When is it okay to cancel a sale?

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

In early August 2013 I sold a 2004 Yankees team-signed Steiner jersey for $900. The buyer paid and I never heard from them again, I assumed everything went well. Earlier this week I receive a notice that the buyer initiated a credit card chargeback for the $900 OVER SEVEN MONTHS LATER!

I thought this must be a mistake, but I checked the tracking number and sure enough it was never delivered.

How did the zero feedback bidder scam you if the item was never delivered?

If you read the thread, I spoke to a postal inspector and they believed without a doubt the item was delivered and never scanned.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

If you read the thread, I spoke to a postal inspector and they believed without a doubt the item was delivered and never scanned.

Oh that stinks.

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

Oh that stinks.

On top of that, the inspector told me a lot of records are kept for 3 to 6 months. So by waiting 7 months, the buyer essentially ensured that it would be impossible to obtain the information necessary to prove it was delivered.

I contacted the buyer and he refused to help find the item he was "missing"

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

On top of that, the inspector told me a lot of records are kept for 3 to 6 months. So by waiting 7 months, the buyer essentially ensured that it would be impossible to obtain the information necessary to prove it was delivered.

I contacted the buyer and he refused to help find the item he was "missing"

3 to 6 months is crazy - as cheap as data storage is in this day and time.

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

3 to 6 months is crazy - as cheap as data storage is in this day and time.

Agreed, but I guess there really is very little need to keep some information past 6 months. I mean, who ever heard of a credit card charge back 7 months after the fact?

[bn2cardz]

When I ship to people with low feedback or something seems off I buy every form of protection I can think of including signature, even if it costs me some in the end, and I purchase it through ebay shipping so that they have instant access to it.

Actually delivery in person would be harder to prove delivery because there isn't a paper trail back to ebay


As far as when to cancel this is a tough one and I can say that I would be very cautious also.

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

When I ship to people with low feedback or something seems off I buy every form of protection I can think of including signature, even if it costs me some in the end, and I purchase it through ebay shipping so that they have instant access to it.

Actually delivery in person would be harder to prove delivery because there isn't a paper trail back to ebay.

+1

If you want eBay to have your back in what you're assuming will be a dispute, go ahead and jump through every hoop they (eBay) ask you to on the front end. It doesn't matter if the hoops make sense to you or not, or if you think you have a better way. Driving to the person's home and dropping off the items in person, if they have bad intentions to start with, is removing the one piece of proof that eBay will require you to show that you delivered the goods and inviting them to take you for the time and expense to deliver the cards as well. If they have to sign for the delivery, it will make them think twice before trying to pull a fast one because it seems more official. If you want to really throw them, add Return Receipt (a little green postcard that they sign and gets mailed back to you). It won't carry any more weight with eBay, but will confuse most recipients who don't know what in the world this little green card is that they're signing that the postman takes with him.

Or, if you listed the item with In-Person Pick-Up as the only delivery option, just cancel the transaction through eBay. There's even an option for that in the list of reasons for the cancellation. If you listed a shipping method though, and somewhere in the description said you would prefer in-person pick-up, you're out of luck in that regard.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

Agreed, but I guess there really is very little need to keep some information past 6 months. I mean, who ever heard of a credit card charge back 7 months after the fact?

Personally I would be calling that credit card company and give them 2 options. Give me my money back or cancel it right now. Pick one. There are a billion credit cards you can get. Last time I had a charge back like that taken from my bank account, it was after 2 months and was a merchant CC account I had already canceled, I closed the bank account associated with it the next day. It never happened again .

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by Leon

Personally I would be calling that credit card company and give them 2 options. Give me my money back or cancel it right now. Pick one. There are a billion credit cards you can get. Last time I had a charge back like that taken from my bank account, it was after 2 months and was a merchant CC account I had already canceled, I closed the bank account associated with it the next day. It never happened again .

I wish it was through my Credit Card company! I would've been on them like a freaking banshee! The buyer cancelled the transaction on his end with his credit card. He paid through PayPal (with his credit card) so PayPal immediately withdrew his funds from my account pending the "investigation".


Andy, signature confirmation would be a must, I agree. I'm just worried he would try something funny down the road. In terms of paper trail, one method I have done before was have a generic document stating the buyer has inspected the item and received it w/o issue. I have him sign it and then I take a picture of his drivers license next to the signature. Usually people don't have an issue.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Leon

Personally I would be calling that credit card company and give them 2 options. Give me my money back or cancel it right now. Pick one. There are a billion credit cards you can get. Last time I had a charge back like that taken from my bank account, it was after 2 months and was a merchant CC account I had already canceled, I closed the bank account associated with it the next day. It never happened again .

I also wonder if it wouldn't be better to not accept credit card payments through Paypal - just make it bank accounts only. After reading the OP's thread regarding that '7 months later' fiasco, I'm feeling kind of paranoid, as I've accepted a few Paypal cc payments. Checking every transaction for delivery status and then saving copies seems excessive.