Cancelling a sale - what now

[miladyssewingbasket]

As a new seller (on ebay) I have found I am attracting the occaisional weirdo buyer.  So I have put my screening tools up to maximum.  The other day I had someone buy an item and I cancelled the transaction because the buyer was sending up every red flag I could think of.  Having already lost an item to a scammer I thought it was better to be safe then sorry. Naturally I blocked the buyer.  I returned their money immediately.  Ebay came back to me and asked me for an explanation on behalf of the buyer and so I "let them have it".  Politley, of course. I havent heard anything since.  Its at least 10 days.  Can I relist the item or should I wait a bit longer?  Advice?

[springyzone]

I'm not an expert here at all, but I would think that if you have cancelled a sale, refunded a payment in full, then it is done and dusted and you would be able to relist.

I also think it is fair enough to be completely candid with the ebay reps, letting them know you were worried about being scammed & had had it happen before.

If you're still worried about relisting, perhaps change the title slightly, make it look like a new ad rather than the same one recycled.

[chameleon54 · Accepted solution]

My main concern would be how you went about cancelling the sale. If you used the "cancel sale" icon from the menu next to sold items, you would have had the choice of two options for reasons for cancellation. One would read that " the buyer requested cancellation or there was a problem with their address." The other option reads something like " I was out of stock or decided not to sell the item " .

If you chose the second option it is probable you now have one of ebays "defects" recorded against your account. As a new seller it wont take too many defects to have your account restricted. To view defects you need to click on your feedback score and then your dashboard. The defects should show on this page, but they sometimes take a number of days after a cancellation to show up. From memory you can only have two defects for cancellation in a twelve month period before account restrictions occur. ( others may be able to confirm this detail )

If you have a defect for cancellation you will need to contact customer service and explain the reasons for the cancellation and request to have the defect removed. This is pretty important and you will need to follow it up pronto if a defect shows. It is possible the ebay rep you spoke to may have already accepted your explanation and cancelled any defects if they felt your reason for cancellation was justified.

[miladyssewingbasket]

Thanks  - it was option A ostensibly because they were playing "silly buggers" with the address

[lyndal1838]

Can you tell us what the buyer was doing that would send up flags when your already maximum blocks did not top him buying?

He must have been annoyed to contact ebay.

[miladyssewingbasket]

The answer is that...the blocks were raised after the transaction.  The blocks that are in place are not sufficient to keep timewasters out.  There was a few concerns, none of which, by themselves were an issue but all rolled together it just wasnt worth the risk.  The items I sell are too hard to source to give away for free.  Is the customer annoyed?  Probably.  Do I care...not on this occaision.  There is a right and a wrong way to communicate with a seller.  The buyer chose the wrong way. 

[lyndal1838]

Oh that is a different matter....it is not much use putting the blocks in place after a troublemaker has bought from you as you have found out.

What did the buyer want you to do with the postage that rang alarm bells?