eBay

auventera · ‎06-26-2018

I recently had a horrible experience on eBay and in my 15 or so years of buying and selling I have never seen something so stupid and ridiculous.....

I found an item listed for $25 or best offer with free shipping. The item really wasn't worth that so I submitted an offer for $20.

The seller sent me back a counter offer that was $25. She had a notation written in the message field that said Plus USPS Priority Shipping.

I did not decline or accept the offer. I did nothing except read it and then close eBay app. There is no way I would accept her counter offer which would end up being more expensive than her original $25 buy it now with free shipping.

Not even 30 minutes went by and I got another eBay notification pop-up that the seller accepted my offer of $20 with free shipping. I logged into PayPal and paid the $20.

The listing said one day handling time but I allowed three days to elapse before I messaged the seller and asked if she had shipped the item yet. There had been no shipping notification and no tracking information updated. She let about 24 hours lapse and then sent me a message saying I need your e-mail address so I can invoice you for the shipping costs which is about $12.

I emailed her back stating that she accepted my offer of $20 plus free shipping. She then let's another whole day go by before she gets back to me and she says that she didn't realize that priority mail Shipping was so expensive so she has to charge me the $12 extra for the item. I told her no this item is not even worth $20 so there's no way that I'm paying the $25 Buy It Now price plus an additional $12 in shipping. Absolutely not happening so please just refund me the $20 and if you need to charge more then relist your item for a higher price to get your shipping covered.

She lets another 24 hours go by before she writes me back and says Nope, you agreed to the terms of my counter-offer which was $25 plus USPS shipping so you need to pay me the additional $5 plus the $12 for shipping immediately.

Multiple emails back and forth in which I even sent screenshots of her counter offer which I did not accept and then my original offer of $20 plus free shipping which she accepted and I paid the PayPal invoice from..... nope, she insisted that it is her right to charge extra for shipping after the fact if the shipping becomes more than she had originally intended. She said that by giving me the item for $20 plus free shipping she's just giving it away for free and not making a single Dollar on it. I told her that I absolutely understand this and you are right the shipping is very expensive so just refund me the $20 we will cancel this whole transaction and then you can relist the item at $40 or something if you feel you need to make more money on it. She kept insisting that it is my duty to pay the shipping and that eBay is on her side and will force me to pay the shipping because that's what I agreed to?!!?

So I called eBay support and they told me I have to wait until the estimated delivery date and then file an item not received case.

I did this at which point the seller refunded $18 and told me she was keeping the additional $2 for her final value fee and PayPal fee. So I had to wait another week to get eBay involved at which point they immediately refunded me the additional $2.

EFFING SERIOUSLY PEOPLE. If you are going to use an online auction platform to sell personal Goods, it would behoove you to bring yourself to familiarity with the policies and procedures of said platform.

rixstuff · ‎06-28-2018

Ebay will totally have your back on this. Shipping costs are NOT part of the offer process - price only. It was free shipping at full price and free shipping with an offer.

I do about 2/3 of my sales with best offer so I know this well but I also know as a buyer I HATE when the use "best offer" but arent really willing to negotiate. Im sorry this happened. Pay using MyEbay which should say $20 with free shipping. Forget about her "invoice".

rixstuff · ‎06-28-2018

Doesnt sound like the seller knows the difference between a fixed price with best offer or auction with BIN.

thatsallfolks · ‎06-28-2018

@rixstuff wrote:
Doesnt sound like the seller knows the difference between a fixed price with best offer or auction with BIN.

OP's contention that the seller accepted their original offer AFTER sending a counter-offer brings everything into question, not just the seller.

myangelandmyprincess · ‎06-28-2018

@thatsallfolks wrote:
@rixstuff wrote:
Doesnt sound like the seller knows the difference between a fixed price with best offer or auction with BIN.
OP's contention that the seller accepted their original offer AFTER sending a counter-offer brings everything into question, not just the seller.

I'm wondering if somehow the seller sent using one of those official offers in a message which didn't override the offer the buyer made since it wasn't a counter offer...then accepted the OPs original offer

“Birth certificates show that you were born. Death certificates show that you died. Photographs show that you have lived.” -Unknown

gew6463 · ‎06-29-2018

I know this thread is a few days old, but I just wanted to say that this sellers behavior was absolutely appalling. While many in the forums are talking about different Ebay policies affecting overall sales, I feel an elephant in the room is being ignored (or at least rarely mentioned). The integrity of sellers is at an unacceptable level. That this seller tried to manipulate you like that makes me upset. At least 25% of my customer base are new to Ebay buyers (0 feedback) and I always keep in mind that their first impression of Ebay is going to be set by my service to them. Call me old-fashioned, but I care about my reputation more than my sales. Yes, I need to make money, but I certainly don't want to make it by cheating people. I buy a lot on Ebay ($1,000+year) and I am downright shocked at the service some buyers give..and it is NOT only the newer sellers, it is 50/50. I have received cast iron collectibles in flat rate ENVELOPES; half the paint chipped off of this piece of the past due to an uncaring/thoughtless attitude. 40% of my items arrive dirty. Often with animal hair (one with strange human hair..I will not elaborate on that further). I have said to my husband MANY times that this has to affect buyer confidence. Honestly, my watch list is usually full, but on SO many listings I am afraid to take the plunge. It is NOT a money issue, it's the luck of the draw: will this lot smell like cigarettes (not mentioned in the listing), will it be dirty, hairy, ect. And before you mention the Buyer guarantee: I don't buy things so I will have to deal with attitude when I bring to their attention this item is most certainly NOT in Excellent, vintage condition (dented, chewed, melted, smelly...but hey, it's vintage). Even 'new' items that are just poorly packed (I could go on & on about this one, but I won't). I know I am only one seller and I can not dictate the behavior of others. I'm not bragging (though it will probably sound like it) but lately about 2/3rds of my business has been from return customers. I've worked hard to build that confidence. Yes, I make mistakes. I've mis-matched labels a few times, ect. But I always make it right. My return policy has always pre-empted Ebay's (at least in my mind). If I mess up, It's on me. If I lose money, so be it. I do feel terribly for those sellers being scammed and abused through some returns right now. But not all customers are that way. Some, like the OP, just want to get reasonable service & treatment. I have had a seller hold me hostage for an item (a Large box of christmas ornaments) that they mailed as Media mail (oops..how did that happen?). He told me I would have to pay the $18 that the Post Office then demanded. His wife was sick, He was over-busy, His aunt had a funeral, ect. All the while sending the emails from the well-known insurance company he worked for (I did gently tell him he might not want to do that while He is giving this kind of service). Thankfully, because I was a seller and knew the rules, that package eventually went back (2 weeks later). But I probably would have folded otherwise due to his bullying treatment. That was the only negative I have given in 10years.

Okay, time to get off my soapbox. OP, I am really sorry you received service like this. I'm glad you stuck it out, and got your money back. There are still many sellers who do treat their customers right, and I hope those are the ones you encounter in the future.