Bought And Paid For Item, Seller Cancelled It And Then Blocked Me

[haarfager-872]

I am located in Illinois, U.S.A. and the seller is located in Croatia.  He listed a camera that was broken and I bid on it and won the auction.  I did everything according to what I was supposed to do to follow the rules.  The seller said I asked for the cancellation, which I didn't because I really wanted the camera, even if it was broken, because I could use it as parts for another identical one I have or even fix it myself.  When I asked why my order was cancelled, he said that shipping in Croatia to American was suspended right now.  I wrote back and told him I didn't mind waiting, just send it whenever shipping was resumed.  He wrote back telling me I was rude and then blocked me.  I got the camera for under $3, and I think the seller was hoping to get more for it, and that's why he cancelled the order.  The eBay notification I received said I won the item - quote "You won this auction.  The seller has relisted this item."  It can't be both things at the same time.  I never got the item, because he cancelled the order and refunded my money.  I didn't want my money refunded, I just wanted the camera.

He relisted the item, and using the exact same wording in the second auction.  Since I was blocked from bidding on it, and I really wanted it, I had a friend bid on it for me.  She bid the same thing I had bid and had the high bid of around $2.  Then, before the auction ended, the seller cancelled it YET again and the page said "This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing."  If there was an error in the listing, why didn't he correct it the second time he tried to sell it?  I still think he wasn't getting out of it what he wanted and that's why he cancelled it.  True, the bid amount was very small, but the shipping was pretty high, which I didn't mind to pay.

I received a notification from eBay about leaving feedback on the transaction, so I went and left negative feedback.  Buyers need to be aware of sellers like this who keep cancelling their auctions.

I can't find out from eBay what's going on and now the negative feedback I left him is gone.  It doesn't even show up in my page of the feedback I've left for others.  Can somebody please explain what is going on?  Why are sellers allowed to do whatever they want?  I did nothing wrong - I simply bid and won an auction.

I want my camera!

[luckythewinner]

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@haarfager-872 wrote:

  Can somebody please explain what is going on?  Why are sellers allowed to do whatever they want?  I did nothing wrong - I simply bid and won an auction.

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Unfortunately, eBay cannot reach into the seller's living room room and force him to package up the camera and take it to the post office. 

[inhawaii]

Sorry this happened to you.  Obviously the seller is wrong here and like you've said, you've done nothing wrong.

What ebay decides to do or not to do to this seller is totally up to them. A lot of times ebay's decidions make no sense or are totally wrong in our eyes but there is nothing you, we, or anybody can do about that. 

I know how you feel.  Having a negative feedback (especilly one that the seller really deserves) removed by ebay would tick me off. 

As much as it hurts, forget about THAT camera.  Another one will come along eventually. 

Good luck and stay safe! 

[haarfager-872]

Yeah, you're probably right.  Thanks for the reply!  My main problem was I won that camera for less than $3 and the problem that those cameras usually have is a bad capacitor, which I can solder in in about 15 minutes.  And they take the standard Minolta manual focus lenses, of which I have about 20 of them.  True, right now, there are two other Carena SX-300s for sale right now on eBay, but I don't want to have to pay about $100 for a camera I could have had for $3.  It just burns me up.

[upgradedendmills]

It's simply wrong when sellers pull these sort of stunts!!!!!!! Looks bad for all sellers. He might be one of those who thought you might make a buck or two on the item by reselling it. Some sellers have a problem with resellers. It happens way too often, and the negative you left should stand to caution other buyers.

[mam98031]

Sometimes sellers that misbehave like this think that blocking the buyer will prevent them from leaving FB.  Which is not true.  You have a current transaction and you can leave FB.

Do you remember EXACTLY what you said in your FB?  That would help us be able to advise you if you actually did breach the FB rules.

Also you would have gotten an email from Ebay that notified you the seller cancelled the transaction and the reason they selected.  We have very limited reasons, but if your seller selected because the buyer requested the cancellation, there is a problem.  Clearly that isn't what transpired.  But if the cancellation was for that reason that may be the reason the FB was removed.

Let us know and then we can further guide you on the next steps you might choose to take.

[7606dennis]

Alas!  Owing to the current pandemic many countries have curtailed shipping both into and out of their borders.  While I'm not sure Croatia is one that has, the fact that you are willing to wait may be irrelevant since eBay seems to have been changing shipping preferences to block such countries.  While I suppose that it would seem reasonable to simply wait since your say you're willing to do that, it is probably better that the transaction be canceled and you get your money back rather than be stuck in limbo awaiting the shipping of something that has an indefinite delay.  Who can say when that country will resume normal international shipping.  Just saying.  The reason they gave may be reasonable under the circumstances.

If the seller relisted the item, it is possible that they have changed their shipping preferences or their eBay site has.

[ed8108]

Inappropriate seller behavior harms not only the buyer, but is unfair to those sellers whose behavior promotes buyers to continue shopping on ebay.

A seller is either an asset or liability to the platform, contact eBay support & provide them with the information you have about this sellers actions, let eBay decide if this particular seller is an asset or perhaps a liability to their corporate image, & perhaps in need of coaching & training in order to foster a favorable buyer perception of eBay.

[7606dennis]

Just out of curiosity, did you find the listing on the .com site?

[fashunu4eeuh]

The seller violated the rules by falsifying the reason for the cancellation. He did this to avoid getting punished by eBay. Ebay considers such an act to be particularly egregious and would place a defect on his account. The seller was also trying to dodge additional punitive action. If he cancels, he may have to pay his Final Value fees even tho the sale didn't go thru, and the buyer can still leave feedback. So as you can see, there is a steep price for sellers to pay when they initiate the cancellation.

I am very sorry your feedback was removed. That is so disappointing. It is possible eBay might reinstate it depending on the reason it was removed. It is a long shot but i would make the request anyway.

Sellers such as this give all of us a black eye. By all means he should be reported. Below is a link with more info on how to do so and a “Report the Seller“ box to click on that will direct the report to the proper eBay department.

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/working-sellers/report-seller-listing?id=4022

[haarfager-872]

Thank you to everyone who gave the great advice!  As to the person who asked if I remembered exactly what I said in my feedback, No, I do not remember exactly.  If it had not been removed so quickly, I would be able to see what I said.  This site, eBay, should not be able to change history like that and make it like what I said never really happened.  Even if it was removed, there should be a record to say something, this comment was removed, but it said this....

I have contacted eBay about this seller, but I got an e-mail that told me they would look into it, but they wouldn't be able to tell me anything about what they find.  What good is that to me?  They said they would be able to tell the seller what they find, but he already knows what he did.  I just want to know what happened and is there any way I can still get the auction I won?

Thank you everyone!

[ifyouloveit]

You will never get the camera, the seller will not ship it to you as they will lose money from final value fees due to the high shipping costs from Croatia to the USA.

You are probably correct in that the seller wanted more and cancelled both transactions. What I don't understand is why they are not listing it at a starting price they can afford. Your seller loses money sending you a $3 camera from Croatia, because he/she will be charged 10% final value fees of the shipping price you pay along with 10% of the sale. For $3, your seller would owe money to eBay and PayPal. In the USA, they might break even, but sending a camera from Croatia is going to be over $20 I believe, so there goes the $3.

Is your seller a newbie or a seasoned seller? You will never get this camera, unless you decide to offer the seller a buy it now price (or a friend, although once the sale goes through they will figure out it is you if it's the same town or close). It's clear they won't sell it for 2-3 dollars, not sure why they keep re-listing it?

I'm not excusing the seller one bit, I've been there and I have shipped the item at a loss, even when I barely had a penny in my own account. It's the right thing to do and it's the rules of selling and this platform.

[thedishwitch]

If the seller cancelled for reason "buyer requested" and you did not request it, please, please, use the report link provided by thread or go to the eBay Facebook or Twitter page and report this seller.  Sellers like this give eBay a bad name and hurts all of the good sellers. 

It's possible the feedback was removed because the cancellation is shown as "buyer request" but also could have been removed because eBay is removing negative feedback for cancelled orders as a protection for sellers during the pandemic.  I have had a few negatives removed on auctions I won that the sellers cancelled (for out of stock) and immediately relisted, or lied and claimed buyer requested, or flat out emailed me that the final price was too low.  (You would be surprised how many seller cancellations I have had in the past couple months.  Seems like it is about 1/3 of my auction wins.) CS rep told me the feedback was removed for the pandemic and I've read other posts from buyers where CS told them the same thing (plus these bad sellers don't even get a defect on their account for cancelling.)  This was a good idea eBay had for the many wonderful sellers on eBay but unfortunately it is also protecting the bad sellers who give eBay a bad name.  Seems to only being removed for cancellations.  The feedback I left when I had to open a case seems to stand. 

Very sorry this happened to you.  

[vtui_94]

No, buyers can not "force" a seller to ship however the reason for cancellation should not be "buyer asked" when the buyer did not ask. 

The problems with this "Buyer Asked" reason for cancellation is multi-fold:

1. The seller dodges the defect basically allowing them to continue this form of abuse indefinitely.

2. The buyer gets a mark on their record, granted it hardly affects the buyer.

3. ANY feedback left will be automatically removed, because of the reason for cancellation.

Last but not least ebay is presently doing very little to address this widespread form of abuse.

[moondogblues]

I've had FIVE orders canceled by sellers during this difficult time. The latest was for a dog pen, seller said they found that it was damaged so canceled the order and refunded me. I did not want a refund, I need the pen! They are also a drop shipper and I figure like the other four items they just couldn't get them shipped. Just tell the dang truth! We all know that shipping is whacked all over the world.