I KNEW I shouldn't have said it.... (eBay deal gone bad)

Message

#1 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:09 am

Earlier in a thread in the T4x conference, I wrote:edit: Cheap places to get a 1GB DDR module would be either here in the Marketplace or on eBay, where hopefully I won't get shafted by this deal (supposed to be a 1GB PC2700).

Well, Murphy's Law strikes again... Just checked my email and was greeted with this:

eBay seller wrote:HI, this is my first sale ever an it did or I did not list it correctly not sure at this point. Bottom line the sale did not meet my base price. payment will be returned promptly. sorry for any inconveniences. thanks JESS

$36.01 (shipped) for a 1GB PC2700 SODIMM was a very good deal. Too good I guess for the novice seller to accept. I've just submitted a "seller non-performance" message to eBay.

#2 Post by **KristianJ** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:11 am

And she expects to sell another one for $99??

#3 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:13 am

No, I think you got that wrong... that's my module!

.

$99???? Geez... the auction that I "won" started at $0.99. You think that he/she missed the decimal by TWO places??

Oh well, eBay has my SNP complaint on file. Certainly the message I got last night from the seller was quite explicit as to why the auction was canceled and my payment refunded. There were a couple of other ways to handle it but this one is really wrong.

In the past I've been given the following reasons why I didn't/couldn't/wouldn't get my item:

- lost in the mail (asked for proof of mailing but never got anything; been watching the seller and he just put up similar modules after a couple of months but of course I can't be sure, nor prove, that there the same ones)
- error in the number of modules available for a Buy-it-Now (said two, but seller blamed a change in the eBay template - he only had 'one')
- delay in shipping for several weeks, then payment refunded without any explanation
- delay in shipping; I suspected shill bidding, then the seller went NARU

In almost all of these cases I got my money back; that last one I'm still out $25. eBay continually says that the buyer and seller enter into a binding contract but there's no teeth behind it. eBay can't force the seller to ship the goods, nor can it force a buyer to pay. I've just typed up this negative feedback and will sleep on it before I decide to submit it or not:

Refused to sell! Said it didn't "meet my base price"; was NR!. Re-listed @ $99!

I don't play the NFB blackmail game so I haven't contacted the seller about any of this. The only thing I've done is ask eBay for the contact information. He/she already has my mailing address from the PayPal payment; the least I can do is get their phone number.

dsigma6 · #4 Post by **dsigma6** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:58 am

Did you see 100% feedback and that was enough for you? Ray, I don't know what to say!

The fact that the seller had been inactive for over a year would've scared me away...plus 0 selling feedback.

Have I taught you nothing about how eBay works? You should read my book.

#5 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:35 am

Oh, no, these are the sellers that I look for

.

The completely descriptive description for the auction title, "laptop memory", said it all that the seller was a newbie. I DID see that there were no previous sales but people have to start out somewhere don't they? Being a new seller I expected that they would go through with the deal and not risk any repercussions, but in the back of my mind, I saw this coming (hence, my remark earlier in the other thread about not getting shafted).

Phazer · #6 Post by **Phazer** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:48 am

I wouldn't have done anything different than you. I'm more of a purchaser than seller also. I too like that kinf of seller/buyer, I've never had a problem in the past. (Knock on wood).

#7 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:16 am

Phazer wrote:<snip>... I've never had a problem in the past. (Knock on wood).

Ah, you shouldn't have said that!

Been thinking over my feedback. Think this is the best way to put it:

Seller refunded my $31 win;said:"didn't meet base price";was NR! Re-listed@$99!!

All of the details about the transaction in 80 characters

. Waiting for eBay to get back to me about my SNP report before I file the feedback.

#8 Post by **underclocker** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:01 am

Like "base price" is some officially recognized auction feature or term! Pathetic.

dsigma6 · #9 Post by **dsigma6** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:04 am

Haha, Ray! You know I'm only busting your chops.

You know more about eBay than I do about myself.

#10 Post by **rkawakami** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:02 pm

Update: After calling eBay and getting the expected "we can't comment on any actions being taken for privacy issues" and watching the seller's $99 re-listing expire with no bids, I decided to slightly alter my negative feedback and I left this today:

"Refunded $31 win;said: "didn't meet base price";??? 1wk NR! Relist@$99 SNP filed"

I had sent this message to the seller several days ago and have not yet received any response:

I understand that mistakes can happen, however:

1) Your auction did NOT have a reserve price
2) You had SEVEN days to discover this "error"
3) A win is supposed to be a binding contract
4) You chose to disregard that and go against eBay rules

Just FYI, I have already filed a seller non-performance (SNP) report concerning this transaction. I'm waiting for eBay to contact me about this. I would expect that they will also be contacting you. To say the least, I'm greatly disappointed that you took this action.

The first negative I've been able to leave

. With the new rules in place, I guess that the negative will stay in the calculation of the seller's feedback percentage for the next year, while he/she can still leave a negative for me.

ref: http://pages.ebay.com/services/forum/new.html

ArtShapiro · #11 Post by **ArtShapiro** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:12 pm

I think you deserve special commendation for managing to pack an amazing amount of factual info into the 80 character limit!

Why am I reminded of the old Monty Python sketch where contestants in a contest are given something like fifteen seconds to summarize the works of Proust?

Art

sz · #12 Post by sz » Sat Mar 15, 2008 1:14 am

rkawakami - ah, that stinks!

As if she's going to get $99 for 1GB of PC2700 when it runs ~ $50 at newegg? I can never figure out the people trying to sell used stuff for prices over retail. I guess they're no less hard to understand than the buyers who go for it! With any luck your SNP will actually have an effect, otherwise the seller will just try this again.

I can only commiserate with your eBay woes as I just spent over an hour and a half in an incoherent Text Chat Customer support session with eBay getting my account access restored.

Apparently my emails asking several sellers for the product and serial numbers of the laptops they were selling triggered eBay's auto-fraud-detection software.

All I wanted to do was figure out which 14.1" panel the T60s I was looking at had. But now all the sellers in question have been emailed and told that I'm sending them spam.

It's going to be real fun getting one of those T60s now.

sz

Website · #13 Post by **tfflivemb2** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:10 am

She is probably trying to sell it for what she paid for it 2 years ago...

Sorry to hear about this Ray. Atleast you got your money back...