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Buyer refusing to pay for item. Worth complaining?
 

I have just sold an old sat box of mine that was laying around the house on a stealth thats a few months old.

Clearly wrote in the description that the sat box was faulty and would require a new part.

Buyer never sent payment after the auction ended so I sent a message asking for it.

He replied saying he wouldnt pay for it because he "didn't realise it was faulty"

He said it was my fault he did not notice because I didn't list the item as faulty in the title, and also tried telling me the listing was against eBay rules because of this.

Really annoying because I did everything correct.

Is it worth putting in a case to eBay and complaining or should I ignore it and move on?

Yes definately.

Open an unpaid item case so you get your fee's back.

The buyer will get a strike, it'll have very little impact on his account, but you'll feel better.

Buyers generally seem to throw a hissy fit when sellers threaten to open a case against them. Just the threat alone gets them to pay in almost all cases in my experience.

That`s the problem with selling electronics with faults in them - you will attract buyers who think they are getting a deal and them complain about not having read the auction...go figure.

Do the unpaid strike

Cheers guys. Will definately be opening up a case with eBay.
He still might refuse to pay after that but it will make me feel better after being messed around.

Hi Webman0812, you say you described the item as faulty in your description, but did you actually select the 'For parts or not working' option under 'Item Condition'? If you did then go ahead and open a non-paying bidder claim and get your listing and final value fees back.

If however you chose the 'Used' option under 'Item Condition' and just described it as faulty in your description then I'm not sure if you are covered. There is no point in pursuing something like this with a buyer over an item that probably sold for not a lot of money. I'd just forget about it and chalk it up to experience. After all you dont want to end up with bad feedback from the buyer.

If you described it as faulty in your description, but you didnt select the 'For parts or not working' option then the buyer might think they have a legitimate reason not to pay. Yes its a pain in the arse, but not worth losing sleep - or your good reputation on Ebay for.

hope this helps!

Don`t forget to block the bidder on this and any accounts

Isn't this drawing attention to your account? And for nothing but a kind of revenge?

Accept he made a mistake, and send a request to cancel the transaction. You'll get your fees back.

Unpaid item isn't the only way to cancel a sale and get your fee back but it IS the way to cause most conflict.

A very valid & important point.^^

Think what will happen next:

You open an unpaid item so, to avoid the action, he pays. He's cornered! Either he pays or he gets punished with a strike..

So.. you have to now send the item else you'll have a non-receipt claim against you.

Right, so he now has a choice to either shut up and put up and suffer a blow to his ego or fight back and save some face! He has absolutely nothing to loose by claiming a refund because it is faulty. It definately IS faulty, as you said, so it won't be wrong to claim - he'll let PP decide whether it was described wrongly as he believes.

PP notoriously side with buyers as they are the backbone of their business. In any case, the buyer is correct in saying that anything listed as "Used" should be fully working as that is the definition of eBay's catagory. It should have been listed as "Spares/Repair" - common mistake by sellers, easy to miss or overlook.

PP WILL side with the buyer and you'll be forced to refund.

The buyer will refuse to pay for return postage probably, especially for a low value item and you'll be forced to pay else he'll probably never send it back. PP won't care.

So, it's loose loose loose for you. Only way this will end ok is if he's a push-over. Might as well cut straight to that ok ending and offer to cancel the sale!

Hey, forgot to say he might leave a neg too.

When you deal with high volume of sales, 1 neg. is not something to worry too much about. Worry about the profits.

^^^ I have to disagree with you, whatever the volume of sales is you have to do all you can to prevent negs.

And even if sometimes it's unavoidable when you are dealing with hysterical buyers you have to do your best to have it removed, even if it means to pay for it.

A negative feedback means less sales and/or lower sale prices.

Feedback is money.

Buyers cannot leave negs when you open an unpaid item dispute. That is the upside of it. Non paying buyers are the most spiteful of buyers, so blocking them from leaving feedback and then blocking them from buying ever again from you is in my opinion the best solution.

Is it really worth it.

What are the fee's associated with the item ?

Disgruntled customers can we like a scorned woman :shhh:

Remember its a new account you have on your hands, if this buyer knows anything , you could pi** him off and (long shot) but lose your account through his/her actions.

I would have asked if he would like to cancel

As I see it, it's a game of bluff. As the seller you have only one card to play, the unpaid item complaint but it's a low card and within those 4 days they can trump it easily by sending the payment. Then you are at their mercy... they can open PayPal disputes, "not as described" disputes, and you'll have no guarantee they will return the item either (they certainly won't pay for return postage).

Just nip it in the bud early by telling the buyer that it is no problem and you will happily cancel the sale (and get your fees back). Then you can kindly offer to give each other good feedback for the misunderstanding! WIN - WIN.

Don't make life hard for yourself. Get yourself good feedback and praise for being a flexible and forgiving seller.

move on. he is already a difficult buyer.