Advice on how to proceed with an eBay seller (unbelievable)

LPopid on 03/09/2013 - 12:56
Last edited 04/09/2013 - 12:51

UPDATE: hey guys. thanks for all the advice. I ended up contacting him through Ebay again and demanding a refund. Around midnight last night he sent me a message made up mostly of semi-coherent abuse and told me he wouldn't be doing anything for me. However apparently he changed his mind because 5:30am our time I received a paypal notice that I'd been refunded. As people have suggested, however, I'll now be leaving bad feedback and contacting Ebay about him. Thanks again

Original post:
Hey guys. On 4th of August I won an ebay auction for a 3ds XL from a seller in the UK. It went for a fantastic price so I was quite happy, although that was partly because they were trying to sell an NTSC one in the UK. Anyway, I paid immediately with Paypal, and have been waiting ever since for it. I didn't email and nag about when it had been sent or how long it would take or anything, I decided to just be patient for once. By yesterday it still hadn't arrived so I contacted the seller and asked them when it was posted and if they have any idea how long it was expected to take. I just got this reply back!!:

"Simon - The item was not sent as there was a minimum price that I was willing to let it go for and the price was £100 and as it didn't reach that price it wont be sold. And wont be until I get the price I want for it. Shaun"

!!! I'm obviously incredibly pissed off right now and kinda shocked, my first response was to write an angry email straight back demanding a refund and….I don't know, exactly. But then thought I'd see what you guys thought was the best way of handling it. Obviously it is flagrantly against the rules of Ebay to have an auction with no Reserve price, and then simply refuse to sell the item once the auction has ended and someone has won. And obviously it's ILLEGAL to take somebody's money and do the same! Would I be best to ask them for a refund, or just contact ebay and paypal immediately? They had the gall to say in the auction: "Due to time wasters and none payment this item is back for sale, So please don't bid for this item if you can't pay." !!! But now what worries me is, have they been serially doing this, and that's the real reason it was back up for auction?

Any advice hugely appreciated sigh :( thanks guys,

Simon

General Discussion

Comments

  • narbe on 03/09/2013 - 13:13
    +3

    open dispute on paypal asap.
    thats all you can do.

  • ShannonN on 03/09/2013 - 13:18
    +2

    First check if payment was credited to seller as you mention they claim no sale or payment made, perhaps seller refused paypal cash and returned it to paypal?

    • ESEMCE on 03/09/2013 - 13:21

      Good advice

    • Popid on 03/09/2013 - 13:35

      technically he says in the email that it didn't reach the price he wanted, not that he didn't receive any funds from me. The ebay listing clearly shows it completed and that I won, and I just double-checked my paypal balance and it's empty, and checked the specific transaction and it all looks fine, status is completed, has the amount, lists it as to him (his full name apparently, and to his hotmail email addy)..is there anything else I need to check/look for? It's conceivable, I suppose - just - that somehow he over-looked the payment, and since he wanted to squirm out of the auction anyhow, sans any other contact from me he just let it languish. That was part of why I thought about replying to him directly and demanding a refund first, before I begin the Paypal and Ebay disputes (I'll certainly be doing whatever I can to report him regardless though.) I mean how does he expect to get away with it, when he's just admitted to refusing to send me an item I've clearly won and clearly paid for?

  • ESEMCE on 03/09/2013 - 13:20

    Is the communication through eBay?
    If so, request refund of your Paypal transfer within 7 days.
    If no refund eventuates, I'd be using their dispute processes and raising a Paypal dispute.
    Don't bother communicating any further with the seller.

    • Popid on 03/09/2013 - 13:40

      Yep through Ebay. Request refund of the Paypal transfer through Paypal itself? or you mean contact the seller again through Ebay and demand the refund? If the latter, should I give him 7 days? Personally I'd rather demand it back within 24 hours hah…:/ As I just posted above, it's conceivable that he didn't realise the paypal payment came in, in which case hopefully he would just reverse it immediately. I dunno how he expects to get away with taking my money and admittedly not posting me the item/holding it for ransom?? Also, it looks like the first part of the ebay dispute process simply sets up communication between me and the seller anyway and gives him a variety of options including refunding me?

      • ESEMCE on 03/09/2013 - 14:22

        Yeah, contact him again through eBay requesting the refund and give him a few days to do it.. There's no guarantee he can do it in 24 hours. And if he is genuinely unaware that you've sent payment, then it's even more likely that he will struggle to refund in 24 hours.
        If there is still no refund, then start going through official channels and reference your eBay communications with the seller as part of your complaint.

        • Popid on 03/09/2013 - 14:37

          thanks yeah I think I'm gonna do this. If that fails then I'll call Ebay and speak to them and open a dispute with both them and Paypal, and/or whatever else they advise

  • ode1online on 03/09/2013 - 13:29
    +5

    I'd involve ebay , you can call them now, they are very helpful this guy needs an X against his name

    • Popid on 03/09/2013 - 14:36

      thanks I hadn't thought of phoning them

  • tonyjzx on 03/09/2013 - 13:43
    -3

    refund and let it go

  • goosegog on 03/09/2013 - 14:02
    +2

    Contact both ebay & Pay pal. Pay pal is more important as you only have 45 days to lodge a claim. They will investigate & claim your money back on your behalf. As this person has received your funds but not delivered the goods another option would be your credit card company - showing transaction details of funds paid - should they find it to be fraudulent they will reimburse your card. This seller appears to be one of the few who get through the ebay system to rip off potential consumers & therefore you do need to notify them as well to ensure that this seller is blacklisted & never allowed to advertise again. Good Luck

  • wharlie on 03/09/2013 - 14:06
    +3

    You only have 45 days to open a dispute so do it ASAP.
    http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/resolving-problems.html

  • battler on 03/09/2013 - 14:43

    that's how ebay works (or more to the point… thats how ebay allows their auctions to run)
    unfortunately there's nothing you can do.
    take the paypal refund.
    raise a ticket with ebay and the seller will get a strike. BIG DEAL. they are allowed 3 before they are struck off… at which point they restart under a different name

  • CyberMurning on 03/09/2013 - 16:11

    i had the same experience with local seller. that prick listed mobile phone and refuse to sell because sold less than what he expected.
    i reported straight away to ebay (havent paid yet, lucky), and gave negative feedback.

    saw other people got the same treatments too (from the feedback)
    week after, their id got kicked out from ebay.

    end of story.

    • altomic on 03/09/2013 - 16:21
      +1

      exactly.

      open a dispute.

      when you get the money back then Neg the seller.

  • Geewhizz on 04/09/2013 - 06:10
    +2

    Give feedback to warn any other prospective buyers. Keep it factual and to the point. Then report him to Ebay as a non-performing seller, don't simply ask for a refund and be prepared to walk away.

  • freakitude on 05/09/2013 - 02:26

    good to hear you got your money back. Make sure you neg him.

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