posted on March 21, 2001 01:30:07 PM
i guess it was only a matter of time before i got one. now here she is.
before this sweater auction ended i got 3 emails from her:
1. what label was it? [i had a shot of the label in the auction; next email she says she found it, but never head of the label.]. is it used? [yes.]
2. what ply is it? [heck if i know, at least 2.] how old is it? [don't know; i bought it 2nd hand.]
3. any pilling? [no.]
she snipes and wins it for under $15, writes immediately asking to ship it as cheaply as possible [i state in auction i send priority], offers to pay paypal or, since she's starting up a biz that isn't doing well yet, offers me almost 2x in gift certificates of her widgets.
sensing a possibly troublesome buyer, i check her feedback. decent number, all positive - some glowing - no negs left. well, ok.
i reply that i ship priority, give her total, and thanks for the offer but no, things are tight here as well. she insisted i send her a paypal money request. never done that before as either buyer or seller, but ok, i do it. she pays, i ship.
now she writes saying she's very disappointed. the sweater has been shrunken and is matted, which is why it's marked a size L but measures a S [i noted that in auction with measurements] and doesn't 'drape properly.' [? it's a form-fitting sweater. collar is loose, drapes nicely. no indication of puckering around label, so if it was shrunken, i didn't know.] and it smells strongly of smoke.
i reply with the above []ed stuff, say i don't know how it could smell of smoke unless the previous owner smoked, and ask what she'd like to do. she writes back that the problem is she's a small, this isn't a small but a large shrunken to a small. [i too am a small, tried it on when i bought it a year ago, fit perfectly, just not my style.] no answer to my question, no further mention of smoke smells.
just checked her feedback given - only a handful in comparison to a good chunk she's gotten. paypal payment was non-credit card.
what is the right thing to do here? refund and let her keep the sweater? partial refund? ignore?
posted on March 21, 2001 02:08:38 PM
First off, I don't think her questions during the auction were that bad- at least she asked them before the auction ended! And although she asked for things you turned down,(alternative payments & cheaper shipping), she seemed to have accepted them without argument. (Most people assume it never hurts to ask for what you'd like). Also, it is quite common for peole to request a Paypal invoice- that is not troubling whatsoever. I wouldn't have raised an eyebrow.
That said, since you described the problem and gave the measurements in your auction, I would probably refund her money AFTER she sends the sweater back, minus shipping costs. It doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with the sweater that you didn't describe, and you shouldn't have to be out anything because she doesn't like the way it fits her.
She sounds like a pretty reasonable person. Keep us updated, and good luck!!
posted on March 21, 2001 02:43:00 PM
ok, so far it's 2 votes for ignore - 1 without hex, 1 with
misscandle, lol, i've got some chocolate here: hershey's nuggets. willing to share!
and 1 vote for refund her, less shipping, and after she's returned it to me. (less all shipping?)
martinis, i didn't state in the auction there was a problem because i didn't know there was one . only said it was labeled a large, but had measurements of a small, and gave measurements.
sheesh this seems like a lot of trouble for a low-ticket item. i just want to be fair - to me too!
posted on March 21, 2001 03:42:49 PM
This sounds so much like someone I'm dealing with right now that it's unreal. Does her ebay name begin with z and end with e by any chance?
posted on March 21, 2001 04:04:22 PM
tsunamii, YES!!! this is amazing. what's your story with her?
she's just emailed again, saying she wants a full refund - shipping, everything.
*sigh* next i'm expecting her to say she has extremely small wrists and extremely large ears.
i need help on this one, guys. nothing like this has ever happened before! with her leaving so little feedback in proportion to that she's received, i'm wondering if this is her m.o. and she holds sellers hostage for nf.
yes, i too left her postive feedback. note to self: do not ever again leave positive feedback first if i have any 'funny feeling'!
posted on March 21, 2001 04:15:13 PM
Tell her you will refund purchase price plus shipping one way, as soon as you receive item back in the same condition it left in. So, she leave neg feedback. You follow that with an explanation of what she is really like. This is one way of warning others about her.
I do not leave feedback until the buyer receives the item and emails that all is okay. If there is a problem, I leave feedback after I do all I can to please the buyer, not until.
posted on March 21, 2001 04:22:38 PM
kitty, oh my God, when you guys said her name begins with z, I went right to my Auction Assistant from old auctions, because it sounded like one I had! But! hers began with Z but was an email address.
She was SO excited to win this item, and then when the EOA was sent, she said 'Well my mom says not to use a credit card on the internet' I kinda thought OK...... so she did send me a check, this was awhile ago.
Well sent it to her, and about a week later I get a NEUTRAL, saying it wasn't the same as in picture. no email, so I write to her, and ask her about it..... she wanted her money back. She said, 'Yeah I see its the same one, but now I don't want it, as its too small'
I put her on ignore.
This one didn't have ebay name as email that started with a z did she? [email protected]
posted on March 21, 2001 07:02:05 PM
Hmm,this sounds like a story on another thread but in reverse. Her bust was way too large for this jacket. Ha Ha, that was too funny.
[ edited by gs4 on Mar 21, 2001 07:04 PM ]
posted on March 22, 2001 12:10:16 AM
ok, i got the scoop from karen [thanks again!]. this is something she does - offer her widgets, then if you don't accept she pays anyway, then makes a multitude of complaints and insists on a total refund, and threatens a neg if you don't. she's done the same with another seller.
the only difference between karen's and my situation is the sweater she sold this buyer was brand new!
this sounds like a case for safe harbor to me. any advice/tips on reporting her, or advice on this in general?
karen has kindly offered me the email of the other seller, and i will email her.
