Seller Changing Payment Method After Auction

[deltadelta48]

Honesty never goes out of style. If this person indeed made a mistake, i.e. did not set up the proper payment plan before listing, then this person should have handled your problem differently. If an effort was made to correct things, you would not have had to waste your time, had to file a negative against him, contact ebid, contact PP, etc. Under those circumstances he could/should have cancelled the sale, and given you a positive feedback. You would have left the same for him. Right? That is a good way to solve the problem until he sorted it out.

Instead is acted like a dope, tried to get you to pay fees, refused to look at his end and figure out what went wrong so he could fix it. Things do go wrong, and it is not necessary to give everyone a negative if something goes wrong with sale (i.e. lost package). If effort is made to make it right, that person deserves a positive feedback for the effort.

You did exactly the right thing. I don't want to deal with someone like that. Every sale is not a drama where we have to contact the seller 20 times to get information or satisfaction. Who has time for that? Better he straighten out his accounts and then discuss selling on ebid with ebid administration.

Again, good for you!!!!

[ProdigiousProducts]

Honesty never goes out of style.

That comment was a result of my quirky sense of humor. Sadly, nowadays honesty and good old-fashioned courtesy seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

You are right. Had the seller simply experienced some sort of technical difficulty with accepting payment, and had he informed me as such, I would have worked with him toward a positive outcome. But, the way things played out it is obvious that this was not a legitimate seller with an actual product to offer. I am blessed that I did not lose my money in the process, and I sincerely hope that no other buyer took a loss as a result of dealing with this seller.

I think I have an idea as to why the seller was unable to receive my payment through Google Checkout. In the past, I have used Google Checkout a few times as a buyer, but I recently registered as a merchant in order to provide an additional safe payment method for buyers on eBid. After one sale was processed through Google Checkout, I received a request from Google Checkout for additional business documentation for verification purposes. Google requested such things as a copy of my driver’s license, a copy of the credit card on file, copies of invoices from my supplier(s), a copy of my business license, etc., etc. Google states that the verification process can take one week, and that in the mean time no payouts can be received. Also, if Google does not receive the verification documentation within a few days then the account will be suspended. So, it is possible that the seller in question had received the same request from Google Checkout and that he either failed to provide the documentation or that his account was never verified and was then suspended. That would cause him to not be able to receive the payout from my payment, and for Google to refund my payment to me. The seller also stated that he was unable to use PayPal (the alternate payment method I recommended). So I assumed that the seller’s PayPal account was also suspended, and the seller never refuted this assumption.

The point is had the seller been waiting for his account verification from Google Checkout (they probably would not have refunded my payment), and had he simply informed me of the situation and asked for my patience, I would have obliged. As a seller I understand that things happen, and I am not an unreasonable person. You are correct. The situation was not handled in an appropriate manner at all. Which, in my opinion, is just further proof that he was not a sincere, legitimate seller.

I only hope that I do not have any current sales process through Google Checkout while I am awaiting my account verification, because then I will be the red-faced seller beseeching a buyer’s patience and understanding.

[fine4u2say]

Thank you, Prodigious Products for taking the time to keep us posted (pun intended). I see Amazon offers a shopping cart and Facebook now has one too. What do you think of using one of them?