Help Bag is slipping away for a 2nd time

Cocolo

Cocolo

~NiceGirl My Butt!~
O.G.
Sep 24, 2010
10,916
212
#1
Hi. I was sniped out of a sample, one of a kind (most likely) bag back in September. Turns out, the buyer wanted a mini, so she put the still unused bag on Ebay. I contacted her, we agreed on a price and shipping, and all she had to do was change the auction to accept offers right? So when she asked me how to proceed I told her just that. Then I get the dreaded email, "Hi. My husband has ended the ebay listing, you can just pay me through paypal whenever you get a chance. I have to go get my kids, so I probably won't get mail till later tonight".

Aarggh. I have been searching for this bag since September, I was three seconds away from upping my highest bid, and the time ran out. I don't know what to do. I guess if she invoices me through paypal I would still be covered if the deal went south, but I would have to answer her through paypal because I don't have any other info for her. I am hestitant to answer her through ebay and give her my direct email addy. I really dont know what to do.

Her only ebay transaction was for this bag, she is in canada. I guess her husband is trying to save the ebay fees. But if she contacted me I suppose I could ask her to list on Bonz, but I have no way to contact her unless it's through ebay, and the whole thing has gone from great to shady.

Sorry for the book, Just really need some guidance. Oh, even the Manufacturer says the bag in question was a sample, and probably just the one was made. :shrugs:
 
#3
You have just as much protection using paypal as using ebay. When you send the payment put in the description exactly waht you should be recieving for it or if she invoices you make sure she describes what you will be getting.
 
#4
From what I understand, it is not uncommon for sellers to end ebay listings early and to complete the transaction directly though Paypal. This is to avoid ebay fees. Is it shady? A bit, but it is done and wouldn't scare me away all by itself.

I would ask her to send you a Paypal invoice specifying "goods". You would have the same protection as if you had completed the transaction through ebay.

(ETA: Double post with benswife)
 
#5
Ok, so I guess I can message her, giving her my email address, and asking her to contact me?

Will this get me banned from Ebay? I can only go through their messaging. Although,I did make a mistake, and replied directly through my email one time instead of hitting the reply here buttton on my mail. Does this mean she HAS my real email, and if she used her head she could contact me that way if I don't reply?
 
#6
Obviously ebay frowns on this. You probably won't get kicked off for doing it once. And it was her idea.....:P. She is the one who will be saving money by doing this, so there should be a quid pro quo in it for you. Maybe reduced shipping.

Since this is going off ebay, I would just communicate with her through regular email. Won't she get your email address anyway to send you a Paypal invoice?
 
#7
when you give her your email address, spell it out like "myemail -at- domain -dot- com" so that the fleabay message filters don't block it out. Otherwise, yes, you have every protection through PP you'd get on fleabay (of course, the latter REALLY doesn't want you to know this, bc FVFs are their biggest moneymaker). Enjoy the bag! :smile:
 
#8
Thanks, I went to her ebay page, chose contact seller, and since she had no listed items, I had to choose "Not about an item" I just wrote , "can't contact you because you ended your listing. My email is ********** if you'd like to contact me."

Technically, I could be trying to get her to relist it so I could buy it, or any number of things. When I hear from her, I will ask her to go to PayPal and send me a detailed invoice for the item.

ETA: Just heard from the seller, she said she didn't know I couldn't just pay her by going to Paypal without any info. So I told her how to issue an invoice to me, speciifying it was for the bag and the price inclluding shipping, and told her this way we would both have the same protection we would have had through ebay. Now I am just waiting for the invoice.

I will NOT just go put money in her paypal unless I have an invoice. I have been around here long enough to know it has to be for goods. Keep your fingers crossed.

I'm getting excited about this again. :yahoo:
 
#9
benswife2007 said:
You have just as much protection using paypal as using ebay. When you send the payment put in the description exactly waht you should be recieving for it or if she invoices you make sure she describes what you will be getting.
Click to expand...


Oh, didn't know that If she balks at an invoice, I will do just what you said. Now I have her email address. Phew. Getting this bag is like pulling teeth.

If only I hadn't frozen with 5 seconds left to the auction, my next increase would have timed out perfectly. But when my max was used, and outbid, I sat there like an idiot saying what do I do? Then I realized and started to raise my max, and it timed out. But as long as I get it in the end, I am happy
 
#10
Don't worry, OP. You're thinking way too much into this... :flowers:

Ask that she send you a Paypal invoice detailing the item you are purchasing. Actually, even if she does not detail what you are purchasing you are covered as long as you do not send payment as a gift or any other personal option.

And no, you won't get banned from eBay for having her email you. Someone would have to report the inappropriate message content, then eBay would investigate, blah blah blah. Is it against eBay's policy? Yes. Will they cancel Christmas because you defied them? No.

Anyhow, buyer protection via Paypal is just as good as if not better than eBay. Your seller is just avoiding fees, and frankly I don't blame her.

PS - It sounds like you are getting a Celine Luggage. Congrats. ;)
 
#11
Cocolo said:
Oh, didn't know that If she balks at an invoice, I will do just what you said. Now I have her email address. Phew. Getting this bag is like pulling teeth.

If only I hadn't frozen with 5 seconds left to the auction, my next increase would have timed out perfectly. But when my max was used, and outbid, I sat there like an idiot saying what do I do? Then I realized and started to raise my max, and it timed out. But as long as I get it in the end, I am happy
Click to expand...

I think I know which bag it is! I saw your post in the thread asking about the bag sometime ago and it just stuck with me. So awesome it is on its way to you!! :smile:
 
#13
jenaywins said:
And no, you won't get banned from eBay for having her email you. Someone would have to report the inappropriate message content, then eBay would investigate, blah blah blah. Is it against eBay's policy? Yes. Will they cancel Christmas because you defied them? No.
Click to expand...

:goodpost:

The kind of worry you had towards off-Ebay transactions is exactly what they want to stir up in their users...since FVFs are by far their biggest moneymaker (listing fees are really quite small, and nonexistent if you're using one of your 50 free auctions per month), it's the only recourse they have. I haven't had so much as one remark about my regular off-Ebay discount program, even though about 3/4 of the buyers who inquire about it do so via Ebay messaging (I spell out my email address in the little blurb that encourages them to ask about my discount program, but I guess they're too lazy to email me) and I've done this for at least a year and a half. I'd say about 25/30% of my transactions end up being off-site.
 
#14
shopaholism said:
:goodpost:

The kind of worry you had towards off-Ebay transactions is exactly what they want to stir up in their users...since FVFs are by far their biggest moneymaker (listing fees are really quite small, and nonexistent if you're using one of your 50 free auctions per month), it's the only recourse they have. I haven't had so much as one remark about my regular off-Ebay discount program, even though about 3/4 of the buyers who inquire about it do so via Ebay messaging (I spell out my email address in the little blurb that encourages them to ask about my discount program, but I guess they're too lazy to email me) and I've done this for at least a year and a half. I'd say about 25/30% of my transactions end up being off-site.
Click to expand...

:yes:
 
#15
shopaholism said:
The kind of worry you had towards off-Ebay transactions is exactly what they want to stir up in their users...since FVFs are by far their biggest moneymaker (listing fees are really quite small, and nonexistent if you're using one of your 50 free auctions per month), it's the only recourse they have. I haven't had so much as one remark about my regular off-Ebay discount program, even though about 3/4 of the buyers who inquire about it do so via Ebay messaging (I spell out my email address in the little blurb that encourages them to ask about my discount program, but I guess they're too lazy to email me) and I've done this for at least a year and a half. I'd say about 25/30% of my transactions end up being off-site.
Click to expand...

Just a heads-up, this is part of the reason eBay is getting so expensive for the rest of us to use. Sellers who use eBay as a free listing service then complete the transaction off eBay to curtail the fees end up passing them on to other honest sellers who follow the rules. Not against the law, but, IMO, something that's highly frowned upon around here.
 
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