Being threatened on Ebay. Please help, urgent. (Now sorted).

Rev

They wanted to pay cash on collection? That's ideal. They can't claim the cash back.

Yes, there's another way around it, let them pay and take the neg. Since you have the email, send it to ebay and report them for feedback extortion. Tell them to feel free, you wont be intimidated by some keyboard commando.

I honestly couldn't abide by people threatening me with a neg. At the end of the day, it's a red blob in cyber space, I'd take that over letting some bully get away with threatening me any day.

sporedude

Oh noes, negative feedbackz!

d123

bob_regis wrote: »

I do not want any stranger coming to my house. I also don't want to do it in the middle of a car park - I am not sure I would be able to tell whether they have just given me an envelope full of fake notes.

Next time just arrange to meet at a local McDonalds or Starbucks, or in your local library. Plenty of safe public places.

bob_regis wrote: »

Also, what's to stop them then complaining that they never received their item later?

They pay cash they have NO comeback, it's the ideal payment for sellers on Ebay.

TurkishDelight

gavjbrown wrote: »

Is there an option to do a mutual cancellation after you have opened a uid?

There is now yes, I don't know when they changed it because you never used to be able to, but you can change halfway.

(I'd take screenshots, but we've not got one open)

pug_in_a_bed

Those who have said what a worrier the op is, how silly they are for not accepting collection etc; I think those responses are unfair. This was a post asking for advice not judgement.

It may seem silly to some of us that the seller is worried about people coming to their home, but I don't think that's unreasonable at all.

Perhaps the op is an inexperienced ebayer and has just panicked a bit. We've all been there

It is unreasonable for the buyer to be threatening negative feedback.

If the op did not specify collection, they are within their rights not to accept it.

OP, keep the buyers emails, if they leave you a neg you can use this to get it removed as this is feedback extortion.

Just Ignore them, add them to your blocked bidders list.

You might come away with a non performing seller strike if you opened a mutual cancellation and they did not accept. Its not clear if you did this or opened a non paying bidder dispute. That's not the end of the world though.

If you end up posting this item, just make sure you send it special delivery.

Report the bidder to ebay regarding their feedback threat.

bob_regis

Thanks for all the posts.

Let me try and explain it a bit clearer, my OP looking back was a bit woolly.

I sold an item last Tuesday, and the buyer contacted me telling me that they wanted to pick the item (and pay in cash) right then and to forward them my address immediately.

I refused (I was at work etc) and they then sent a total of around 20 emails over the next three days getting increasingly more threatening. I would have probably agreed but it was the nature of the escalation in tone that got me quite worried.

Four days after the sale I opened an Unpaid Item Dispute - as they hadn't paid.

That was yesterday, and immediately I got another quite menacing email telling me that they would pay for the item in ebay and then leave me intentionally poor feedback, and claim that they never received the item unless I closed the case.

I spoke to ebay on chat and they told me that the buyer had not broken any ebay policies and if they pay for the item then there would be no problem.

The reason why I marked this as Urgent was the email gave me an ultimatum of 90 minutes otherwise they would carry out their threat.

Thanks for the comments suggesting I am being a bit of a wimp, but the increasingly threatening tone of the email is what got me worried.

I have learnt several lessons really, first I need to put on my auctions No Pick Up, I need to try and hide my postcode, and if I request help from this forum I should write a better worded request.

In the end I did close the case (within the Resolution Centre) stating that there was a disagreement with payment and the buyer also agreed to close the case. The buyer did not receive any detrimental effects to their feedback (either did I) and I have gone on to block them from bidding on my items again.

Thanks for all the advice offered here. It was all helpful and has opened my eyes a little to the world of ebay.

PS. I loved the comment "over dramatic bed wetter" that made me chuckle, you are probably right.

Mrs_justjohn

bob_regis wrote: »

Thanks for all the posts.

Let me try and explain it a bit clearer, my OP looking back was a bit woolly.

I sold an item last Tuesday, and the buyer contacted me telling me that they wanted to pick the item (and pay in cash) right then and to forward them my address immediately.

I refused (I was at work etc) and they then sent a total of around 20 emails over the next three days getting increasingly more threatening. I would have probably agreed but it was the nature of the escalation in tone that got me quite worried.

Four days after the sale I opened an Unpaid Item Dispute - as they hadn't paid.

That was yesterday, and immediately I got another quite menacing email telling me that they would pay for the item in ebay and then leave me intentionally poor feedback, and claim that they never received the item unless I closed the case.

I spoke to ebay on chat and they told me that the buyer had not broken any ebay policies and if they pay for the item then there would be no problem.

The reason why I marked this as Urgent was the email gave me an ultimatum of 90 minutes otherwise they would carry out their threat.

Thanks for the comments suggesting I am being a bit of a wimp, but the increasingly threatening tone of the email is what got me worried.

I have learnt several lessons really, first I need to put on my auctions No Pick Up, I need to try and hide my postcode, and if I request help from this forum I should write a better worded request.

In the end I did close the case (within the Resolution Centre) stating that there was a disagreement with payment and they agreed to close the case. The buyer did not receive any detrimental effects to their feedback (either did I) and I have gone on to block them from bidding on my items again.

Thanks for all the advice offered here. It was all helpful and has opened my eyes a little to the world of ebay.

PS. I loved the comment "over dramatic bed wetter" that made me chuckle, I probably was being that.

So you did start an unpaid item dispute and the buyer told you to close it within 90 mins or he would neg and cause you problems??

Personally I would have just hung on for the 4 days and then closed the UID - thus getting protection from the neg feedback. IF he went through with his threat of 'paying so he could neg' then I would have sent the item special delivery so I could prove it was delivered. That way if he did go on to neg at least I had his money...:rotfl:. Either way I would not have backed down following his threats. I small red blob in cyberspace would not make me lose my 'principals'.

It would however seem that you did give into his threats and then changed the UID to a mutual withdrawal? (wasn't aware you could do that) and the buyer has now agreed to cancel the transaction? You state the buyer did not get any detrimental effects to their feedback. You couldn't have negged them anyway and any false positive left by you would have been removed had they reported it. You state you have not received bad feedback either - but have they left you a positive? If not they have 60 days in which to leave feedback so I wouldn't count your chickens just yet:(. By switching to a mutual withdrawal you have NO protection against a neg (unless buyer messes up their comment;)).

bob_regis

Mrs_justjohn wrote: »

So you did start an unpaid item dispute and the buyer told you to close it within 90 mins or he would neg and cause you problems??

That is correct.

Personally I would have just hung on for the 4 days and then closed the UID - thus getting protection from the neg feedback. IF he went through with his threat of 'paying so he could neg' then I would have sent the item special delivery so I could prove it was delivered. That way if he did go on to neg at least I had his money...:rotfl:. Either way I would not have backed down following his threats. I small red blob in cyberspace would not make me lose my 'principals'.

I was worried about the hassle this would cause but looking back your way sounds much better.

It would however seem that you did give into his threats and then changed the UID to a mutual withdrawal? (wasn't aware you could do that) and the buyer has now agreed to cancel the transaction? You state the buyer did not get any detrimental effects to their feedback. You couldn't have negged them anyway and any false positive left by you would have been removed had they reported it. You state you have not received bad feedback either - but have they left you a positive? If not they have 60 days in which to leave feedback so I wouldn't count your chickens just yet:(. By switching to a mutual withdrawal you have NO protection against a neg (unless buyer messes up their comment;)).

I guess I just have to wait the 60 days...and find out.

Thanks for your reply.

pug_in_a_bed

If they leave feedback I think you'd be able to get it removed with that threatening email about feedback, whatever you do don't delete it!

emweaver

McKneff wrote: »

Boy, are you a worrier or what...............

What if, What if, I know this forums are for advice so Im not judging you but stop worrying about what might happen.............

It comes over that it you worry a lot and not just about this.

Nothing wrong with being cautious, infact I saw on crimestoppers someone met someone off ebay in a carpark, got robbed and left for dead. If the buyer is getting agressive then last thhing I would want is them knowing where I live!