Cancelling a sale because of inventory problem

[discountgalorenv]

Hello Community

I listed and item and it sold but upon checking I made a mistake on the listing.  I listed wrong and forgot to include shipping that is a few hundred and I cannot ship to the buyer.  I need to cancel.  Will this hurt my rating?  Can I use address problem as the cancelation?

[mtgraves7984 · Accepted solution]

@discountgalorenv 

Well... the issue certainly ISN'T 'Address problem', so don't use that. It'll get you in bad trouble. Cancel truthfully as 'Out of stock/Item no longer available'. Sellers are only allowed two of those per year, though, before eBay whacks your hand... they're for emergencies only.

Hold the phone... is it the ROKU TV that you have advertised as Local Pickup Only? 🤔

[discountgalorenv]

Thank you for the advice.  I am new to selling and I haven't had any errors before.  This was a big one.  The inventory can't meet the listing - my mistake a $100 sale was to cost $400 to ship because box dimensions exceed most carriers' total inches.  I didn't measure correctly till I was preparing to ship on the 1st.  I am learning to measure and weigh twice, or three times.

[discountgalorenv]

Last question - should I message the buyer and apologize for the out of stock/ damaged??  Or leave it with the eBay message they will receive?  Thank you.

[mtgraves7984]

@discountgalorenv 

Humility pays bonus points! 😊  FWIW, shipping is one of the hardest jobs to master here. We empathize. Lesson learned.

As to the OOS cancellation... just be careful for the next 12 months. You'll do just fine! 🙌

[discountgalorenv]

No not the TV, but a buyer purchased this weekend and said now ship it to me in CO.  Well no - no shipping. lol

[simply-the-best-for-you]

I would certainly apologize to my customer who did nothing wrong if I made a mistake & couldn't follow through.  They probably aren't going to be happy though.  Perhaps you can offer them a discount on another item to make up for your mistake. 

Yes, it hurts your account, backing out of a sale is one of the worst things you can do on eBay.  Glad you are learning to double & triple check.   

I've never heard of a specific number of OOS defects that you can have, they are something to be avoided at all costs.  I think it's in eBay's discretion, not a set number. 

[ekmadonna]

Before you jump the gun and use the cancel / out of stock if it was an honest mistake I would message the buyer and very nicely and politely explain your mistake, apologize and ask them if they would consider letting you use the Buyer Asked to cancel option. If they have half a heart they may understand and let you off the hook. I would do that FIRST!

[slippinjimmy]

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@mtgraves7984 wrote:

@discountgalorenv 

Sellers are only allowed two of those per year, though, before eBay whacks your hand... they're for emergencies only.

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It's not "2", it's 2% AND a minimum of 4 different buyers for Transaction Defects.

Unresolved by Seller Defects have a lower threshold.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-standards-policy?id=4347

[mtgraves7984]

@slippinjimmy 

Thanks for the correction, @slippinjimmy. It's been over a year since I sold and I wasn't aware. 

@discountgalorenv 

I'm late back to this party... my apologies. Yes... we didn't cover the flow chart(s) yesterday. I would probably contact the buyer before cancelling. As @ekmadonna points out, cancelling as 'Buyer requested' would be the most desired outcome. Initially, my warning to you was that you not use 'Address problem' if there wasn't one.

Also, were you to cancel as 'Out of stock' (without contacting the buyer), I'd advise to NOT relist it for a bit. Good luck.