Some buyers... *shaking head*
I don't often come here just to vent, but this one is just so absurd that I know some of you will enjoy reading this (or at least it will set off emotions within you, I don't know how many of you will actually get any enjoyment from it).
So we have a popular item listed that has a number of watchers, and it's a recent listing, which means we don't have Best Offer enabled and if someone asks, we just reply that our price is firm. Most buyers are fine with that, and we almost never even get a response other than a simple thank you.
Not this time.
So first, this buyer sent us this message a few days ago:
"Will buy this [full item name removed] today for a good realistic price. I will pay by PayPal Standing by today 7-27-2025"
We replied with our standard response that our price was firm, and didn't think much of it. They did not respond at the time.
Last night, the book was purchased, by that same customer. They then sent us the following message:
"I spent a lot of money on this deal. I asked for a break and you said no at this time. I f you were in my place you would want a better deal just like me. Please consider refunding some of it back to me. Thank you [username removed] John 3:16"
...
Honestly, I'm astounded by their nerve and entitlement. I had to wait until today to begin drafting a response, and run it past my manager before I sent it to make sure I wasn't going to just spark more trouble. Obviously we have no incentive to give him the discount, and we're almost certainly going to end up blocking him (though since we can't communicate with him after we block him, we want to wait until we feel we've reached the end of what we can do in communication with him).
But...why? Why make a purchase, then send that message asking for a discount that was previously denied, before you made the commitment to purchase it?
76c
·1 year agoOver the 24 years selling on eBay, I can sense when a 'buyer' is going to be trouble just by their messages. If I was in your position, I would cancel the sale, give the buyer a full refund and then block the seller. If you go through with the sale, you will experience a self-inflicted wound, IMO.
dirk12955
·1 year ago76c
That little inner voice whispering
to you is rarely wrong.
rugerskick
·1 year agoThere are some grown adult people that are literally unable to handle being told No.
lakefor94
·1 year agoYes, imagine that. Was getting worse every year.
gurlcat
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight The miracle of this is that preemptive feedback, wow. I know a lot of sellers do that but how many buyers? One in a hundred? One in a thousand? I don't know if I've ever had one do it. But then you had this one do it and it was just the thing.
So now I'm curious, would you have cancelled the order if feedback was still in play? -Just yourself, if it was your sole decision.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoYeah, if it were entirely up to me, I’d have cancelled and risked the negative feedback. That’s not enough of a threat to sway me in hardly any situation.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoYes - it's a mistake to allow yourself to let feedback lead you by the nose - it tends to short-circuit common sense.
gurlcat
·1 year agoSame here, especially for a sale that big. Besides I like having one negative and my current one is about to roll off any day now (item sold July 31 last year). 🤣
pastimpressions
·1 year ago@chapeau-noir wrote: "And fast food isn't a rare collectible. " This^^^
Precisely. I agree 100%.
There is no "one size fits all" template to great service.
Some situations warrant and allow complete capitulation:
i.e.: " Sorry your fries were undercooked; we'll make you another batch pronto...no extra charge."
Some circumstances dictate that the greatest service to the client/business overall is to clarify the incompatibility betwixt both parties:
i.e.: " So sorry that you purchased that original Faberge brooch for $5,000.00 and now (after purchase) feel it is only worth $500.00. Enclosed, please find your full refund. My goal is your complete satisfaction, and I feel you would be much happier finding a better fit elsewhere."
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year agoand the neg and/or possible "fake return problem" is why as soon as someone 'offers' me..
I say 'no thanks' and then BLOCK THEM as I don't want to deal with this type of person.
pastimpressions
·1 year agoI am quite sure that, within right reason, all sellers on this board surely agree with the slogan:
"The customer is always right"
It is not a set of rules, nor does it describe a series of "approved" responses to service dilemmas.
It is not a precise manual etched in stone.
It is much rather a point of view, a philosophy, oriented around excellent customer service.
The firm understanding that in treating our clients well, we serve our business well.
In pleasing our customers, we as well are well pleased.
That is etched in stone.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year ago"The customer is always right, in matters of taste." - Harry Gordon Selfridge
No need to elaborate further on that, I don't think.
gator08041971
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight
I haven't read all 5 pages of this thread, but as a thought:
Having the decision not solely your own does complicate things. Personally, I would have to weigh whether canceling it and taking a hit there is a lesser of sending it and eating a fraudulent INAD or something.
Not sure which one is worse account-wise, but the good news is that if the account has a good record, you can absorb a hit or 3 before you have to actually worry about eBay getting annoyed.
Not sure what your volume is like, but obviously the more you sell the more diluted the effect will be on the account.
But its up to you. I know in my case, I would probably have nipped it earlier than that, or would cancel to protect myself, even if it meant I had to take a hit for it.
Good luck.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoYeah, our account health is great, we very rarely cancel for anything other than a buyer requesting it, and all our other metrics are wonderful, so I wasn't at all worried about one cancellation. We're a fairly high volume seller, so the effect on our metrics would have been minimal with any choice.
I'm keeping an eye on this to make sure that they don't try to purchase with a different account, but hopefully no more drama comes from this.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoThe choice the OP made was to not allow this risky person to be a customer.
This was a sensible decision on the seller's part.
somanypostcards
·1 year agoI've read this entire thread and think many of you are over reacting. Maybe it's because my father said many times, "The customer is always rigth" when I worked for him in his fast food restaurants. If this were my sale I would not give a discount but I would honor the sale and assume the best until proven wrong. After all there is nothing explicitly threatening in either message from this buyer.
gurlcat
·1 year agoWell we're not eBay's employees and this isn't a fast food restaurant. It's all well and good for the owner of (multiple?) fast food restaurants to say the customer is always right, because to him a refund here or there would be nothing. But for a small eBay seller, $300 isn't nothing. And unfortunately, if this buyer became angry because the OP didn't give him a discount like he wanted, then he could end up getting the item for free and the OP being forced to refund ..... because eBay and/or this buyer's credit card would certainly agree that "the customer is always right."
The choice the OP made was to not allow this risky person to be a customer. The moment we put the package in the carrier's hands we basically put on the dopey uniform and nametag, but until then we are able to use the little bit of power we have to avoid financial loss ahead.
mam98031
·1 year agoSellers do NOT have to stand for being verbally abuses or threatened by ANY buyer. That is not the old saying "the customer is always right" nor is it something anyone should be expected to just take with a smile on their face. Not in today's world. Decades ago it was more than likely quite harmless, but far too many times it is not in today's world.
As with many other things in life, this has changed too and we need to respect each other but unfortunately it is more and more common to simply not what is happening.
gator08041971
·1 year ago@somanypostcards
"The customer is always rigth"
Unfortunately, this has given way to customers thinking they are entitled to being right, even when they are dead wrong. And not all sellers are just going to roll over and play along. I certainly won't. Sure, each situation is different, and may warrant different levels of response. There are times when I have taken care of issues or did returns/refunds. And a few times where I did what I could to protect myself from bad buyers.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoWe don't own the venue - that's the problem. And fast food isn't a rare collectible.
janet9988
·1 year agoIf you go by the motto the customer is always right ..then you would have given the discount.
gurlcat
·1 year ago🤣Imagine if you could get a discount at McDonald's or Taco Bell just by saying "If you were in my place you would want a better deal just like me." And if that didn't work, remind them that the customer is always right.
chapeau-noir
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight You did the right thing.
"If you can use commonsense, thank a bookseller".
inhawaii
·1 year agoThanks for sharing that story.
After 25 years selling on ebay (almost) nothing surprises me anymore. 😉
mam98031
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight
That is a story that sounds familiar to me. It is a real head scratcher for sure. I've walked in those shoes before. Clearly the buyer is a bully. And they likely behave this way because it has worked for them with other sellers. That is usually why someone does something like this as it usually pays off for them.
For me there are two things I just don't tolerate well, Bullies and liars. I don't, actually won't, negotiate with them. While your approach may be different than mine, I would just respond simply by telling the buyer that they were aware of the price of the item when they purchased it and we had even spoke on the subject BEFORE they purchase. Nothing has changed. The price is what you purchased it for.
Some sellers get too concerned about their feedback at this point. It drives what their decision will be in a matter like this. I don't hold the same fears. While I don't like negative feedback any more than anyone else, chances are high that if they were to do this [I'm aware they didn't in this case] there would likely be a reason within what they said to get it removed.
I know I'm late to the party and you have already received some great responses.
thelongball
·1 year agoYour boss is lucky to have you.
Any employee who would watch over their boss's money as you are doing is a true asset to a company.
Great job!
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoUpdate:
I have cancelled the order and blocked the buyer. I did go ahead and relist the book, but I'll be keeping an eye on it to make sure they don't buy with a different account.
worldwide_ship
·1 year agoAfter 20 years of selling I've noticed if a buyer asks more than 2 questions before the sale it will most likely end up in a return. After 2 questions I try my hardest to deter them from purchasing the item lol.
kandf_vintage_finds
·1 year agoUnfortunately this will probably not be the end of this.
Be prepared for an INAD coming your way.
Sorry you are going through this.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoCan't get an INAD if we don't ship. 😉 I agree it would be worse if we don't cancel, but I don't think there's any chance we don't. I'm only trying to convince my boss that we definitely need to block them as well.
Edit: Giving serious consideration to just blocking them anyways and then apologizing if my boss gets upset later. He's a good guy, though, I suspect he'd be at most a little annoyed that I did it when he said we should wait, but that would be it.
redlinear
·1 year agoThere was a buyer on an eBay FB group yesterday throwing a fit about OFFERS.
It was a $27.00 item and she had made FOUR offers that were declined (not auto declined). No, each of the offers contained a different message and each decline contained a different message.
Somehow she was shut down on the 5th attempt.
I'm not sure to where to begin with the absurdity in all of this.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoBTW- I am talking about what my minister calls "pietists" rather than truly religious people, the kind who make a show of their religion.
A friend who sold hijabs had the same problem.
Mark 12:38-44
adamcartwright
·1 year agoWish you could write back and tell him that including John 3:16 in this sleaze is a form of breaking the third commandment not to take the Lord's name in vain.
glorybells
·1 year agoI’m a Christian, and I am offended by their use of a Bible verse within their message to you. I hate to see people try to push a Bible verse forward when they’re not acting like a Christian in the first place. It gives people a wrong impression of what true Christians are like.
I can see that you wouldn’t have expected this behavior from this user, since you mentioned that normally when this happens, the person is not a problem. I would be very concerned with completing a transaction with this person. This is one of those situations where you really do need to expect the worse, because it’s probably going to happen with these people, so you need to proactively try to prevent it. I think I would cancel and block. They obviously don’t want to agree to the listing terms they agreed to when they made the purchase. I noticed someone above mentioned that they’re basically requesting a cancellation by trying to change the terms that were agreed to at the time of purchase.
I’ve been wondering what the eBay store name is for your bookstore (love the Casselberry location!).
albertabrightalberta
·1 year agoOMG! I'd be fuming.
#1 thing to do is report the buyer NOW, before anything happens so it's on record.
The "why?" is easy. Negative feedback is not something you want and the passive aggressive tacit implication is to bully you into issuing a partial refund.
ETA: I responded before completing reading the thread. I now know that the buyer already left + feedback.
duffy4444
·1 year agoThis isn't a cheap Hardy Boys book... it's a $300 item that you probably don't want to run the risk of losing, along with your payment for it. I get it.
Simple solution: Do not ship, then cancel and refund the order, block and report the buyer, and don't relist it for up to another 29 days.... yes, you may get a ding for "Out Of Stock", but if you don't have any more demerits that this one would put you in jeopardy, will that really hurt you or your boss that much?
I'd take the demerit risk if selling a $300 item that has a red flag like this. But that's just me, because an occasional OOS demerit every year or two doesn't hurt me one bit. It's up to you and your partner/boss.
Cheers, Duffy
aeparts1
·1 year agoSo what is the subject of the book in question?? I'm curious.....
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoIt's a fiction novel, a Western based on the cover. Part of a series, but apparently they went out of print and are hard to find now.
dirk12955
·1 year agoI've almost 60 years dealing with the public
buying and selling.
Years ago, I learned that sometimes the only response you can give to some potential customers is,
"I'm sorry. I don't think you and I are going to be able to do business"
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoI'd be concerned too - mostly about the bible verse.
I sell occasional theological works (rarely pop culture ones) and no matter what the religion they are among the worst customers.
"I regret that you are unhappy with your purchase. I would be happy to cancel it for you."
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoI sent a very similar message. I'm waiting for them to respond, but I just checked with my manager and I think we're likely to cancel and block before the buyer actually responds, especially since we have no idea how long that might take. I do admit there's some morbid curiosity in my that wants to see how he'll respond, though.
gurlcat
·1 year agoYou get that too?!!! I thought it was just me. 🤣
One more reason I dislike the blocked seller view of blocked buyers' messages. I want the entertainment!! And to be aware if they issue threats and what-not. I actually had one of those BTW, dude threatening to come to my house.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@gurlcat
Please tell me you now use a PO Box.
gurlcat
·1 year agoWhy, because of that one hot-head? He lived in Minnesota and said he would drive down here (to Mobile) over a $25 item. I reported the message of course, but beyond that didn't feel even a tiny tinge of fear. I know there are true loonies out there, but even the craziest surely possess the math skills to realize the foolishness of spending ....pfff I dunno, $300? in gas, plus at least a few days of solid driving, without knowing for certain that I actually live at my shipping address, that I would answer the door, and do so without a firearm in my hand, etc.
And to be clear, I didn't taunt this guy with one iota of sarcasm or anything. You might not know it from how I talk here, but I handle official communications with extreme caution and professionalism, no matter how batsh!t bonkers or rude the other party may get. So I figured this dude probably just spends all his time angry at lots of people, threatens people routinely, and if he was ever going to actually enact violence on somebody, it would be for a much bigger perceived slight, monetarily and/or personally.
Do you use a PO box? I wonder how many sellers do. I can't imagine how expensive it would be, especially for a decent-sized box. Plus I just hate driving there.
glorybells
·1 year ago@gurlcat , if they came to MY door, they’d be greeted by this:
mam98031
·1 year agoOH that makes me think of my two babies I have a pic of as my avatar. Loving puppies most of the time. But try to hurt Mama just wasn't going to happen on their watch.
lakefor94
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight
I read the thread and agree with the consensus.
When the big red flag is hoisted, I cancel with buyer requested, report the buyer, send the buyer a message and then block. I don't need to see any responses from the buyer.
I end the listing or zero out the quantity (out of sight, out of mind) and wait 3 weeks or so and then sell similar or add quantity back.
Make notes on buyer address, phone # and all that.
an-57470
·1 year agoThere are a lot of 'report this buyer' responses here. Why bother? It's just another exercise in frustration and gets you nowhere. Block, ship, don't ship whatever ... just leave eBay out of it and keep your stress level down.
After all, eBay is just a venue ...!
mam98031
·1 year agoNo it isn't. Because Ebay doesn't report back to you on what they are or aren't going to do doesn't mean they do nothing. It ONLY means they are not going to report private account information of another member to you.
Ebay does collect this information. And if a member, whether buyer or seller, starts creating a pattern of behavior Ebay will react. But if we don't report these things to them, how are they suppose to know. Your call of course, but silence only helps the one that is misbehaving.
an-57470
·1 year agoWhen I started with eBay way back when it just started (under a different id), there were all kinds of issues between buyers and sellers and the developing eBay Policies.
I had several items taken down due to 'copyright issues', and when I complained to eBay that several of their big-time sellers were listing and selling the exact same items (with proof provided) they always responded:
eBay is just a venue, comparing itself to newspaper want ads
When I complained that they were favouring their sellers (ie: money-makers), they always responded:
eBay is just a venue
I guess things have changed, although eBay still does favour their big time money-makers ...
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoI would not respond to buyer. Why open a 'can of worms'?
Buyer bought it...ship it...and wait to see what happens.
Don't further escalate the situation.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi @kyle@ebay . Please see the OP for another great use case where the seller wants to block to prevent further issues, but needs to keep communication open on the current transaction and to see if the buyer continues pressing the issue as a warning flag the buyer is still interested and may circumvent the blocked list. Happy Friday.
Hey @jonathanbrightlight . You know what to do: report the buyer for demanding the partial refund, send a polite message saying a discount is not available on the item and since they're not satisfied with the agreed upon terms of sale you'll process a refund, and cancel as buyer requested, and block. Reputable CS reps have told me when the buyer tries to change the terms, they are telling you they no longer want the item as listed and agreed to. Unless something changed recently, eBay says that qualifies as a buyer requesting to cancel the original terms of sale.
Don't forget to keep an eye on that item for BBL circumvention. If that happens report the new ID and report the original ID a second time for the new violation.
--------------------
Circumventing the block is a violation and sellers can cancel those sales and report the buyer:
When you report a buyer there is no specific reporting selection for buyers circumventing blocks. I usually select a reason that ties to why I blocked them in the first place, even if it's not an exact match, or go with 'demanding something not included in the listing' since that's most closely related to buyer demanding to make a purchase when their ID is blocked. Once you drill down and select a reason the comment box will appear where you can explain why you're reporting them.
I put ID [id # 1] on blocked list, buyer attempting to circumvent block with new ID [id #2]. Did not find a specific circumventing a block selection under the report flow so I selected the option that most closely fit the situation.
jshop_collections
·1 year agoGlad to hear they left positive feedback. Now you can block them .
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year ago@buyselljack2016
I did, and I didn't actually see any problems in their feedback left for others. Every purchase I saw (I didn't scroll back all the way, they've bought a lot), they left the exact same feedback, regardless of the item:
"If you eat today thank a Farmer If it's on your table thank a Trucker If you eat in peace thank a Veteran If you can read thank a Teacher? If you can find something to read thank a Librarian. If you can speak English? Thank a Veteran. If you feel safe in your home? or on the street? thank a Police Officer."
I mean, it's a weird thing to post as feedback for a seller, but there's nothing particularly problematic there.
They can't threaten negative feedback when they've already left positive feedback. I do wonder if that was intended to be their threat and they were just flaky in how they went about it, but they've already made it impossible for them to actually leave us negative feedback.
buyselljack2016
·1 year agoDon't want to reread it all.
Has anyone suggested the "check feedback left for others?" or to look at feedback to see if any sellers have violated feedback rules for being violated by this buyer? (as you already have +, the left for others may or may not be productive)
Could be a problem, could be a god-fearing Christian (or deity fearing follower of your choice) just doing what they do to try to save a $
For the record. I'm with you on the cancel, refund, block and as a sole proprietor I get to make that decision without consulting/convincing higher-ups.
meme6253
·1 year agoI'm shaking my head along with you!, It takes all kinds & we certainly get them here!
soh.maryl
·1 year agoPerhaps he believes his persistence will wear you down?
Or he's just new enough to believe this would be the way for a buyer to get a deal?
an-57470
·1 year agoS/he hasn't figured out yet, that the haggling is supposed to come BEFORE the sale is finalized.
thelongball
·1 year agoYou have a nightmare coming if you ship to this one.
Anytime I've had something like this happen where I get a bad feeling, it always comes back to bite me.
If it walks like a duck, Quacks like a Duck, Then it's a Duck.
Cancel under reason Buyer Changing Terms, Block and Move on.
Someone else's idea about delaying the relist makes sense as I have had people buy things under another user's name after blocking them. You can always tell as when shipping the item it ends up going to same state or city as the 1st persons.
This stuff doesn't happen often, but the funny thing is You Can See it Coming from a Mile Away.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoJust a quick note, that's not one of the available options for a seller to use to cancel an order.
You can report the buyer for that reason.
But you can't choose it when you cancel (you only get Out of Stock or Damaged, Buyer Requested to Cancel, or Problem with Buyer's Address).
youn2240
·1 year agoI think the customer is suspicious asking for a refund after the sale but it's a 300 dollar book they are obsessing over and they obviously really want it because they did pay the 300 for it. I'd flip a coin to decide if I was gonna ship or cancel. They might just be a little off in how they approach situations but in the end they do really want the book.. idk definitely a tough situation.
a_c_green
·1 year agoI'm definitely voting for Cancel on this one.
"Dear John, [or "Dear Mr. 3:16" if you want to be formal 😉]
As we said in our previous reply, our prices are firm and we cannot honor your request for a partial refund, so we must return your payment. Thank you for your interest.
Regards,
Proverbs 26:24-26"
bonanza125
·1 year agoYou are going to do whatever you personally feel is right in this situation. Money has already been received in full so personally I would just send the item with insurance. The buyer does have the right to return the item anyway. If you cancel that can leave a mark against you through Ebay. So keep that in mind. I would treat this as business as usual and ship the item off.
youn2240
·1 year agoI'd just say "order is on its way. Thank you have a good one!" Never acknowledge the discount part of anything they say.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoSometimes I would agree, but this is a $300 book, and the problems they could cause with a return or chargeback outweigh the hassle of relisting it for someone else to purchase significantly.
dirk12955
·1 year ago1) No more conversation
2) Cancel the sale
3) Block the buyer
There is no way, No how, No possibility,
of this transaction turning out well.
If he negs the OP that's a separate issue.
One thing at a time
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoI am the OP, and I guess you missed the response saying he had already left positive feedback. A negative is not even an option for him anymore.
We're likely to cancel and block, but I am in the unusual situation (among sellers on these boards) of not actually have the final say in things like this. I have a lot of ability to make decisions, but I do have several other people who need to be involved in situations like this and I'm not the one with the final say. They do trust my opinion, so hopefully I can convince them there's no advantage to not blocking him.
dirk12955
·1 year agoGood on the Neg, I missed that it's simply not issue for you in this case.
This buyer will still cause problems, I almost guarantee it.
worldwide_ship
·1 year agoJust ship the item.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoWhy?
And no, that's not happening.
worldwide_ship
·1 year agoWorst thing that would happen is they would return for refund. You're covered for chargeback and item not received.
todaysstyle
·1 year agoyoun2240 that is what I was thinking at first was to just ignore the emails and not reply. If the buyer really wants the item pay the asking price. However, after reading these replies it has definitely changed how I will handle a similar situation if ever needed. It is so true what the replies are saying. The buyer the buyer may have given positive feedback but can (and probably will) open an INAD case as soon as it is received to get their money back. They could just keep the item and send back an empty box. I think on this I have to agree that now I would just refund the purchase and block the buyer. I am glad this thread was posted as this is a learning thread for some of us that don't always think outside of the box. It looks like some of these long time sellers have experience in this kind of buyer.
gurlcat
·1 year agoKeeping coming here and you'll learn lots of vital tips that you won't find in the miles of eBay policy pages. One of the funniest things we see here is sellers who believe that eBay doesn't want them to get sales, but if you scratch the surface their real problem is they either have undesirable items, they're overpriced, or they let their listings sit for months or years without refreshing them in any way. The truth is eBay DOES want our items to sell (that's how they make money, off our fees!) and it's why they're constantly posting messages urging you to send offers, do markdown sales, etc.
If anything, they want your sales so bad they want you to accept buyer behaviors you never would if you were running a brick and mortar store or garage sale -like accept a buyer's offer and also give them 4 days to pay, with no downpayment or collateral. And they want you to ignore your instincts about bad buyers, which is why you're not allowed to cancel an order just based on 'spidey sense.'
Note that when you go to cancel, you have to select a reason, and none of them pertain to pertain to problematic buyer behavior. -The OP technically had to "lie" about why he cancelled this order, but the reason he's safe to do that is because the buyer violated eBay policy. You absolutely cannot cancel orders just because you think their address is "sketchy", or you believe it's a freight-forwarder, or they have a foreign name or whatever.
Anytime you're unsure about what to do about anything, come here and ask BEFORE you make a potentially bad decision. The worst posts are ones where the OP already made the wrong choices and it's too late for us to help.
mooncat_watches
·1 year agoGuaranteed this isn't the end of it, feedback or not. This person knows how to game the system and I would be very surprised if an INAD doesn't float your way upon delivery, most likely the day of.
100% it was a purchase with vengeful intent.
pickapaper
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight
I agree with the others; I'd nip it in the bud up front. You can bet that if you don't refund "something", when he receives it, he WILL find something wrong with it. But again, instead of having to go to the trouble of returning it, he will again ask for a partial refund as compensation.
jonathanbrightlight
OP1 year agoI agree with all three of you so far, @gurlcat , @Anonymous , and @toysaver ... but it just got a little weirder (but makes our decision more stress-free).
He just left us positive feedback. We haven't even shipped the item yet. It's weird feedback, but it's positive, and wouldn't even be something we'd try to get removed (just doesn't make a lot of sense in context).
But now he has no recourse if we just cancel the order and block him.
I'm even more confused, but glad he did that.
Edit: and I did report him, right away when I saw the message asking for a refund.
toysaver
·1 year agoHe's likely crossing his fingers thinking positive feedback means you'll give him a refund.
toysaver
·1 year ago"I spent a lot of money on this deal. I asked for a break and you said no at this time. I f you were in my place you would want a better deal just like me. Please consider refunding some of it back to me. Thank you [username removed] John 3:16"
This is a reportable offense and I'd even consider it a reason for cancellation.
I nip it in the bud and block buyers like that before they can purchase. If they're super aggressive I'll put the item in a time out. I do sell similar and save to draft then revise the listing to something nobody would buy like old shoes for mowing the lawn or a used dog toy.
an-57470
·1 year ago@jonathanbrightlight
It reads like he’s “asking for something additional/not included in the listing.â€
There is an action you can take for that without defect; I’m sure you know the next THREE actions to take.
Remember, eBay is a village… and there are all kinds in every village.
gurlcat
·1 year agoHe's going to end up being trouble the whole way. You know what needs to be done, not that I'll advise it publicly.
And also be sure to report him. LOL I've never seen a buyer request a partial refund THIS early, but whatever, it's a policy violation.
kj_toys_nj
·1 year agoI never answer these buyers back. It already sounds like trouble. I would seriously have blocked this person immediately because unless you reduce the price all thay are going to do is find something negative like condition, price, shipping and delivery time.
mam98031
·1 year agoThat isn't a good idea @kj_toys_nj when there is a current transaction because it prevents a buyer from communicating with you. And not answering them isn't a good idea either. Unless your goal is to upset them more. Then that may work for you. But don't be surprised by the reaction of the buyer as they can still leave feedback even though you have blocked them.
Don't get me wrong, the buyer is misbehaving and breaking rules. But a more professional way of handling them is in your best interest.