What would you do? Ebay related

In My Humble Opinion
1

I had something very weird happen this weekend on Ebay, and I know what I think I should do, but I can’t figure out how to do it. Then, of course, you get to throw feedback into the mix and I am just confused.

Anyway, I had my item up with a starting price of $8.99. It was due to end today (Sunday) about 2. Saturday night around 9 I get an email from someone asking me if I had a buy it now price on it (if it matters, this was a Gymboree outfit that was in Like New condition). After talking to my parents, who have done a lot of ebaying, I wrote her back and said that I didn’t have a BIN, since I prefer auctions, but I am hoping to get at least $20 out of the outfit. I did not tell her that not only were there no bids, there were no watchers either.

She wrote me back to say that if I decided to add a BIN, she would pay $18 for the outfit. So I revised my listing to include a Buy it Now option at $18, wrote the lady back, and waiting. She bought it about a half hour later. Wow, what a way to double my sale price!

So this evening when I get home from church there is an email from her saying that she was mistaken. She thought it was a different size, it’s all her fault, blah blah blah, can she just pay my relisting fees? Note that she has not sent me any money yet.

So, what would you do? Say “Sure, my listing fees were $XX, paypal me!”?? Tell her “Tough cookies, you bought it, pay up.”?? Something else? And then what should I do about feedback? Sometimes I hate ebay. I haven’t done it a whole lot, but this could turn into the second time I’ve had something bad happen to me (we once paid over $300 for an item and the person disappeared from ebay and paypal – we only recovered part of the money from pp).
Thanks!

2

I would consider it a mistake, have her send you the listing price, and re-list it.

Sucks, but she was honest (IMHO). I’d then just leave no feedback, but I’d sure expect her to leave excellent feedback!

I know it’s a binding contract, etc, and I would stress that to her when working things out so that she knows that others might not be so nice. If you think it’s an honest mistake, then I’d let it go.

3

Besides the relisting price, include the Ebay fees too. I have had a couple folks back out of auctions due to “mistakes”, I always add a buck to the the listing price to cover other expenses.

4

Check out what else she has bid on after she bid on yours.

You’ll probably find out she bought exactly the same thing from someone else for less and now wants out of your auction.

As an ebayer I would say if she’s bought the same thing elsewhere, tough luck to her. You hit the BIN, you bought it now. Pay up or suffer the consequences.

5

You can have ebay refund your listing fees, but it’s a long, drawn-out tedious process. If she’s willing to pay your fees, have her do it, and act as if the auction concluded, and leave her positive feedback. Mistakes happen.

6

If she is willing to pay both your listing and final value fees, I would accept that. Otherwise you will have to go through the Final Value Fee Credit process:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/credits.html