ebay seller cancelled transaction - your thoughts?
 

Hi,

I was informed by an ebay seller that he was cancelling our transaction. No reason was given even after I ask. I paid for the item promptly last Friday and was told the item would ship tomorrow. Now this... Do I have any legal recourse as far as ebay goes? I've been an ebay member for eleven years and never had this happen before. Has anyone here had a similar experience before?

Thanks,

Chris

Assume some one offered him more money or he just decided it didn't close for enough and decided not to follow through. I would just make a note not to attempt to do business with them anymore and move on.

chris, what was the item.

Report them as a non-performing seller. I did that with a seller that claimed the "didn't have time" to remove an item between friday when they claimed they sold it retail and Monday when I was the high bidder.

Since you've already paid that part is taken care of, you'll probably have to start by opening an "item not recieved" case and go from there.

Leaving a negative is another place to start.

Steve B

I've had it happen before, for reasons ranging from reasonable (previously sold and mistakenly re-listed) to unacceptable (I want to get more money than that). Never had one just cancel and not give an explanation though.

At a minimum, they have to file for a cancellation through eBay to get their fees back on the transaction. Ebay sends a request for your approval to cancel the transaction which you can either agree to (fees refunded to them) or not (they're stuck with the fees). Sticking them with the fees won't force them to go through with the sale, but may be some small consolation to you (depending on how expensive the item was).

Bottom line, if they refuse to follow through with the transaction, there is nothing eBay will do to FORCE them to do so.

Edited to add: I overlooked that you had said you had already paid for the item. In that case, go through the Item Not Received claim process as Steve suggested.

All of this is assuming that the seller still refuses to respond to you (he will have an opportunity to do so during the claim process). Sometimes mistakes or extenuating circumstances do arise that require transactions to be cancelled, but the seller at least owes you an explanation.

I sell on ebay and they do offer you a chance to cancel your sale and I have taken it when the item did not reach the price I wanted. Unfair? Maybe but for some reason reserve prices scare people away.

I should mention I never end it after is closes, but the day before if I am not happy with the bidding. In ten years I may have done this 3 to 4 times at most.

I have mistakenly relisted an item after I sold it offline months earlier by carelessly using Ebay's software but I quickly informed the would-be buyer the situation, apologized profusely, and then offered them free shipping or $10 discount on any of my other items if they ever decided to do business with me again. Communication is the key, luckily in my case the would-be buyer was Okay with everything after I explained myself, I'm sure he wasnt happy but mistakes do happen.

-Rhett

Thanks for everyone's input so far. I forgot to mention the seller issued a full refund + $25.00 for my trouble at the same time the cancellation was issued. What bothers me the most is he refuses to give an explanation as to why??? I guess, I will just move on especially since ebay will not force them to complete the transaction

Given the additional refund over-and-above what you paid, I think it's pretty safe to assume that he got a better offer (for much more than the $25 he threw on your refund) and took it. The $25, thrown in without explanation, is to make you feel guilty about any negative feedback or complaints to eBay you might (rightfully) engage in otherwise. Frankly, that's a better resolution than any of the similar situations I've been involved in.

That he refuses to offer any explanation may be frustrating, but frankly, the lack of communication goes along with the lack of customer service and willingness to break an agreement to sell the item in the first place. I would make a mental note not to deal with that seller again and move on. I would also be thankful that you actually made money in learning what the seller's character is, as that in itself is a rarity.

Agreed, he is basically paying (hopefully) for no feedback to be left. I think you can safely assume the reason is that he sold it for considerably more and no ebay fees.