Ebay Seller Can Cancel And Refund Without Buyer Permission.

Yeh, mistakes happen it just depends on how you handle them. I recently sent a buyer an 1884 V nickel instead of an 1887 I still had that he bought. I asked if he could send it back and I would pay for the shipping but he said not to worry about it. He sent it back and I sent the right coin right away.

It's all very interesting. My concern, which I should have stated more clearly, is if you win an auction and pay immediately, and the seller isn't happy with the final bid, can they just cancel the purchase and refund your money, and just give some lame excuse? This has never happened to me, but it was one of the first things I thought of.

Some do, that's for sure. Many? I don't know. I've never had it happen to me in 10 years and nearly 1000 transactions but I've been lucky and do some due diligence before bidding too.

A seller CAN do that, but is taking an enormous risk, as then the buyer can leave them negative or neutral feedback

To most people who treat selling like a legitimate business rather than a hobby, the loss of a few dollars in an item selling for below market value is a far better option than a nasty negative which could cost the seller HUNDREDS of dollars in lost revenue

Which brings me to my next point...




IMO, the idea of leaving neutral or negative based on 'suspicions' of wrongdoing is setting a very dangerous precedent... With ebay tilted so far in the favor of the unscrupulous buyer, the (seemingly growing) idea of leaving negative or neutrals based off of 'suspicion' or sour grapes certainly makes it tougher on the seller trying to do things the right way... IMO, dinging sellers for minor missteps simply makes the impact of a justified negative for a con artist selling fake coins or bait and switching, far less...

Did not mean to touch a nerve, simply stating my opinion.

You are certainly well within your right to leave any sort of feedback, justified or not, for any ebay seller, as is any other ebay buyer...

I will certainly bow out of this conversation if I am out of line...

Major coin auction houses can do the same thing too. Years ago I was the winner in a coin auction at a major coin auction house (that shall remain nameless). I got a killer deal in a live bid and was confirmed the winner only to be contacted the next day that the consigner had withdrawn the coin, and my bid would not be honored.

So it's not just ebay.

I was basing my statement of "many" on the numerous complaints I've seen on here from buyers who had a good deal cancelled out from under them, and the suspicion was because the auction went for too low an amount. Sometimes the seller says it was sold elsewhere, or they lost it; it was put up by accident, or what-have-you. Sometimes it's even automagically "found" a few weeks later because it's back up for auction from the same seller.

Personally, I've never had it done to me, either..(at least not that I can recall at the moment, my memory is pretty shot) but the auctions I win are usually around normal going rate.