What to do..Ebay problems perhaps

I might have been a little more cautious before bidding... especially with only 2 feedbacks. That doesn't mean this won't work out, but there's not much history there to rely on when knowing what to expect.

Give it a little more time--you won it on Thursday, it's only Monday.

On your deal... make sure you read carefully the terms he offered on his auction. Like return policy (if any) and time. Hopefully you did the entire transaction within eBay so there is an automated record of what you've done, and since you used paypal, if after a specified period of time you don't receive the item described in the auction, file a claim to get your money back...

But, keep in mind he may not be the "talkative" type, and may just be quietly doing his end of the deal, as well as the rest of his life. Now that you've committed yourself, just give it a little time. Just keep your inquiries on point, and polite for the record. Usually in the end things work out. Some are just slower than others, and no two sellers are the same. Fortunately, most sellers are honest.

PS: I'd be careful about canceling the deal until the time has passed for him to deliver the lens to you, because then you become the "nightmare buyer." Just ask him when to expect the lens, and you'll be looking forward to getting it. Ask for a tracking number, and then track it. If nothing is forthcoming after a reasonable period of time, give him a deadline for contacting you or delivering either a refund or the lens. If he's non-communicative, then you've done your part, and file with paypal/ebay for your money back. Just have your evidence ready for them (all intra-ebay correspondence--no regular email.)

HBOC said:

I already cancelled my payment. I sent him like 6 messages, he replied to one. He didn't even send an invoice. I paid on Sunday AM, and i checked my paypal account an hour ago, and it said it was "unclaimed", and i clicked on his info, and he is not registered or unconfirmed on paypal.

I asked him thursday that i will pay immediately, i just wanted the lens by wednesday. He replied on Sunday saying "Sure, no problem" about paying to get it delivered quicker than UPS ground. He lives in FL and hadn't even transfered the money into his account.

I emailed ebay, telling them what happened. I told them that i work hard for 100% feedback, i have 120 transactions on there (with 4 more closing today, and i just shipped stuff out today that ended today). I just told ebay of my experience. I don't want bad feedback, but i would rather have my $600 and a bad mark than be out $600.

The guy also stated in his auction he was a professional photographer. I hope he doesn't run his business like he does on ebay.

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Something seems odd here... when I've received a paypal payment, I didn't have to "claim" it, I was just informed it was there, and I could leave it in my paypal account as long as I wanted to. No claiming required. Maybe he doesn't have a paypal account, but then how did he say he wanted to be paid? What did the auction specify? Could you have sent the paypal payment to the wrong/mistyped email address? I know it's unlikely, but possible.

But, here's the main thing in my opinion:

You told him you would pay immediately... but waited until Sunday. All my own ebay transactions for photo gear require payment within 2 days of winning the auction, or it's relisted. And also, no seller in his right mind would ship until he received confirmed payment... and considering it was Sunday he could have been out of town or with family or kids--it's very common. Now it's Monday, and you've already canceled the payment. And, he might have already sent the lens early this morning. I'm not saying he did, but you really jumped the gun on this, I think. What will you do if the lens arrives in a few days? Just wondering.

Also, often paypal will hold the funds intended for the seller if they have a short history, or poor or no feedback or ratings on delivery speed, etc. This is to protect the buyer even more. Only when you receive the goods do they actually receive the money in those cases. So delivery confirmation is important to the sellers so they can get paid if there is a "hold" on their proceeds.

Don't be surprised if you get a bad feedback. I don't think from what you've told us you have basis for giving him bad feedback, especially since you've already canceled your payment. Just because someone didn't answer all your six messages immediately isn't grounds for a bad feedback. There is a place to rate sellers/buyers during feedback on communications, delivery speed and other things. That's where you would give him fewer stars. But the transaction itself is either positive, or negative. You did not give him enough time to live up to his end of the deal--his auction said you'd get delivery in 4-9 business days. So far it's been 1 business day (since he was paid.)

Anyway, these are my thoughts, and I'm trying to be completely objective and fair, since you posted your situation here for us to comment on.

Hope it all works out for you in the end.

It isn't required to send an invoice to have a valid ebay transaction. I sold a big ticket camera, and when the winning bidder messaged me asking for an invoice, before I could click "send invoice" to them, they received the automatic notifications from the system, and had issued me a paypal payment, within a few hours. It made the invoice a moot point. They didn't ask me again to send them one, but did ask me how soon I'd ship, and I said "first thing in the morning, tracking number will be sent as soon as I have it."

some folks don't communicate too well, but that doesn't mean they're ripping you off. Sure, you want to get your ducks in a row, and understand the workings of the system, but just don't jump the gun, or you could get a bad rep yourself as someone who is flaky and doesn't follow through on your end. If someone canceled payment on me, I'd be, to put it mildly, PO'd, because I'd have lost the entire auction, including the second high bidder. Buyers flaking out are pretty common, and I've seen lots of sellers have to re-list cameras or lenses because the winning bidder got weird real fast, and backed out. They get bad feedback for doing that.

If your guy is a real scammer, you would have good recourse once the required time for him to perform is up. Buyer's protection is actually better than sellers protection on ebay. Just an FYI: He's not obligated to message you, only to do as his auction describes. It's always nice when folks communicate nicely, but it doesn't always happen. The deals can still be good in the end, though.

I think you cancelled payment way prematurely. Especially if he said it would be sent within 4-9 business days. If he's a professional photographer maybe he doesn't do anything photo related on the weekends- saving that time for his family or whatever. If he's a pro, he's probably out on a shoot and not able to respond to your messages right away.

If I were the seller I'd almost be afraid you were the one trying to scam him, not the other way around. I'm not saying you are, but from the string of urgent messages then a quick pullout of the funds... you're not leaving the best impression either?

Ruahrc

Yeah... I think you were way too antsy. Someone with a feedback profile of 2 indicates someone who doesn't use ebay that often, and therefore isn't going to have all of the automated tools a power seller would. Only giving the guy 1 day to respond to a payment is completely unreasonable. Many people don't live on their computer and may only check messages/emails once a day or two.

Besides, Paypal mostly favors buyers in user disputes.

If you absolutely have to have something right now, buying from an individual seller on eBay is not for you. Buy from a high volume seller or Adorama/B&H and pay for overnight shipping.

Ruahrc said:

I think you cancelled payment way prematurely.

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If I were the seller I'd almost be afraid you were the one trying to scam him, not the other way around. I'm not saying you are, but from the string of urgent messages then a quick pullout of the funds... you're not leaving the best impression either?

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I agree.

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone is as wired as you. It’s very possible considering the lead time stated on the auction, he plans on dealing with you during normal business hours. And doesn’t want to tie up his weekend answering eBay mail, packaging your lens, etc.

Not to mention, you requested the lens sent USPS Priority Mail which of the three major carriers is probably the riskiest for the seller.

I had similar issues with a few people on Amazon to the point where I don’t even bother anymore. I seriously had one buyer purchase a $2 book that got upset with me when I hadn’t shipped it after 24 hours of him purchasing it (he purchased it Friday night and wanted it shipped Saturday even though Amazon’s Marketplace rules dictate 2 business days.)

HBOC said:

well as i stated, maybe it is because i am punctual and i expected him to be the same.

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Let's be clear...and fair--you weren't punctual. You said you'd pay Thursday, but you didn't pay until Sunday. That's three days. Not punctual in my book. And you didn't live up to what you said you would do. You did something different. So, let's be fair about it. If someone told me they'd do one thing, and they didn't do it, I would question their sincerity. Maybe that's what he did. He probably expected you, the winning bidder, to pay within the time allowed and he'd ship once he received it.

Let's suppose he came home from a weekend assignment Sunday night, checked his ebay messages and his paypal, saw the money was there...prepared to send the lens...only to find you yanked the money back on Monday. If it were you, wouldn't that sort of end the whole deal for you right there? Put yourself in the other party's shoes before figuring they're giving you the shaft.

Anyway, good luck with the Fredmiranda.com purchase. Just make sure you pay someone when you say you will.

HBOC said:

i appreciate your input. The thing is he never sent an invoice.

He also knew that i was wanting this item quickly, as he read my messages. I told him to send me an invoice.

I guess i just expect people to be punctual as i am. I am in talks with ebay. They are going to send me his phone number and email address. I will see what is going on. If he sends me an invoice and communicates, i have no problem with paying.

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It was a weekend and the guy has only 2 feedbacks. So he could have been out of town, and given his eBay experience, perhaps not even aware that he needs to send an invoice.

Well, it's not the end of the world about the ebay thing... nobody got hurt and nobody lost anything, and it looks like you might get your 17-40 in time for Matt Zafino's lovely forecast for Thursday ... speaking of which--BTW: I'm heading up the mountain tomorrow (Wed) to a lighting workshop at the Silcox hut above Timberline Lodge. So far they've had 2 ft. of new snow yesterday and whatever they get today and tomorrow... so it should be real interesting to see what this nice little weather pattern has in store, especially for outdoor snowboarding action. I only hope Zafino can promise me clear roads...

Let us know how the FM thing works out, I have several lenses I want to sell, and that might be one way to go..