Ebay Loophole Allows Buyers to Not Pay

mtcards · July 11, 2015 1:52PM

So, I had an item sell by BIN. Buyer pays for item Immediately (approx midnight), but by morning, it shows payment has been refunded. I call Paypal, they tell me that the buyer called and asked payment to be refunded, but they cant tell me anything more than that at all and that I should contact buyer, which I do. Buyer says he doesnt know whats going on...at this point I believe him, says he will find out and get back to me.

Flash forward 8 days....havent heard from buyer again, still hasnt paid anything.

I notice that the FVF is still being charged, I go to open an unpaid item case to start the process of either getting the buyer to pay or to get it where ebay will cancel the transaction, relist the item and I get my FVF back.

Guess what? I CANT OPEN AN UNPAID ITEM CASE SINCE HE PAID!!!! Even though he didnt pay with intent to buy, since he paid and asked for it to be reversed, I cant open a case and he wont get an unpaid item strike!!!

I call ebay to find out what to do next. Talk to Operator #1, she says that she can credit me the FVF, BUT the buyer will not get an unpaid item strike AND they cannot relist the item for me and I have to either use a store listing or pay for it to be relisted. Now, this isnt a high dollar item, we are talking a little under $2 FVF, but its the point. What if this was a $2000 item? It just p----s me off that a buyer can not pay, I have to wait 8-10 days to get a FVF credit and I am out a paid for listing. Operator #1 then tells me she cant authorize the FVF credit, that I have to be transferred to Operator #2 to do that.

Operator #2 answers and says "Hi, thanks for calling ebay, this is Rajnoor, how may I help you?" WTF??!???!?!? I have to go through the whole ordeal again. Now, I am on a quest. It isnt the money anymore, honestly at this point, I am not even concerned about the money. Finally, after explaining the problem, expressing my displeasure about the whole thing, I am rewarded with my $1.45 FVF credit AND he relists the item for me at no cost.

Bottom line is beware that your buyers can pay, then ask for a paypal refund and you are holding your ---- in your hand and theres not a thing you can do.

EagleEyeKid · July 11, 2015 2:16PM

Freaking ridiculous.

MrNearMint · July 11, 2015 3:16PM

I'm pretty sure "rajnoor" is not spelled like that, but whatever.

steel75 · July 11, 2015 3:20PM

Sounds like Paypal is the shady one here. Why would they go around the Ebay process and issue a refund when there are procedures to follow on a completed auction if you want a refund? How do they know you had not shipped the card out already? You could have easily saw the payment arrive at midnight, grabbed the package in the morning and mailed it out on the way home from work or something.

bxb · July 11, 2015 6:55PM

My eBay and paypal transaction volume is about one fifth of what it was ten years ago.

No mystery why.

jay0791 · July 11, 2015 8:50PM

Most likely buyer entered a wrong ebay item # for a snipe (could be off only 1 #)
and he didn't notice that the wrong auction has been selected.
When he checked his email it said congrats auction won......simple mistake.
Now he needs to get auction reversed and may not know procedures.

DoctorK · July 11, 2015 10:39PM

The upside to this is that you did not have to go through the motions of packing and mailing only to have the item returned. I recall something in the most recent user agreement that allows the buyer to back out of a deal within a certain time frame (1 hour???) as long as the item has not shipped.

Raulsmaster · July 11, 2015 10:43PM

<< The upside to this is that you did not have to go through the motions of packing and mailing only to have the item returned. I recall something in the most recent user agreement that allows the buyer to back out of a deal within a certain time frame (1 hour???) as long as the item has not shipped. >>

I'd be really curious if this were true because that would open a door for some serious antics to say the least

DoctorK · July 11, 2015 10:46PM

I found it and the buyer has 1 hour whether they have paid or not:

Canceling a Transaction Ebay

thesouthdoesitagain · July 11, 2015 11:42PM

<< I found it and the buyer has 1 hour whether they have paid or not:

Canceling a Transaction Ebay >>

I never heard of all this bologna!!! I heard of loopholes, but man this is ridiculous.
I hear of other stories on Ebay, makes me wonder why i still use it???

I just read the other part as well (in case the link doesnt work):

Receive a final value fee credit

The cancellation must be complete in order for you to receive a final value fee credit. To receive a final value fee credit, the cancellation request is complete when:
The buyer's PayPal account is refunded in full, if the buyer paid with PayPal.
The buyer confirms they received their refund, if they paid with a method other than PayPal.
When the cancellation is complete, we credit the final value fee to your account 7 to 10 days after the cancellation request is complete. Learn more about requesting a final value fee credit.
If you'd like your credit refunded to you, you can request a refund of your eBay credit balance.
Timelines

If you haven't shipped the item, you can cancel the transaction up to 30 days after the buyer has paid for the item.
A buyer can ask to cancel a transaction within 1 hour of purchasing the item, even if they already paid for it.
If a buyer requests to cancel the transaction, you have 3 business days to approve or decline the request.
If the buyer paid with a method other than PayPal, you have 10 business days to refund their original payment method once you cancel the transaction or you've approved a buyer's cancellation request.
Things to keep in mind

If you cancel a transaction, the buyer may be disappointed or feel that you didn't honor your side of the bargain. Keep in mind that:
If you cancel a transaction, it may be considered a defect and count against your seller performance. Learn more about seller performance standards.
If you cancel a transaction, the buyer can still leave you negative or neutral Feedback about the transaction.
When you list an item, you enter a legally binding contract to complete the transaction if the item is sold. If you cancel the transaction, there could be other negative ramifications. See the eBay User Agreement.
Once the cancellation is complete, you can't ask us to step in and help with the transaction, and you can't reopen the cancellation request.

Smittys · July 11, 2015 11:52PM

<< Freaking ridiculous. >>

mtcards · July 12, 2015 12:17AM

<< Most likely buyer entered a wrong ebay item # for a snipe (could be off only 1 #)
and he didn't notice that the wrong auction has been selected.
When he checked his email it said congrats auction won......simple mistake.
Now he needs to get auction reversed and may not know procedures. >>

This is a likely possibility, but the loophole is setup to allow unscrupulous people the ability. Edited to add: This was a BIN, so snipe was not an issue. I think it was a matter of buying it, then either deciding to not buy it since I require immediate payment on BIN or he found one a quarter cheaper. Either way, this should never happen.

I did ask paypal, what would have happened if I had already shipped the item, they said I would be covered under "seller" protection. Would have been interesting
how that scenario would have played out.

And yes, Rajnoor, is spelled that way, but whatever

charrigan · July 12, 2015 12:20AM

Kids these days.

DoctorK · July 12, 2015 12:27AM

The headache comes down the road if and when buyers like this file a SNAD claim. While your current situation sucks, it could be much worse if you have to cover outgoing/return shipping charges. I do not agree with the current policy but until the buyer receives the item and is happy with the item, they can get their money back.

miwlvrn · July 12, 2015 12:15PM

<< Most likely buyer entered a wrong ebay item # for a snipe (could be off only 1 #)
and he didn't notice that the wrong auction has been selected.
When he checked his email it said congrats auction won......simple mistake.
Now he needs to get auction reversed and may not know procedures. >>

Serious question: Doesn't everyone enter snipes by double clicking the item number on the listing, copy, then paste in on your preferred snipe site? I would not have expected anyone actually typed the item number in digit by digit, so as to make sure an error like you suggest would not happen, not to mention just being a whole lot faster in addition to the accuracy.

dytch2220 · July 12, 2015 12:35PM

This is not a dig on the original poster, but it just struck me as humorous that the title of this thread reminds me of advertisement links all over interweb that say "1 Weird Trick", etc...

skrezyna23 · July 12, 2015 12:44PM

<< Serious question: Doesn't everyone enter snipes by double clicking the item number on the listing, copy, then paste in on your preferred snipe site? >>

I copy and paste the entire eBay URL into the field on gavelsnipe.. not the just the item number.

dytch2220 · July 12, 2015 4:24PM

<< 

<< Serious question: Doesn't everyone enter snipes by double clicking the item number on the listing, copy, then paste in on your preferred snipe site? >>

I copy and paste the entire eBay URL into the field on gavelsnipe.. not the just the item number. >>

I use gavelsnipe too. Used to paste the URL but recently noticed you can just paste the item number and have been doing that for a few months.

LBInjSurfer · July 17, 2015 11:33PM

Seems like there are a few buyers who don't want to pay.

Over a month ago I sold a card on eBay and the buyer never paid. I didn't notice it at first, but after a week went by I sent him an invoice. Another week, nothing, so I'm thinking maybe something happened to this person. So I checked out his feedback and up to that day, he was receiving positive feedback for paying quickly, etc. I sent him a message and politely explained that I understand life gets hectic and that maybe he overlooked this auction, etc. Nothing. Another week goes by and I sent him another message just asking if he was still interested in the card, if not I was going to re-list or offer to the 2nd highest bidder. No response. I tried to open an unpaid item case, but according to my settings, I had to wait 30+ days to do so. On July 15th, I called eBay and explained the situation. They said they would refund my fees and contact the buyer via an unpaid item claim. Less than an hour later, I get an email from paypal saying the buyer paid. I've never left negative feedback on eBay, but I think this one deserves the truth.

PMKAY · July 18, 2015 1:38AM

<< Seems like there are a few buyers who don't want to pay.

Over a month ago I sold a card on eBay and the buyer never paid. I didn't notice it at first, but after a week went by I sent him an invoice. Another week, nothing, so I'm thinking maybe something happened to this person. So I checked out his feedback and up to that day, he was receiving positive feedback for paying quickly, etc. I sent him a message and politely explained that I understand life gets hectic and that maybe he overlooked this auction, etc. Nothing. Another week goes by and I sent him another message just asking if he was still interested in the card, if not I was going to re-list or offer to the 2nd highest bidder. No response. I tried to open an unpaid item case, but according to my settings, I had to wait 30+ days to do so. On July 15th, I called eBay and explained the situation. They said they would refund my fees and contact the buyer via an unpaid item claim. Less than an hour later, I get an email from paypal saying the buyer paid. I've never left negative feedback on eBay, but I think this one deserves the truth. >>

Sellers can't leave negative feedback for buyers.

bishop · July 18, 2015 1:57AM

Bet it was satisfying thinking that he could

jackstraw · July 18, 2015 2:06AM

Just curious on what the card was?

Ebay Loophole Allows Buyers to Not Pay

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