Postby spotify95 » August 23rd, 2018, 8:03 pm
This one gets rather interesting. It's a scenario that you never want to have to encounter as an eBay seller, but unfortunately, it has happened to me over the last few days or so.
The special buyer in question is...
spodenkiadidas1212
This transaction was doomed from the start. It was for a job lot of 8x legacy style PC mice. Most of them were the old ball style mice (rather than today's laser/wireless mice), and they were all using either the PS/2 connector or the Serial interface connector. (This was what PC mice used before USB became popular.) As such, these mice were being listed as for parts or not working only, since (a) most of the balls were missing and (b) I don't have any PCs that still use legacy PS/2 or Serial connectors.
So imagine my reaction to a message stating "whether these mice are functional and whether the auction price for all the mice from the photo".
The answer:
(a) Yes, everything that is photographed or listed in the description will be included unless stated otherwise.
(b) If it states "for parts or not working" in the condition description, and "completely untested" in the main listing (due to the above reasoning regarding legacy PC ports) then why would you ask if they are functional or working!
It gets worse...
Next question: "are these mice smooth?".
How am I supposed to know this when (a) most of the balls are missing, as stated in the description, and (b) I don't intend on using them anyway! Especially when they are stored in a different location to where I keep most of my other eBay items!
I won't list every single communication between myself and this buyer, but the general gist was that the buyer in question won the item, asked if they could pay up to 10 days later, and then requested to pay 5-7 days after the auction instead. This is pushing my patience, as it is unreasonable to wait 10 days before receiving payment. It is standard policy to open an unpaid item case if payment is not received within 2-4 days, NOT 10 days, or 5 to 7 days.
This also creates another problem: dispatching the item would require access, and therefore a commute, up to its storage location. Since I am already traveling up to a close by location, and therefore am able to access this storage location tomorrow (8/24/18), payment within 48 hours of the auction ending (Tues 8/21) would mean a Friday (8/24) dispatch. Waiting for 5-10 days for payment would require an additional out of the way commute, at my expense, thus resulting in a loss for the entire transaction.
They eventually paid today, Thursday 8/23/18, but just a few minutes after I receive payment, I get another message:
"resigning from the purchase request for a refund of the entire amount paid, please do not send me sorry for the situation and once again I ask for a refund of 7.10 GBP"
So after all this hassle, you want me to cancel the transaction and give you a full refund. Thank goodness I hadn't sent the item out, as I would have done so, had the item been at my usual location.
Anyway, haven't I covered this sort of thing before? Bidding on an item on eBay creates a legally binding contract - therefore if you want to bid on an item, you can only do so if: (a) you actually want to buy the item in the first place, not to mess up other buyers/the seller; (b) you have the funding available to do so, in a reasonable time frame; and (c) you meet the seller's requirements for purchasing on eBay (namely regarding unpaid item disputes and the Blocked Bidders List).
When this buyer made their bid, and therefore won the item, they did not meet requirement (b). They also potentially failed to meet requirement (a) as well, knowing that in the end, they would not want to continue with the transaction. And now, they certainly don't meet requirement (c).
Please remember that buying on eBay, or making a bid on an item, is a legally binding contract, and that once you have decided you want the item, you must go ahead with the transaction. Otherwise, it can make things very difficult for the seller, regarding the reimbursement of fees, and relisting at a suitable time. It can (and in this instance, will) disappoint other potential buyers who were outbid, as there were multiple bids on this item and a "2nd Chance Offer" may not work if the under-bidders are no longer interested.
spodenkiadidas1212, I hope you have caused enough trouble to me as an eBay seller. You are not to cause me any more trouble in the future - as you are now BANNED from purchasing from me again! Be gone, stay gone, and don't mess any more sellers around. Don't bid if you don't want the item!