Buyer wants to cancel, order already shipped, what now?

[elmojomo]

I've found a few threads about similar situations, but no real resolutions, so I'm trying for myself. Please note that I'm fairly new to selling on eBay, so I may not know all the tricks and where things are located. Please bear with me.

A buyer purchased an item from me. I happened to be sitting there when the order came in, so I jumped on it and processed everything, boxed it up and printed the label.

About 5 mins later, I get a cancellation request, claiming that they ordered by mistake. I initially declined, since I had already purchased the label and paid the fees, etc...

Then I get about 5 messages in a row, from what sounds like a young person on the verge of panic, because they ordered using their dad's account. 🙂
I don't mind helping, so I'm inclined to grant the request. I found out how to cancel the label, so that's good.

However, I can't for the life of me find any way to cancel the order. The buyer agreed to pay a 'restocking fee', which would cover the hassle of me doing all this, plus the fees and taxes that I will be charged for this item.

Anyone know how to get this done? I've looked all over, and can't find any option to cancel, partial refund, anything.

[mam98031]

Good, you are on the right track.  Cancelling the shipping label is the first step.

Now follow the link below, select the appropriate transaction and cancel the order.

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/buy-now/cancel-order?id=4004

You can't or should not withhold a restocking fee.  That is against the Ebay rules.  YOu need to refund the buyer in full.  NO deductions for anything.

[elmojomo]

Ok, thanks for the info about not charging anything. I won't do that.

How do I avoid holding the bag on the fees and stuff, since this isn't my fault?

Also, that link is for buyers. I'm the seller.

[lightlily_arts]

If you are in managed payments you should be able to cancel the transaction and the only amount lost is the 30 cent transaction fee.  eBay will credit the other fees.  I would rather cancel than deal with a return.  Especially if you are correct that a kid used their Dad's credit card.  The card owner could hit you with a chargeback.

[mam98031]

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@elmojomo wrote:

Ok, thanks for the info about not charging anything. I won't do that.

How do I avoid holding the bag on the fees and stuff, since this isn't my fault?

Also, that link is for buyers. I'm the seller.

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Ebay will refund your FVFs when you fully refund your buyer.

[elmojomo]

Well, I don't know what managed payments is, but I don't think I have it.

Like I said, I'm fairly new here.

I had a cancellation the other day, and it said that my final value fee would be credited for later use on insertion fees. I have no use for that, since I'm still well within the initial 200 free insertions. I really don't want it to happen again if I can avoid it.

Anyway, the issue right now is that I have no option to cancel the order, and the buyer doesn't seem to be able to request a cancellation, because it's still showing as "shipped", even though I've voided the label. It's kinda stuck in limbo, and I haven't been able to find any way to contact eBay for help directly. It's very frustrating.

[elmojomo]

I found the solution. Since it's a weekend, and apparently they don't feed the computers on the weekend, USPS hasn't finished processing the void request on the shipping label. Until that clears, I won't be able to cancel the order. We'll just have to wait until it does. At least I have something to tell the buyer now!

Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions. 🙂

[mam98031]

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@elmojomo wrote:

I found the solution. Since it's a weekend, and apparently they don't feed the computers on the weekend, USPS hasn't finished processing the void request on the shipping label. Until that clears, I won't be able to cancel the order. We'll just have to wait until it does. At least I have something to tell the buyer now!

Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions. 🙂

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@elmojomo 

That is a VERY bad idea.  USPS does not refund a voided label for about 30 days.  They wait to make sure the label doesn't actually get used.  It would not be a good idea to make a buyer wait that long for the refund.  This is a very bad idea.

[coastaltechsolution]

If you as the seller had to void a label for USPS (and I have done due to me picking wrong shipping method) it is not the buyers fault and you as the seller should void the label and buy the correct shipping label. Yes it will take up to 30 days to get refunded for the voided label but YOU as the the seller should be keeping track of all that 

Don't punish the buyer, make it right for them  

[mam98031]

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@coastaltechsolution wrote:

If you as the seller had to void a label for USPS (and I have done due to me picking wrong shipping method) it is not the buyers fault and you as the seller should void the label and buy the correct shipping label. Yes it will take up to 30 days to get refunded for the voided label but YOU as the the seller should be keeping track of all that 

Don't punish the buyer, make it right for them  

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We agree, I think you meant your post for the @elmojomo not me.

[misfitfun]

How were you paid?

Have you gone to resolution center and tried to cancel from there?Use buyer requested and your fees will be credited to you account to use towards you next bill(not just insertion fees)

It may be that since you declined the cancel request you can not open a cancel case.

[elmojomo]

I think you guys are a little confused. Perhaps I didn't explain correctly. If so, apologies.

I'm not "punishing the buyer" in any way. I (as the seller) have done nothing wrong here. I was under no obligation to cancel the order or provide any sort of refund, according to eBay support. I was simply trying to be nice and help out the buyer, since it seemed that his son has used his account by accident to place the order.

I have no intention to wait for the refund on the label before I cancel the order, nor did I ever say that's what I was planning to do. At the moment, I have no options at all to cancel the order. On the advice of eBay customer support, who I finally spoke with via phone, I am simply going to wait until the voiding of the label has been processed (it's currently marked as "requested"), which should then allow me to cancel the order from my end, freeing the buyer and allowing me to send him a refund.

I appreciate the advice, but I frankly don't appreciate the implication that I'm trying to do something shady, when in fact all I've done is waste the better part of my Saturday afternoon trying to help a buyer fix his own screw-up.

[mam98031]

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@elmojomo wrote:

I think you guys are a little confused. Perhaps I didn't explain correctly. If so, apologies.

I'm not "punishing the buyer" in any way. I (as the seller) have done nothing wrong here. I was under no obligation to cancel the order or provide any sort of refund, according to eBay support. I was simply trying to be nice and help out the buyer, since it seemed that his son has used his account by accident to place the order.

I have no intention to wait for the refund on the label before I cancel the order, nor did I ever say that's what I was planning to do. At the moment, I have no options at all to cancel the order. On the advice of eBay customer support, who I finally spoke with via phone, I am simply going to wait until the voiding of the label has been processed (it's currently marked as "requested"), which should then allow me to cancel the order from my end, freeing the buyer and allowing me to send him a refund.

I appreciate the advice, but I frankly don't appreciate the implication that I'm trying to do something shady, when in fact all I've done is waste the better part of my Saturday afternoon trying to help a buyer fix his own screw-up.

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I don't think we misunderstood.  The first thing to learn on Ebay is that buyers and sellers are NOT on a level playfield.  We are not treated the same nor do we have the same protections.  

What I tried to explain previously is that "requesting" the cancellation of a shipping label you didn't use will take about 30 days before you get the refund.  You stated twice now that you intend on waiting to give your buyer a refund on the cancellation until AFTER you get your shipping label refunded.

Now I NEVER said or implied that you were doing anything "shady".  I just think you are misinformed.  It is completely unfair to your buyer to be made to wait that long to get their refund on a cancellation.  And the most likely result will be the buyer contacting Ebay with a complaint.  Or maybe they will file an INR.  

Processing cancellations are just part of doing business on the internet.  Fortunately for all of us most transactions go off without a hitch otherwise none of us would even be here.  

You helping your buyer with whatever issue they have is simply part of your JOB as a seller.

[ronsam-197 · Accepted solution]

@elmojomo 

Where are you looking to find the cancel order option?

On seller Hub look under orders shipped and awaiting FB and then click on the menu drop down on the left of the item (the arrow next to leave feedback) and you should see the option.

[elmojomo]

That's where I think the misunderstanding is coming in. If you'll please go back and read my words again, you'll see that I never said I was intending to make the buyer wait for the label to be refunded, only that I had to wait until the voiding of the label is processed by USPS, before I can attempt to cancel the order.

Another misunderstanding: I DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO CANCEL THE ORDER AT THIS TIME. I'm sorry for the caps, but I wanted this to be very clear, as this is really the whole issue. It's not (never was) that I am unwilling to cancel the order, it's that I have no way of doing it currently. I have confirmed with eBay seller support that the way I am doing it is the correct way. My buyer is thrilled that I have maintained good communication, and intend to cancel the order, even though it was 100% their error and I had no obligation to do so. I hope this clears it up.