Reply With QuoteReport the buyer to eBay. eBay get plenty of flak but I think the attitude towards small sellers where you have proved delivery has gotten better in the last 12-18 months.Originally Posted by Dougal
What are my options as an eBay seller?
I’m looking for advice as an eBay seller. Here’s the scenario:
1. I was selling an item for a price + postage (as often the case on eBay).
2. I received a best offer, which I accepted.
3. The buyer contacted me to ask for me to take off the cost of postage. He claimed his offer didn’t include postage (which was untrue).
4. I replied to say no, but he was welcome to cancel the transaction and I’d re-list the item.
5. The buyer then paid the full amount, including postage.
6. I post the item promptly.
7. The buyer sends a message to say thanks for the item, but now I need to pay him the cost of postage as per his offer. The inferred threat being poor feedback.
What are my options as a seller?
Report the buyer to eBay. eBay get plenty of flak but I think the attitude towards small sellers where you have proved delivery has gotten better in the last 12-18 months.
He's basically taking advantage of you and blackmailing you.
You made the mistake of "accepting" his deal.
The fact that his offer didn't (supposedly) include shipping is his mistake since he's the one making the offer and doing all the calculations (whether he's fine with a certain amount price or not).
You should simply refuse the transaction by refunding him and relisting the item. At the same time contact ebay which has access to everyone's messages and they'll figure out that he did try to blackmail you. If he offered a negative feedback, theoretically, ebay would simply remove it as if the transaction didn't take place.
Also, you could have offered him a negative feedback as well so 2 can play that game.
A seller can't leave negative feedback anymore, it's either positive or nothing. Some people do leave positive feedback with a negative comment, but I don't think it's a particularly effective response.
Did he buy with best offer through Ebay, that showed shipping cost?
I would tell him to jog on.
Report him. Ebay is pretty clear about this kind of behaviour:
Policy overview
Buyers:
The buyer isn't allowed to threaten to use Feedback or detailed seller ratings in an attempt to force a seller into providing:
• Goods or services that weren't included in the original item's description or purchase price.
• A return, refund, or replacement item not covered by the original listing or the eBay Money Back Guarantee.
It's also against eBay's rules, so the Buyer could get the comment removed by eBay (and the Positive feedback itself would still remain).
If you think you have experienced Feedback extortion, report it to us:
Report Feedback extortion from a buyer. http://spd.ebay.com/RBASellerHub?query=1562
You have his address, he obviously has a letterbox. I think you know the rest
Clearly he shouldn't have paid the full amount as you had already rejected his request to remove the postage cost. The fact that he then paid the full amount when you gave him the option of cancelling the whole thing shows that's he just trying it on.
Report him to Ebay and they should sort it out.
Don't refund him.
Hope this gets sorted. eBay has been a nightmare for sellers. Siding with buyers in almost every case as they don't want to scare them. Puts decent, honest sellers off.
Many thanks for all the advice everyone. eBay is increasingly less attractive to use.
It turned out to be more complicated. The buyer had added a message to his Buy-It-Now offer, stating that his offer didn’t include postage. However, I’ve discovered that messages written as part of a Buy-It-Now offer aren’t recorded by the eBay phone app. I checked and double checked, but the phone app only records normal eBay messages, not messages added as part of a Buy-It-Now offer.
This means anyone could make a Buy-It-Now offer and add “offer excludes postage” or “offer includes a night with your wife”, without the eBay app showing any record that this was part of the offer. This makes it very easy for scammers to try their luck, as so many of us use the app.
Sounds like the best thing to do would be to take a screen shot of the offer on your phone
Log in to eBay via a computer & check if the message/offer is saved there, maybe it just doesn’t show via the phone app ?
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If he paid the cost+postage then great. Any other transaction is outside of eBay and none of their concern. Only thing is feedback - they paid, you sent. -ve feedback unjustified and should be removed
However, eBay make it very clear that any best offer made by a potential buyer exclude postage costs. Frankly he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
This is the problem: it doesn't show via the phone app, but does show on a computer. It's an issue with the eBay app.
Hi IanBear, please could you show me where eBay says this? (I couldn't find it.)
How much was the postage? I wouldn’t have thought it was worth all this hassle
Best offers don't include postage, it's a separate calculation. We set up our listings with both purchase price and shipping kept separate and there is no best offer option on the shipping section. I can understand a buyer asking if there is a cheaper postage option but if there's none available how can you negotiate it.
Just tell him to return it but the cost of return post is on the buyer.
I can confirm, having made several recent 'best offer' purchases via the phone app, that the screen says 'please note this does not include any shipping costs' below the box you type your figure in so, unless the ad says free postage, it is clear that you have to pay delivery charge on top.
Unless you stated a condition of free or reduced postage, unaware that the seller is not seeing this message. I have certainly asked for a certain postage service to be used on low value items where a premium service has been specified. The fact that a box to specify the terms of your offer is given but then is not passed on is clearly a major mess up by eBay.
Last edited by ernestrome; 6th February 2018 at 22:10.
The item was an oak wardrobe.
Well that changes things. I had assumed it was a nominal amount.
I sold a silver Vesta case on Ebay last year, buyer paid up front and I sent it to the States. Buyer then said it was damaged, wanted the price reduced and if I did that he would be happy.
I offered a full refund instead as I would be happy to get it back.
Next thing I know he had contacted Ebay/PayPal saying it was advertised wrongly, they gave him a full refund, no questions asked even though he hadn’t returned it to me.
Ebay/PayPal have washed their hands with it and say the case is closed. He never answered any emails and I’m out of pocket!
This - I'm sure it is sat within an ebay policy somewhere but you will see this on every best offer screen as both a potential buyer and seller.
Should have told him to pick it up in the first place if he didn’t want to pay postage. I just hope for your sake he doesn’t start a return, pretty sure you’ll then be paying for the privilege. Mind you at least you’ll be able to tell him he should be able to post it for free!
Worst thing eBay ever did was remove the sellers ability to leave negative feedback, I just don’t understand why they did it.
I find eBay so depressing as a genuine seller, sell something and you’re waiting 30 days to find out of the buyer decides he wants his money back.
I’ve heard it all on there in 15 years. I got my first negative feedback last year & the git tried to blackmail me first asking for money off for a fault that was not just mentioned in the ad but outlined with its own clear paragraph! The amazing thing to me is eBay didn’t remove the feedback after I asked them and showed them his messages and the ad that clearly showed the fault.
If a Buyer pays using PayPal, they have 180 days in which to open a claim.
Thanks, made me feel even more grim about it haha
Just wondering, if you have something to sell on ebay (I think I bought an item off you last year) would you rather sell it on here and end the listing?
Less hassle and better selling platform?
Not trying to be controversial btw.
I would ignore him personally .... what's he going to do, he's calling your bluff I would think
And this is correct .. if that's all he's got, ignore
If I put something on eBay I wouldn’t list it on here at the same time so there wouldn’t be the option to end the listing early in that way.
This has always struck me as ridiculous. 180 days is bonkers. eBay has obviously skewed things in buyers’ favour for its own business reasons, but I can’t see why. Surely a better balance of buyers’ and sellers’ rights would be good for eBay?
????
This has nothing to do with eBay. It's a PayPal policy.
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