So I have a buyer peeved at me right now because I sent him an item he didn't want. Here is the lowdown.

 

On saturday evening he bought the item and then paid. 30 minutes later he sent me a message that he "pushed the wrong button" (oh yeah you pushed the wrong 5 buttons and then waited 30 minutes). Either way, I didn't know he had paid. Normally, if you haven't paid, I can just open a cancel item case.

 

If you have paid, I have to refund the buyer first, then open it. Its stupid considering Ebay owns Paypal. Eitherway, I didn't know they had paid and went to cancel the item and it allowed me to (I just assumed he hadn't paid yet).

 

So, Ebay sent me a cancellation (I have it still in my inbox timestamped). However, when I went to print the label on Sunday night, it was there. I didn't recognize it because I sold 87 things last weekend. It evidently had canceled the item, but not reversed the paypal transaction - which makes no sense.

 

So I printed it out and shipped the item. 

 

Now he is mad saying he asked me to cancel and I did. I am trying to calm him down and tell him he wont pay anything.

 

But Ebay should cover me here right? None of this is my fault. I just shipped what I was supposed to. It shouldn't let me cancel the item if he has already paid unless I refund it. At least in my other experiences with it.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you sent the buyer a cancellation without refunding first (eBay's system reminds both you and the buyer to do the refund first, but won't force either of you into it - you can request the cancellation, he can agree to the cancellation).

 

Did the buyer then agree to the cancellation before he got his refund?

 

If so, I don't believe he can leave negative feedback (or any feedback) if he agreed to the cancellation. If he has not agreed to it, he can leave whatever feedback he likes until and unless he agrees to the cancellation. You can argue with eBay that he shouldn't be able to leave feedback on an item where he requested a cancellation, but with your error in shipping the item, I don't know if you're going to be successful.

 

Meanwhile, you have a package on its way and have to decide who is going to pay for return shipping.

 

It is a dumb system (as any sapient being can figure out, the BUYER should be the one to initiate the cancellation request, the SELLER should be the one to accept it), but it is indeed partly your fault - all businesses need to keep track of what payments we've received and what cancellations have been requested so we don't ship things we don't intend to ship.

 

Live and learn column.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you sent the buyer a cancellation without refunding first (eBay's system reminds both you and the buyer to do the refund first, but won't force either of you into it - you can request the cancellation, he can agree to the cancellation).

 

Did the buyer then agree to the cancellation before he got his refund?

 

If so, I don't believe he can leave negative feedback (or any feedback) if he agreed to the cancellation. If he has not agreed to it, he can leave whatever feedback he likes until and unless he agrees to the cancellation. You can argue with eBay that he shouldn't be able to leave feedback on an item where he requested a cancellation, but with your error in shipping the item, I don't know if you're going to be successful.

 

Meanwhile, you have a package on its way and have to decide who is going to pay for return shipping.

 

It is a dumb system (as any sapient being can figure out, the BUYER should be the one to initiate the cancellation request, the SELLER should be the one to accept it), but it is indeed partly your fault - all businesses need to keep track of what payments we've received and what cancellations have been requested so we don't ship things we don't intend to ship.

 

Live and learn column.

 

Ok, see I have tried to cancel items where they already paid before and couldn't. Honestly, its not worth the effort to check everytime. In 1400 shipped items its happened once and Im out 20 bucks at the most. Thats worth it as it would take forever to check all those transactions - right?

 

Do you use a different way than Ebay's "Awaiting shipment area"? I am getting enough orders that I can't really keep up with who has paid but wants to cancel, etc.

 

Or maybe you just immediately check when someone wants to cancel an item whether they have paid? 

 

Problem was, the guy posed the question to me like he hadn't paid - I only found out later he did, or honestly I would have checked. Item is canceled so I don't think he can leave feedback either - I can't.

I have immediate payment required on all items and I almost never run auctions - what that means in practical terms is that the order and payment notices (one from eBay, one from PayPal) hit my inbox within seconds of each other. I match them up and archive both at the same time in my gmail archive.

 

Then, if a buyer has after the sale requests (wants to delay shipment, wants it shipped to another address, wants to cancel), I will also receive a notice in my inbox from eBay for THAT event.

 

I keep those emails (anywhere from 0 to 3 per day, typically) in my otherwise empty inbox and before I ship each day I double check to remind myself what the special requests were.

 

With a cancellation request, I'd refund the buyer (because he had to pay me when he ordered it, there's no delay) and PayPal sends me a refund note. I also keep that in my otherwise empty mailbox, send the cancellation request, and keep the refund note and the buyer's note requesting cancellation in my inbox until he agrees to the cancellation.

 

If they don't agree to the cancellation (almost never happens), in four days I can close the request in my own favor. If they reject the cancellation (almost never happens), I call eBay, have them review eBay messages, and they refund my FvF fees.

 

The otherwise-empty mailbox is the key to my luminous beauty and my excellent eBay organization - if there's something in my inbox, it's important, and I make sure I know what it is before I make any sudden moves. 

Ignore this post. I re-read your post and refund never happened, which invalidated my comment

I have immediate payment required on all items and I almost never run auctions - what that means in practical terms is that the order and payment notices (one from eBay, one from PayPal) hit my inbox within seconds of each other. I match them up and archive both at the same time in my gmail archive.

 

Then, if a buyer has after the sale requests (wants to delay shipment, wants it shipped to another address, wants to cancel), I will also receive a notice in my inbox from eBay for THAT event.

 

I keep those emails (anywhere from 0 to 3 per day, typically) in my otherwise empty inbox and before I ship each day I double check to remind myself what the special requests were.

 

With a cancellation request, I'd refund the buyer (because he had to pay me when he ordered it, there's no delay) and PayPal sends me a refund note. I also keep that in my otherwise empty mailbox, send the cancellation request, and keep the refund note and the buyer's note requesting cancellation in my inbox until he agrees to the cancellation.

 

If they don't agree to the cancellation (almost never happens), in four days I can close the request in my own favor. If they reject the cancellation (almost never happens), I call eBay, have them review eBay messages, and they refund my FvF fees.

 

The otherwise-empty mailbox is the key to my luminous beauty and my excellent eBay organization - if there's something in my inbox, it's important, and I make sure I know what it is before I make any sudden moves. 

 

Ah - and I would love to do that. Unfortunately my whole store is built around Best Offer. So I can't do that. I agree that would be tremendously easier. 

 

But i would not sell items like I do now.

In that event (and what I do when I do run auctions), is keep the "sold" email in my inbox until I get the PayPal payment, then match them up and archive them. A stray "paid" notice from PayPal would be weird in my inbox and worth research and would (in theory) have made me catch the cancelling-buyers activities.

 

There's nothing at all wrong with Best Offer - I know lots of folks who use it - but don't assume it's necessary. I have best offer on almost nothing (in fact at the moment it might be nothing) and stuff chugs along out the door just fine - Lego is much faster moving than my beloved (but heavy) books, it's not necessarily necessary to entice anyone with best offer, it pretty much sells itself.

I think DNIIM just loves to haggle, which is partially why he likes best offer so much ;)

I'm probably missing out on a few offers here and there, but I'd say I list my stuff 97% of the time with Best Offer turned off.  Most of the stuff I list is at a future desired price, so if it sells, great.  If it doesn't immediately sell, no biggie.  Most of the time it sells eventually anyway.

 

I still get messaged with offers from time-to-time, but they are low ball offers most of the time.

In that event (and what I do when I do run auctions), is keep the "sold" email in my inbox until I get the PayPal payment, then match them up and archive them. A stray "paid" notice from PayPal would be weird in my inbox and worth research and would (in theory) have made me catch the cancelling-buyers activities.

 

There's nothing at all wrong with Best Offer - I know lots of folks who use it - but don't assume it's necessary. I have best offer on almost nothing (in fact at the moment it might be nothing) and stuff chugs along out the door just fine - Lego is much faster moving than my beloved (but heavy) books, it's not necessarily necessary to entice anyone with best offer, it pretty much sells itself.

 

 

I think DNIIM just loves to haggle, which is partially why he likes best offer so much

 

Nope not particularly. Best offer sells way better in my experience. Not the number of buyers - number of items they buy. 

 

Basically, I list stuff a little high and point people to other auctions. I routinely have people come through and put in offers of 1$ off 10 items, or something of that nature.

 

I also send out emails saying the equivalent, that they get money off by putting in best offer on other items. I don't think the first item sells any faster, but the second one does easily. And the third and the fourth.

 

I have a few repeat buyers who every couple weeks buy 7-8 minifigs and I give them 2$ off. I save about the same amount in shipping so I basically sold them at the right price, only 1 thing to package.

 

I haven't calculated it in a while, but my rate of people buying more than one item for a while was stupid - like 37% or something.

 

Obviously I would rather people just BIN - and when they do I make a nice markup. lol.

Nope not particularly. Best offer sells way better in my experience. Not the number of buyers - number of items they buy. 

 

Basically, I list stuff a little high and point people to other auctions. I routinely have people come through and put in offers of 1$ off 10 items, or something of that nature.

 

I also send out emails saying the equivalent, that they get money off by putting in best offer on other items. I don't think the first item sells any faster, but the second one does easily. And the third and the fourth.

 

I have a few repeat buyers who every couple weeks buy 7-8 minifigs and I give them 2$ off. I save about the same amount in shipping so I basically sold them at the right price, only 1 thing to package.

 

I haven't calculated it in a while, but my rate of people buying more than one item for a while was stupid - like 37% or something.

 

Obviously I would rather people just BIN - and when they do I make a nice markup. lol.

 

I am far less experienced, but one thing I found that works amazing with the best offer is that if I have a person offer on two (or more) items, I try and accept one that I can live with and counter the other with a higher offer.

I profit either way but maximize profit because they are more likely to accept the second offer and I save the difference on shipping and fees