Selling an item

[tisa6971]

I put my first item on Ebay and it was suggested that I start the bid at $.99 which I did. Someone bought the item and is bullying me to sell it at that price. I have contacted Ebay on the chat line and the representative said that I can cancel the sale. The buyer disagrees and insists on me honoring the sale. Has anyone had this happen?

[asset_liquidators]

People like to toss the term "scammer" around when it doesn't even remotely apply. Someone expecting you to honor the price that you agreed to sell it as is not a scammer. They are just a buyer who won an auction at a great price and are finding out that you have no intention of honoring it.

This buyer could easily pop up on these boards complaining of a "scammer" seller who won't ship the item they won. They would also be using the term incorrectly. You are not a scammer, just a new seller that didn't know what they were doing. 

However, if you do decide to cancel and not honor the sale you will have a defect on your account and probably receive negative feedback. You will have a tough time ever making another sale starting out in that hole.

[fern*wood]

When you offer an item for sale, it's best to do your homework first.  What did you determine the value to be?  Did most sellers list as a fixed price?   Even more important is to start with a few low dollar items until you get the hang of how things work.

[mtgraves7984]

@tisa6971 

Late to this party... as long as you're changing the starting price, you may want to check your shipping cost, too. 

[tinsoldierunderground]

OP posted at the bottom of page 1 that they apologized to the buyer and cancelled the sale, so I think your last two sentences will become prophecy.😞 

[fern*wood]

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@mtgraves7984 wrote:

@tisa6971 

Late to this party... as long as you're changing the starting price, you may want to check your shipping cost, too. 

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I didn't see the relist, but I wanted to add that dimensions need to be in there somewhere.  I don't know if it's a 4" picture or 4' one. 

[mtgraves7984]

I haven't seen a relist yet, either. But the OP seems to still want to sell it, so... 

Agree on the missing sizes. Heck, seven bucks might cover it, and it could move GA. Who knows?

[tisa6971]

I paid the $12 to the buyer who I had already apologized to and cancelled the sale.  I re-listed the print to start tomorrow, hopefully it has been done correctly, it is a very confusing website. I accept all the criticism and support with equal appreciation. 

[old-child]

You are being very gracious, Tisa. 

I imagine you mean you refunded the "buyer" the $12. That buyer knew perfectly well the picture should never have been sold for .99, so yes, they were trying to take advantage of a new seller. And yes, they were bullying you. I've met the type. This particular person is not going to abandon eBay because of this incident. Bet they are sure angry you did not capitulate. 

Be sure to put him on your Blocked Buyers list. (hope you can find it) so he won't bid again and cause more trouble.

I don't blame you one bit for not honoring your sale to him. I would have done the same and wore the 'strike' as a badge of honor. 

Your sale is to begin tomorrow? Doesn't it cost extra to schedule a listing instead of listing immediately?

Hang in there and good luck.

[soh.maryl]

Why would you label a buyer a "scammer"?

Did you not start your item at 99 cents? Didn't the buyer pay 99 cents?

The problem here is that you took a suggestion from eBay that was actually very bad advice.

If I, as a seller, new or otherwise, listed my widget for 99 cents, and it was something you really wanted, wouldn't you bid 99 cents? Would that make you a scammer?  

Even if the buyer had bid a thousand dollars, if there was only one bid, it had to be sold for 99 cents.

[4pawsup*]

@monica-sells 

Ebay did not renege on a sale. Just for information purposes for you. Ebay does not sell anything. All ebay sellers do not feel victimized that is for sure! I believe this only reflects on the seller. Not on all of ebay. You talk as if you know the buyer who has million of views on all of social media crying to all who would listen. I think your making a mountain out of a mohill.

[sin-n-dex]

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@monica-sells wrote:

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@4pawsup* wrote:

 I do not think the buyer who won will give up on ebay over one transaction.

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Sure, it's only 1 miniscule transaction amongst thousands done every day. BUT...

the fallout from 1 bad transaction goes a long way to alienate and victimize all ebay sellers when the "winner" / "buyer" posts on social media how "EBAY reneged" on an auction they won for .99 cents (they will most certainly post in ALL CAPS) with MANY !!!!!!!!!!!!! (exclamation points) to make sure Google and all the web crawlers pick up the post and display it for ALL to see, further damaging an already challenging selling environment......

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My buyers tell me what other sellers (my competition) are doing. Claiming they can't find the coin because they didn't get enough of a bid (which puts all cancellations as suspect), not combining shipping or giving a shipping refund when the buyer over pays the shipping amount (not to say they aren't allowed to do that, but buyers notice and complain to others about it). I've also been told how other sellers pack the items they ship, which is not very safe from damage by the post office.

One seller who made one mistake on an auction isn't the problem, it's that enough people are doing stuff like this that my buyers are complaining to me about it, and telling me they're buying from me because I don't do all those annoying things that other people do.

C.

[dubiousgain]

In the first eight or nine years of eBay, it was a fairly solid game plan to start out an auction at 99 cents.... Bidding fire was intense back then. Generally speaking, eBay auctions were great. Auction items sold, and they sold [fairly] well. Sad to say, that ship has long since sailed. today unless you have something that's rare, popular, sought after, or a necessity... auctions may not be the best choice for liquidation. and especially to start them out at just 99¢.  that being said it is not you're buying customers fault... they did nothing wrong. Sometimes, in order to be a great ebay seller, one has to suck it up, and not make it about the money, but rather make it about what is right. 😌

[byrd69er]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if ebay stopped making such idiotic suggestions?  Shame on ebay. That suggestion has ******over too many sellers.

[chapeau-noir]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Why would you label a buyer a "scammer"?

Did you not start your item at 99 cents? Didn't the buyer pay 99 cents?

The problem here is that you took a suggestion from eBay that was actually very bad advice.

If I, as a seller, new or otherwise, listed my widget for 99 cents, and it was something you really wanted, wouldn't you bid 99 cents? Would that make you a scammer?  

Even if the buyer had bid a thousand dollars, if there was only one bid, it had to be sold for 99 cents.

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This has kinda been hashed out already (several times). OP is relisting and taking everyone's advice.

@tisa6971  search on items like yours and then check sold prices - that gives you a better ballpark figure of how these listings are ending and may help with pricing guidance.

And I agree, eBay is byzantine in its complexity - mostly because the site is so big.

[isaiah53-57]

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@byrd69er wrote:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if ebay stopped making such idiotic suggestions?  Shame on ebay. That suggestion has ******over too many sellers.

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@byrd69er

You are 100% correct - I believe the fault lies squarely on the company that gave the horrible advise to list a niche item at 99 cents at the expense of yet another new seller who is UNFAMILIAR with the terrain and BELIEVES they are getting information from a trustworthy source - Why wouldn't they?

The same company that does not offer new sellers any information on the numerous scams that are prevalent on this site and so many fall prey to...Just throw em' to the sharks...

What they get is the giant "SELL NOW" button - along with... Oh dont worry about setting up managed payments, we'll deal with that later. Just take our advise and list the item for 99 cents and reap the rewards! After all we are a household name - How can you go wrong? Oh, so you are planning to use the Buy It Now format?? GREAT! - Dont forget to use Promoted listings at our Suggested Rate of 16% and also dynamic Promoted Listings, so if we arbitrarily decide to run the Suggested Rate up to 23% you'll still get visibility! - And also dont forget to use Advanced Promoted Listings and Double-Triple Super Bonus Promoted Listings!! Dont worry We got you covered...