OT - I can't believe that PayPal allows this !!

[libinatorsmom]

Paypal and ebay have turned very buyer freindly and not seller friendly... its not good... for sellers - you basically have to pray you get good buyers!!!!!

 

[Mariep26]

Sorry that happened to you. I agree that eBay favors the buyer and I get it but sometimes the case should just be clear cut. MH sold a guitar and the guy kept it and played it and then just as the time frame to complain was about to expire, he claimed that it did not match the description. He sent it back and it was obvious he enjoyed "renting" the guitar from us. Blah...

 

[timmac]

The buyer probably realized he overpaid and had buyers remorse. Assume he was in a store that had an "all sales final" policy. He changed his mind before he got the check out line. No problem. Assume he changed his mind after he paid but before he left the store. I'll speculate a store would void the transaction.

This is probably true, but the reality is, this isn't a store. And not following through with the transaction after bidding is breach of contract.

Realistically, though, not much you can do, just relist, and move on.

 

[Lewisc]

This is probably true, but the reality is, this isn't a store. And not following through with the transaction after bidding is breach of contract.

Realistically, though, not much you can do, just relist, and move on.

Technically it may be a breach of contract. Ebay works if the buyer feels he's being protected. Favoring the buyer fosters that spirit. Maybe the buyer didn't carefully read the description. Maybe the seller was happy he found a buyer willing to overpay. The buyer changed his mind prior to shipping the item. Ebay/paypal said no problem.
A few months ago I bought a couple of Tshirts as a gift. Turned out they were too small. Seller had no problem with a return, even though the auction terms didn't require it. I wouldn't have pushed the issue, I just asked. Goodwill is as much a part of good customer service on ebay as it is in "regular" stores.

Maybe I'm reading too much but I think the buyer made a mistake and the seller wants to say something like "too bad you're stuck".

I don't know the statistics but I think ebay is evolving to more of an ecommerce site. Sellers are selling new merchandise. Sellers who think they can find a buyer who is willing to overpay for out of date (obsolete) items isn't the kind of sellers ebay is looking to attract.

Craigslist is better venue for those kinds of sales. Meet the buyer, take the money, give him the item and be done with it.

PAYPAL ALREADY TOLD THE OP not to ship the item. Said they would side with the buyer if the item was shipped and the buyer disputed.

The OP asked

Anyone have any advice ?

It's obvious. Don't ship.

People selling on ebay have to understand ebay (and paypal) set rules. You either abide by their rules (and policies) or find another place to sell. A year or so ago there were numerous sellers complaining when buyers (who didn't purchase insurance) filed a dispute when the merchandise ordered was either lost or damaged in shipping. The terms of their auction can't supersede or change ebays policy.

 

[bumbershoot]

E-Bay and Paypal may seem to favor the buyer. Giving the buyer the benefit of the doubt makes the system work. The system wouldn't work if buyers thought they could easily be taken advantage of.

And that's how it used to be, to a great extent. Although I never worked for paypal or ebay, for some reason back in '99, early 2000s, people would contact amazon about how awful paypal and ebay were, and they wanted us to get involved. (people are weird and think that some companies are magic, I guess) They would tell us ALL about these things. We couldn't do a single thing, but I was the type of CS rep who would listen and at the very least give some empathy. I did a lot of reading on various websites, like one BIG "I hate paypal" website (this is before they were even affiliated like they are now), and they were really evil about buyers back then. Sellers held ALL the power then.

So now it has shifted. If only paypal/ebay could work out a balance.



But ultimately I'm not sure why the OP is so stressed. He hasn't sent the item yet. He can probably ask some friends to check out his page and make SURE that it's really easy for people to understand. I'm not going to check out his auction like the PP did (interesting about how the OP might be violating T&C with something he is doing), but honestly some of the seller pages are insane with multiple fonts and colors and sizes of letters...it's impossible to read. Sure, info might be there, but if you can't read it, it might as well be a blank page. So the OP can go back, make sure their pages are crystal clear, sell it to someone else, and move on.

Surely the OP doesn't want the buyer to *have to* buy the item and then have something they can't use.

 

[tzeitel]

If this is the worst problem you've had with a buyer in 11 years then you are lucky!

I know it is disappointing but just relist or do a second chance offer if you have another bidder. Not sure what you expected PP to do - force the buyer to pay for the item? At least he got in touch with you before you shipped the item. Yes, he should have read the description (that is one of the things that drives me crazy about selling on Ebay) but there is nothing else you can do. Make sure you file for your fees and you won't be out any money.

 

[Swirly girls]

Paypal and ebay have turned very buyer freindly and not seller friendly... its not good... for sellers - you basically have to pray you get good buyers!!!!!

That is so very true! I've had some great buyers, but then I've had some really bad ones. Unfortunately these bad buyers really take the fun away from selling on eBay. Many dishonest people using eBay, and it's not fair to honest sellers that basically can do nothing about it.

 

[Lewisc]

And that's how it used to be, to a great extent. Although I never worked for paypal or ebay, for some reason back in '99, early 2000s, people would contact amazon about how awful paypal and ebay were, and they wanted us to get involved. (people are weird and think that some companies are magic, I guess) They would tell us ALL about these things. We couldn't do a single thing, but I was the type of CS rep who would listen and at the very least give some empathy. I did a lot of reading on various websites, like one BIG "I hate paypal" website (this is before they were even affiliated like they are now), and they were really evil about buyers back then. Sellers held ALL the power then.

So now it has shifted. If only paypal/ebay could work out a balance.



But ultimately I'm not sure why the OP is so stressed. He hasn't sent the item yet. He can probably ask some friends to check out his page and make SURE that it's really easy for people to understand. I'm not going to check out his auction like the PP did (interesting about how the OP might be violating T&C with something he is doing), but honestly some of the seller pages are insane with multiple fonts and colors and sizes of letters...it's impossible to read. Sure, info might be there, but if you can't read it, it might as well be a blank page. So the OP can go back, make sure their pages are crystal clear, sell it to someone else, and move on.

Surely the OP doesn't want the buyer to *have to* buy the item and then have something they can't use.

I was only using shipping issues as an example where some sellers think their polices can supersede Ebays. The OP doesn't seem to be doing that.

The same laptop is being auctioned by other sellers with 4Gig or RAM. Those sellers list the RAM in the item description. The OP omitted that (unfavorable) piece information in the item description but did list in the body of the auction.

The item was purchased during Black Friday, for under $200.

Sorry but I think the OP was hoping to sell the laptop for more then its worth (nothing necessarily wrong with that) but wasn't happy when they buyer discovered his error in time to cancel the transaction (as per paypal).

 

[Sunnywho]

Yup, you are lucky that the buyer contacted you now rather than after you shipped.

I once had a buyer file an item not received claim while I was away on vacation (mediterranean transatlantic disney cruise lol) even though she'd received the item.

In that case, ebay resolved it in her favor...

 

[PurpleDog]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271122308349?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1587.l2649

Thanks for all the comments; I appreciate it.

First of all, let me say that the $296.00 price that my buyer paid is every close to the average price that these laptops have been sold for in the last month. I'm not trying to screw anyone over on the price.

As I mentioned before, my eBay name is Grilphace and I have a 995 perfect feedback rating. I've never had one single neutral or negative feedback, so I think I'm what could be termed an experienced and trusted seller. I make sure that my auctions are listed with 100% accuracy.

When you place a bid on eBay there is some verbiage before you hit "Confirm Bid" that basically says if you bid on this item you are entering into a binding contact with the seller. The seller therefore - by bidding - enters into said contract. How come he is the one that gets to back out of the deal with no negative repercussions at all ??

I think eBay needs to rethink this policy. Perhaps a ban [for 3-6 months] for sellers that pull out of a transaction should be put into place. Perhaps a $25 fee [for items sold that are over $250] should be given to the seller - from the buyer - for the hassle of having to re-list an item. If buyers can get away with no penalty whatsoever, this type of behavior will continue.

 

[PurpleDog]

Yup, you are lucky that the buyer contacted you now rather than after you shipped.

I once had a buyer file an item not received claim while I was away on vacation (mediterranean transatlantic disney cruise lol) even though she'd received the item.

In that case, ebay resolved it in her favor...

That's why I send every item with a delivery confirmation that can easily be looked up and confirmed. I use signature confirmation for items sold over $200.

 

[PurpleDog]

UPDATE:
I just explained my situation to a supervisor at eBay and then received this "confirmation" of what they told me:

From ebay SR# 1-5999993802
Hello grilphace (bucs718@yahoo.com),

This is regarding your concern about a buyer that doesn't want the item but he already paid for it.
As per eBay policy, we suggest that you send the item to your buyer and complete the transaction.
Its on your buyer's option if his going to file a claim or not.

Thanks,

eBay

 

[girli565]

UPDATE:
I just explained my situation to a supervisor at eBay and then received this "confirmation" of what they told me:

From ebay SR# 1-5999993802
Hello grilphace (bucs718@yahoo.com),

This is regarding your concern about a buyer that doesn't want the item but he already paid for it.
As per eBay policy, we suggest that you send the item to your buyer and complete the transaction.
Its on your buyer's option if his going to file a claim or not.

Thanks,

eBay

And if he files a claim after he receives it what happens then? Will ebay decide in your favor?

What is your return policy on the auction? If you allow returns then you might just avoid teh hassle and refund now so you don't have to deal with them shipping the item back to you first. Who knows what they may do to it.

 

[JB2K]

My eBay ID is grilphace, and I have a perfect record on eBay with over 995 positive feedbacks.

I sold a new factory sealed G585 Lenovo laptop on eBay last night. The buyer paid for it promptly. I then received an email today from the buyer who wanted to make sure this laptop had 4GB of ram. I wrote him back and said no, my auction clearly stated that this model had only 2GB of ram. He then wrote back and told me to cancel the transaction and that I was selling “out of date” equipment. He told me NOT to ship the laptop to him; that he would refuse it. He told me he paid PayPal with a Visa card and that he was going to contact Visa and dispute the charge.

I called PayPal – I’m a preferred member. They advised me not to ship the laptop and that the seller would – if he disputed the charge – win the dispute. I’m shocked and amazed this is allowed !

Anyone have any advice ?

One nugget of advice -- in all retail (to include e-commerce sites such as eBay) -- "The Customer is Always Right"...

 

[PurpleDog]

I don't allow returns; especially in an instance like this when I'm selling a item that has a factory seal on it. Once that seal is open - as we all know - the value drops. That's why you see so many items that say "the xxxxxx was opened just to inspect the contents" on eBay. That always make me laugh. I say that with electronics, if you open the box and turn the item on ? Its no longer new.

The way it was explained to me was this: I will ship the item. The buyer
can refuse it and it will be returned to me - keep in mind I have his money.
He can file a claim saying he never received it, but then I will have proof that I shipped it and it was refused. So I'd win that claim.

The buyer can accept the item and then file a "not as described" claim, BUT the item was described with 100% accuracy. So I'd win that claim.

 

[Lewisc]

They buyer asked you to cancel the transaction. Told you he won't accept delivery. Paypal told you they'd side with the buyer. You can issue a refund, relist the laptop and be done with it. You can ship the item. Pay for return shipping. Wait for the dispute. Maybe you win. Probably you lose. One bad feedback won't kill your statistics. What's the point of getting bad feedback and getting stuck with the item?

Good customer service means making some accommodations, even if the customer is wrong. Your laptop is typically sold with 4G of memory. Special promotions was 2G. You didn't list the memory in the description. Why? You listed items like screen size which is a constant with that model. You should have listed it. Make it easy for a buyer to know what he's buying. Yes, the buyer should have read the entire description. The fine print if you will. The point is the computer normally comes with 4G. The buyer made a reasonable mistake. Some people would say "too bad". Others would say something like glad we discovered the "issue" before the item was shipped.

I've been allowed to exchange clothing even though the size I received is what I ordered and the auction was "no returns". I asked the seller and was told no problem. I never would have escalated the issue with ebay.

 

[girli565]

I don't allow returns; especially in an instance like this when I'm selling a item that has a factory seal on it. Once that seal is open - as we all know - the value drops. That's why you see so many items that say "the xxxxxx was opened just to inspect the contents" on eBay. That always make me laugh. I say that with electronics, if you open the box and turn the item on ? Its no longer new.

The way it was explained to me was this: I will ship the item. The buyer
can refuse it and it will be returned to me - keep in mind I have his money.
He can file a claim saying he never received it, but then I will have proof that I shipped it and it was refused. So I'd win that claim.

The buyer can accept the item and then file a "not as described" claim, BUT the item was described with 100% accuracy. So I'd win that claim.

And if it's refused and it's returned to you and he files a claim will you then have to refund the money? I understand eBay policies and I understand where you're coming from about the buyer making a purchase, even confirming it when he placed his bid... but I just don't see how ebay will allow you to keep their money for a product that will in the end be returned to you.

I guess I would just avoid all the hassle of shipping and waiting for him to file claims and just refund and file a cancel claim so you can get your fees refunded.

Have you been in contact with the buyer about what ebay said to do? maybe once he realizes that he messed up he'll just tell you to ship it and he'll resell it himself.

 

[mm1971]

My eBay ID is grilphace, and I have a perfect record on eBay with over 995 positive feedbacks.

I sold a new factory sealed G585 Lenovo laptop on eBay last night. The buyer paid for it promptly. I then received an email today from the buyer who wanted to make sure this laptop had 4GB of ram. I wrote him back and said no, my auction clearly stated that this model had only 2GB of ram. He then wrote back and told me to cancel the transaction and that I was selling “out of date” equipment. He told me NOT to ship the laptop to him; that he would refuse it. He told me he paid PayPal with a Visa card and that he was going to contact Visa and dispute the charge.

I called PayPal – I’m a preferred member. They advised me not to ship the laptop and that the seller would – if he disputed the charge – win the dispute. I’m shocked and amazed this is allowed !

Anyone have any advice ?

This seems to be the way most credit card companies, and I'm sure Paypal, look at it now. If you were the cc company and a customer called, what would you do? They will reverse the charges on the card to keep the customer happy regardless of what really happened. I would not ship and refund the money minus any fees and charges. I would then make sure to put the proper feedback onto the transaction, especially if the buyer adds feedback to the contrary. Relist or offer to secondary bidder.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

UPDATE:
I just explained my situation to a supervisor at eBay and then received this "confirmation" of what they told me:

From ebay SR# 1-5999993802
Hello grilphace (bucs718@yahoo.com),

This is regarding your concern about a buyer that doesn't want the item but he already paid for it.
As per eBay policy, we suggest that you send the item to your buyer and complete the transaction.
Its on your buyer's option if his going to file a claim or not.

Thanks,

eBay

DON"T DO THIS!! I'm a long time Ebay seller too. I know it stinks when buyers don't read, then blame the seller because they bought the wrong thing.


Ebay customer service is notorious for telling you wrong information. The above is what is best for Ebay (they get their fees, that's all they care about). The advice they gave you is not what you should do in this situation. You won't win, and Ebay won't back up what the customer service rep told you when the buyer files a claim.

If you do decide to go ahead and ship, I'm assuming you know that you HAVE to use signature confirmation for items above $250.00. This may provide you some protection for a credit card dispute. OR it may not, depends on the day.

Also, something to consider, it the buyer damages the laptop out of spite or returns an empty box with delivery confirmation, Ebay will refund his money. All they look for on returns is the confirmation that you got something back from the buyer. They don't care what was actually returned.

In this situation, I'd be furious, but glad that the buyer told me before I shipped the item that he didn't want it. It's not worth fighting and risking losing money over it just to prove a point. Refund him, block him from purchasing from you again, then file an unpaid item claim. When he responds close the claim and he'll get a strike on his account. If he does this to a few sellers, he'll lose his account.

 

[Lewisc]

One nugget of advice -- in all retail (to include e-commerce sites such as eBay) -- "The Customer is Always Right"...

DIS a good place for ebay sellers to post. Most posters agree with the seller. You make a great point. You should at least start with the premise the customer is right. Ebay, not the seller, makes the decisions. OP thinks she has leverage because she has the money. That can easily be reversed.

Right now the OP doesn't really have any damages. Ebay should be willing to reverse any fees. The laptop hasn't been shipped. Nothing good will come from shipping the laptop.

The laptop was a BB Black Friday Special. It was sold with less RAM (2G) rather then the 4G which is typically included with this model. The OPs listing "heading" didn't mention how much RAM was included. Almost all the other listings for this laptop mentions the amount of RAM in the item "heading". Yes the amount of memory is listed in the "fine print". Interesting the only real important piece of information about that laptop was omitted. Was that omission a mistake or was the seller being intentionally deceptive? The OP has sold almost 1000 items. I'm sure she noticed the fact that the amount of RAM should be included in the "header". She got caught. Move on.

The OP asked what to do. I don't think any poster agrees with shipping the laptop.

edited to add--The last couple of years BB ordered special laptop configuration for black friday. A year ago the laptop was listed as stereo but it only had one speaker. It was stereo if you used headphones or external speakers. Deleting one, very cheap, speaker from the case is one of the things that was done to meet a price point. The OP waited in the cold to buy the laptop. I thinks she's frustrated the computer isn't worth what she thought it was.