I've been using ebay for years, mostly as a buyer but I've sold a handful of items, too. I have 100% positive feedback and always pay promptly.
A couple of days ago, I used a sniper program to bid on and win a pair of Bridgestone Spitfire tires. The front and rear were listed seperately.
Within minutes of the auction end, I received this via ebay messages:
We have encountered a little problem at the warehouse. We sent out a set of tires to another fellow about 10 days ago. I have a 17 year old and a 19 year old working there. They didn't read the label as closely as they should have and grabbed the wrong tire. They sent two front tires to him and he was wanting a front and a rear in the Spitfire. I saw this rear tire sitting on the shelf so listed it, not realizing there was an error with the order. We only have the front tire in the Spitfire and not the rear. Would you be willing to cancel the tire sale for the rear? Or would you be interested in a rear but it would cost more? I would sell it to you for my cost for the same tire. I wouldn't be able to find out the price until Monday when our distributor is open. Anyways, I wanted to let you know why I haven't sent you an invoice. I won't be sending one to you until we get this all figured out. Thanks.
My reply:
I need a pair. If you have a rear you can sell "at cost", why can't you honor the auction price?
He replied today (or last night):
In answer to your question, "Because the tire was inventory stock on the shelf and not something we would have to order in from the distributor." The auction price on eBay for this tire is below our "at cost" prices but we are not sure by how much until we find out from the distributor on Monday. Be assured that the 19 year old was informed today of her mistake. She has worked for us two years and is a very capable and valued employee but anyone can make a mistake. We encourage rechecking items before they are boxed up and shipped. She just completed the task too quickly and didn't check the tire as carefully as she should have. For the other buyer's order, we not only have to pay shipping for the wrong tire to be returned BUT also we have to pay for the shipping of the correct tire out. By offering you the tire at our cost, we are trying to make the best of this situation. At this point, we make no money on either sale but we value our service to buyers (like yourself) and repeat customers. That is more important to us. If there is something more we should be doing, please let me know. Thanks.
I wrote back:
I'm really sorry that your employee made a mistake. However, you listed an item, I bid, I won. I don't see why I should have to pay for your/your employees mistake. This sounds like a typical "bait and switch". I have received invoices for both items. I'm ready to pay right now. Ebay will back me on this, I'm sure. As soon as you can assure me that I'll receive the items I legally and rightfully won, I'll pay for them. I'd really like to resolve this without getting the ebay resolution center involved.
So, what next? Should I pay the invoices NOW and let ebay figure it out? Should I give him a chance to respond?
I know that in ebay's eyes, the buyer is always right and, in this particular case, I don't see where he has a leg to stand on.
