Buyer wants different shipping method that mentioned in the auction - Can I cancel the auction?
A buyer won one of my auctions. I ship USPS and that was the only method mentioned in the auction.
After the auction ended, the buyer sends me a message stating they think the shipping cost is too high, and asking me to "check my last costly postage" to their zip code. I do not have the time to do that; I confirmed the item would be shipped USPS as mentioned in the auction. Buyer messaged me again along the same lines.
The buyer has not paid yet. I am concerned they would leave a negative feedback even if they are satisfied with the item, as they seem somewhat vindictive.
Can I cancel the auction?
Thank you !
19 comments
gurlcat
·2 years ago@skenig So, any updates? Did the buyer pay? Did you cancel?
jerseyboymusic
·2 years agoI tell folks who complain about shipping...
"I'm sorry that you feel the shipping charges are too high. I use Calculated Shipping, so the shipping rates are the actual rates charged by the (shipping service). I cannot do anything about their rates"
gurlcat
·2 years agoI have experienced this only once and it just kept getting worse. It was also an auction, bidder who didnt' say diddly about the shipping until after she won, then kept trying to get me to ship cheaper, which wasn't even possible as the item fit perfectly in a Medium Flat Rate box, which I charged exact cost for, and it was heavy so flat rate was absolutely the cheapest way.
After she got it, she tried to get a partial refund via several messaged complaints that were bogus. Ignored my suggestion to return at my expense. Then she left me a negative with the bogus complaints. Then she filed a credit card chargeback which she lost because she skipped the eBay return process. I also got the neg removed. So I ended up okay in the end, but my goodness what a nightmare. -Oh and she won the item for a disppointingly LOW winning bid too, so I really wished she would return it, LOL.
Anyway, long reply short, I don't blame you for being tempted to cancel, and I believe you could, citing 'buyer requested.' -They are literally requesting something you didn't offer, and that is ABUSIVE BUYER behavior. So you should report them, to support the cancellation. Do all that before blocking.
slippinjimmy
·2 years agoAsking if a seller can find a cheaper shipping method is NOT a "demand".
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoIt's entirely against the rules, whether you think it's a "demand" or not.
@skenig I didn't notice originally that they hadn't paid. Don't send any invoices, don't do anything other than tell them you can only send via the methods listed in the auction, and if they never pay, you'll get that option to cancel for "Buyer has not paid" after 96 hours from the auction end. Use that, and they can't leave any feedback.
gurlcat
·2 years agoFair point. I would be curious to know the buyer's exact words in both messages .... that said, the existence of a second message after the seller already gave an answer is a hostility in its' own right.
EDIT: Hold on. I didn't even use the word "demand" in my reply. Neither does the eBay policy. I said "requesting" and so does the policy. Buyers are not supposed to do it. And by the way I'll also add: nobody made this buyer BID. They had however long from the time they saw the listing to when it closed, to write their "question" to the seller. The fact that they waited until they had secured the item all to themselves (knowing the seller would probably not like to relist it) -that's underhanded, come on.
onefootflipper
·2 years agoYou would see higher profits if you shipped those full machines UPS rather than USPS. You could easily be lighting $20-$30 per sale on fire shipping them with the post office. That is likely what the winner is upset about, they know the item could ship at half the price if it went UPS.
chevymontecarlo88
·2 years agoI may be wrong but if the buyer does send a cancel purchase request it will not go against the seller stats.
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoIt entirely depends on the reason the seller chooses for canceling. Canceling for "Out of Stock/Damaged" will result in a ding against the seller stats. Cancelling for "Buyer asked to cancel", "Problem with buyer's address", or "Buyer has not paid" will not, unless the buyer reports you for misusing the cancellation system, since they can see the reason you choose.
chevymontecarlo88
·2 years agoThanks and yes. I was referring (original earlier post) if after the seller confirms with the buyer they want to cancel, you would choose" buyer asked to cancel" of course.
funfactorychannel
·2 years agoThe time could have spent and just say USPS ground is your cheapest.
Maybe sometimes priority mail is cheaper than ground advantage.
heckofagame
·2 years agoWait 4 days and cancel for non-payment.
slippinjimmy
·2 years agoLooks like most of you items ship Ground Advantage so just tell the buyer you are using the cheapest service available.
If it's the peddle you sold yesterday it almost certainly IS the cheapest. If it for a full machine maybe not (check other options possibly UPS would be lower).
If you are using Ground Advantage ensure that the actual cost of the shipping is displayed on the label.
As far as "vindictive", not sure where you got that, most buyer have no idea what actual shipping costs and if it a full sewing machine they are not understanding how much those things weigh.
inhawaii
·2 years agoI see a lot of these posts lately.
Buyer wants this (which I don't do).
Buyer wants that (which I don't do).
Tell your buyer NO.
You offer the shipping method(s) in your listing ONLY.
If this is not suitable to your buyer, they shouldn't have bought the item.
Wait 4 days for them to pay, if they don't pay, cancel for the reason: Buyer did not pay.
worldcoinauctions
·2 years agoYou can cancel, but you get a ding on your account for doing it. I'd give the buyer time to pay and if they do not you can cancel for non payment after 4 days.
greatstuff80
·2 years agoIt screams scam. I'd report them for asking multiple times for you to do something other than what is in the listing. It's a policy violation to harass sellers for things not in the listing. You do not have to do it. Be sure to add them to your blocked list!! You may have to wait to see if they pay but I'd look into cancelling based on buyer asking for shipping/something not listed. See what reason options ebay now offers for cancelling.
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoDo not cancel unilaterally, but tell them you can only ship using the methods you specified in the listing, and then wait to see their response. If they insist that you must ship their way, report the buyer for demanding something not offered in the listing. You can also then probably get away with cancelling due to "Problem with buyer's address" or "Buyer asked to cancel" but keep in mind neither is completely accurate, they just don't provide a reason that does match, so the buyer can report you and maybe get you sanctioned in some way (I'm not sure what consequences you might expect, but reporting the buyer before you do that would be a mark in your favor should it be a problem).
richard1rst
·2 years agoDO NOT CANCEL. You will get dinged for that. And that will hurt much more than a negative. If the buyer doesn't pay then you can file an non-payment report and the order will be cancelled WITHOUT the ding.
They knew, or should have known, before buying the item what the shipping costs were. My standard answer "I'm sorry but shipping charges are set by the post office. We have no control over them". AND THEN DO NOT COMMUNICATE ANY FURTHER.
chevymontecarlo88
·2 years agoPersonally i would message them again to let them know that the shipping listed would be the shipping you could provide and maybe apologize to sympathize with them. I also would ask if they would not accept that method, would they want to cancel the order instead and that would be ok with you. I would try to get them to commit to cancel or you could let the clock run out since they have not paid for it as well.