Cancel orders not an option with eBay

[zlloyd1]

lmost anytime that I have used eBay to place an order, and needed to cancel the order, it has already shipped....

This is even if you try to cancel an order placed 20 minutes ago, so what are these sellers doing, shipping the item the second that the order is placed?? If that is the case, then why does eBay even pretend to offer the option to cancel??

I mean the second you click confirm payment, the item is already on it's way to you, and can only be refunded by waiting for it to arrive, and shipping it back to the seller, which generalloy costs more than the order itself. I tried to cancel an order that I had placed around 30  minutes earlier, and was told that they had to check with the seller to cancel. Well, OF COURSE, the item was already in the mail on its way to me, so it could not be cancelled.  

So, WHY did eBay even try to pretend that canceling an order was possible, if the sellers all have their own shipping trucks parked in the front yard, and start shipping your order before you even finish placing it?? I mean, if you try to cancel and order the same exact evening that it was placed, it seems a bit rushed for eBay to claim that it was already shipped to me, but that's eBay for you!! 

[mycarolinavintage]

I can only guess why an order can't be cancelled. Perhaps the seller printed the shipping label already and perhaps it really has been shipped. Why are you cancelling prchases, anyway. My suggestion is to  be sure you actually want to follow through with the transaction before you commit to buying the item and basically "taking the item off the market". Maybe give yourself a little more time to think it through first.

[woodland_gnome]

A buyer cannot unilateraly cancel a transaction.  S/he can initiate a Transaction Cancellation only within 1 hour of the transaction if the seller has not "shipped" (see below) but the seller must either agree or acquiesce (by not responding within 3 days) for the cancellation to go through.

The seller can unilaterally cancel and can do so upon request of the buyer (but is not required to).  You can message the seller and request a cancellation even if it shows as "shipped".  "Shipped" shortly after the transaction usually means "the seller created a shipping label and paid for postage" so it can often still be cancelled (if the seller wants) by simply cancelling the payment for postage, and stopping the process of pulling the item form inventory and packing.  The earlier the more likely the seller will be inclined to go against the workflow to do the cancellation.

Why are you "needing" to cancel so many transactions?  Maybe if you put the item on your Watch List and assess your needs more carefully you won't.  Don't make YOUR mistake into the seller's problem.

[jrinam]

commit to buy is just that, you dont cancel. in the past, many sellers only had one of the item. you buying it takes it off the market and canceling leaves them with item and missed chances to sell. as ebay is mostly stores now, multiples of every item, it comes down to no profit if they cancel or profit if it shipped already. the likely scenerio is that label was created (not actually shipped). contact the seller directly, any decent seller will cancel and even the not so decent do not want it returned as a snad. try placing items in cart or on watch list until your certain, canceling should not be something you need to do often.

[phono_0490xxxxxx]

@zlloyd1

Best self report your initial post requesting removal of the image.

Try to delete it from your uploaded profile images too.

It contains personal and transaction info.

Be safe - maintain privacy.

[zlloyd1]

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@phono_0490xxxxxx wrote:

@zlloyd1

Best self report your initial post requesting removal of the image.

Try to delete it from your uploaded profile images too.

It contains personal and transaction info.

Be safe - maintain privacy.

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I am not certain that I get what you wrote here....

I do not have a profile picture at all on this account??

[ymeagainlord]

You apparently posted an image in your post which a moderator has since deleted

[fisstan0]

I live next to a USPS blue box, when I get an order I ship within an hour or less. If a buyer messages me before I ship, great,if not, it's up to them to keep it or return it at their expense.

[cherry*fizz]

I'm just repeating what has already been said, but when you purchase something you are making a committment. If you are having to cancel that often that it's an issue, you should probably take a little more time before hitting the purchase button, and make sure it's something you really want. It's very disheartening to think you sold something only to have the buyer immediately decide to cancel. Why hit purchase in the first place if you are that unsure? 

[ed8108]

Order cancellations by buyers are not being encouraged, why would anyone be surprised?

[lintbrush*]

You have the option to request a cancellation.  It is not a guarantee.  While eBay presents the option to initiate the cancellation request, they do not have the physical item nor do they sell or ship anything, so it is still up to the seller to either grant it or not.

MegaSellers might start processing an order immediately.  To stop that production once it has started is no easy feat and could take hours to find your order and pull it from the batch, which then could screw up inventory count and the shipping manifest.  Oh and then has to be reshelved.  

What you think is easy could be several hours of manpower and simply not cost effective.  Thus the seller has the ability to not grant the cancellation.  

Since you now know eBay's cancellation request policy, you need to be sure you want it before you purchase your items.

[lightlily_arts]

When listing an item on eBay many sellers have their items packaged and ready to go.   Especially if they advertise 1 day handling.   You need to realize  that when the seller receives notification that an item has sold  it only takes a few minutes to print out a label.   When the seller print out a shipping label  they are charged for that shipping label as well.  Also, the moment the buyer purchases an item the seller is charged the final value and shipping fees by eBay and Paypal.  That item is no longer available for sale by anyone else. They also have to waste their time relisting if it was only one available.

When you go to the local store and make a purchase do you go back 20 minutes later and return the item?  Seem to me that you should be more careful about making purchases if you are not certain it's something you want as it is an inconvenience to the seller and they don't recover 100% of their money immediately either. 

[emerald_door]

In addition to what everyone else has said, you need to know that when the seller refunds you, PayPal keeps a small fee, so it costs the seller money to cancel an order. And if they have already printed the label, it can take a couple of weeks for the seller to get the postage refunded.

Buyers need to make sure they want the item before they commit to buy.

[thatsallfolks]

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@zlloyd1 wrote:

lmost anytime that I have used eBay to place an order, and needed to cancel the order, it has already shipped....

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In 17 years on eBay, I've never asked to cancel an order. If you find yourself doing it often enough to be upset when your request is denied, you need to re-evaluate how you shop. It's not the seller's problem, and it's not eBay's. 

[janet9988]

. Purchase Conditions

When buying an item, you agree to the Rules and policies for buyers and that:

• You are responsible for reading the full item listing before making a bid or commitment to buy
• You enter into a legally binding contract to purchase an item when you commit to buy an item, your offer for an item is accepted, or if you have the winning bid (or your bid is otherwise accepted)

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behaviour-policies/user-agreement?id=4259