Is there any way to help me (the seller at ebay)?

[devlina2u]

I wonder what is going wrong but my whole week has been a disaster and at the grand note at which the year had ended, I was hoping that it would go on like that.....but alas!

I had an auction sometime back on ebay. I was selling a satelite system and it sold for $187.51 and I had written that the shipping would be $15 on the auction page but I had also mentioned that the buyer pays actual shipping and handling charges. I am not a trader or I am not even a seller who sells everyday. I had NO IDEA what the shipping and handling would be. The person who had the winning bid had emailed me earlier about the system and I had mailed him all the details that he asked for. After the auction ended, he mailed me and told that he would send me the payment within a day or two and then I keep waiting and waiting and then after I email him a number of times, he mails me and tells me that it is going to take some more time. Anyway, after a long time, I get the money and then I mail the system out today and I realise that the shipping and handling would be $31.95 and not $15. I agree that it was my mistake to write the amount so low but isn't there ANYTHING that I can do? When I told him about this, he was very rude and very mean! Oh goodness, I have been crying since! I am bew to ebay and I had a real nice relation with the others. There were absolutely no problems. In this case the buyer was new to ebay and had 0 feedback. And this was his first bid.

And now he says that he does not want the system and that he wants to return it and that I shoud return the money which he paid via PayPal. WHAT SHOULD I DO? PLEASE TELL ME AND HELP ME?

Is there ANYTHING at all that I can do? PLEASE HELP ME I have been crying my eyes out!

[momtolevi]

Hi! While I'm not an expert at Ebay at all, I've bought plenty and have sold some too! I would take the shipping charges as a loss and in the future tell your potential buyer(s) they pay actual shipping charges, that might help out some. Where does the $15 come from? Is that a total you told him before you had the system weighed at the post office? I wouldn't name a dollar amount, just actual shipping charges, after it's weighed. I know I was burned also thinking shipping was going to be cheap and it was far from it, but I just took it as lesson learned. As for him wanting to return it, what is the reason for that? Is there something wrong with it or did he just change his mind? I would think if he changed his mind it should be HIS responsibility to get the product back to you, all companies work like this, you aren't the first. If there is something wrong with it that you didn't state in your description, than it could be your fault, it's hard to say without knowing everything.

If he does want to return it, don't give him his money back until you have the system back in your possession.

Good luck to you, you can always ask Ebay questions too. I know the first time I sold items I had not one but two deadbeat bidders who outbid others and then never bothered to send me a cent, it was very disappointing, but most people have great luck on Ebay!

I hope I've helped some!

[Edited by momtolevi on 01-10-2001 at 04:10 PM]

[devlina2u]

Originally posted by momtolevi
Hi! While I'm not an expert at Ebay at all, I've bought plenty and have sold some too! I would take the shipping charges as a loss and in the future tell your potential buyer(s) they pay actual shipping charges, that might help out some. Where does the $15 come from? Is that a total you told him before you had the system weighed at the post office? I wouldn't name a dollar amount, just actual shipping charges, after it's weighed. I know I was burned also thinking shipping was going to be cheap and it was far from it, but I just took it as lesson learned. As for him wanting to return it, what is the reason for that? Is there something wrong with it or did he just change his mind? I would think if he changed his mind it should be HIS responsibility to get the product back to you, all companies work like this, you aren't the first. If there is something wrong with it that you didn't state in your description, than it could be your fault, it's hard to say without knowing everything.

If he does want to return it, don't give him his money back until you have the system back in your possession.

Good luck to you, you can always ask Ebay questions too. I know the first time I sold items I had not one but two deadbeat bidders who outbid others and then never bothered to send me a cent, it was very disappointing, but most people have great luck on Ebay!

I hope I've helped some!

[Edited by momtolevi on 01-10-2001 at 04:10 PM]

MOMTOLEVI.....thanks for taking the time to read my post and trying to help me out...I appreciate that so much! Ok about the shipping and handling, I had not got it weighed since I was sick at that time and I had achart at home and I did a rough estimate and came up with that amount. I was ready to take the loss if there was some....like if it was going to be $20 or someting like that, I would not have bothered. But guess what Iget much more for the system than I had ever imagined. And so, I was very very happy and then he kept on delaying the payment for a number of days and it was all right with me as long as he paid up. That said and done, I went to mail the system out today. The postage cameup to $31.95 and that was way higher than what I had expected. When I came home and logged on, he was online and so, I thought that I am going to tell him about this and if he would be willing to pay as a good humanitarian (What was I thinking....spank me!) or if he woudl be share at least 50 - 50......it would have been great or else, I would not have bothered to pressurize him for the money. I would have taken this as an instant to learn and not make the same mistake again. But just as I told him this, he said that he does not want the system and he wants a refund! AND he has not yet received the system. I said that is not possible sonce the system has been mailed out. And that's when he got rude! I asked him why is he trying to be so difficult and this is what he said "Difficult? Look, YOU stated the amount. I agreed to pay that amount. NO MORE! Don't attempt to make me out to be some idiot. ****, at least I know how to punch an election ballot!" Look....I was not even asking him the money.......I just thought in my mnd that if he would pay the difference amount, it would be great!

And then he started making fun of me.....for some sentence I had to write 'who' and by mistake I wrote 'ho' so he wrote back "Actually, it is spelled "WHO". You have no idea what I do for a living, and you have no idea what the price is for credit card fraud. Why do you think I only buy things with my credit card. The answer is because I can make sure I don't get cheated. Well, since you obviously are not going to adhere to our binding contract. I will call my credit card company, pay pal, e-bay and the local attorney general's office. I think you have crossed the line. Do not contact me further. Should you do so, I will file charges against you."

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ALL THIS SOUNDS LIKE? I AM NOT A CHEAT AND I AM NOT EVEN A BUSINESS PERSON OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT....I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I DID WRONG! i AM NEW TO EBAY AND ALL THE OTHER BUYERS HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH ME!

I'm so sick right now with all this and I have no idea what I can do. I don't want the money. I want JUSTICE. I HAVE NOT EVEN DONE ANYTHING WRONG. Oh God....I wish everyone else is having a great day and thanks for letting me vent! If there is something that I can do about this please let me know. I will be grateful for life!

Thanks!

[vanollefen]

First, don't get too upset about this. On the shipping, the best thing to do is honor the amount you posted, and next time get better information ahead of time. People prefer to know the exact amount of shipping they are going to pay. Your goal is to get a good estimate, and if the shipping varies a little, no big deal. It sounds to me like you either misread the chart, underestimated the weight, or something. UPS for example, charges different amounts if they pick up at a residence or business. Also, the "pack and ship" places like Mailboxes Etc that take UPS mark up the shipping cost a lot to make a profit.

Since you already have the money (and get it out of Paypal as soon as possible), it's up to you if you want to take the unit back - if it was me, I wouldn't. He probably found one cheaper. If you do decide to take it back, make it very clear to him that 1) he has to pay shipping back to you 2) you will not refund his original shipping since he was the one that wanted to return the item and 3) you will verify that it is in good working order before you send him any money.

As for his threats, its mostly intimidation tactics. Ebay evaluates complaints carefully. You didn't take a credit card payment from him so there is no problem there(Paypal did - this is a common misconception about Paypal - it enables credit card payment, but offers none of the "protection").

One last tip: on anything approaching $100 or more, I ship everything insured and usually with delivery confirmation. It's a small additional cost to the buyer, but protects you both.

Good luck.

Rich

[ILUV2SHOP]

If you stated 15.00 shipping on the ad, you do need to honor that, I would just accept it as a loss if I were you, I know there were a few times at first when I guessed on a couple of items approximate and had to eat some of the shipping charges, but that helps in the learning process for the next time... (somewhat painful, but it could be worse.) Now on big items I am totally unsure of I definately
put buyer pays ACTUAL SHIPPING CHARGES....I had ordered a large item from a guy and he had posted a price on shipping and it ended up way more than what he or I had even expected..fortunately it worked out where he got someone to deliver it for him......but it was gonna be like 300.00 to 400.00 for shipping!!!(OUCH) and he had quoted 100.00,,,,,
I know its dissappointing not to make as much as you originally thought you would but its cheaper in the long run to have a happy buyer.....Hope it all works out for you.



[Edited by ILUV2SHOP on 01-10-2001 at 06:22 PM]

[nicanat]

ebay list when you sign up that auctions are a legal & binding agreement. That is why you have to eat the shipping charges & he has to take the package. I agree that you get your money from paypal. don't take the item back. also contact ebay about the problem & make sure you leave negative feedback about him so someone else won't get taken.

[bassmount]

I pretty much agree with every one. I have bought on Ebay many times, true not as much as some have and it does state it is a "binding" contract. You have to do what you said you would and he has to likewise, regardless. Cover your butt. Contact Ebay, get your money from Pay Pal and make sure you respond to the negative feedback he will leave on you in a very detailed way (if you want copy an paste his nasty gram to you on it, so people see the attitude of the person you are dealing with. Once the Email is sent to you, it becomes public domain, so post it!), so it doesn't mess up any other auctions you may have. You don't have any legal responsibility to return his money. The only way he would get his money back or for Ebay to MAKE you give it back would be if he falls in this ruleing.

Fraud Protection Eligibility Checklist and Claims Process
Most eBay transactions qualify for fraud protection, but it's always a good idea to make sure. Review the eligibility checklist below to see if you meet the requirements:

Your item was listed on eBay and not any other auction site.
You are a bidder.
Both you and the seller are in good standing at eBay (both parties have net feedback rating of zero or above)and have not been suspended at the time of the transaction.
You have filed a Fraud Report within 60 days of the auction's close (more on how to file below if you haven't done so already).

Your auction item must be legal in the eyes of eBay's User Agreement.

The value of your item is over $25 ($200 is the maximum amount of insurance per auction less a $25 deductible).

You sent the money in good faith to the seller and never received the item. Or, the item you received is significantly different from the seller's description. (Remember, items damaged during shipment are not covered. Please contact your shipping carrier for information on its reimbursement policy).

You have not exceeded the one claim per month limit.

Actual fraud has been committed.

Also read this:

So you're a winning bidder, or you've sold an item. Now what do you do?

Your first move is to contact the other person in the transaction. Sellers should try to contact the winning bidders within three business days after the auction ends. Winning bidders should also contact the sellers, especially if they haven't heard back from the seller within three business days. Sellers will not be offended if you show enthusiasm for the item that you bought. It is the responsibility of the seller and the buyer to contact one another.

When the auction has ended, sellers should contact the winning bidder(s) (usually within three business days) with information on the total cost, including shipping, and where to send payment. The winning bidder(s) pays the seller directly for the item(s), and it is the seller's responsibility to fulfill the order when payment terms are met. A binding contract is formed between the winning bidder(s) and the seller. If you do not hear back from the other party, you may want to try requesting their contact information for an additional way to get in touch with them.

A seller may contact the next highest bidder if the seller is unable to conclude the transaction with the high bidder within 3 business days. Therefore, high bidders may lose their place as winning bidder if the high bidder does not contact the seller within 3 business days of the end of the listing.


Now Dev, hon stop worrying, you did nothing wrong. Eat the shipping charges, CYA and enjoy the rest of the money!

[Pipanella]

I have been both a buyer and seller on eBay for over 3 years now, and I mostly agree with what has been posted here. Eat the shipping charges, that is your fault, not his. Do not accept the item for return, especially because he wanted to back out on the deal before he ever received the item. I hope you sent it insured, because now if he receives it, he may say that it doesn't work, is damaged, etc, and you have no recourse.

I would definitely contact eBay Safe Harbor and let them know what the situation is. The sooner the better, and keep them posted on any updates. He's new to eBay, so there is no history for him.

About leaving negative feedback.........I would be VERY careful and prudent about doing that. I would wait until this is all said and done, then make your judgement about whether you want to leave negative feedback or not. Since this is his first experience with eBay, and he's not happy, he very likely may not use eBay again. The feedback is eBay's self-governing way of helping to make it a trustworthy way of doing business, but too many times negative feedback only elicits retaliatory negative feedback to you. That may do you more damage, and cause you more stress. The problem with negative feedback is you rarely have enough room to write a response to explain to others what really happened.

Wait and see how this all turns out, and if negative feedback is warranted, then do it. If you can accomplish the same thing by leaving neutral feedback, do that, and BE NEUTRAL, just state the facts, no emotion-charged words. It will make you look more professional. If you can live with blowing it off and leaving no negative feedback, then I would advise that. Of course, if he leaves negative feedback for you first, then by all means, respond with feedback for him, but again, leave your emotions out of it. Keep in mind that you can only leave feedback once per transaction, too.

I feel for you. I know I was devastated when I got my first negative. It was totally unwarranted, but these things happen. You can't please everyone all the time. I have 609 positive feedback comments and 2 negatives. What do you think people think when they see that? Other eBay members reassured me that those 2 negatives wouldn't hurt my reputation. I have to say that they haven't. Like I said, these things will happen. And no matter what the situation, you will learn from it.

One of the negatives I had was from a bidder who did not respond to my emails following the close of the auction. One week and 3 e-mails had passed without response, and I offered it to the next highest bidder per eBay rules, and they bought the item. I then got an e-mail from the original bidder stating they had sent payment. I told them that since I had not heard from them for one week after the close of the auction, that I assumed they were not going to pay. (I even checked their active bidding to see if they were absent from eBay during that week, and they continued to bid on other items, so I know they were not on vacation or anything.) I told them that I would return their payment when it arrived. They got very nasty with me, said that they didn't respond right away because they didn't know if what they bought from me was 'safe.' (It was a home electrolysis kit.) I told them if there was any question about that, then they should not have bid on it in the first place. They were very nasty, left me negative feedback, and I never did receive the payment, so they lied to me about that.

The other negative was from someone who had bought a watch, which I described accurately, had a good photo of, they paid $4 for it. The had it for 3 weeks, then wanted to return it because it didn't fit the person they bought it for. I told them that I did not misrepresent the watch in any way, and that they got exactly what they bid on. They got very upset with that, and left me negative feedback. It was $4 ! In retrospect, I should have just sent the $4 back to them and told them to keep the watch.

Anyway, see? Things happen even when you don't do anything wrong. Sorry for the lengthy post. I just hope this helps!

Good luck!!

~Pipanella

[elf64]

just a quick thought did the shipping cost go up?what i am asking is from the list you have to what you paid to ship.just wondering if his delay in paying effected the shipping cost.get e-bay to help you deal with him.feel better.please if you take it back do not give back his money till you make sure you have everything in good working order nothing missing and it is the same unit.my niebor back in Tucson(i do not like him)bought something on e-bay and put his old unit in the new box then returned it getting his money back.how do i know this i overheard him telling his buddies because my window was open.so be careful some ppl. are not as nice as those here at dod.

[Mouse7088]

Wow...I'll try to remeber this stuff if I ever do the eBay thaang.
IMO..Consider the S&H charges as a lesson earned. I wouldn't return the $ either. Hopefully you did tho have it sent in a manner which you'll have confirmation of delivery.
Now here's a question..what if he claims it doesn't work, but it's his fault it doesn't. Such as doing a little "tweaking" of his own?
Devlina hon'...I hope this all blows over, works out or something where you come out unscathed.
I think you got a good price for it, considering we didn't pay that much for ours and it was installed.

[devlina2u]

vanollefen - thanks for your advise! Well, he succeeded in intimidating me if that is what he was trying but he does not know me. I am not going to give up just like that. I have been in business for too long to let this get to me. I am definitely going to contact ebay and any other necessary people and let them know what happened! Thanks again!

ILUV2SHOP - You are right that I should honor the shipping price that I had written and I was going to do that 'cos I had made more money rather than losing anything! You know what is astounding me? I did not even want to ask him for the money and he did not even receive the system and already he tells me that he does not want the system and wants his money back. And off he goes...he just blasts me for nothing! I don't seem to understand. I would not have asked him for the money at all if he would have been nice. But then when he got rude, I told him that I want the remaining money and that I had mentioned that the "Buyer pays actual shipping charges." Anyway, I guess I am going to bear the shipping!

nicanat - Welcome to DOD and thanks for your advise but before leaving him negative feedback, I have to think about my own reputation too. I would not like to tar my image at ebay. I have excellent feedback till now.

bassmount & Pipanella - According to ebay rules, he contacted me just before the end of the 3rd day and said that I would have the payment in a day or two. And then, kaboom! He vanished! For days there was no news from him. And then I kept mailing him again and again and trying to make contact and then after a number of emails, he sent me the money via PayPal. I had no idea that PayPal has increased the credit card limit and so, I lost a % of the money there but I never mentioned this to him at all. And then he does not tell me the shipping address and I have to keep mailing him asking the address and then no name and then I had to keep emailing him to whom I should send it to (Till then I did not even know his name)! Then finally today, I shipped the item and came and told him that I had and told him about the shipping and handling etc. and off he goes. I am not upset about losing the shipping money, I am upset because of the way he spoke to me. Isn't there something that I can do about that? And you know I have learnt something else from all this - THAT I SHOULD NOT JUDGE PEOPLE IF THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. I AM NEW TO EBAY AND I THOUGHT THAT THEIR FEEDBACK IS THE ONLY WAY TO JUDGE A PERSON THERE! BUT A COUPLE OF THEM IS NOT THEIR FAULT! It is because of all these weirdos out there!!!!

Vicki - Now that I give it a thought, you know that the shipping has increased since the auction ended. If I had sent it a couple of days back, it would have been lesser! But that is [b}NOT[/b] what is making me mad. Its the way he spoke to me! THAT IS WHAT IS MAKING ME MAD!!!! After reading what you heard, I am getting ideas now about what he might do!!!!

Paula - He did not buy the system because he wanted the system.....he had mentioned in the mail that he is buying the system only because he wants the H card that I had. Can I tell you something? If you surf around on ebay, for a RCA satellite system with a valid H card, you will see that those auctions are ending at around $400!!!! Mine was sold for $187.51....and I have no idea why they are paying that much for the H card after all!!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE IT AND THANKS SO MICH FOR LETTING ME VENT! FEELING MUCH BETTER NOW!!!

[Pipanella]

devlina~

i totally understand how you feel about how he talked to you. it becomes the focus of everything, and unfortunately, unless he threatens you with bodily harm, or something, i don't know what you can do. i guess you could try being firm, standing strong with what you will and won't do, but kill him with kindness! i don't think anything is really going to make a difference with someone like that. he just sounds so totally off the wall with some sort of misplaced anger.

i work in a dental office, both as a dental hygienist and at the front desk, and let me tell you, anytime you talk money with people, and they get upset about it, fire can fly!! and there are just those people that are so upset that it's not possible for them to even listen to you, let alone be rational about anything. i have found the best way is to stand your ground, but keep your cool, and have lots and lots of patience. it usually diffuses their anger.

i really hope this turns out okay for you and that soon it will be well behind you. don't let it sour you on ebay. it's a great place to buy and sell, when all is said and done.

[missycpn]

devlina2u, I have seen the following return policies on ebay by other sellers.
1. NO RETURNS, NO EXCEPTIONS. I give an honest and accurate description of item. Please read item description carefully before you bid.
2. I will accept returns ONLY if I have misrepresented this item. You must return item within 3 days after you receive it. You must email me and let me know that you are returning item. Item must be insured and returned to me in same condition as it was when I shipped. Buyer will pay shipping charges for any returns. You will receive a refund, minus any fees incurred by seller.
The above are not exact quotes, but this is generally the return policies I have seen on ebay. If you decide to go route #1, I am sure you will get a negative. Unless you have comitted fraud, I don't think you have anything to worry about, except his negative. I bet he will give you a negative no matter what you do. If he gives you a negative, put a response under his on your feedback page, and say something like, "If this negative feedback worries you, please email me for details." If you have any questions about this auction from bidders, explain what happened. Especially that he wanted to cancel the order before he even received it. If you go with route #2, you can give him his money back -- minus any fees you spent. That includes ebay's listing fee, final credit fee, paypal's fees, and your shipping costs. Plus he will have to pay to ship it back. I bet he won't do return it then, because he will be out about 60 bucks right away just for the shipping. I wouldn't worry too much about his threats or getting a negative feedback. One negative feedback won't hurt you. Hope this helps.

[bassmount]

Originally posted by devlina2u
If you surf around on ebay, for a RCA satellite system with a valid H card, you will see that those auctions are ending at around $400!!!! Mine was sold for $187.51....and I have no idea why they are paying that much for the H card after all!!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE IT AND THANKS SO MICH FOR LETTING ME VENT! FEELING MUCH BETTER NOW!!!

I wrote a more detailed answer to this question to you Devlina via Email , but for everyone elses FYI, the "H" serise cards are programable, so that you do not have to pay for satallite service. It can be overridden, so that ALL channles can be seen reguardless. They sell programmed cards for this purpose for 5 to 8 hundred dollars. See if they pay 400.00 for it, they still make 400.00 off of it once it is programed, with about an hour's worth of programming time. The satallite companies are not having the "h" serise cards made anymore, so the demand for this "Theft for Profit" card is high. The companies have become aware of the problem and had a harder to program card produced. This man will either make a a large profit off of this card or steal a fortune's worth of service with it.