HELP!!! Is this buyer extortion?

[cali_girl3]

I sent a message to the buyer informing them that the item had picked up some dust marks while it was in storage and asked if they would like for me to refund their purchase. The buyer responded by asking for 30% off plus free shipping. I politely declined their request and once again asked if they would like for me to cancel their order. Since it was the weekend, I waited several days for the buyer to get back to me. I didn't receive a response so I went ahead and cancelled the order with a full refund. Apparently, the buyer had sent several messages but I didn't receive any notifications. Now, the buyer is threatening to contact eBay if I don't relist the item for them to purchase. These are their exact words: "Either relist the item for me to purchase it or I'll reach out to Ebay." Will my selling account be compromised if the buyer contacts eBay? What should I do?

[mam98031]

That isn't extortion, but the are asking for something you did not agree to supply to them.  

Odd that you weren't getting their messages.  Are you saying they do not appear in your My Messages on Ebay?   If they aren't in your My Messages, it is very likely that the buyer never actually sent you any messages.

If by notification of a message you are talking about getting a notification in your email address and if the messages do show in your My Messages on Ebay, then you should check your junk folder.

The buyer can call and complain to Ebay all they want.  It won't affect you.  Ebay nor the buyer can force you to list an item.

But what I would do is get this buyer on your BBL [blocked bidder list] so they can't purchase from you again.  That would likely be a disaster.  If you need help in finding it, just ask.

They are just trying to bully you into doing what they want.  Ignore it.

[kensgiftshop]

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@cali_girl3 

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Sounds like a problem buyer.

Add the buyer to your blocked buyers list.

I wouldn't worry much about them contacting Ebay, they won't force you to sell to them.

[slippinjimmy]

@cali_girl3 

What reason did you use for the cancellation?

In any event this is NOT Buyer Extortion, the buyer just wants the item they paid for as it was listed. You can't do that because of undisclosed damage so they made an offer to accept the item as it is in exchange for a discount.

[fern*wood]

What reason did you use to cancel with, since it didn't sound like they wanted it cancelled?  I'm curious--what is a dust mark?  Is it something that couldn't be brushed off so you could ship the purchase?

[18704d]

"In any event this is NOT Buyer Extortion, the buyer just wants the item they paid for as it was listed. "

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Hi.

Not exactly.

They're demanding it be relisted at 30% off and free ship,

that was not part of the original listing that had been paid for, and refunded.

Thanks

Lynn

[luckythewinner]

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@18704d wrote:

Not exactly.

They're demanding it be relisted at 30% off and free ship,

that was not part of the original listing that had been paid for, and refunded.

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The buyer did not tie the request to negative feedback, so it is not feedback extortion.

And since eBay does not have any policy against asking for discounts or threatening to contact eBay, arguing over what name to put on that behavior makes no difference. 

IMHO the seller created this situation by not shipping the item. 

What exactly are "dust marks" Are they really something that one would cancel a transaction over rather than just ship?

[little*blackdog]

They can contact Ebay all they want and it won't make any difference.  Actually you did the correct thing, if after getting an item from storage, it's not exactly "as described".  

You contacted the buyer and asked if they still wanted the item.  Check. 

You waited for a response.  Check. 

You didn't get a response so rather than ship an item that you knew wasn't exactly as described, you cancelled the transaction and refunded.  Check, check, check. 

I've had the same thing happen to me. 

You did everything right. 

Put the buyer on your Blocked Bidder List and move on. 

No more communication w/them is necessary. 

Wait a couple weeks for them to simmer down and relist.  (So they can't get a friend to buy it and mess w/you.)

[cali_girl3]

Thank you for your response! Usually, when I receive a message on eBay, I get a notification on my phone stating that I received a message. The same happens when an item is sold, payment is received etc. I also receive a popup when I open the eBay site on my computer. A box will appear in the top right corner stating that I received a message. None of these notifications happened but I do see the buyer's messages in My Messages on eBay. I just want to make sure that I won't somehow be at fault for cancelling the sale when the buyer asked for the item to be shipped.

[cali_girl3]

I selected that there was a problem with the buyer's address. I think the buyer used someone else's PayPal account to pay for the purchase since the name on the shipping address was completely different from the name on the eBay account. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to discuss this with the buyer since I was under the impression that they didn't respond to my last message. 

[cali_girl3]

I selected that there was a problem with the buyer's address. The names on the shipping address and the eBay account were completely different. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to discuss this with the buyer since I was under the impression that they didn't respond to my last message. As for the dust mark, if you brush up against something dusty it will leave a grey or black mark. It was not something I could just brush off. The item definitely needed to be washed/cleaned. 

[mtgraves7984]

Silly question... but will the 'dust marks' cause you to list it for 30% (+) less than your original price? If you relist at the lowered price, the original buyer may want to purchase it and still be willing to pay for shipping.

To me, it sounds like they wanted it... you could shoot that at the buyer, if you don't block them instead.

Food for thought...

[slippinjimmy]

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@cali_girl3 wrote:

I selected that there was a problem with the buyer's address. I think the buyer used someone else's PayPal account to pay for the purchase since the name on the shipping address was completely different from the name on the eBay account. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to discuss this with the buyer since I was under the impression that they didn't respond to my last message. 

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So you lied about the reason for the cancellation! There was nothing wrong with the buyers' address, any buyer can provide any shipping address they want to use when they make a payment.

For example, this purchase might have been a gift being sent directly to the recipient or the buyer might be temporarily residing elsewhere and wants it sent to that location. It's also possible that the purchase was made by a friend or relative using their account but it is to be shipped to another person who is the actual purchaser who paid with their account.

There are dozens of legitimate reasons why the name and/or address on file with eBay might not match the name/address provided with the payment.

I glad to see eBay cracking down on these false cancellations, it's too bad that honest sellers have to suffer through delays and other issues when doing legitimate cancellations because of a few sellers who refuse to own their errors.

[slati_2013]

"The buyer responded by asking for 30% off plus free shipping."

That alone is justification enough for me to cancel the order.

One cancellation will not get you banned from selling on eBay, but it can be a defect if the buyer persists. Ignore the buyer and accept any negative outcome. 

[cali_girl3]

I actually do always check and make sure that the names match. I started doing this after dealing with several chargebacks and payment/fraud disputes. The names on the accounts did not match every time. I know that other sellers have encountered the same problem as well.