Was I doomed from the start or was this preventable?

[bigdeals.etc]

Wondering if I could've done anything different to save myself. Buyer sends me a message giving me a heads up about the item they will purchase tomorrow morning. The next morning they purchase the clothing. 20 minutes later they message me to please ship out their order. This is followed by 4 more messages all within 10 minutes of the first message asking if I can ship it out.

I didn't see these messages until 30 minutes later. Her multiple messages weren't just copy/paste. They all had different verbiage telling me to please ship out the clothing. This raises a flag with me labeling the buyer as impatient... but it usually isn't enough for me to cancel or block. I respond that normally I send items out on the next day but will help the buyer this time and send it out same day. They thank me.

Apparently the item arrives to her in 1 day after they purchased it. Buyer messages me vaguely "Can I ask you a question? Does this look like royal blue?" I wasn't sure what she was referring to since there was no photo or listing linked to the message. So I asked her to specify what item was she talking about. She immediately files a SNAD return and messages "Does this look like royal blue to you or does this look like what u advertise? No it's doesn't. I will be leaving negative feedback." Apparently she's implying she received a different color than the Royal Blue advertised, and apparently her questions were all rhetorical.

I tell her to just return the item for a refund, apologized for any possible mistake and asked what color did she actually receive. Her response "I don't have any time for this you knew what color u sent me your advertisement is a lie I will send u back the [item] and I'm also going to be leaving a negative feedback on this"

So she refuses to tell me what color because she doesn't have the time?

[pvcliff]

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@sandytexas1961 wrote:

Well, I may be in a minority, but I've gotten plenty of messages that I'm about to buy (and some actually do!).  Mostly this is in relation to combined shipping -- if they buy 4 widgets will I give them combined shipping etc.  I explain my policy, they buy, easy peasy. 

I have on the buyer side actually messaged a seller awhile back because the picture that they had of the item (a purse) showed it to be purple shades, but I thought the designer only did it in blues.  So I asked if the item was shades or blue or shades of purple. They assured me that the purse was purple as pictured in the picture. So I bought it and it was clearly blue.  This is the difference between the baby blue to navy blue on the real purse, as opposed to lavender to royal purple in the picture.  It is one of the few times that I filed SNAD (and I offered just to mail it back as a return without filing a case if they would pay postage and they refused). So I filed the case, uploaded our conversation. Their photo and my photo and I got my money back (after sending it back with the prepaid label).   But a lot of time and effort could have been saved if they would have just told me that the item was blue not purple!  

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I sold draperies for 30 years. It is entirely possible that the seller couldn't see the difference between purple and dark blue, because I ran into that once with a client. But you know what my worst issues were? White! I've had to go out to tell people, yes, you did buy and receive white draperies, they look lavender/magenta/purple because the freaking sun is setting! And you are absolutely right, you did not buy pea green sheers -- did you notice the expanse of green grass outside your front window?

[twnpopcards]

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@bigdeals.etc wrote:

Wondering if I could've done anything different to save myself. Buyer sends me a message giving me a heads up about the item they will purchase tomorrow morning. The next morning they purchase the clothing. 20 minutes later they message me to please ship out their order. This is followed by 4 more messages all within 10 minutes of the first message asking if I can ship it out.

I didn't see these messages until 30 minutes later. Her multiple messages weren't just copy/paste. They all had different verbiage telling me to please ship out the clothing. This raises a flag with me labeling the buyer as impatient... but it usually isn't enough for me to cancel or block. I respond that normally I send items out on the next day but will help the buyer this time and send it out same day. They thank me.

Apparently the item arrives to her in 1 day after they purchased it. Buyer messages me vaguely "Can I ask you a question? Does this look like royal blue?" I wasn't sure what she was referring to since there was no photo or listing linked to the message. So I asked her to specify what item was she talking about. She immediately files a SNAD return and messages "Does this look like royal blue to you or does this look like what u advertise? No it's doesn't. I will be leaving negative feedback." Apparently she's implying she received a different color than the Royal Blue advertised, and apparently her questions were all rhetorical.

I tell her to just return the item for a refund, apologized for any possible mistake and asked what color did she actually receive. Her response "I don't have any time for this you knew what color u sent me your advertisement is a lie I will send u back the [item] and I'm also going to be leaving a negative feedback on this"

So she refuses to tell me what color because she doesn't have the time?

---

I am going to lay odds that what you get back is not going to be what you sent out to the customer in the first place.  Have you looked at their feedback left for others to see if this is a common practice?  Many times this is just their MO and they then blame it on your inability to send the correct item within the time frame that they wanted it.   I have seen cards returned for refunds as SNAD's because the sky is a different color than on another card that is the same as this one, when in reality the value had dropped and everything they said was nothing more than a ruse to then send back a completely different item that was worth maybe 10 cents and keep the item that they had purchased for $8000, which is exactly why I will no longer sell high end items on Ebay because they will do nothing to protect you.

If I had gotten all of the messages that you did i probably would have cancelled the sale and refunded the money, even if it cost me a defect as that is usually a key warning sign, at least in my category.  I hope that you actually get back what you sold this person and not just a rock or previously destroyed which is why they purchased your item.

[twnpopcards]

I will lay odds that you will receive an item back, but it just will not be what  you sent to them.  This is one of the older scams that have been around, especially when they had you send the item to an address that they supposedly to not live at (I know it was a gift, but how can she know what color the item is when she has never seen it?).  I wish you the best with this situation but would not be anticipating anything positive from it.

[writertypes]

"Can I ask you a question? Does this look like royal blue?" . . . "Does this look like royal blue to you or does this look like what u advertise? No it's doesn't. I will be leaving negative feedback." *Wha...?* "I don't have any time for this you knew what color u sent me your advertisement is a lie I will send u back the [item] and I'm also going to be leaving a negative feedback on this" [click].

I know that scattered chick! That's my ex-wife!

[myboardid]

I don't believe this is a crazy person, I believe it is a calculating scammer who used the wording and the timing of her messages to spook you into giving a full refund without her returning the shirt.  I'd be truly surprised if you get any return out of this at all, and possibly no feedback either.   I bet you never hear from her again.  It is just a common scam you didn't fall for. 

[*madison]

20 minutes later they message me to please ship out their order. This is followed by 4 more messages all within 10 minutes of the first message asking if I can ship it out.

------------------------------------------------------

You were doomed at the start,

but you could have undoomed yourself by cancelling the transaction, problem with buyers address, and then blocked the buyer..

It usually never ends well for sellers when buyers send messages like that..

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Right...some sellers, particularly new ones, start shaking in their boots at the mere possibility of negative feedback or an angry customer and hit that refund button to make it all go away. 

Of course they are doing us all a disservice, not only themselves. 

One has to grow a little thicker skin and not be a pushover. 

[turquoisetulips]

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@bigdeals.etc wrote:

Wondering if I could've done anything different to save myself. Buyer sends me a message giving me a heads up about the item they will purchase tomorrow morning. The next morning they purchase the clothing. 20 minutes later they message me to please ship out their order. This is followed by 4 more messages all within 10 minutes of the first message asking if I can ship it out.

I didn't see these messages until 30 minutes later. Her multiple messages weren't just copy/paste. They all had different verbiage telling me to please ship out the clothing. This raises a flag with me labeling the buyer as impatient... but it usually isn't enough for me to cancel or block. I respond that normally I send items out on the next day but will help the buyer this time and send it out same day. They thank me.

Apparently the item arrives to her in 1 day after they purchased it. Buyer messages me vaguely "Can I ask you a question? Does this look like royal blue?" I wasn't sure what she was referring to since there was no photo or listing linked to the message. So I asked her to specify what item was she talking about. She immediately files a SNAD return and messages "Does this look like royal blue to you or does this look like what u advertise? No it's doesn't. I will be leaving negative feedback." Apparently she's implying she received a different color than the Royal Blue advertised, and apparently her questions were all rhetorical.

I tell her to just return the item for a refund, apologized for any possible mistake and asked what color did she actually receive. Her response "I don't have any time for this you knew what color u sent me your advertisement is a lie I will send u back the [item] and I'm also going to be leaving a negative feedback on this"

So she refuses to tell me what color because she doesn't have the time?

---

The '' I don't have the time '' bit from your buyer sounds like a thin excuse  to me . If she has  the time to message you as many times as she has over this one transaction  then she has the time to answer one important question from you . Her messages   sounded  like they were coming from  irrational person from the get go so this type of outcome could have been easily predicted .  IMO ,, you've done what you were supposed to do by offering a refund . However some people simply have an axe to grind  and usually no amount of appeasement will do.  I'd call e bay . As soon as they see you offered a solution to the buyer  they should be willing to remove the negative .. BTW - Please make sure you block this buyer ,, nobody needs these kind of headaches . Good luck - Tulips . 

[turquoisetulips]

Taking what you have written at face value, you were doomed from the start. alcoforever to OP 

Never say die . There may be a way to resolve this for the OP .   Tulips 

[turquoisetulips]

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@hawkwind5454 wrote:

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@bigdeals.etc wrote:
But maybe I accidentally sent them a Red or Black. I rarely make mistakes like that, but it's always possible

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If it is possible you made a mistake, then it is possible that it was preventable.

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Possible...  But not likely..Not the way the buyer is acting.  We ALL make mistakes, and the buyer is just being way too [over-kill] rude.    I could be wrong, but I'd lay odds the buyer has a dishonorable agenda.  hawkwind - 

I agree - something is fishy why she claims not to have the '' time'' to tell the op what color she received . He may be getting a used rag  back . Anything is possible . Tulips 

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[turquoisetulips]

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@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:

Misery likes company, as the old adage goes. She can't help herself, certainly though this problem is not gender specific, misery is spread around pretty evenly. 

Hurting people hurt other people. You can't make logic of it, she's mad at the world for whatever reason. It's not personal, it's not even personal against your garment. She's angry, and somebody has got to suffer for that. Today it was you. Luckily you aren't married to this person! 😉 

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No truer words ever spoken .  Tulips 

[turquoisetulips]

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@scstool wrote:
Tell her you didn't have time to check the color when you sent it out

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LOL  ! 

[turquoisetulips]

I sold draperies for 30 years. It is entirely possible that the seller couldn't see the difference between purple and dark blue, because I ran into that once with a client. But you know what my worst issues were? White! I've had to go out to tell people, yes, you did buy and receive white draperies, they look lavender/magenta/purple because the freaking sun is setting! And you are absolutely right, you did not buy pea green sheers -- did you notice the expanse of green grass outside your front window? pvcliff - unquote 

This whole color shade  discussion  reminds me of a poem that was  spoken after  a song by the Moody blues .  I think  it went - 

                               Cold hearted orb through the night 

                                  erases the colors  from our sight 

                               blue is grey and yellow  white 

                               but who is to decide which is right ?

                               and which is an allusion .