eBay etiquette

[Polaris]

Hi guys, I know this isn't really Other collectible related but I was purchasing and won a Designer Villains Cruella De Vil from eBay so it is somewhat related.

I just wanted to ask what to do in this circumstance and I figured the best place to get other Disney fans opinions would be on here.

I won the item for about $35 plus shipping of around $15 so it worked out to be relatively similar to the item on sale at the Disney Store (if you include tax etc) but I got an email from the seller after I won the item saying when they went to get the doll the plastics casing had a crack in it hence cancelled the sale. Instead of accepting the cancellation I asked them to send me a photo of the item in its current position so that I could determine if I would still want it or not as technically speaking I did win the item hence they were obliged to continue with it as it is a contract (as per eBay t&cs).

They eventually got back to me saying that they threw the case out due to kids and it being a hazard which is fair enough and they said they could sell it without the case. So I asked for photos again and to date haven't heard back from them. It's been about 24 hours since I asked them for the pics so I sent them another email this morning to follow it up (so in the US that would be around the afternoon).

I don't want to assume things but I have a feeling that due to how cheap I got the doll the seller wanted to back out of the sale. Now I am not sure how it works on eBay as I am usually infrequent on there (and have only been using it a bit in the past to complete my collection) but I am pretty sure buyers are unable to back out sales after they have won and there are strict rules to protect the seller but how is eBay protecting the buyer in this sort of case? The person may be telling the truth but due to their lack of response and photos it makes me believe that they are not telling the truth. To be honest I would have understood if they said to me sorry but is it ok if I cancel the sale because it will put me out of pocket rather than lying.

So is there anything to help the buyer out in this circumstance? As eBay does go on about how it is a contract between parties etc etc but what is stopping sellers from making up stories and backing out from sales?

Note I haven't paid for the item so I don't have to worry about a refund but I just thought it was quite rude and unfair for a seller to do that. I have never left a negative review even for those that might have stuffed up my purchases in the past because in those instances either the seller was genuinely sorry (or sounded it at least) so I still have them a positive review and highlighted the positive things they did, or I just blocked the seller so that I never buy from them again.

In your opinion based on all this info what would you guys do? As I try to avoid leaving negative feedback as I do believe in karma and I never can really tell what is going on with a person. But I honestly would have preferred it if the seller just told me the truth rather than lie about it. Also is there any protection to buyers to prevent this sort of thing from happening? Or is it a case of you never had it so you never lost it in the first place? Because that is a little harsh...

 

[ElysionsPrincess]

I would send them a message saying that you believe you should still have the chance to own the doll, seeing as you won the auction. Include some of eBays rules about the matter, I'm not too familiar with them myself, but I know there are some. Then, say something along the lines of "I don't want to leave negative feedback, so I would really like to resolve this matter". A lot of sellers don't understand the gravity of their actions until after someone threatens them with their reputation. I know it sounds harsh but a little rustling of their nerves may get them to buckle down and follow through with their commitment. It isn't fair to you to be cheated out of a doll!

I have had to deal with a lot of whacky sellers...and buyers. I have had over $12,000 of transactions on the internet over the years. It always works out in the end when you are cordial and considerate, like you are already being! You've got this!

If all else fails, you can still purchase her brand new from the Disney Store, right? You won't be disappointed, she is absolutely stunning! I hope this works out for you!

 

[alex555]

I experienced a similar problem a year ago. I won in an auction, a Japanese Pokemon figure, for a very cheap price. Inmeadiately I received a message from the seller saying that he lost the item and no longer had it in his hands, so we had to cancel the transaction. I reply telling him that it was way to obvious that he simply didn't want to loose a rare item for such low money. The worst of all is that he accepted that everything he told me was a lie and that my suppositions were true, and ended his last message by saying that whatever I do, I wasn't getting the item, and since I didn't pay for it, there were no money issues in between and thought he could sneak out of it with no repercussions on his side.

I really didn't want to waste my time on long Ebay message processes, so I simply left him a negative feedback, and ruined his pure perfect + feedback history. I really don't know if anything could have been done about it, it's not like Ebay was going to look for the item in his house, so in advanced I knew I wasn't getting the item anyway.

But from the looks of your problem, I can easily say this seller is doing the same thing to you. The seller most likely bought this doll on its release expecting to make so budget out of it in the future, and you got it for half its price. No wonder why he/she is inventing the broken case history to not lose money. Hopefully Ebay can help you, as this really sucks! :/

 

[Polaris]

Thanks for the advice guys, I will send the seller another message. I was actually getting it as a present and made my max bid a little less so that it would still work it cheaper than what was on market. I never thought I would get it so I would not have been as upset if the seller just told me the truth.

But you are right ElysionsPrincess i can just buy it directly from the disney store.

i was just more curious as to what people do in this matter and if there was anything to stop sellers from doing this to buyers. As I have generally had great experiences from many sellers on eBay. Many of whom I would recommend or buy from again. But like I said I do try to avoid leaving negative feedback but I am at two schools of thought because if I don't they may do it to someone else but if I do it will seem petty. I just want to do what is right by both the seller and myself the buyer.

 

[Orlandoismycat]

Well i contacted ebay about this and you could appeal in the resolution center but you would most likely not get your doll. All that could happen is that if seller gets too much negative feedback ebay will ban them. Will be interesting to see if the item is re-listed later though. They did say that the auction is a binding contract but they ask buyers to "understand that sellers may have situational problems!" what ever that means. In a nutshell you can report them but there is not much ebay can or will do to help.

 

[Polaris]

Well i contacted ebay about this and you could appeal in the resolution center but you would most likely not get your doll. All that could happen is that if seller gets too much negative feedback ebay will ban them. Will be interesting to see if the item is re-listed later though. They did say that the auction is a binding contract but they ask buyers to "understand that sellers may have situational problems!" what ever that means. In a nutshell you can report them but there is not much ebay can or will do to help.

Wow thank you Orlandoismycat! That was really nice of you to contact eBay. I appreciate your help and will definitely take that into consideration. It's ok if I can't get the doll as I can understand why the seller would have done what they did, and I can always just buy it directly from Disney. Thanks again for all your help and advice guys!

 

[Shivatopia]

Thanks for the advice guys, I will send the seller another message. I was actually getting it as a present and made my max bid a little less so that it would still work it cheaper than what was on market. I never thought I would get it so I would not have been as upset if the seller just told me the truth.

But you are right ElysionsPrincess i can just buy it directly from the disney store.

i was just more curious as to what people do in this matter and if there was anything to stop sellers from doing this to buyers. As I have generally had great experiences from many sellers on eBay. Many of whom I would recommend or buy from again. But like I said I do try to avoid leaving negative feedback but I am at two schools of thought because if I don't they may do it to someone else but if I do it will seem petty. I just want to do what is right by both the seller and myself the buyer.

Sadly, it always varies for seller to seller. Many are great and do things as they ought to do, but then there are those that are a bit on the shady side, or at least inexperienced (and that's being generous). I am afraid that if they insist on cancelling the transaction, I would recommend to leave negative feedback for the main reason that you mentioned: you want other buyers to be aware of what this seller may do again. I would not see it as being petty, because they were dishonest about the situation and seemingly evasive. Also, that is the reason why the feedback system exists.

I totally understand that you do not want to cause waves, but based on what happened, there are just a few things that seem a bit "off":
1) The fact that they wanted to cancel the sale from the get-go.
2) Even if there was a crack in the case and there are kids in the household, if there is a slip cover or any sort of box to keep the doll in, what's the big deal? Just keep it away from the kids.
3) They don't seem to be able to come up with any pictures of the supposed damages.

I dodged a shady situation recently with the DSF Rapunzel/Flynn Valentine pin. I bought a pre-order, which was fine. We all knew that this particular release would be difficult. The day DSF handed out the wristbands, the seller messaged me saying that they were able to get the pin for me. Ok, so far so good. After the release day, they tell me that they were not able to get the pin and they sent the cancellation request after refunding my money via paypal. I found another listing, and at a considerably lower price than what I had paid that seller, so all's well that ends well, right? A couple of days later, the seller sends me a second chance offer for the pin again at the price I had paid... What?!? I know that DSF sold out the same morning that the pin was released. I see that situation that the seller was withholding the pin that I had pre-paid in the hopes that they could turn an even higher profit. I messaged them back saying that I got the pin from someone else and that was the end of it. I did not leave negative feedback, but I think now that maybe I should have.

 

[TinkerTigg]

Yeah, I don't know, maybe I am too quick to assume the worst in people. Maybe I'm jaded? Nah...I am jaded.
But!
I think that the larger portion of these dolls were so quickly bought up in the hopes that they would be money makers on the second market. Now that only Maleficent and Evil Queen have sold out and the others are all still up after months...I think that people are regretting their additional purchases because they can't make any profit on them right now. (And, probably never will because there will still probably be so much more time for others to discover them and buy them first hand. Seriously, I knew about these dolls before they were released...didn't care for them...then *because of this site* warmed up to them...and now have 3. Only one did I purchase at a slightly inflated price. I'm not even sure if I want the other 3, but I feel like I still have ample thinking time before they are gone.) When I can't sleep, I randomly surf the web. I looked to see what the non-sold out dolls are selling for and it is ridiculous. 100$ for the Queen of Hearts when she is still on the website for 50$? Insane. I've actually seen a Cruella for 150$. So, I honestly believe that the seller was backing out because he/she was getting less than what he/she first paid for the doll. Just watch, you offer to buy the doll for 100$ and just ever so magically "Oh, I have another cover from another doll I'm keeping. I'll be more than happy to switch them and give you that cover." So...eh, maybe it's just cause I'm jaded...but yeah...the seller is probably backing out because it wasn't a profitable endeavor on their part.

 

[Polaris]

Thanks for the advice Shivatopia and tinkertigg!

I received a message from the seller saying that they just got my message this morning and could only respond now after they got back from work. They then sent me a message but I could not see the image, but then I thought that even if they were to send a pic they could just remove the case and I would not be able to tell if they were lying or not.

So as much as I would have loved to call them out for lying I just told them I would just leave it and will just not leave them any feed back. Mainly because whilst i strongly believe that they were lying and just want to make more of a profit than a loss on the doll, I did not really want to accuse them of it and what if they were telling the truth? That would just make me a horrible person so I decided to just tell them not to worry about it anymore and that I would not leave feedback. It is tough as you can never tell if someone is being genuine or not. But at least I can walk away feeling like I've done the right thing as I told them I was disappointed but at the same time did not accuse them directly of lying.

If any of you disagree please let me know because at the same time I do not want to be a walk over so on future if this does happen to me again (which I hope it does not) I will know just how to approach it. Thanks again everyone for your advice! It was very helpful

 

[shooting4ownhand]

I would have personally left negative feedback since they sound a bit shady. To me it sounds like they want to make a profit off the doll.

 

[jazzytrumpet]

You should be able to go through eBay. They can't force the seller to sell it to you but they can also leave a negative feedback rating for them (so it would be a total of -2 if you leave negative as well) and they will say that if the seller has too many negatives in a 6-month period (I think) that their rating drops (e.g. if they are a power seller, they lose power seller status for at least a 6-month period too).

 

[Merriennes]

I've had a sort of similar situation happen to me, it was a vintage doll car and furniture I won for 99p ! I was so pleased to win it for such a low price and paid straight away ... After a couple of weeks of the item not arriving I contacted the seller, who gave me the old 'It must have gotten lost in the post' speech and refunded my money saying they had LOST the proof of postage. I know perhaps I should have believed them, but I get the feeling they didn't want to sell the items to me at that price and so just pretended it had gotten lost. Nothing I could do about it though, so I never left negetive feedback even though I was tempted, because I couldn't prove they had done anything wrong, so had to leave it. Now I always get a little worried if I win something cheap on ebay, as there are just far too many ways for the sellers to get out of the deal. Luckily most of the transactions I've had have been great though ;o)