(Scam or Incompent) Buyer Paid Local Pickup/Expected Shipping/Opened Dispute/Will Not Cancel Dispute

[sceneographer]

Hey all, so I've had a few hours on phone this past wekk with ebay CS and a supervisor.  Tomorrow is last day I have to respond to the dispute, but, of course, there's no option for me to counter-dispute that the buyer in NC (I'm in NYC), paid for a local pickup-only elliptical machine, and the options are only for me to agree to refund, or upload shipping info.   I've been asking him to please cancel the dispute, he claims he's been on the phone with CS for hours every day, and they haven't given him instructions for canceling this dispute.  I initiated contact with him to give him my location, and that's when he replied that he didn't understand this item was pickup only.   I've since emailed him at least 4 times, asking him to kindly cancel the dispute.  He keeps claiming he's trying.

I asked ebay if agreeing to refund in this dispute will have any negative impact on my account, and they said that it wouldn't.  But, I don't trust ebay, because I feel like this will be logged somewhere in my account if another dispute or problem occurs, even if it doesn't affect my seller rating.  So, I wanted to ask the community what your experience is, and in past I have just cancelled orders, but didn't have a chance to immediately for this one.   If anyone can tell me what happens in such a case where the buyer is at fault and seller is forced to refund through a dispute vs. a simple cancellation, I'd really appreciate it!  Hope everyone's having a great week, in NYC we're in a grey-brown haze from the fires in Canada, it looks like 7pm at 2pm.  🌫️🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@sceneographer wrote:

"Even the buyer closing the case wouldn't fix the issue...and if the buyer were here I would highly recommend they didn't."

Hi, thanks for answering my question about whether or not refunding through the dispute would affect my account negatively.   That's what I needed to know.  But, I'm confused by the above.  "If the buyer were "here", meaning where, in this forum?  Why would you "highly recommend" to a buyer who has made an error costing a seller time and trouble and has opened a dispute to not close the case so I could just cancel under the wrong address option?   I'm  a seller trying to do the right thing.   It's why I posted my question.

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Because you still wouldn't be able to cancel and the buyer wouldn't be able to have eBay as an avenue to get their money back at all at that point. 

[dbfolks166mt]

      Chargebacks are a mess at times and can be dependent on the reason the buyer opened the chargeback. In your case regardless of whether it was a INR or INAD the buyer has received nothing since they did not pickup the item. Simply accept the dispute and the buyer will be refunded. This will clear up that part of the issue. 

     What may be the sticky part and may take some time to correct is what eBay does as a result of accepting and refunding the buyer. They may ding your account which you can probably have corrected by contacting them through the facebook or twitter connection. EBay may also try to retain the FVF's depending on the reason the buyer used for the chargeback. This may also take some time to get straightened out with eBay. 

[sceneographer]

Got it, thanks, there is zero chance or danger that I would *not* respond to the dispute.   My questions were related to whether or not RESPONDING AND REFUNDING would place a defect on my account.   One person answered that question.   

[tabcu51]

I do wonder if one were to let this case time out, what exactly would happen...

I think today there's a method by which a buyer / seller can show delivery even for local pickup, that would be the caveat because I know years ago if you let it time out the buyer wouldn't get a refund since they never picked it up... Things might have changed, I know I stopped selling local pickup years ago because buyers don't ever seem to comprehend this type of sale, I've had to cancel / refund at least 10 times for every one that finally sells, it's just not worth my time and aggravation any more.

[sceneographer]

Hi, right, so ebay told me numerous times I would be able to cancel this sale once the dispute was lifted.  The dispute also allows me as a buyer to leave negative feedback for the buyer, even though I'm not going to do that.     Anyway, problem is solved by calling ebay again.

[sceneographer]

Thanks for your help, I know it's a nightmare, but there was no chance I was going to not respond, or refuse the refund, I'm aware of all that and why I was trying to ask the buyer to cancel the dispute so I could simply cancel the order on my end.   Problem is solved after calling ebay again.  

[sceneographer]

Hi thank you.   I think you understand my post.  You gave me some really excellent advice about local selling and how many buyers don't seem to understand this type of purchase.   I've tried local selling a large item once in past, and the buyer wanted me to travel to his location, which was not what was offered.   I was able to cancel without any issues.

"I think today there's a method by which a buyer / seller can show delivery even for local pickup, that would be the caveat because I know years ago if you let it time out the buyer wouldn't get a refund since they never picked it up..."

I was wondering about this too if ebay had to step in, showing proof that the buyer chose an item for local pickup.  Ebay has changed a lot for sellers.    The least-hassle-factor for sellers is the default because CS doesn't have the answers or gives misinformation.  Thank you again for your thoughtful response!

[sceneographer]

Thanks for all the responses.  I don't need any more advice.  Issue is resolved.   I think most responses assumed I would do nothing, and mostly shared about the worst case, but the question I did ask was if I would have a defect if I didn't refund.   One person did answer that question.   I got an answer from ebay that if the buyer lifted the disupute, I would be able to cancel the sale.  Why would I want to do this?  Because if it's possible, as a seller, I'm going to do what I can to protect my account, plus, the dispute opens up negative feedback.  I have good relationships with buyers and have been doing this for 15 years, the buyer agreed to lift the dispute but wasn't able to or didn't, but I will protect my account if necessary and that's why I asked him to remove the dispute.  I'm going to go ahead and assume Ebay is correct about me as a seller being able to simply cancel the sale after a buyer opens a dispute, even though someone said this isn't possible.   It's theoretical at this point, and the horse is dead and beat.  In any case, this was an interesting discussion.  Thanks all for your time and happy selling!

[dbfolks166mt]

Thanks for your help, I know it's a nightmare, but there was no chance I was going to not respond, or refuse the refund, I'm aware of all that and why I was trying to ask the buyer to cancel the dispute so I could simply cancel the order on my end.   Problem is solved after calling ebay again.  

Glad to hear you got everything worked out. Chargebacks, as I mentioned, can be messy. 

[mam98031]

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@sceneographer wrote:

Oh, no, you were really helpful!   I do appreciate your response and your support.  I feel like so much has changed for ebay sellers over the years, we have fewer options now than we used to.

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Yes, many things have changed in the last 25+ years, not just here on Ebay.  If Ebay were to have stayed the same as it was in the beginning, they likely would have been bankrupt years ago.  You have to move forward as things change around us.

When Ebay started, mobile shopping and paying wasn't an issue.  So if they were the same as they were then, no one would be able to use their mobile devices to shop and pay on this site.  Currently mobile customers is about 60% of the site sales.  That would be a huge loss in an effort to stay the same.

This isn't the type of business that can stay the same and still thrive.

[brightlightbookseller]

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@campanaelia wrote:

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@ms.rodriguez* wrote:

Click the REFUND button or click CANCEL THE SALE and use PROBLEM WITH BUYER'S ADDRESS.  The entire payment EXCEPT 30 cents will go back to the buyer.

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So wait a minute, are you saying every time a deadbeat seller lies and use " Problem with buyer's address" or "Buyer requested to cancel" as the fake reason to avoid their own defect, the seller is also costing buyers $0.30 each time they do this?

Many sellers are notorious for doing this...

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No, no buyer is ever charged anything for a canceled transaction. It’s the seller that pays the $0.30 listing fee even on a canceled transaction.

[mam98031]

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@sceneographer wrote:

Hi, right, so ebay told me numerous times I would be able to cancel this sale once the dispute was lifted.  The dispute also allows me as a buyer to leave negative feedback for the buyer, even though I'm not going to do that.     Anyway, problem is solved by calling ebay again.

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There is no such thing as getting a dispute "lifted".  They are either open or closed.  There is no in between.

Now this may sound like a silly question, but I don't remember reading  where you said what type of claim the buyer opened.  That is a very important piece of this puzzle.  

Did they open an INR [item not received]?  Or an INAD [item not as described]?

I assume that it was an INR since they have not come to pick it up and want you to ship it.  INRs aren't as tough on sellers as an INAD can be as long as the seller handles it.  It is NEVER a good idea to let Ebay step in and make a decision.

If this in an INR, just refund the buyer and the claim will close.  It will not get you a defect on your account nor will it harm the health of your selling account.  Clearly you aren't going to be able to save this sale, so just refund the buyer and move forward.

[mam98031]

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@sceneographer wrote:

Thanks for your help, I know it's a nightmare, but there was no chance I was going to not respond, or refuse the refund, I'm aware of all that and why I was trying to ask the buyer to cancel the dispute so I could simply cancel the order on my end.   Problem is solved after calling ebay again.  

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It does NOT have to be a "nightmare".  You are making this more difficult than it needs to be and spending a lot of time calling Ebay that is simply a waste of time.  If this is an INR, just refund the buyer and move on.  It really is that simple.  You are complicating things unnecessarily by asking the buyer to close the claim so you can cancel the order.  There is just no need for that.

Refund and move on.

[mam98031]

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@sceneographer wrote:

Thanks for all the responses.  I don't need any more advice.  Issue is resolved.   I think most responses assumed I would do nothing, and mostly shared about the worst case, but the question I did ask was if I would have a defect if I didn't refund.   One person did answer that question.   I got an answer from ebay that if the buyer lifted the disupute, I would be able to cancel the sale.  Why would I want to do this?  Because if it's possible, as a seller, I'm going to do what I can to protect my account, plus, the dispute opens up negative feedback.  I have good relationships with buyers and have been doing this for 15 years, the buyer agreed to lift the dispute but wasn't able to or didn't, but I will protect my account if necessary and that's why I asked him to remove the dispute.  I'm going to go ahead and assume Ebay is correct about me as a seller being able to simply cancel the sale after a buyer opens a dispute, even though someone said this isn't possible.   It's theoretical at this point, and the horse is dead and beat.  In any case, this was an interesting discussion.  Thanks all for your time and happy selling!

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The buyer can't "lift" the dispute, but they can close it if Ebay had not yet stepped in.

" Ebay is correct about me as a seller being able to simply cancel the sale after a buyer opens a dispute,"  No you can't.  Not when there is an active claim in place.  If the claim gets closed then you can, but before that no.

You didn't say how the claim was resolved.

[femmefan1946]

@campanaelia 

Yes.

The 30c service charge is non-refundable.

Many sellers are notorious for doing this...

Well you know what George Carlin said about average intelligence.

It's another reason not to list items that are very cheap. My preference is nothing under $9.99.  Just the 30c will eat your profit , nevermind your other costs. YMMV.

The dispute also allows me as a buyer to leave negative feedback for the buyer, even though I'm not going to do that.

NO!

Sellers can never leave negative feedback. And shouldn't since the only ones who would read it would be future customers,who don't want to deal with someone who slags off other customers.