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Unfair auction shenanigans

I recently won an auction on the big auction site where I was the only bidder on a flair tip ss and got it for $5. Was quite happy and paid immediately. A few days later got a note from the seller saying he mailed it off to the wrong person and if I don't want to wait until he gets it back he'll give a refund. I said I understood and that these things happen and I was happy to wait. A week later he said it still hasn't shown up and again offered a refund. Again I politely said I was in no rush and happy to wait. Another week later I got a notice saying the seller has opened a refund saying the buyer had returned the item and asked for a refund ( which I haven't).

I'm pretty sure the story was just bogus and he just didn't want to sell for the good price I got it for. It wasn't anything special just a run of the mill user grade flair tip but I'm pretty disappointed I can't get the item I won and paid for. I'm also a bit put off by him saying it was because I returned it, saying it was my fault.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? What did you do? I guess there's not much else I can do but I do think it's pretty unfair when I play by the rules.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Report the issue to ebay.
Sellers who don't honor commitments should be reported and forbidden to operate sales there.
 
I agree with reporting to Ebay. A deal is a deal and should be honored no matter what.
That is exactly the kind of stuff that can easily **** me off too,punks with no character selling stuff online.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I'll add that this particular sale may not ever be resolved to your personal satisfaction, but at least the seller will be sent a signal that this kind of behavior isn't tolerated. You might save someone else down the line the same frustration.
 
Definitely report it. If it's eBay, they're pretty good about cracking down on sellers who don't honor a sale and his excuse won't fly with them, especially the "I sent it to the wrong person" tale. Will they take action based on one instance? I don't know, but if the person gets more than one complaint along these lines, they definitely will. Always communicate with the seller via eBay-hosted emails and not private emails. They will have a record of everything you told him and everything he told you when they investigate the matter.

The issue might not be resolved with you actually getting the razor, but since eBay depends on participants to basically gauge the integrity of other members, if you feel wronged, it's important to report it so the person won't do it to somebody else.

I once had an issue where the local UPS store mixed up the labels on something I was having packed and shipped out and when my buyer received a 5-pound box of Whitman's chocolates instead of a $300 telescope, he was very upset. I managed to convince him I wasn't a con artist and fortunately he was willing to allow me to call in help from eBay and they worked with me, the buyer, the person who received the wrong item and also UPS to rectify the situation. eBay somehow got UPS to actually go back to the house where the telescope was delivered, get it back and get it to my seller and also worked with the local UPS store to acquire another box of chocolates from a nearby store and send it to the person it was originally intended for. I was pretty amazed that they were willing to go to that much trouble to fix this situation. All I was asked to do was return to the UPS store, tell them what happened and get them to cooperate with eBay. They take this stuff pretty seriously.
 
In the future I would look to this site to get you nice quality razors a pretty good price. There are a lot of honorable and trustworthy members here that put up many vintage razors on BST at a great price, Good luck and I hope all works out well for you.
 
Have you contacted the seller and asked him why he initiated the refund?

If the seller had other items for sale at the same time, then it's possible that he accidentally sent the razor to the wrong party and that the other party did not honor his request to return the razor. If that was the case, then his only option was to initiate a refund.

I realize that it's more likely that someone offered him more money after the sale had closed, but it's also possible that it was an honest error and that the seller is telling the truth.
 
Hard luck, I had something very similar great razor for a good price. Seller blamed the post I told him I was happy to wait. Eventually eBay refunded my money when I wanted the Razor.

Keep an eye out to see if it gets relisted.
 
Recently I purchased an Aritocrat from an eBay vendor, who stated in the description the razor was in "excellent" condition. The posting had the usual disclaimer that the photos were part of the discription, but they were taken in poor lighting. When I recieved the razor it was immediately apparent that someone had sanded the gold off the silo doors, and polished the brass to shine a little. Therefore the photo of the doors in the poor lighting looked OK. Anyway it was obvious to me and eBay that this seller did this deceptive listing on purpose. When I attempted to contact the seller for 5 hours to no avail, I contacted the eBay resolution center. Once they opened a case, the seller responded almost immediately. Imagine that. Eventually I got my refund, even though the seller indicated no returns on the listing. So I say, contact the eBay resolution center, and let them help you sort it out. Good luck sir.
 
Sorry to hear about your bad experience on the bay ! I've bought a few items from there but have always had good experiences. You definitely should report this seller to e-bay and start buying your shaving gear off this forum. I've had nothing but great experiences buying from other members here. Good luck solving your problem with that unscrupulous seller.
 
It's a 2 way street, I have sold several hundred razors and have had no issues 90% of the time, but the other buyers who try to cheat have forced me to vastly restrict my selling. The latest one took apart a Fat Boy, couldn't put it back together so claimed I sent it in that condition, others have claimed non delivery until I produce shipping docs, another claimed a defective product until I reminded him he left positive reviews 2 weeks prior. I had a girl say her bid didn't count since she was drinking at the time, i have had numerous try to get me to sell cheaper in a private transaction. Their boldness really floors me, I just don't need the aggravation so I will sell only a few razors every 6 months or so, then quit when someone starts their crap. Its a hobby to me, I don't need the money, I am not out to cheat anybody so when someone is less than ethical I quit selling and everybody loses
 
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