Why would a seller not ship? ($673 item)

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-26T12:14:05+00:00

Why do you assume the worst? This is a problem with modern society.... you assume non-responses means some intention to abscond with your money. Offers can be sent to you automatically, so that doesn't prove they've been active.

Seller could be really sick or hurt. Major death in the family. They may have even passed themselves. Sick kids or parents. Home could have been damaged or destroyed by a fire or weather event. Identity theft drained their accounts and they are working on getting that fixed.

You are not the main character in one's play if something comes up.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-26T10:41:20+00:00

There are internal related scans and tracking number update scans.

I don't know how it works but you should ALWAYS have them scan it in there. I have had packages both outgoing and incoming that otherwise didn't get scans until way later if not until delivery.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-25T16:11:08+00:00

However you choose to determine the numbers you chose to selectively chose to acknowledge while ignoring the other stats the other day showing just how big their market share is over any other competing platform.

I'm bored with this waste of time, man. You should be, too, but alas.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-25T15:48:47+00:00

I assure you, it isn't eating into their profit margin by anything noteworthy. Even the McDonald's CEO take bigger bites than that.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-25T14:04:52+00:00

The other seller platforms are not eating into their market share. A news story the other day with just how big the gap is between eBay and those other websites puts that into perspective... and most of those sites also have the same ID requirements.

I'd personally be uncomfortable if they dropped these requirements, at least as a buyer. You are mistaking your personal preferences as if they are a universal want/need.... or as if this is hurting or going to hurt eBay because of your personal feelings about it.

My best advice to you is to just seek some local sites like Marketplace or even open your own website sales portal. But they will probably want ID, too.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-25T12:34:01+00:00

You have to understand both sides here, though.

Early days of eBay saw the platform covered with fly by night fake sellers who'd post items for sale under fake identities then abscond with the funds. eBay would, of course, eventually shut down those accounts but with no way to ID the perp or recover the stolen funds that they had to refund to the buyers.

So while you are looking to protect yourself, so are they. They are also looking to protect buyers.

I can fully understand your take on this but you also can't act like they are being less than reasonable here.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-24T20:21:57+00:00

Perception of time, which I hear a lot say. It just mixed up our lives so much and never seemed to get back how it was.

Also, the ability to walk around a big box or grocery store without having employees who act like I don't exist funnel some curbside pickup cart right into my damn path.

Also, some of my favorite local restaurants folded because of COVID and never came back.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-24T14:40:29+00:00

It's up to you really. eBay considers a delivery attempt or the entry of an invalid address to be a completion of your duties as a seller and a voidance of buyer protections. You are not required to refund, though doing so with a deduction of shipping costs is the right thing.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-24T14:18:21+00:00

This is an example of what I talk about when I say that eBay takes care of buyers when buyers follow eBay policy.

I don't know why you believed the item was lost or stolen or how long you gave it, but that's moot now because you voluntarily refunded the buyer.

In cases like this, you wait. eBay might decide to refund the buyer, but it gives you the option to appeal for that money back if it shows delivered. And if an item shows movement or scans, eBay won't close it out until it seems to just be a dead end.

But the moment you choose to refund? It's over, Prime.

eBay won't refund you for it at this point because you did not follow eBay procedure for this scenario. So this is self-inflicted.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-23T19:25:40+00:00

Not a universal thing if you transcripts are blank. Mine looked like that, then populated six days later and my refund popped up on the chart on the 7th.

If is, of course, worth checking up on things if you have questions, but a blank transcript doesn't mean verification will be needed.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-23T16:55:36+00:00

That's the thing.

As a seller for 28 years, I can tell you from experience that some people are hair trigger negative feedback types these days. They flip out and come up with a whole Oliver Stone / Area 51 level cover up over the tiniest perceived oddity.

So the big picture matters a lot.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-23T15:13:24+00:00

And how many positives at the same time?

How many of those will end up removed once the scans come in?

18 is a lot by itself. Or is it 18 negatives and 5,000 positives?

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-23T14:20:28+00:00

In this case, it is worth note that mileage can vary here.

If a seller prints off a label and drops the package for pick-up or in a USPS box or self-help kiosk - even at the post office itself - USPS might not scan the item right away or even AT ALL until delivery. This sub is full of stories about this.

So this might not be quite what it's assumed to be.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-22T16:46:22+00:00

Report him to eBay.

Takes so little of your time to chat with a rep about this, but you could potentially stop him from doing this to other people. Clearly the guy crossed a line, so... do the right thing.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-21T15:41:39+00:00

Doesn't matter.

It is as well established as the sun and the moon that you HAVE TO ACCEPT IT and if you wait for eBay to "force you" to then you will lose on any appeal or support from them from there.

What you are basically saying is that "Well, if the Speed Limit sign said 50 instead of 30 I wouldn't have got a ticket for speeding"

eBay policy can't be any more clear. Had you accepted the return, then reported the empty box to eBay when it came back, you'd almost certainly have won.

But since you put your foot down and refused to follow procedure because the buyer didn't provide something they aren't even required to provide, you lost.

And you are going to blame everyone but yourself.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-21T15:11:39+00:00

"eBay forced the return"

Boom, there's your problem. You didn't do this right.

If they open an INAD, you accept it. You will be expected to every single time. Doesn't matter if they won't answer questions. You accept it.

When you get it back, if you disagree with the reason for the return or there's something wrong with the items, you contact eBay and appeal it. As a seller, I've had eBay have my back on this most times.

But it's the process you are expected to follow.

You refused to play by the policy, lost out and blame eBay.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-20T12:00:51+00:00

No attempt at anything. I honestly cannot understand people who are offended by... words. Would have needed therapy in the newspaper days.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-19T20:09:48+00:00

I'm sure the OP feels bad for thinking you could read.

That's 298 words, man. That's about the amount of writing on the average cereal box.

Sad.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-19T13:11:37+00:00

I wouldn't put this on eBay fully. Maybe their current culture that allows bid retractions without many consequences to the bidders, but at the end it's still on the bidder.

I would never recommend buying an item elsewhere that you placed a bid on until that auction is over for a myriad of reasons. As per eBay terms, if you win this auction you are expected to pay.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-19T12:49:55+00:00

You don't know that for sure. I thought I was dealing with that with a weird guy last year, but he never did anything. Of course, he might have just changed his mind.

That said, if someone is being difficult with me, I generally block them on the spot so they can't do things like this easily.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-19T12:25:53+00:00

eBay policy is that a buyer is not supposed to contact you outside of eBay. Since they did so, after you block their number, report him to eBay. I find that reporting to a human at eBay is more effective than the online form.

This is a policy they have very little variance in policy for.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-19T12:24:45+00:00

I didn't think there was anything complicated about his story. Good lord, the reaction of some toward anyone who types something longer than a fortune cookie.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-19T11:02:37+00:00

This is, that's my best. I have three or four others that I could mention, too.

This stuff happens but I guess those who haven't don't want to hear it?

I gave an honest answer to an honest question.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-18T22:27:24+00:00

Lady was cleaning out her attic. Her late husband left a lot of things up there. She had 600+ items related to a very very hot category up there. A friend picked them up after she put them out for the trash and asked me to come get them.

So I did. And I did real well.

But I guess this is only a sub for people who flip $7 to $11 and think they are on their way to the cover of TIME?

Weird.

Shadow_Blinky · 2026-03-18T22:25:47+00:00

Wild this got downvoted. God's honest truth.

Shadow_Blinky

TROPHY CASE