OT: Seller Cancelled Auction After I Won & Paid

[rubiano98]

Last night I won the bid on a pin (I was the only bidder). She emailed me this morning to say she'd cancelled and that she was going to relist the pin as a BIN and that I cojud bid on it then.

I paid immediately upon the end of the auction and the $$ was debited from my checking account overnight.

Do I smell a rat or am I being paranoid? The seller has 100% positive feedback.

[whering660]

Tell her that you look forward to receiving your item in the mail, hopefully before Christmas.

Diane

[rubiano98]

If she just hadn't said she was going to relist it as a BIN. That tells me that it's not lost or suddenly suffered some damage.

I sent this to her:

Canceling eBay Sales

Canceling a sale is an eBay no-no unless a buyer requests it. Buyers may change their minds, and if that is the case it is perfectly acceptable to cancel a sale.

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-sellers-can-cancel-or-restrict-an-ebay-bid-or-listing-1140425

What I suspect is that she realized too late that she let it go for less than what she wanting to get.

[whering660]

My suspicion is it went lower than she expected. Just giving her that friendly nudge that you are excited to win it will let her know that you're not playing.

She knows you can't force her to ship, but she also knows that you will do the FB and star ratings on this transaction. I could have been a little more sympathetic if she would not been so cocksure that she could just blow you off and it would be just fine with you.

Diane

[thirry]

Cancelling a sale and then relisting is an invitation to negative or (at least) neutral feedback. Once the buyer has paid they're entitled to leave whatever feedback they choose. I'm not saying you should do this, but the wise seller shouuld be aware of this. I've seen a lot of these complaints in reviewing feedback for sellers I'm considering buying from and thery're a huge red flag. I generally won't deal with someone who operates that way.

A.

[huffstutler]

I think this is a dirty trick to play on a buyer and not good for the seller's reputation. If she wants to maintain that 100% rating, I would send her an email saying that you won the auction, paid immediately, and expect the item to ship. It is her loss if it went for less than she expected and a lesson learned. I had to play hardball with a seller not long ago because of a similar situation and they did ship.

[rubiano98]

Her initial - and so far only - email said she was cancelling the auction because there was "a problem with the listing".  Hmmm. The problem was that it went so cheaply, is my guess. She was the one who listed it at an opening bid of 99 cents. 

If she refunds my money is she off the hook as far as Ebay is concerned, even with neg. feedback? I don't care about the money, it was such a small amount. It's the ethics that bother me.

[huffstutler]

What was it relisted for at the BIN price?  Yes, it is an ethic thing and still would contact them saying that they have a 100% rating for a reason but her action with your transaction is saying something different.  Express your concern and see what they say.  If they want to be difficult after that then check your options but yes, in general, they are off the hook if they refund your money.

[whering660]

---

@huffstutler wrote:

What was it relisted for at the BIN price?  Yes, it is an ethic thing and still would contact them saying that they have a 100% rating for a reason but her action with your transaction is saying something different.  Express your concern and see what they say.  If they want to be difficult after that then check your options but yes, in general, they are off the hook if they refund your money.

---

Bad advise. You are not allowed to mention FB in your back and forth with your trading partner. The last thing you need is a penalties offset because you used FB extortion. 

Just stick to the basics. Once you pay, the transaction is done and you can leave FB.

Diane

[huffstutler]

Who mentioned anything about Facebook?

[rubiano98]

I have not mentioned FB to her, and won't.

I haven't seen it relisted yet. She said I could could buy at the BIN price when it got relisted. For 99 cents? Ha, don't think so! She's trying a blatant ploy to sell it for more.

Bet she wasn't expecting anyone to bid on it in the last 2 minutes. Or expecting the bid winner to pay for it within 60 seconds.

[thirry]

Even with a full refund you have the opportunity to leave whatever feedback you feel is right, as long as you leave it within the time frame provided.

Diane is correct -- don't mention FB in your communications. You certainly don't want to get dinged for FB manipulation.

I feel for sellers who list for 99 cents and get one bid and then no others. However, it's a chancy strategy that often doesn't pay off unless the seller has a strong following, and even then it's a risk. He/she should be willing to take the consequences of his choice to start his listing below what he'd accept. If the auction had not ended I'd feel a little more sympathetic. (Reference the seller of the saphiret bracelet we recenty talked about here who ended the listing and then restarted at a higher price.) Backing out on a completed sale is just not ethical in my opinion.

A.

[thirry]

Huff, FB can stand for either "Feedback" or "Facebook."  Feedback is the context here.

[rubiano98]

---

@huffstutler wrote:

Who mentioned anything about Facebook?

Feedback

---

[huffstutler]

Oops, my bad   I do understand about the saphiret listing ending "before" time and a seller can end them for an error.  I suspect that someone alerted them about its value rather than letting it ride?  Most do it if they find something wrong or it is damaged before it sells.  I purchased a rhinestone necklace from someone that must have either dropped it or got it caught up with other jewelry and the links broke in 2 places and they ended the sale early.  I still wanted it as a placeholder for my collection and they let me have it.

In this case, I would give the seller the benefit of the doubt.  But at the same time, I would "mention" their rating and just inject it in the conversation that this situation must be an oversight or mistake based on their good rating.   I have a 100% rating as a buyer and have stood my ground with sellers in the past but as a last resort.  I don't sell... only buy.   At the same time, eBay is supposed to support buyers in cases like this if you place a resolution request or if paid via PayPal, have them also step in even though they refunded.  The seller refunded not per your request.