seller. It appears from the following FAQ on eBay’s website that it’s the seller’s responsibility:
“Most sellers submit a refund as soon as they receive the returned item. If the item has been returned to the seller and they have not given you a full refund after 2 business days, you can ask us to step in and help.”
The new program fits in with eBay’s marketing narrative that it’s a safe place for shoppers. In today’s press release, it said: “The launch of eBay Guaranteed Fit is the latest advancement designed to help people shop the marketplace with confidence and ease, including Authenticity Guarantee for sneakers, handbags, jewelry and trading cards, and the expansion of condition grading for eBay Refurbished.”
eBay said the Guaranteed Fit program for parts works as follows:
- Input vehicle details: Shoppers enter their vehicle year, make, model, trim and engine information into Finder, or select the vehicle saved in My Garage to search for new and used parts.
- Discover parts that fit: eBay Motors verifies that the vehicle details match the part compatibility information within the listing. When there is a match, fit is confirmed with a green ‘Fits’ checkmark on the listing.
- Purchase an eligible part or accessory: When shoppers purchase an eligible part or accessory, they can be sure it will fit their vehicle. Some exclusions apply, including tires and wheels.
- Access purchase protections: If the part or accessory does not fit the buyer’s vehicle upon arrival, they can return it for free within 30 days for a full refund.
The new program follows eBay’s acquisition of a company called myFitment, LLC and Illumaware, LLC in August. eBay said at the time it would integrate their technology into the eBay platform to help buyers determine if auto parts are compatible with their vehicles.
It’s not the first time eBay tried to solve parts-compatibility issues. In 2012, eBay acquired WHI Solutions (WHI), a provider of software and digital catalog solutions for auto parts distributors and retailers.
On Tuesday, eBay explained its new Guaranteed Fit offering: “Shoppers can now look for the green ‘Fits’ compatibility checkmark on select parts and accessories listings to gauge whether the part will fit their vehicle. If the part arrives and doesn’t fit as expected, eBay Motors will cover the cost of the return and the buyer will receive a full refund – enabling more seamless and trusted transactions for both shoppers and sellers.”
eBay also said Guaranteed Fit offers additional protection under the eBay Money Back Guarantee “and covers most new and pre-owned items in the Parts & Accessories category with more to be added in the coming months.”
Hubcapjoe will be “thrilled” at this.
That poor guy gets more stupid a$$ customers…
They can’t even measure correctly for a hubcap.
I used to sell a lot of OEM auto parts that I bought from the service department of a dealership that went out of business. Apparently, they were unable to return them to the distributor, so I was able to get them for pennies on the dollar.
Unfortunately, despite including in the listings all of the information needed for fitment, including the make, model, year, engine, trim, etc., buyers seemingly looked at the photos, thought it “looked” like the right part, and then tried to install what turned out to be a part for a different vehicle. Back in those days, it was much easier for a seller to refuse to refund a part that was returned with mangled seals, had threads stripped out, and were covered with grease.
It seems that this new policy will eliminate that ability, even if the buyer “guesses” on some of the aspects for their vehicle. LOTS of buyers don’t realize that “trim” does make a difference, and don’t know what trim is on their vehicle.