At my wits' end with this buyer

[everard6920]

This is more me letting off steam than anything else.

Had a buyer purchase 4 items from me back in July using account #1. Paid with e-cheques (always pays for each item separately). E-cheques cleared. No problems.

The same buyer bought 2 more items from me a month later, in August, using a different account (account #2). Paid with e-cheques. E-cheques bounced. I opened UIDs. No response from buyer - so I closed the UIDs and blocked accounts #1 and #2.

Same buyer buys 4 more items in November with account #3 - 4 more e-cheques. All four e-cheques bounce. I open and close UIDs, block account #3, and contact eBay. eBay say that they can't stop the buyer making new accounts, but that if she does it again, I can cancel the transactions and have any defects/feedback removed.

So . . . last night. Same buyer on account #4 (!) buys two more items, pays by e-cheques again. I call eBay, and cancel the transactions. The buyer hasn't left any feedback, but eBay assures me that if she does, I can appeal it.

eBay CS says that they can't stop this buyer making new accounts. Seriously? She uses the same name, address, and Paypal email each time. I could understand that it'd be more difficult to flag/prevent if those details weren't the same, but they are.

I want to send the buyer a message but I am too angry right now and I don't want to give eBay any reason not to remove any feedback she leaves. I've found her on social media, and she looks really young (which makes sense given the items I sell). Would you contact her? I'm so frustrated.

It's just an absolute joke that a buyer can have an account rendered useless by unpaid item strikes, and simply open a new account. And then do that 3 times in a row.

I'm furious right now.

[justkidzbiz]

"Follow" her account, then we can see her I'd and block her! 🙂

Very frustrating!

[lm-entertainment]

i can imagine how frustrated you are. the time taken for echeques to clear is really painful too - so to wait, have them bounce and have it happen time-and-time again, i'd be furious.

that being said - i think it's best to go with your gut and just not say anything to the buyer. do what you've been doing - cancel future transactions and get any defects / negs removed through ebay C/S. i'd be making sure i kept chat transcripts with them - especially the one where they said they'd remove future defects/negs without any consequence to you :] 

all the best - hopefully, the buyer eventually gives up and leaves you alone. 

[everard6920]

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@justkidzbiz wrote:

"Follow" her account, then we can see her I'd and block her! 🙂

Very frustrating!

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Done.

She's buying up a storm . . . 15 feedback now (either that or, as Digi said, 15 sellers who haven't waited for payment to clear before leaving feedback  ...)

[imastawka]

You're not following her on this account, but on your selling account, apparently.

[everard6920]

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@imastawka wrote:

You're not following her on this account, but on your selling account, apparently.

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I never follow anyone so maybe I didn't do it correctly (clicked "save" under her username?).

Hmmm . . .

Do you think Christmas elves make marzipan? Can you refreeze it? n_n

93 minutes 'til dinner's ready!

[everard6920]

... I had the follow set to private. I didn't even know you could do that. Should be visible now.

[imastawka]

She has 20 fb and all Chinese sellers.

They give fb straight away.   Even if paid by e-cheque.

[clarry100]

We have not had an echeque for ages until a few weeks back.

Then out of the blue one arrives.

I always contact the buyer to let them know it will take 4/5 days to clear but then we will mail their order out immediately when it clears. So the buyer writes back not having any idea what an echeque is or why it has happened saying she had bought things from other sellers with no problems.

So 5-days comes and goes without clearance and again I notify the buyer.

Again she says she has checked her card details and nothing is wrong.

She says she even called PayPal but that they were unhelpful.

She said she did not wish to cancel as she wanted the item.

So we had no choice but to wait it out. So we did.

14-days later the echeqe clears.

The buyer contacted me to say she has a message saying it had cleared. So did we of course.

So mailed out her order with a priority sticker on it.

Few days later the buyer leaves very glowing FB saying our postage was fast and communication was fantastic.

So we will never know why this one took so long.

[everard6920]

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@imastawka wrote:

She has 20 fb and all Chinese sellers.

They give fb straight away.   Even if paid by e-cheque.

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Well, I hope for their sakes they haven't posted anything.

[collect247]

Haha I'll bet you they don't post anything and she receives a refund instead, if in fact she did pay.