Negative Feedback on a Declined Cancellation

[silvercrown90]

eBay's policy on Cancellation Requests clearly states that the Seller can accept or decline a Cancellation.  I received a Cancellation Request from a Buyer an hour after he ordered something on a Saturday.  He apparently didn't read the description or the title on the item for sale.  I have a warehouse that packs and ships all of my inventory.  The warehouse is 4 hours driving distance from my office.  The shipping staff work weekends, but they do not take phone calls and they are not on e-mail.  We use an order system that they can pull down orders once submitted that generate a FedEx label and they pull the item, pack and ship.

When a Cancellation Request comes in over the weekend or after hours, I currently have no method to stop the order.  It gets packed and sent over to FedEx over the weekend.  This particular order was for a mere $108 and shipping was included for an 11-pound package, and unfortunately it was from a Buyer in Alaska.  So even though I didn't want to take this order, I bit the bullet and submitted the order to the Shipping Department.   

Then comes the Cancellation Request about an hour later.  I declined it because I had no way to stop it.  I wrote a nice response to the Buyer (on Saturday) telling him that I could not stop the shipment and had to decline the cancellation.

So the Buyer writes negative feedback because I declined the order.  I submitted it to eBay for review, and they are siding with the buyer and won't remove the negative feedback.  eBay policy clearly states that the Seller can Decline or Accept a Cancellation Request.  What eBay policy doesn't warn you is that the Buyer is free to trash your reputation because you followed eBay policy.  Why is eBay allowing these Cancellation Requests?  I can see sending a Cancellation Request within 5 or 10 minutes max, but not longer.  I cannot tie up inventory that can be sold on a different sales channel waiting for a potential Cancellation Request.  I cannot hold up shipping of orders over the weekend and have the shipping department sit on their hands waiting for potential Cancellation Requests.  What if I have a Buyer that wants a helmet that was already sold on eBay.  Do I tell him "I don't know if it is available yet, as I have to wait another hour or more to see if my Buyer on eBay is going to cancel"?  eBay, let me let you in on a little secret that other sales channels already understand:  A Sale is a Sale.  I accept refunds for any reason, including buyer remorse, but I cannot hold items hostage while Buyers figure out whether or not they really want to buy something.  

Accepting or declining your cancellation request

The seller can either accept or decline your cancellation request.

In the meantime as I sort through this, I have now changed my eBay business policy to exclude shipping to AK, HI and PR.  I have everything set as "free shipping", but I usually cringe when I get orders from AK or HI for over-sized items.  Most of what I sell is large.  I will no longer respond to eBay messages, Cancellation Requests or Return Requests after hours or on weekends.  I responded to this particular Buyer's Cancellation Request on Saturday as a courtesy, but it burned me in the end since he thought I could wiggle my nose and magically stop this shipment that was already in process.  The Managed Payments process at eBay is a nightmare as they hold onto money way too long.  Selling goods on Friday won't hit your bank account until some time the following Wednesday.  I did a Refund on a Friday afternoon after I received a return, and eBay took it from my bank account immediately on Friday, even though they had payouts of mine that I didn't get until Wednesday.  Funny how that works.  It takes 4-5 days for them to send you your own money, but an hour for them to take your money.

Sorry for the book.  This is very frustrating.  I have been slowly ending listings on eBay after I was forced into Managed Payments.  I don't see an end in sight for eBay to realize that they don't have a business without Sellers.

[silvercrown90]

I have a cushion for Managed Payments, but the 3-4 day delay in getting paid impedes our ability to purchase new inventory from vendors.  We order new inventory from new vendors on a daily basis.  All of our revenue gets plugged back into the business.  We invest our revenue so that we can grow.  Loaning money to eBay for 3-4 business days isn't going to help anyone truly trying to grow their business.  

[silvercrown90]

There are Managers on site.  The phones are turned off on Friday night at the end of the business day and not turned back on until Monday morning.  Their primary duty on the weekend is to pack and ship orders.  Warehouse workers are not meant to be Customer Service.  Part of that is the crux of the problem.  If an order isn't FINAL, I shouldn't be submitting it to Shipping to ship.  In this case, I got the order from eBay, assumed it was good to go, and submitted the order to Shipping with the part number, shipping address and method of delivery.  Once I hit that "submit" button, I cannot retract it and I cannot recall it.  What I didn't factor in was that eBay accepts Cancellation Requests AFTER they send an order to the Seller.  Then if you are TOO fast, like I was, you get blamed for it.  Shame on me for working after hours and on weekends, and responding to customer inquiries after hours and on weekends.  Monday is our busiest day, and I like to stay on top of things so all orders are able to get packed and shipped on Monday.  I could have held the order until Monday morning on the off chance that eBay would send a Cancellation Request, but then it might have been delayed getting out the same day.  I just changed my eBay shipping commitment from Same Day Shipping up until 5:00 p.m. and then changed it to 1 Day Handling, but orders received over the weekend must be shipped no later than midnight on Monday otherwise you get an eBay defect for late shipping.  So it's darned if you do and darned if you don't.  

[silvercrown90]

We have control over inventory.  The Buyer didn't read the description.  An hour later he discovered he ordered the wrong thing and wanted to cancel it on a Saturday.  We have "1 day handling".  I can't sit on orders on the off chance that someone will decide they changed their mind and want to cancel it.  If I did that, then 99% of customers might not get their stuff shipped on time.  I am not a mind reader.  With "1 Day Handling", orders that come in over the weekend MUST get shipped no later than Monday, otherwise we are out of compliance with our shipping commitment.  The fact is that almost every single order we get through eBay gets packed and shipped less than an hour after it was ordered, regardless of when the order comes through.  eBay isn't our only sales channel, just one of them.  If we get an order from anywhere, it is usually shipped within 5-15 minutes of receipt of the order.  If this Buyer had requested the cancellation 5 or 10 minutes after placing the order, this would be a moot point and the item wouldn't have been shipped.  I could have easily cancelled it, and would have been ecstatic to cancel it due to exorbitant shipping costs.  I would have PREFERRED to cancel it.  As it was, he didn't request the cancellation until an hour after the order was placed.  

[silvercrown90]

It is a full bed liner.  LOL. The description is from the brand for that particular part number.  When buying truck accessories, the Buyer has to know what they are ordering and what type of bed they have.  The Seller isn't a mind reader.  If he didn't understand what he was buying, he could have sent a message and I would have clarified.  Remember, I was working and responding to questions on Saturday morning.

My post wasn't about a Seller requesting a Cancellation.  I deal with those all of the time.  The issue was that the Cancellation Request came over an hour after the order was placed, and the package was already packed and shipped.  I don't feel that eBay should allow negative feedback when their policy clearly states that a Seller can Accept or Decline a Cancellation Request.  They need to add a disclaimer:  "Decline at your own risk.  You may **bleep** off your buyer and get negative feedback".  Here is a statement on eBay's policy page for Cancellation Requests: "If you need to cancel an order, let the seller know as quickly as possible. If the seller has already shipped your order, they won't be able to cancel it."

So the package was already shipped and I wasn't able to cancel it, but eBay thinks getting negative feedback is okay even though their policy clearly states that a Seller can decline a Cancellation Request.  Hmmm.  From my viewpoint, offering "1 day handling" or "same day shipping" is a huge risk for the Seller.  Is that what eBay wants?  I can easily change the shipping commitment to 2-day handling, then sit and wait as orders come in, let them sit and chill for 5 or 6 hours to make sure the order is truly FINAL, and then get off my duff and get them sent over to Shipping for processing.  In the meantime, the marketplaces that are shipping stuff faster than you can blink an eye will continue to grow and thrive.

[fashunu4eeuh]

”This "free shipping" policy that eBay pushes on Sellers ends up screwing buyers who live closer.  If I hadn't offered "free shipping", it is doubtful that I would have ever had orders from HI or AK if they had to pay actual shipping costs.”

On heavier items, consider using  calculated instead of free shipping to avoid losing additional postage costs. Or raise your prices somewhat to cover the occasional sales to such locations. Due to weight, some items are less suitable to sell on mail order. Or change the communication lapse between ordering and shipping. 

[outdatedrecreated]

I didn't bother to read your novel but a buyer can leave negative feedback for whatever they please and eBay will never back you up. 

[silvercrown90]

I am not awake 7x24x365.  Sometimes I go to sleep.  Sometimes I even take a few hours off.  There are managers who run the warehouse during the weekend.  I am in contact with people during normal business hours.  Once again, this was a Cancellation Request that was received over an hour after the order was already submitted, packed and shipped.  We ship on weekends and after hours so that we don't get back-logged on Monday trying to ship 3 days worth of orders.  I should have "held" the order until Monday I suppose, but we don't like to hold orders up, again to avoid the crazy Monday rush.  

Ever try to catch an airplane 5 minutes after it pulled out of the terminal?  Do you run down the runway screaming, "Wait, wait!"  I'm here!  Do you blame the airline for keeping to their strict schedule when they depart on time?  

My post was to warn others that they could be subject to negative feedback if they decline a Cancellation Request, even if the request comes in after an hour of receiving the order and even after something has shipped.  It is what it is.  Fast shipping and shipping on time can bite you in the butt.  That order in your eBay Orders queue might not be final.  Just remember that. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

“Loaning money to eBay for 3-4 business days isn't going to help anyone truly trying to grow their business. “

Most successful business plans make an allowance for, and retain enough capital to keep the enterprise running between the time of the sale to the date payment is deposited. Plus, a seller has the option to have shipping costs be drawn from pending funds. The 3 or 4 day “float” is not a loan to eBay by any means

[darwen8]

Siding with the buyer  !!  I would never  refuse a cancellation of a order no matter what , unless I was closing my business the next day maybe ... leaving the country .. and could care less about my feedbacks ... your bad here .. 

[downunder-61]

I totally agree that sellers do not have to be at a computer 24/7, 365 days of the year, and yes we do need to sleep, but the fact is that you replied to the buyer so you were infact on line and as I said ^^^^^ if you were able to contact your warehouse all of this would have been avoided.

[tajenn-2263]

The phones are turned off on Friday night at the end of the business day and not turned back on until Monday morning. 

--

That is a seriously messed up way to do business on a website that's open 24-7.

Stop trying to blame the buyer when you don't bother to actually deal with clients on the weekends.

[toysaver]

"There are Managers on site.  The phones are turned off on Friday night at the end of the business day and not turned back on until Monday morning."

What would they do if there were a fire, a gunman or some other disaster?  

[chapeau-noir]

My post was to warn others that they could be subject to negative feedback if they decline a Cancellation Request, even if the request comes in after an hour of receiving the order and even after something has shipped. It is what it is. Fast shipping and shipping on time can bite you in the butt. That order in your eBay Orders queue might not be final. Just remember that.

No, you need to remember what can happen when you have obvious failure points in your system - no communication through the weekend when you are supposedly running a 24/7 business with warehousing?  Automatic order fulfillment with NO oversight?  Instead of warning us, I would take this as a lesson yourself in changing some of your procedures.  This isn't going to be the last time this will happen.  eBay allows cancellation within an hour.  Other sites allow it within 3 hours.  That needs to be factored into any order fulfillment. 

[blueguy72]

What does ruggage mean? 

[whattheactualfox]

Well I want to thank you for letting me know the additional info. I am glad you messaged him, and I can understand now you don't want it shipped to Alaska, now you know the shipping costs.

I get you couldn't cancel, things happen! Ebay has nothing to do with the buyer ordering the wrong item. I would have hoped the buyer messaged you before buying, but we are human and make mistakes. And yes a seller can decline a cancelation request, but all of that, is completely different area compared to the feedback. The buyer was reviewing the service he got from your shop. This was the worst that happened, and you learned a hard mistake, I hate to sound unpleasant with you, but I'm trying to explain the best I can.

Ebay was the middleman in all of this, the buyer is not in the wrong with eBay's policies, you followed policy. But at the end of the day, the buyer reviewed their experience, and I think your response should have been worded better. I can understand the buyer being more upset now. I wouldn't want to get a message like that after I ordered the wrong thing and tried to fix the issue.