Buyer getting pushy and other red flags

I've got a ebay buyer that I'd rather not deal with. He hasn't violated any ebay rules yet, but I'm getting red flags now.

Item sold on the 13th
He paid the 15th
I have a 3 day handling period, which ends tomorrow (Wednesday)
Today he's messaging me saying that he's gotten no updates and what's the tracking number.
I respond that my plan was to ship today (Tuesday), he paid the 15th handling doesn't include weekends and so on.
He responds that he needed the item yesterday, and when could he expect it.

In between messages I started doing some research..... he's been reported to a "bad buyer" website, and the feedback he's left for people has a number of negatives, which shows that he has a trend of claiming items are unusable or never arrived.

I see ebay allows for canceling sales, but the pull down menu only indicates three reasons. I called ebay, and unfortunately, I think it was a foreign call center. The person completely bypassed my desire to cancel the sale. They just said that if he left a negative due to shipping they'd remove it, because they go by tracking. I didn't try to get into the scenario of sending back a bad/switched item which is what is claimed on the "bad buyer" website...... This item is not audio, but still electronic, so pulling/switching internal parts is a real possibility.

Technically, I don't have to ship until tomorrow. Wondering how to handle this...and not get negative feedback.
I would cancel the sale there is a very good chance he will leave you a negative feedback no matter if you sell to him or not at least by cancelling the sale you still have your product to sell later if you sell to him the odds are good he will ask for a partial refund or request a return then return a different item and still leave you a negative feedback afterwards to boot. All my negative feedbacks have came from unreasonable buyers most are cheapskates who first ask for a price reduction then after they receive their item they then ask for a partial refund and even if you cave in they still leave you a negative feedback.


Regards Snow
 
Sellers are always "negative feedback phobic".
I used to sell constantly (FB of around 1900) and realized that the occasional negative won't affect your ability to attract buyers especially when you can post a response.
Don't be held hostage by these scammers!

I didn't used to be, but apparently ebay keeps track of everything now, and maintains seller ratings, and if yours get too low, they'll prevent you from selling, and before that lower your auctions exposure. People like to point out, that if you're a good seller it won't be problem, but of course that doesn't account for the scamer buyers playing the system. I've been and on and off seller for quite some time, but apparently ebay has made it harder over the last few years.

In the past when someone tried to scam me, my answer was always "no way, no how", but apparently it's not that easy anymore. The "game" that I experienced before was the buyer bidding high, and then claiming something wrong, and wanting a partial refund. Fortunately, I only had that happen twice, but only got one negative out of it..... when I looked at that buyers feedback it told everything. If he was the seller, it was a simple, small mistake, and the buyer should be understanding. If he were the buyer, however....complete outrage!
 
On a positive note, the post office finally delivered an item to another buyer. He's been very patiently waiting since December, when I sent it. We have no idea what they did with it..... today he told me the package looked perfect. I assumed it would be ripped open, taped up, crushed, full of water, dropped in a volcano, and pooped on by goose. It was a print of a baseball game from the late 1800's that he really wanted. I have multiple copies of other prints, but not of that one. If I did I would have sent another.
 
With big-ticket items, I put up a high BIN price and accept offers.
Then I can vet my buyers, and this method seldom fails.

I've started doing that to a degree, after reading some advice here on AK. It's been quite slow since December, Though. Either low ball offers, or no offers, with a few lower dollar sales, and a few higher foreign sales....... sending a driver to Russia soon.
 
I've started doing that to a degree, after reading some advice here on AK. It's been quite slow since December, Though. Either low ball offers, or no offers, with a few lower dollar sales, and a few higher foreign sales....... sending a driver to Russia soon.
You're very right. It does cut activity, and eliminates the possibility of a bidding war in your favor. There's no easy way out IMHO.
 
On a positive note, the post office finally delivered an item to another buyer. He's been very patiently waiting since December, when I sent it. We have no idea what they did with it..... today he told me the package looked perfect. I assumed it would be ripped open, taped up, crushed, full of water, dropped in a volcano, and pooped on by goose. It was a print of a baseball game from the late 1800's that he really wanted. I have multiple copies of other prints, but not of that one. If I did I would have sent another.
I always always pay for USPS tracking. It helps buyer and seller both. Just a layer of security, even if sometimes it's a tad illusory. I've had packages detour to a sorting center in Federal Way (Washington State) and sit there for days. But at least we know where it is.

Anything substantial I try to ship via FedEx.
 
You can't buy it locally?
I've tried taking it a few times, but it gives me heartburn.

I can but 500mg 60 pills cost 18€ in local pharmacy. From UK 1000mg 365 pills cost same price as that 60 pills. I love my country as many people in Croatia.
Sorry for off topic.
 
Well, I did cancel the auction last night. I thought I'd get a nasty message or negative feedback from the buyer today, but I haven't heard a word.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Glad it worked out positively. I only sell a little on eBay but every time I send something out that's over a few bucks, especially electronic equipment, I get nervous that this is going to be the buyer that makes me regret the whole thing.
 
I've sold thousands of items on ebay, and agree, that for high dollar items, a high BIN price with best offer option is the way to go. I've screened out lots of duds this way. Always check the feedback that your potential buyer has left for others. I got my first negative by refusing to sell my truck to this guy who had left many negatives for other buyers. I simply told him that no way, no how was he coming to my house. I canceled the sale and sold it on CL.
 
Well, I did cancel the auction last night. I thought I'd get a nasty message or negative feedback from the buyer today, but I haven't heard a word.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

As stated above, follow your gut or not at your peril.

I sold a jukebox amp last year as not working, for parts of restoration. That seems pretty unequivocal to me. It sells and the next morning I have a message from the buyer. He has under 20 feedback and tells me he hopes it will work after he puts a cord on it otherwise he will leave me bad feedback. I don't even bother trying to explain he bought a parts unit and cancel the auction. I get 7-8 emails from him demanding I ship the amp. I responded that the only thing he's getting is his money back and I am not shipping to him. He finally accepts the cancel and that's it. Unfortunately, as a donkey, I forgot to block him and he bought it again the next time I listed it. Same deal, I canceled it, relisted it, and blocked him this time. He emails me that he will have a friend buy it. I'm in MA, he's on the west coast. I changed it to pick-up only and that was the end of him. Bottom line, there was no way I'd ship it out to him. How many hours do I spend talking to ebay support if he opened a case? That's just not worth it.
 
...tells me he hopes it will work after he puts a cord on it otherwise he will leave me bad feedback...... he bought it again...he will have a friend buy it.

Wow, what a nutcase!

This morning I've had another buyer try to dicker with shipping on me. I've got $10 fixed shipping on a print, and he asks if I can do it cheaper. I explain that shipping costs went up in January, and that I have to buy a tube to ship it, so it cost right around $10 (probably bit more since he's west coast). He then tells me that he'll wait ( I assume to pay) until he hears back on the shipping cost. He then asks if I can ship it flat..... I guess so that I don't have to buy a mailing tube, and he gets the savings, while I try to cut up cardboard and ship it without it getting bent up and folded in half??? I told him shipping is $10 as stated in the auction, and that a tube was the best way to prevent damage. He paid at some point, and said that "the choice was yours then"....which sounds a bit like a veiled threat to me. His feedback received/given seems to be fine, and it's not an expensive auction so I'll ship it, and hope for the best.
 
I've been selling on the bay for 16 yrs.
Just out of curiosity, how do you research the feedback that a potential buyer has left for others?
It's easy to see what feedback was given to them, but how do you look at what they left for someone else?
Sellers can't give buyers negative feedback anymore.

My wife has gone through a buyer's feedback screen, and then look at the feedback that each of their sellers has received to see if there's a match, but I don't have the patience to go through all that.

In many cases a seller doesn't give any feedback to a buyer that leaves negative feedback first since sellers can no longer give negatives to buyers. In those cases there's no 'paper' trail to follow.

Am I missing out on way to see all transactions made by a potential buyer?
 
I've been selling on the bay for 16 yrs.
Just out of curiosity, how do you research the feedback that a potential buyer has left for others?
It's easy to see what feedback was given to them, but how do you look at what they left for someone else?
Sellers can't give buyers negative feedback anymore.

My wife has gone through a buyer's feedback screen, and then look at the feedback that each of their sellers has received to see if there's a match, but I don't have the patience to go through all that.

In many cases a seller doesn't give any feedback to a buyer that leaves negative feedback first since sellers can no longer give negatives to buyers. In those cases there's no 'paper' trail to follow.

Am I missing out on way to see all transactions made by a potential buyer?

Click on their feedback score, that takes you to their overall feedback page. From there you can select "Feedback Left for Others".

This is a crucial step. If you see feedback left full of negs and neutrals, move on from that buyer.
 
Click on their feedback score, that takes you to their overall feedback page. From there you can select "Feedback Left for Others".

This is a crucial step. If you see feedback left full of negs and neutrals, move on from that buyer.

Oh! Thanks, so that's what my wife has been doing. I didn't realize that tab was there. I just rely on her to do the research, I didn't realize it was that easy.

We did have one guy that tried to extort a discount out of us post sale. He didn't leave negative feedback, but my wife said he doesn't leave feedback for anyone. Now that's the slick operator, leaving no feedback, just open return cases and ask for discounts. The only red flag was several seller feedbacks for him stating "glad we could work things out".
 
Oh! Thanks, so that's what my wife has been doing. I didn't realize that tab was there. I just rely on her to do the research, I didn't realize it was that easy.

We did have one guy that tried to extort a discount out of us post sale. He didn't leave negative feedback, but my wife said he doesn't leave feedback for anyone. Now that's the slick operator, leaving no feedback, just open return cases and ask for discounts. The only red flag was several seller feedbacks for him stating "glad we could work things out".

Use the Report Buyer button on the drop down menu where your sold items are listed.
 
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