First time for me. A test of Paypal Seller Protection. As yet, unresolved. UPDATE: resolved successfully.
After some delay, buyer paid. Item shipped immediately; by Paypal records, 2 hours after payment. In actuality, there was probably another 2 hours before the package hit the postal system.
Later that day, payment was noticed as unreceived, status went to "See Paypal Transaction" Paypal status showed "reversed".
Bummer. Money gone, stuff shipped.
Calls to Paypal customer service yielded the (expected?) half hour of hacking to get through to someone who could discuss that kind of issue.
Eventually, I'm advised that the credit card payment was reversed as unauthorized. The Paypal rep promised that when the tracking shows delivery, Paypal seller protection will cover the payment. Results to be reported later. UPDATE: seller protection refund was granted in a timely fashion, with no further contact needed.
The question, "could I have done anything to avoid this" yielded a really twisted set of answers, ones which you have to wonder if Ebay/Paypal really have planned out very well. The introductory line, for example: "Unfortunately, you shipped two hours after the payment was received".
As if, you know, it's unfortunate that you ship that fast. Maybe you should wait a couple of days. Beyond that, maybe you should log on to Paypal and check the status right before the package hits the postal system. Maybe not.
Maybe Ebay needs to see good selling behavior for what it is, and tell such sellers that Ebay appreciates their diligence.
So the speculation as to "what really happened here". The item was not at all attractive to people who couldn't really afford it, and was a highly unlikely target of credit card fraud. A review of bidder's recent purchases however showed one strong clue: the purchase of a heavy item from several hundred miles away.
My guess: buyer paid for the heavy item, then encountered a demand for an $800 shipping charge. The way out: claim that all recent purchases on Ebay were unauthorized. I was the collateral damage.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Ebay please fix: this is dreadful advice.
Come fall, Ebay will charge sellers a final value fee for auctions ended early, where there is at least one bid.
They graciously allow one such event per year, with the fee waived.
That doesn't bother me too much. I think I've canceled maybe three such auctions over the past year, all for errors in the listing (such as "incorrect paypal account specified").
What does bother me is this advice from ebay:
Revise your listing to add more detail instead of ending it early. If you want to add pictures or additional details to your Auction-style listings, you can often do this without canceling your listing.
That advice is absolutely wrong (although observe the out-of-context "add more detail").
Either the error cannot be fixed once there is a bid (such as the Paypal address), or the fix would create a Natural Born SNAD. A NBS occurs when the listing says contradictory things, such was when some addendum contradicts the original listing (which is what happens when a listing with a bid is modified). A buyer may well not see the addendum, and the current bidder surely never saw it. Assuming the error is significant enough to need changing, it's significant enough to result in a Significantly Not As Described dispute, which would be won by buyer.
Ebay, please do not recommend a Natural Born SNAD.
They graciously allow one such event per year, with the fee waived.
That doesn't bother me too much. I think I've canceled maybe three such auctions over the past year, all for errors in the listing (such as "incorrect paypal account specified").
What does bother me is this advice from ebay:
Revise your listing to add more detail instead of ending it early. If you want to add pictures or additional details to your Auction-style listings, you can often do this without canceling your listing.
That advice is absolutely wrong (although observe the out-of-context "add more detail").
Either the error cannot be fixed once there is a bid (such as the Paypal address), or the fix would create a Natural Born SNAD. A NBS occurs when the listing says contradictory things, such was when some addendum contradicts the original listing (which is what happens when a listing with a bid is modified). A buyer may well not see the addendum, and the current bidder surely never saw it. Assuming the error is significant enough to need changing, it's significant enough to result in a Significantly Not As Described dispute, which would be won by buyer.
Ebay, please do not recommend a Natural Born SNAD.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Scary Questions
This question arrived yesterday.
"Does (referenced used item) have any scratches, dents, or other imperfections?"
Now as a seller, there is only one straight answer to this question: YES.
All used items have some amount of evidence of use.
But, we suspect, buyer wasn't actually asking that. Buyer is reasonable, asking if the thing is ugly But we really don't know.
I'm not a fan of blocking buyers who ask poorly conceived questions, but this one comes about as close as it gets.
Seller cannot answer this question "no", because it raises a challenge to buyer. Find something imperfect. I dare you, you can't do it.
But buyer can find something, of course.
I've sometimes handled the question by saying "a closeup inspection would yield many imperfections, but the regular view shows it to look pretty good".
"Does (referenced used item) have any scratches, dents, or other imperfections?"
Now as a seller, there is only one straight answer to this question: YES.
All used items have some amount of evidence of use.
But, we suspect, buyer wasn't actually asking that. Buyer is reasonable, asking if the thing is ugly But we really don't know.
I'm not a fan of blocking buyers who ask poorly conceived questions, but this one comes about as close as it gets.
Seller cannot answer this question "no", because it raises a challenge to buyer. Find something imperfect. I dare you, you can't do it.
But buyer can find something, of course.
I've sometimes handled the question by saying "a closeup inspection would yield many imperfections, but the regular view shows it to look pretty good".
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Ebay please fix: end listing reason being ignored
When ending a listing, one is given four possible reasons.
Paraphrasing,
1. Item is no longer available [this is the default choice].
2. There was an error in the listing
3. There was an error in the pricing
4. The item was lost or broken.
Regardless of which of these is selected, ebay reports that the item was canceled because the item is no longer available.
This confuses, and can annoy, buyers.
Ebay, please fix.
Paraphrasing,
1. Item is no longer available [this is the default choice].
2. There was an error in the listing
3. There was an error in the pricing
4. The item was lost or broken.
Regardless of which of these is selected, ebay reports that the item was canceled because the item is no longer available.
This confuses, and can annoy, buyers.
Ebay, please fix.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Chicken Mode comes to Ebay Motors
Ebay now has car ads where the price drops every hour until the item is sold.
This is the first step toward "chicken mode listing", where the price drop is guaranteed until either the item is BIN/IPR'd, or seller chickens out.
Keep in mind that Ebay Motors sales aren't even binding, let alone Immediate Payment Required.
However, I'm pleased that ebay has discovered the concept.
For ordinary chicken mode, I suggest one price drop per day, exactly 24 hours after the listing was created. This allows sniping the new price. The price drop can be set by seller, to be 1% to 10% of the then current price. Chicken mode listings should be scheduled for up to 30 days.
IPR is crucial, for multiple reasons. For one, it ends NPB hassles. For two, it provides a nice resolution to "who was first". And, for three, it makes it clear what price buyer is paying.
This is the first step toward "chicken mode listing", where the price drop is guaranteed until either the item is BIN/IPR'd, or seller chickens out.
Keep in mind that Ebay Motors sales aren't even binding, let alone Immediate Payment Required.
However, I'm pleased that ebay has discovered the concept.
For ordinary chicken mode, I suggest one price drop per day, exactly 24 hours after the listing was created. This allows sniping the new price. The price drop can be set by seller, to be 1% to 10% of the then current price. Chicken mode listings should be scheduled for up to 30 days.
IPR is crucial, for multiple reasons. For one, it ends NPB hassles. For two, it provides a nice resolution to "who was first". And, for three, it makes it clear what price buyer is paying.
International sales remain dangerous
A recent Ebay announcement:
In recent weeks, an ongoing customs operation has resulted in longer-than-usual delivery times for imports entering Brazil. eBay is contacting buyers and sellers impacted by this to inform them of this situation,
Yet again, Ebay misses the big issue here. Buyers who are inconvenienced are usually, but not always tolerant. Ebay allows intolerant buyers to define Ebay's relationship with Ebay sellers.
Time to change that, Ebay. Ask for tolerance, fine. Reduce friction and tension, sure. But for those buyers who just remain cranks, do not take their opinion as the most important thing in seller's life.
The result for most sellers is: stop shipping to Brazil at all.
Solution:
a. where a label was purchased through Ebay shipping
b. where seller has refunded all payments in full
Then, do not allow any additional negative seller consequences of any kind.
In general, eliminate serious consequences for seller when buyer has no skin in the game.
In recent weeks, an ongoing customs operation has resulted in longer-than-usual delivery times for imports entering Brazil. eBay is contacting buyers and sellers impacted by this to inform them of this situation,
Yet again, Ebay misses the big issue here. Buyers who are inconvenienced are usually, but not always tolerant. Ebay allows intolerant buyers to define Ebay's relationship with Ebay sellers.
Time to change that, Ebay. Ask for tolerance, fine. Reduce friction and tension, sure. But for those buyers who just remain cranks, do not take their opinion as the most important thing in seller's life.
The result for most sellers is: stop shipping to Brazil at all.
Solution:
a. where a label was purchased through Ebay shipping
b. where seller has refunded all payments in full
Then, do not allow any additional negative seller consequences of any kind.
In general, eliminate serious consequences for seller when buyer has no skin in the game.
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