Purchase cancelation by seller

[alanm5]

I purchased a collectable item on 5/28 using the Buy It Now option and paid for it immediately.  The item was not shipped and there was no communication with the seller until yesterday when he sent a message via eBay saying he no longer has the item in stock (it was a collectable valued at several hundred dollars - not something he would have had multiples of).  He said he is going to cancel the sale.  He also offered to sell me the same item but of much lower condition/quality which is unacceptable to me at a price I could pay according to my assessment of its worth.  I made the initial purchase because that item met my desires as to its condition.  I do not want the item offered at any price.

As of now the cancellation has not occurred.

Do I have any recourse?  If he cancels the sale, will I still have an opportunity to leave feedback on this trans action?  I suspect, but do not know, that someone sent him a message saying they would pay him more for the item than I did if he cancels the sale and sells it to him.  Does this happen often on eBay?  What does eBay do to keep this from happening?  Will I be reimbursed by PayPal since that is how I paid for the item?

It looks like I have to wait several days before I can request eBay to get involved. 

Thank you.

[klhmdg · Accepted solution]

Do not accept anything but what you bought.

Do not say it is ok to cancel.

IF the seller cancels and the reason is "buyer requested" - report the seller.

The day after the last estimated delivery date you can file a "not received" case.

If he cancels you can leave FB.

[ten_o_nine]

Do I have any recourse?  If he cancels the sale, will I still have an opportunity to leave feedback on this trans action? 

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Yup, you can leave your feedback on the transaction, but think twice before leaving negative as it will look bad on you as a seller.

[titipeo]

It's hard to tell if seller is telling the truth. But yes, situations have occurred in the past where seller gets a higher offer from someone else. If he has cancelled the transaction, and you were to leave feedback, how do you know if seller is telling the truth? Sucks, but accept the fact that you are not getting this collectable item. 

[alanm5]

But I'm not the seller.  I am the buyer.

So if I leave negative FB on the seller, can he come back and give me negative FB for no good reason?

Why would anyone leave negative FB if that is the case?

[mtgraves7984]

"... he sent a message via eBay saying he no longer has the item in stock..."

@alanm5 

The seller can (and should) cancel citing 'Out of Stock'. The seller account will get a ding, as the seller should.

Buyers can't receive negative feedback. The worst you'd experience is a bad reply to the bad feedback you left... but that's on the seller's page for 12 whole months. Word it carefully to avoid removal. Report if not an 'OOS' cancellation.

[chapeau-noir]

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@alanm5 wrote:

But I'm not the seller.  I am the buyer.

So if I leave negative FB on the seller, can he come back and give me negative FB for no good reason?

Why would anyone leave negative FB if that is the case?

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Sellers cannot leave buyers negatives under any condition - there's no option to do that, even.

Go through the procedure if they don't cancel and file for item not received.  They should be cancelling for 'out of stock'.

[femmefan1946]

The most effective feedback is calm and factual.

Paid May 31. Message June 5 that item was "out of stock"  Offered similar but lesser quality item. Refused.

That tells your story and future customers can be aware if he is playing a game.

[dbfolks166mt]

     As others have suggested the seller is possibly playing a game and hoping you actually request to cancel so they will avoid taking the hit for an out of stock item. DO NOT request to cancel and refuse the alternative replacement. 

[pennysdream]

Sellers cannot leave neg feedback!

[baantiques]

I doubt it's anything malicious on the part of the seller.  Stuff happens.  I sell stuff I don't have more often than I would like - sometimes it gets relisted accidentally, sometimes my initial count was off, sometimes my third party management software restocks something when I don't want it to.   I pay close attention to inventory such as counting remaining pieces when I pick an order, deleting old listings from the management software so there is no chance of accidental relist, etc.   When it happens, sometimes people are understanding, sometimes they get angry, sometimes they leave a neg.  I just try to minimize it and move on.

I'd bet real money the seller is angrier at himself than you are.  There is very little I find more irritating than having to send a refund on a $200 item because of my screwup.

[tsme35]

Why it would hurt you about giving a negative would be if you gave a bunch of them.  If I have a buyer ask a question and I see they have given a ton of negatives, usually get blocked. If you give a neg, just keep it simple like a couple posters suggested.