Seller cancelled but claims item has shipped and I need to pay
After purchase seller contacted me saying they had accidentally cancelled my order and wanted me to still pay because they had already shipped the item.
At first this seemed legit so I said sure why not, but let's wait until my money is back.
The only tracking number I have doesn't show anything has shipped and doesn't have any of my details in it. This isn't all that unusual when the seller is a drop shipper as it takes a while to get into auspost's system but nonetheless I have nothing that really indicates it's been shipped.
Anyway, I asked the seller if the item is still on its way and not delayed, and said if they want payment, they can relist the item to do it properly through eBay's system and since then haven't heard back over 3 days.
So, this silence is giving me major cold feet and feel as if either it was an attempted scam, or seller was legit but totally unreliable. As it stands I have all my money back, so I am not at this stage down anything.
Except, I still want the item, and if this one's not coming I want to buy it elsewhere.
What if the original item turns up eventually and original seller, who had cancelled the order, wants payment and/or the item back?
I can't see how to open a dispute with eBay because the item was refunded.
mmj638
OP3 years agoItem arrived and it looks fine, seller is a scholar and a gentleman.
eol-products
·3 years agoSeller could just relist the item on ebay so you can pay
springyzone
·3 years agoMaybe, but what if they don't have another one and someone else jumps in and buys it?
What if the buyer then made and ebay claim for item not received? I don't think the buyer here would. I'm just saying-how would ebay respond to a claim if the seller insisted they had sent it but had a tracking number that showed delivery before the item was even bought?
It isn't that hard to just pay directly via paypal.
eol-products
·3 years agoThere are many ways to make a listing for a buyer by including their username to stop someone else purchasing.
These days not every new seller will have paypal as it is not required anymore. Many people are reluctant to give out banking details for a direct payment.
So to me the easiest method is to create a listing for a buyer to pay for something.
If the buyer was to make a claim it would be weird due to the fact they have already received a refund for the item and so they already have both.
davewil1964
·3 years agoAssuming you have a Paypal account, ask the seller for their Paypal email.
Simple. Or bank account details so you can direct deposit. It doesn't put their account in any jeopardy, and would save them fees.
They are, after all, a scholar and a gentleman
*sons_and_daughters*
·3 years agoI'm going to take a punt and say the seller might be trying to avoid the bay fees for the sale. As far as I know, fees are refunded for a cancellation (except the non refundable 30c). By getting you to repay directly, they have avoided paying the fees.
What was the reason given in the cancellation?
mmj638
OP3 years agoUpdate- tracking is now updated and shows item is nearing me. So I guess this looks like it's going to arrive after all. Still unsure of safest way to pay seller back
padi*0409
·3 years agoWhen I've done it in the past I've simply asked the seller for their Paypal address and sent that way.
BUT make sure there's no problem with the item or it will be difficult to get your money back - it can be done with the Paypal "resolution centre" but it's not as clear-cut as the MBG.
springyzone
·3 years agoWhen it arrives, just test it out and if you are completely happy with it, offer to pay via paypal.
Paypal doesn't have to go through ebay.
If you're worried about that aspect, I can tell you I once made a purchase using paypal (not through ebay) and things did go wrong-company went into receivership-and I had no trouble dealing with paypal directly for a refund. It's a safe way to pay.
papermoon.lady
·3 years agoI am just wondering if the seller is trying to avoid Managed Payments? Maybe he wants his money immediately, so he cancelled the original transaction which might have kept his funds on hold (as he is not a major seller) and asked you to pay again directly. Maybe it was a trick to get his money without waiting? Was it an expensive item?
mmj638
OP3 years agoSeller's about page says location Australia, how do I find out where they're "registered"? Fwiw their previous transactions do seem to indicate they're Australian.
Thanks for the suggestion of providing item number but I'm hesitant to do so while this is still in flux.
The item was $150ish and just an electronics item. It was a reasonable price, not suspiciously cheap. Like it's more than you'd pay on aliexpress and I figured that getting something from a local seller even when it was clear it was dropshipped from china would be a little less risky
padi*0409
·3 years agommj638
OP3 years agoItem 314252065831
But item isn't listed anymore so I'm not sure if you'd be able to see anything..
papermoon.lady
·3 years agoYou can also look at a seller's completed and/or sold listings or use the general advanced search (for all items/sellers) and tick completed and/or sold listings.
padi*0409
·3 years agoOK, registered in Australia with minimal feedback as a seller, I don't know why they are paying for a store with only 11 items in it, definitely losing money there for no real reason.
Well set up listing and no red flags there that I can see. I suspect they probably have another selling account or have taken some serious advice on how to set up a listing.
papermoon.lady
·3 years agoThey seem to have changed their username recently, but that's not a red flag of course.
Well, just wait and see and keep an eye on the tracking to see if it updates.
mmj638
OP3 years agoIt's a seller with a professional looking store and 100% feedback except they have only 3 feedbacks ever received ever as a seller, two of which were items unrelated to what's in their store, with a couple of dozen as a buyer. So I took a punt on what seemed to be an inexperienced seller with a new store and figured if something went wrong ebay would still provide some cover. Did not expect seller to pull this lol.
All the tracking services just show "shipping information received by australia post" or "Parcel data submitted to carrier". The earlier of the expected delivery dates is tomorrow, but it's plausible that if it's legit it could turn up before the later date. Auspost doesn't show sender or recipient info because the shipment doesn't match my stored details.
So many little red flags, no confidence, this is just a pain because if this seller isn't legitimate it means going with another seller and waiting all over again. And if the item does turn up I have to deal with this deadbeat seller if there's any issues with it.
That's why if I do pay the seller I only want to do it through ebay and not directly via Paypal, I don't think that's an unreasonable request is it.
springyzone
·3 years agoAll the tracking services just show "shipping information received by australia post" or "Parcel data submitted to carrier". The earlier of the expected delivery dates is tomorrow, but it's plausible that if it's legit it could turn up before the later date. Auspost doesn't show sender or recipient info because the shipment doesn't match my stored details.
So many little red flags, no confidence, this is just a pain because if this seller isn't legitimate it means going with another seller and waiting all over again. And if the item does turn up I have to deal with this deadbeat seller if there's any issues with it.
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My experience with Auspost & some other delivery services has been that when it says 'Shipping information received', that just means the seller has generated a postage label. That can be done from anywhere-home, a shop etc.
It doesn't mean the item has actually been received by any post office.
I usually find that I get a second notification once the item is taken to the post office. Forget the exact wording but something along the lines that they have received it at such and such a PO for shipping, and it gives the time it was lodged.
That's when you know it is really in the system.
There are usually further notices you'll receive once it is on board for delivery etc
But... by the sounds of it, your parcel had a postage label generated but was never actually taken to the PO.
It could still be sitting in the seller's spare room for all we know.
Or it could have been dropped in a mail box. Bit silly of the seller if so as it is a reasonably expensive item.
You're in the driver's seat here. If it doesn't arrive, you'll know the seller is at best a bungler or at worst was trying a bit of a scam.
If it does arrive and is faulty or not as described, just don't pay for it.
If it does turn up and is exactly what you expected and you are 100% happy with it after trying it out, then you can pay for it. I don't think you're going to be able to do this via ebay as that transaction has been cancelled and even if the seller relisted, what if someone else quickly bid and won? Also, a seller may be wary of having a tracking number that pre dates an ebay sale.
jellybirddesigns
·3 years agoA bit of a weird situation, for sure.
Seller does sound like they're attempting to scam those who are gullible enough to believe that they "accidentally" refunded the transaction. What is their feedback like - do they have negatives from others warning of the same story? Are they a long term seller or was this a one-off item?
I don't think the item will ever turn up - I think the tracking number you were given was probably fake.
However, you have your money back and can still purchase elsewhere regardless.
Where is the seller REGISTERED - not where the item "location" is.
You can put that tracking number into sites such as "17track"or "Trackingmore", to see if you can glean any further information, especially if it originated overseas.
If you care to share the item number, we can look at the seller ourselves.
springyzone
·3 years agoWhy would you need to open a dispute? The only person at the moment who could possibly lose here is the seller.
The seller cancelled, then refunded you but says it was in error as the item had in fact been posted?
Well then, easy.
Have a look at the original ad & the estimated dates of arrival for that purchase. If you can't see that and the seller has similar items for sale, see how many days they allow for postage and that will give you a rough idea of when it should arrive, as you'll know what date you bought it.
If the item doesn't arrive by then, I'd be suspicious it was never posted at all and the seller is either very muddled and incompetent or dishonest.
If the item does arrive, then they were telling the truth & as you say you still want the item, you would need to contact the seller and arrange to pay. That's only fair.
As the seller has cancelled the order and refunded, the seller can't force payment and can't force you to post it back (in any case, they would be up for return postage for that). But if it arrives and you want it, pay for it.
If it doesn't arrive, you'll only have a few days to wait to find that out and you can buy the item elsewhere then.
papermoon.lady
·3 years agoNo loss for you at this stage.
The only problem is that you cannot open a dispute, as already said, so either you ask AusPost to return it without opening the box OR, if you open the box and notice a problem, you will have to return it at your cost.
If you open the box and everything is fine, ask the seller how to pay. I have done this a few times when an item arrived late and I had received a refund, and the bots never even blocked eBay messages with email addresses for PayPal, as they might have picked some words that made them understand the situation.
padi*0409
·3 years agoTwo options here.
If the item is coming by AP and the seller has a MyPost account they can easily get it redirected back to them, or
You can wait until it arrives and have AP do a Return to Sender on the unopened parcel, or if you want to keep it ask the seller for their Paypal address and repay them that way.
Edit to add. Since it's a cancellation by the seller then there won't be any option for a dispute. What is the item number (RHS of the listing page).