As a seller myself I find this whole scenario a bit unsettling. You've decided that the bidder decided not to sell to you because the bid was too low but what if in fact she was telling the truth. Just because she said she bought them herself doesn't mean it couldn't have been a gift from her husband. In fact saying that something was a gift is one of the worst things a seller can use in a listing, it's one of the lamest excuses in the book and very often screams counterfeit goods.
And yes, canceling the transaction through e-bay is necessary to get the refund process going. Leaving negative feedback to this seller just sounds vengeful to me and honestly it's buyers who do this that make honest sellers like myself very nervous.
She could have in fact been telling the truth but her actions lead me to believe otherwise. I'm not saying she should use the word "gift" in her listing. However to specifically state that you bought them yourself and then say your husband bought as a gift AFTER everything is said and done just implies an excuse IMO.
I'm fairly new to eBAY and have never left negative feedback, and I've had to cancel purchases before (though prior to paying) and I was honest in the feedback about her actions because IMO
once you list an item to sell and someone buys them, as a seller you are obligated to sell, period. If she was telling the truth she should've talked it over with her husband first. That is her responsibility.
I also failed to mention other messages that she left me after I declined the request and explained to her the message I received. She specifically stated that she would not refund until Jan 29th (as if to say I'll just make you wait for the refund now since you declined)..when in fact all she had to do was go in to Paypal and issue the refund immediately. She already knew she wasn't going to sell and ship the shoes. Had she done that immediately, it wouldn't have been an issue. I had already agreed to cancel the transaction through eBAy messages. I'm not sure why she said the 29th but once Paypal contacted her she immediately apologized and refunded (though they told me they would send her a message every 3 days for 10 days and then automatically refund me on the 11th day if she didn't). If I had not contacted Paypal to dispute (because ebay told me they could not assist) then I would still be waiting for a refund (going off of her message). There was no reason to tell me to wait 9 days. Also why is it that when you go to cancel the transaction eBAY tells you specifically NOT to until you are refunded then tell you its required for a refund when you call?
My reasons for leaving negative feedback were not to be vengeful at all. She replied to my feedback as me being a "LIAR"
which is a completely inappropriate comment. I didn't call her any names, I stated the facts and the facts were (I won the bid, paid and the seller decided not to sell, refunded after dispute). I shouldn't have had to dispute. As mostly a seller on eBAY I feel that it is my responsibility to ensure that everything I list is available to sell. Buyers are always told to pay and that once offers are accepted to pay, why is it that sellers are allowed to decide not to ship for whatever reason they choose? I could've easily told her I didn't care if the shoes were a gift etc, I paid, ship the shoes. Though I cannot physically make her do this, I decided to at least give her the benefit of the doubt.
You are entitled to your own opinion but something about this just didn't sit right with me so I took the necessary actions that I deemed to be right. It's easy to sit here and say what you would have or what I should have done, but when I pay for an item that I know I will not receive, I want to be refunded ASAP, especially when I followed protocol and she did not.
