posted on March 26, 2001 08:22:02 PM
Auction ended 1/22/01. WBN sent out, I get the following back from the buyer (same day)
Your money order has been posted...all pertaining information regarding the
transaction are adjoined onto the correspondence...please let me know when
you will have received it....positive feedback is expected on Ebay once
money order has been received...I promise to reciprocate once item shipped
has been received and reflective of its description of commentary posted and
photo shown....
(I asked for shipping address so I can get widget ready, didn't get buyer's address)
1/30, buyer sends this e-mail "Hi there…I was just curious to find out whether your money order has been received and if the widget has been shipped out…please keep me posted…"
Same day I responded back saying I had not rec'd the money order yet & would let buyer know when I do & when item ships.
2/8, I sent out another e-mail saying I still have not rec'd it & asked if buyer could please verify shipping date of money order.
Buyer responds back the next day with:
I was just ready to write you and tell you how frustrated I have been for the past weeks or so (frustrated and furious). A money order for $xx.xx was posted to you on January 21st…the money order was payable to XXXX and posted at the following address:
XXXXXXX.
Please note that it has been two and half weeks since payment was made and now I receive a message informing me that you have yet to receive it. You should have received it by the 26th of January…I have retained money order receipt and I will be tracking it. If the money order has been cashed, further action will be taken.
(nice ey?)
I respond back the same day with:
Yes, please track this money order because I have not received it yet. I also felt your e-mail was pretty rude. Attacking me like you did. I am an honest seller on Ebay (as you can see by my over 600 feedback) I am in no way trying to rip you off, which is what I felt you were accusing me of doing!
I sell a lot on Ebay & get alot of responses where people say "checks in the mail" and it never comes. I follow up on those when I can. If you feel I waited too long for the follow up I am sorry.
2/14 I send another e-mail asking what he has found out w/ this money order.
2/15 buyer responds:
You know, I am at loss…I don’t know what to say or whom to believe…the money order itself has not been cashed (yet) but it is certainly not in my possession but lurking somewhere in XYZ? Who knows…you claim you don’t have it: who does? It was posted to your address…I am in the process of canceling the money order (it’ll cost me $15.00)…basically, I will be spending this much and have nothing to show for it…great…what an experience
2/16 I respond with "Well, we can wait a couple more weeks to see if it shows up, or else if you just want me to re-list this I can do that do. Please let me know what you want me to do.
2/17: buyer resonds "I am sure that this has caused as much inconvenience to you as it has to me…the fact is that the money order has not been cashed yet…it is in limbo, somewhere…let us wait a while and see what happens…I will stay in touch with you…
It has been well over a month now & I know I'm not getting my money. Question is, would you leave feedback? If so, neutral? and what would you say?
posted on March 26, 2001 08:30:10 PM
Like you, I've heard all kinds of stories about the check's in the mail, I'm so shocked that you haven't received it?!
As long as you are not out any money, my advice to you is to file for FVF and move on with life, and do not leave a feedback. In my mind, there is always reasonable doubt and they really might have sent it, and no sense risking a retaliatory neg.
posted on March 26, 2001 08:36:14 PM
Actually, I'd give the buyer credit from moving to pretty hostile to conciliatory. And major kudos to you for maintaining a professional attitude in the face of his/her earlier hostility.
Now, all that said, 2 months is more than enough to wait this one out unless the money order was mailed from outer Mongolia & could still possibly in transit.
At this point, I'd try to reach agreement w/the buyer that it's not likely to show up anytime soon, he/she should file it lost & get whatever refund they can. Something along the lines of:
Dear ZXY,
I thank you for your patience in this matter. Since it's been 2 months and the money order has not been either received by me nor returned to you, I think we must declare that this money order must have sunk with MIR.
I know we had both hoped for a different conclusion to this auction but I feel it is necessary for me to relist this item on ebay to try & recoup some of the listing/final value fees I incurred on the original sale.
I realize this has also had a negative financial impact on you & am sorry your experience was a less than perfect one on my auction due to the USPS loss of the money order.
I wish you the very best of luck and hope you will consider bidding on my auction again where we can both hope for a better conclusion for both of us.
Sincerely,
Seller
Showing some concern for his financial loss may soften the blow & make him/her feel better.
As for feedback, I think I might include a note saying I didn't intend to leave feedback at all since the auction wasn't really concluded. That might avoid either of you feeling the "need" to leave a positive, negative or neutral.
posted on March 27, 2001 04:47:59 AM
...what kind of feedback does this bidder already have? I'd also look at what kind of feedback he has left for others (that could clue you into whether or not he has told this "story" to other sellers).
Also, how could he send you a money order on the 21st when the auction ended on the 22nd? And where is the scanned receipt of the money order? Huhmmm.
posted on March 27, 2001 06:11:13 AM
Could have been a typo by ybriknik since he/she typed the response & didn't cut & paste it.
The buyer does appear to have checked on the money order to know it hasn't been cashed & to know they will have to pay a $15 fee to cancel it.
If there's any question if the buyer actually purchased a money order, ybriknik could have asked to forward an email copy.
I still think the best thing is for the 2 of them to reach a mutual understanding that sometimes things like this happen & neither party comes out a winner. They can both come out of this w/their feedback intact if they are willing to work together.
posted on March 27, 2001 06:32:23 AM
Good catch w/ the 1/21, 1/22 date thing. I did cut/paste that part, so that was a correct stmt buyer made. Feedback is 16 & they have all been good. I have not checked the fb he has left other sellers yet.
I did use the letter posted above & sent that last night, will see what kind of response I get.
I am ready to move on, but the other thing that makes me mad is it is over 45 days since auction ended so I can not get a refund from Ebay!
I think sometimes I am too easy of a seller & will really wait MONTHS to get paid! Although I have not yet gotten paid on something that old! I still wait it out! Maybe I should figure this game out & try to move things a bit faster!
You would think I would know better since my RL job is in collections and it's basically the SAME story! HA!
you and buyer have done well in a potentially bad situation.
the post office is probably at fault and I would wait and wait some more before leaving feedback.
pcalton
Perry Calton [email protected]
http://www.pcalton.com
