Your web store allows orders to be created from a number of sites and marketplaces. This document will discuss the two most common which are your own ‘b2c’ site (www.yoursite.com) and your ebay store.
Sophio FBS requires all returns to have an RMA (return merchandise authorization) id associated with the return and requires all returns to be approved by FBS before they are sent back. Returns that are sent back without RMA numbers and or approval will likey result in no credit or a delayed credit at best. This RMA id may be the same id we gave you when you sent the order to us, or it may be the FBS suppliers RMA number. RMA id’s should be placed on the first line of the shipping address as well as on the outside packaging of the return.
When setting up your eBay store, you have to consider several things. eBay has a returns management system themselves. You are not required to use it, but if you do not use it, your listings will rank lower than sellers that do use their returns sytem. Therefore, you should opt in to use the eBay return system if your goal is to sell as much as possible. When you opt in to use managed returns also known as ‘no hassle returns’, you have the ability to create ‘rules’ that control the automation process.
In case you are not aware, the eBay returns system relies on a ‘trackable’ tracking number to issue credit. This means you should remind your customer as well as your staff that it is 100% required to get a tracking number on all returns to insure a timely credit and or refund. The moment that eBay is able to prove that a return was delivered to the address your store gave them is the same moment that you will see a debit in you your Paypal account. If this worries you and you want granular control over refunds then DISABLE the no hassle returns feature in your eBay store. Your B2C site requires you to click a ‘refund’ link on all returns.
An automated ebay return looks something like this.
1. Buyer sends you a message that the item they bought from you is no longer wanted.
2. You reply back to the buyer asking them to create a return request in ebay by visiting their ‘my ebay’ and finding the transaction and choosing the ‘return’ option.
3. The return request is generated in your ebay store, and an eBay return id that looks something like this 5028312093 is created.
4. The Sophio system will discover that a new return was created for your ebay store (if you have properly attached your Sophio store to your eBay store on the ‘advanced settings’ marketplace ebay tab. Note: If you are seeing ebay orders in your Sophio dashboard then you will automatically see any returns or ‘cases’ that are created on eBay in the returns section as well.
5. The Sophio platform will analyze your return from the eBay buyer and will determine if the original order was fulfilled by FBS. If it was, the system will generate a ‘return request’ in the Sophio FBS system. If you login to your Sophio FBS account here: http://fbs.sophio.com/ you will be able to see all of the return requests in your account and the status of them.
6. At this point, you have to wait for Sophio FBS to approve your return request. When Sophio FBS approves the request, the system will update your OWN return request with a new ‘supplier RMA id’ (the field is called suprmaid) as well as the ‘return address’ to return the part. So far this configuration assumes that you want all of the parts returned by buyers to be sent back to YOUR office or warehouse. If you want the returns to be sent back to the Sophio suppliers direclty, you must contact eBay and specifically request that they activate the RMA feature within your account. The number to call is: 877-322-9227 and mention “Peter Strack” as your program manager. Tell eBay that you need this feature because some of your orders are fulfilled by the manufacturer and they require a custom RMA number.
7. While you are waiting for your approved FBS return request, FBS is either calling, emailing, or accessing the suppliers system to retrieve the correct shipping address and RMA number for the return. This process can be a few minutes to a few days. It depends on the supplier. If you see a pattern of delays please contact support and let us know. We need to stop supporting suppliers who slow down the returns process because it can lead to negative reviews and or feedback scores.
8. When FBS approves your return request, FBS will update your return request in your own B2C dashboard and will simultaneously inform eBay that the return has been approved. The Sophio system will give eBay the return address and RMA id that your buyer is supposed to ship the item back to. 90% of the time this works out fine. 10% of the time it does not. When it does not work out, you will discover the part on your door step. When this happens it is your responsibility to get the item back to the supplier. Be sure you have the correct address and RMA number before sending it back. Also, some suppliers only have a 30 or 60 day return policy (unless an item is defective). Be sure to contact us specifically with those items before sending back otherwise you are likely to not get paid and waste lots of money sending returns back and forth.
9. When the supplier receives the return, they will process and refund FBS. FBS checks for credits from suppliers on a daily basis, and when we discover them, we update your FBS account with the suppliers credit memo id. At that time we also refund you. Depending on your method of payment to FBS you may or may not notice that your original return request is updated. We highly recommend keeping your credit memos in sync so that you can easily discover how good or bad you are doing with your refund management.
