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Seller Unilaterally Cancelled Purchase & Lied for the Reason Why Cancelled
Here is the situation. I made an offer on a 2 piece brooch set. Seller immediately accepted the offer, and I paid for the set. I asked seller before boxing and shipping to make sure all the stones were clear with no discolouration. Seller's pictures looked good, but I wanted to be sure before seller shipped because I do not fancy returning stuff.
Seller did not respond. Instead, seller unilaterally cancelled the purchase without consulting me or even notifying me. Seller gave reason for cancellation as "item no longer available." I asked seller what was going on. Seller said she found a flaw on one stone, and I would not be happy with it, so she used the excuse that the item was no longer available and cancelled the purchase.
I told seller, it is up to me to decide if a flaw on one stone was acceptable or not. I asked for a photo of the flaw so I could decide, and if it was not an issue for me, I wanted seller to re-list it so I could purchase it again. If it was an issue for me, then that would be the end of the story.
I told seller it was against eBay policy to unilaterally cancel a purchase. A professional would take this opportunity to say "I found a flaw. Here is a photo. Do you still want this or not?"
After I asked seller to send a photo and let me decide what I wanted to do, seller stopped communicating. I have reported this to eBay, and I intend to leave a negative feedback. I have two questions:
1. What will eBay do?
2. Will seller be able to get my feedback removed if I say seller unilaterally cancelled the sale and gave a false reason for doing so and then refused to rectify the situation?
The reason for my second question is I have seen plenty of sellers get eBay to remove negative feedback, and I am sick of it. If a buyer cannot leave an honest, factual, negative feedback and it sticks, then the feedback system is worthless.
If sellers can have honest, factual, negative feedbacks removed for no solid reason, then positive feedbacks mean little if anything. Buyers are happy to hear of positive experiences, but they really want to know of negative ones before doing business with a seller.
Thank you in advance for whatever you can tell me.
lady_madonna
Mentor8 months agoYou probably spooked the seller by asking the seller "before boxing and shipping to make sure all the stones were clear with no discolouration." They did not want to risk having a potentially problematic transaction with an potentially unsatisfied buyer.
1. >>What will eBay do?<< Ebay gave the seller a defect for cancelling the transaction.
2. >>Will seller be able to get my feedback removed if I say seller unilaterally cancelled the sale and gave a false reason for doing so and then refused to rectify the situation?<< Perhaps. But keep in mind that sellers have the right to cancel transactions. I probably would have done the same when asked pointed questions about the quality of the item I was selling.
alamo.heigh-93
OP8 months agoPoint taken, but this is poor business practise, no? If you find a flaw on something after it is sold, all you have to do is report it to the buyer with a snapshot of the flaw and a description and ask "do you still want it with the flaw?" The buyer has to decide just if the flaw was pointed out in the first place. I buy tons of vintage things that are imperfect. It just depends on the degree of imperfection. eBay does not allow this sort of thing after the sale, and it was stupid. She should get a ding for doing this, and she has an upset buyer. It makes no sense.
myangelandmyprincess
Mentor8 months agoEven if the seller did that they could feel it was a risk. What if a photo didn't show the flaw well enough and once you received it you weren't happy. It might also just best to ask these questions before making offers or buying. There are only four reasons a seller can select for cancelling. 1. Out of stock/not available. 2 buyer requested 3. Problem with buyers address. 4. Buyer didn't pay The seller selected the first one as it makes the most sense the item that you bought in the condition described isn't available. This option is also the only one that gives them a defect (ding) on their selling account.
alamo.heigh-93
OP8 months agoI read that these dings to sellers actually have zero effect on their seller accounts, so what is the point?
There are tons of imperfect vintage items on eBay. I have purchased many over the years. Good sellers always point out defects and still sell their items. All seller had to do was point out a defect and let me decide. I make this sort of decision on pretty much any vintage item I purchase as do other buyers. Unilaterally cancelling the purchase was wrong. Once the item was paid for, if a defect existed, seller should note this, but ultimately, it is the buyer who decided whether or not he can live with the defect. Buyers make decisions to bid and buy imperfect items every single day. It is not an excuse for unilaterally cancelling the purchase.
lady_madonna
Mentor8 months agoSeller defects DO affect sellers negatively and are tracked by Ebay who evaluates seller performance regularly. Sellers cannot have more than 2% of defects in one period. Cancelling transactions with being requested by the buyer counts as a defect.