Buyer angry because after he bought 1 item from me, he bought another in better quality for cheaper.

[my_lil_card_shop]

Hello everyone. So a buyer purchased a trading card from me a week or so ago knowing full well what condition it was in. I ALWAYS show a full 12 pictures that point out any flaws in high quality. I also go above and beyond in my listings to point out any little flaw pretty much for this reason, so people can't come back and say they didn't know exactly what they were buying. He received that card and had ABSOLUTELY ZERO complaints. Skip forward that week or so and he bought another copy of the exact card from me although this time I was selling it cheaper. I sold this second one for 5 dollars less even though it was in better quality. So not until AFTER he receives the second card does he want to have a problem and messages me saying he wants some money back because the first card costed more. I explained all this to him very politely (never good to flat out argue with customers), saying that he clearly knew what he was buying both times and both items CLEARLY listed all flaws in the descriptions and had high quality photos. I also explained what seems to be very rational in my mind, that just because I choose to sell something for a certain price today, does not mean I am obligated to sell for that price (or any given price) in any past, present, or future listings. 

I always want to be reasonable, and I pride myself on always doing my best to make every transaction a pleasant experience so I told him if he has any actual REASONABLE compromise or solution, that I would certainly at the very least take it into consideration. All that being said however, I'm certainly not willing to let anyone just blatantly rip me off. Here is where the problem comes in, as I'm sure many of my fellow buyers are aware of. I have always had 100% positive seller rating since the creation of my account. I have had 1 neutral feedback and the rest have been 100% positive. I can tell by the tone of his message that he is pretty much threating negative feedback if I don't bend to what he wants and his account is older and has more reviews than me so I'm the little guy in this situation.

If this were a one time deal I'd probably pay the guy off and just block him from buying in the future, the problem with that is it only encourages him to do it to the next person. A lot of predatory accounts get away with it because they aren't reported or dealt with properly in the first place... This is turning into a super long post (especially considering it's my first one ever posting here) but I would VERY MUCH appreciate any advice anyone has to offer for this situation. My reputation is important to me, but so is the satisfaction of my buyers. I think I would have been much more willing to give in if not for the obvious feedback blackmail 🤦‍♂️.

Thank you so much in advance for any responses to this autobiography!

[luckythewinner]

Feeling upset or angry after you discover you did not get the "best deal" from a seller may not be logical or rational, but IMHO it is certainly understandable.

I learned many years ago to take great care when listing subsequent items not to "step on the toes" of my previous buyers.

If someone has purchased an item from me at full price, I make sure (a) it stays at that price for a month or two before I lower the price; and (b) I do not "send offers to interested buyers" for a couple months for that item in case my  recent buyer is still watching it.

Do I need to look out for the feelings of my buyers? No.

But is it prudent to do so anyway? Absolutely.

[fern*wood]

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@my_lil_card_shop wrote:

 He received that card and had ABSOLUTELY ZERO complaints. Skip forward that week or so and he bought another copy of the exact card from me although this time I was selling it cheaper. I sold this second one for 5 dollars less even though it was in better quality. So not until AFTER he receives the second card does he want to have a problem and messages me saying he wants some money back because the first card costed more. I explained all this to him very politely (never good to flat out argue with customers), saying that he clearly knew what he was buying both times and both items CLEARLY listed all flaws in the descriptions and had high quality photos. I also explained what seems to be very rational in my mind, that just because I choose to sell something for a certain price today, does not mean I am obligated to sell for that price (or any given price) in any past, present, or future listings. 

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There is a lot of good advice in this thread, and even though I've been around a long time, my response can be different from situation to situation, so I can't always say what I would do.  Usually it is return for a refund.   Bottom line, though, even though you know not to argue with a buyer (especially if they are angry), your response above sounds like a "no" to a buyer and could come across as a bit argumentation.  No buyer wants to hear no, so I try to make it sound like a yes in some fashion.

Keep it simple and try to ignore the fear of feedback way of selling---a buyer can still leave a negative even if you "pay" them off.  It is their prerogative.  I try to respond by admitting guilt when appropriate or understanding their point of view even if I disagree.   I try to never get into a long "I'm justified" response which might come across as "womansplaining".

[18704d]

" I explained all this to him very politely (never good to flat out argue with customers), saying that he clearly knew what he was buying both times and both items CLEARLY listed all flaws in the descriptions and had high quality photos. I also explained what seems to be very rational in my mind, that just because I choose to sell something for a certain price today, does not mean I am obligated to sell for that price (or any given price) in any past, present, or future listings. "

At that point, he may have felt victimized.  A victim of circumstances..who knows?

Not defending him.  but he may have a different perspective than you do.

"I always want to be reasonable, and I pride myself on always doing my best to make every transaction a pleasant experience so I told him if he has any actual REASONABLE compromise or solution, that I would certainly at the very least take it into consideration. "

Each seller has the right to set their own return policies, but mine is different.

I offer free 60 day returns, for any reason, including buyer's remorse, with me paying return shipping.

I personally feel it's better for my buyers, to be able to get a return without the need for an explanation, nor the need to get into a back and forth discussion of any type.

That's just how I deal with returns here.  And I hope that it creates more sales for me, to offset any return situations like you've described.

And asking for a buyer to decide on a solution ... well, that's when the negotiations begin ... and that's something I feel is counterproductive, in my opinion.

I believe you are a very good seller, a good eBayer. 

I have just chose a different path that other sellers choose.

As stated earlier here, I'd follow the advice femmefan1946 said.

Repectfully,

Lynn

[pikabo-icu]

Dear buyer: when I obtain items for a really good deal, I pass that savings on to my customer. If I'm charging more for something, it likely means it cost me more to obtain that item. I'm sorry if you're unhappy with your purchase please return for refund. 

Have a nice day...

CHEERS

[my_lil_card_shop]

Just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to read all this and help with all the wonderful responses. I just kept it cool like I originally said and talked with the buyer some more and pointed out what I did here, that everything was as described and that I may change prices of same or similar items for various reasons. I asked him kindly to go back and read the descriptions and look at the pictures again and he actually agreed that I couldn't have pointed things out any cleared and understands the points I'm making. For the sake of keeping a customer who has bought multiple items happy I still offered to send a couple cheap cards in a particular interest area and we're both content with everything as it stands so everything worked out fine without much issue at all. 

Just wanted to thank everyone once again. It's really nice to see people come together with friendly advice when people are having issues.

[jonathankirkland]

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@katzrul15 wrote:

Learned the hard way not to do partials.

Return for full refund.  Some nice Buyer will buy that card when re-listed.

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See as both a buyer and a seller I am on the fence about partials.

As a buyer, I sometimes receive items that are not as described but I am willing to make due with them if I get a bit more of a discount. Now it's tricky. I don't want to contact the seller and be like "hey you sent me X item and claimed it was grade A but it's really grace C, give me X percent discount or else" or something like that.

Instead I just state the facts: I received the item and there is X damage that was not disclosed and I am a bit unhappy about it. I see how they respond and what they want to do. Quite often they will just offer a partial and I will accept. In fact very rarely has a seller said to me return for full refund...

When there is honestly something not disclosed then I think partials are fair... it's just tricky to know who you are dealing with. A professional who wants a discount after the fact on every item or someone genuine who would just like a bit back because you didn't describe the item properly.

Now as a seller in this situation it would probably depend on how the buyer talked to me. If they seemed pushy or demanding or if they were easy going. Hard to tell through text for sure, but I think it's possible to tell. If the person is polite and matter of fact, and not pushy and demanding, I'd be much more likely to comply with a partial. But, I try my hardest when listing everything to have the best pictures and descriptions of condition and any 'major' defect so I would hope that would happy to me only rarely as a seller.

[katzrul15]

That's why I gave up on partials. 

I gladly taken returns.  Ship it back.  I could never discern who was scamming, who was nutz and what is legit.

So, just return.  All good.

(There have been times when really heavy, I was tempted to deviate from the Return plan.  Regretted it every time.  ymmv)

[varebelrose]

I filled my truck up last week for $2.99 a gallon. This week I see it is down to $2.84 a gallon. Should I ask for a refund on my first purchase?

[donsdetour]

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@varebelrose wrote:

I filled my truck up last week for $2.99 a gallon. This week I see it is down to $2.84 a gallon. Should I ask for a refund on my first purchase?

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Why why of course you should: they ripped you off man...... sarcasm folks.

Yet the new generation believe such is their right to do.

Now that is scary....

[femmefan1946]

DH bought gas for the car yesterday and paid $1.529 a LITRE (Canadian)

That's roughly $6.116USD a US gallon.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@my_lil_card_shop 

Just issue a $5.00 refund, I think I would be a tad unhappy to. 

Follow @lamber9437 wonderful testimony and advice, that is spot on esp the vomit thing! Best to you!

[sabdi-7453]

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@my_lil_card_shop wrote:

Just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to read all this and help with all the wonderful responses. I just kept it cool like I originally said and talked with the buyer some more and pointed out what I did here, that everything was as described and that I may change prices of same or similar items for various reasons. I asked him kindly to go back and read the descriptions and look at the pictures again and he actually agreed that I couldn't have pointed things out any cleared and understands the points I'm making. For the sake of keeping a customer who has bought multiple items happy I still offered to send a couple cheap cards in a particular interest area and we're both content with everything as it stands so everything worked out fine without much issue at all. 

Just wanted to thank everyone once again. It's really nice to see people come together with friendly advice when people are having issues.

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So you gave in...now he's going to pull this on others. Way to go.

[sabdi-7453]

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@silverstatetreasureboxes wrote:

@my_lil_card_shop 

Just issue a $5.00 refund, I think I would be a tad unhappy to. 

Follow @lamber9437 wonderful testimony and advice, that is spot on esp the vomit thing! Best to you!

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@silverstatetreasureboxes  would you go to Walmart and demand a $5 refund for something you bought last week and it's cheaper today?

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@sabdi-7453. Lol, I probably would return it and buy the cheaper one! Depending on my mood! 

[18704d]

"... would you go to Walmart and demand a $5 refund for something you bought last week and it's cheaper today?"

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Some stores do offer a refund on the differences between the two prices.

Best Buy, Costco, etc.  WalMart too (for 7 days after purchase)

I'm sure there's more than a few eCommerce vendors that also do.

Yes, we're not super mega retailers ... but it is a normal buyer expectation off of eBay.

Lynn