I'm having a little situation on ebay. I sold a lot g3s to a lady on ebay and the auction ended last Monday. The seller paid almost right away. I worked until 6pm the rest of the week and did not have time to go to the post office so I paid for shipping online Thursday night. However, I did not get the ponies to the P.O. until Saturday night, so the ponies weren't even picked up until Monday and shipped Sunday. I got this message from her;

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Paypal pymt. was recd quite a while ago from me. Order shows I should have recd pkg by today, and I just noticed that it just left Ohio today. Why the delay on something I thought I would have already? I'm a little disappointed at this point. That's why I am giving you a chance to explain before I leave my comments after I receive pkg. Thank you.

So I sent back;

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Hello, I'm really sorry for the delay. I don't want to make excuses but I have an infant at home and also a full time job and can't make it to the post office everyday. I know that you paid quickly and I appreciate that. Sometimes real life gets in the way. Is there anything I can do for you?

And then she sent back;

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I do understand, but you are running a business. As far as what you can do for me........I leave that decision up to you. My preschool class is patiently awaiting the arrive of the my little ponies, that I was expecting already. Surprise me with something in the mail to make up for the delay.

What??? Do I really owe her a pony because I didn't ship right away? Does that seem fair? I feel like she's saying send me a pony or I'll give you neg feedback. She didn't say she was going to but that's what it seems like.

I didn't ship within my usual 2 business days, but like I said, real life gets in the way. What should I do?

WHAT THE--Ignore her request and report her. x_x No use caving into threats! She sounds horrible!!

Baroo? Her preschool class is waiting on some ponies purchased off eBay? Call me crazy, but I'm not buying that one. Possible, sure, but it reads more like an attempt at emotional blackmail to me.

If it is true, well ... I'm really trying to think of a way to phrase this that won't get me in trouble here. Uh, I periodically work with kids in an educational setting, and I can't imagine promising them a toy or a treat or anything else that was dependent on the vagaries of online auctions. I don't think much of anybody who would do that.

So either she's feeding you a line to try and guilt you into something, or she's a really, really crummy preschool teacher. I know, I know, never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. But I'm still not buying that line. YMMV.

Edited to add: I know eBay is a harsh land for sellers, but do they have some sort of reporting system you can use for buyers attempting extortion?

The buyer had a right to be miffed about the slow shipping (if your auction promised a certain handling time) but she blew it when she resorted to blackmail. I'd report her. For future reference, when I've been really late mailing an item I've refunded a buck or two of the shipping price.

I would just tell her something like "I apologise that there was a slight delay in shipping..." because really, it wasnt that much of a delay, some of us have jobs, seriously "...but you have been sent the items that your purchased and I do not feel I am under any obligation to send you additional items at no cost."

wow I'm not liking the sound of that very much at all . Yes it can be disappointing when a package doesnt arrive as quickly as expected, but you did communicate with her and apologise. I do not think she should be using the 'send me a free gift to make up for it or I'll give you bad feedback' line . Thats the problem with ebay now though.. the buyer has too much power these days, and the seller cant leave anything but good feedback. Sooo some buyers are on a bit of a power trip ..or she could just be having a bad day and is coming across all wrong (had that happen to me on ebay once..)
If you do want to respond to her and keep her sweet, then maybe offer a partial shipping refund for the delay (as you did ask if there was anything you could do for her in your response to her) but if you feel threatened then its prolly best to report it to ebay. It's not right that she asked you to send her a free gift

I know what I'd send her.



Seriously though, this is exactly what I meant in that other thread, buyers being trained by eBay to treat casual sellers the same as big huge companies. "You're running a business!" No, lady, I'm selling off a few leftover items at a virtual garage sale.

I understand the buyer's view, but as both a seller and a buyer, I know things can come up. Right now she is blackmailing you which is against Ebay TOS. Report her. I would probably refund her a partial amount of the shipping cost.

How does this sound?

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I'm not running a business, MLP is a huge hobby of mine. As you can see from my feedback, my shipping is 4.9 out of 5 stars because I normally ship out on time. This truly was real life in the way so I do not feel I owe you a surprise in the mail. I'm sorry again and I hope that a partial refund of shipping will make up for the delay, but I will not be sending anything else.

That sounds good, but I'd still report her in case she leaves you a neg.

Yes, I'm still going to do that. And also I am going to block her. And here is her username.

mecemisslaura58

I would absolutely report her for feedback extortion; there is no way that she would have received the package in the time it took for you to mail it, even if you HAD mailed it out Monday night right after it finished. :/ Someone has a bit of an inflated sense of entitlement, it sounds to me!!

If it were me, I would only offer a dollar or two refund - this person sounds like a serious pill, and it is BEYOND shady that she is asking for a surprise in the mail!! If I were a meaner person, I might send a little surprise along, all right - bwa ha ha ha! >:D

If you do nothing else, add her to your blocked bidder list, and please let us know who she is so we can avoid her too! What a nasty person to sell to!

You could point out that it says ESTIMATED delivery, reassure her that the package is on its way and it'll be delivered shortly. Be kind to her (even if it's hard).

And well.... D: BLAH. You won't be able to change her mind, but that is not a very long wait. All she deserves in an apology. Send her a hand note in the mail~!!!! "I'm sorry "

I guess you should change your "ships within" time so this sort of thing doesn't happen again. The worst she can do is give a neg, and if she gives a ridiculous neg, then ebay would take care of it... but if she says "Slow shipping", then, well, technically you didn't ship within your own estimated time (unfortunately).

I hope it works out for you....

Lol, yes BLAH! I've already said what I needed to say, and it was shipped out in what I think was a timely matter, so if she's not happy, phooey on her. Lol! Thank you everyone for your help and opinions, and I'll let you know what happens with feedback. I'm definately changing my s&h time too. Then hopefully everyone will be happy again.

That sounds like a horrible buyer. The only time I am disappointed by slow shipping is when I know the seller is overcharging on shipping to make some extra cash and doesn't apologize. Its one of my major pet peeves. It sounds like you were completely willing to makeup for the delay in a very reasonable manner so hopefully ebay is fair and sides with you. I am sorry you had to go through that. Its stories like this one that has always kept me away from being a seller on ebay.