Sometimes I hate people on Ebay and Ebay too

[brucin 923]

I came across an old box of primers at a garage sale got them cheap and since I don't reload decided to sell them on Ebay. I list them as for parts not working and also state in my description that they must be shipped FedEx ground because they might still be live. I list US shipping only and have my account set up to block bidders who are not in countries that I ship to.

 

I get a bid of $25 for a box of almost 1000 and think great I just made 5x's my investment. Nope the buyer is from Puerto Rico. I told the buyer I want to cancel the transaction because the laws there regarding anything to do with firearms make NJ look like a 2nd amendment paradise.

 

I figure the buyer will leave me negative feed back and Ebay will let it stand even though the buyer is probably attempting to commit a felony. They buyer should and probably does know better and Ebay should not let someone from out side of the continental US bid on an item that must be shipped ground and listed as such. How the heck do you ship ground to an island???????

[PK90 3,573]

I can send a gun to PR, why can't you send primers?

 

ETA: Here is a list of Gun Dealers in PR.

[brucin 923]

I can send a gun to PR, why can't you send primers?

 

ETA: Here is a list of Gun Dealers in PR.

Thanks for the list but I don't see the buyers name on it.

 

The buyer also only gave me a PO box # and FedEx doesn't ship to those and I don't think that I can ship them via USPS.

[Gus 33]

If you don't feel comfortable shipping something to someone, then don't do it. Better to get a bad mark on an Ebay profile, than a bad cellmate in prison.

 

Even if its perfectly legal to ship these to him, if you don't know his laws, or care to learn them, then you shouldn't be forced to make a transaction you don't feel comfortable with.

[PK90 3,573]

A contract was entered into by both parties.

[Gus 33]

A contract was entered into by both parties.

A contract is null and void if it stipulates that one or both parties must enter into an illegal act. Since the OP believes this may be a felony, and since he has clearly stated in the "contract" that he ships to the U.S. only, and ground only, then he is not responsible to make the transaction.

[PK90 3,573]

I didn't read the FedEx Ground part.

PR is part of the US.

[Gus 33]

You are correct. Puerto Rico is a  territory  OF  the United States. Not to be confused with a territory IN  the United States.

 

Everyone, including the Puerto Rican who tried to purchase the primers, knew that the OP had no intention of sending these primers to Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa, or any other territory.

 

The guy was just another jerk trying to game the system.

[mikka1 2]

I am not familiar with how you can list limitations on Ebay, but can you just list shipping conditions as "Contiguous states only"?

I guess you can also state "Shipping to confirmed Paypal addresses only" - my address is unconfirmed, but out of 30+ ebay transactions as a buyer over last ~2 years I've never encountered any issues with that - I guess it is there mostly as an excuse not to ship items in specific circumstances.

 

2OP: BTW, is there any proper way to ship primers to PR or, for example, HI? Or is it just plain impossible / too expensive?

I mean, if the receiving party is willing to pay extra for shipping, why not do this?

[Gus 33]

You can put limitations on shipping by creating an exclusion list. Basically you tell them who you don't want to ship to, and they will automatically block those buyers from purchasing your item.  So if you don't want to sell to Germany, for instance, they will block German users.

[bhunted 887]

This exclusion list is built into your eBay seller profile. Mine is set for just the 48 states. Never have to worry.

[mipafox 438]

I get a bid of $25 for a box of almost 1000 and think great I just made 5x's my investment. Nope the buyer is from Puerto Rico. I told the buyer I want to cancel the transaction because the laws there regarding anything to do with firearms make NJ look like a 2nd amendment paradise.

Puerto Rico will go Shall Issue for CC before NJ. Probably in the next year.

 

Heck, I was right when I said IL would beat you to it but everyone laughed at the time.

[alec.mc 180]

I thought you couldn't even legally ship primers unless you are a certified hazardous material shipper.

[Porthole 15]

I don't have any current listings, so can't check. But, in the transaction link you should be able to have an option to cancel the bid or the auction due to ??? circumstances.

 

Once a bid is canceled through the system the buyer can no longer leave feedback. evilbay's feedback sucks anyway. They changed it several years ago to allow buyers to leave a negative feedback and sellers can only leave good.

 

The best course is to stay active on your listings, cancel any bids that you see that have your concern, and then block the bidder. Get the bidder's eb name before you cancel though.

 

Bid cancel

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CancelBidShow&hc=1&hm=um.rp73%280de71da

 

block bidders

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?BidderBlockLogin

 

end an auction early

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EndingMyAuction

 

Final value fee request

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/unpaid-items.html

[Worn_Holster 2]

Correct, you may not ship primers without being a certified hazardous material shipper. They are explosives and you should have investigated your ability to ship them before listing them. You could sell them locally without issue.

[Malsua 1,422]

For what it's worth, I've had a couple of unscrupulous bidders before that won my auctions.  One changed his address to a US location to bid, then switched when he won.    Sad to say, the products were damaged before I was able to ship.   I apologized for my fumble fingers, after all, I dropped a $450 camera lens in the toilet, the dog chewed up a copy of Illustrator, and I found mold growing on a toner cartridge.

[PK90 3,573]

For what it's worth, I've had a couple of unscrupulous bidders before that won my auctions.  One changed his address to a US location to bid, then switched when he won.    Sad to say, the products were damaged before I was able to ship.   I apologized for my fumble fingers, after all, I dropped a $450 camera lens in the toilet, the dog chewed up a copy of Illustrator, and I found mold growing on a toner cartridge.

Note to self: Never buy anything from this guy.

[brucin 923]

Ebay has refused to cancel the transaction and insists that I complete the transaction even though I already refunded the buyers money. I checked Ebay's TOS and they do not allow you to sell primers on their site so that is my out.

 

I had my account set to only allow buyers from the "United States" but have now changed it to exclude everyone except the lower 48.

[mipafox 438]

Note to self: Never buy anything from this guy.

Yeah, ripping people off because they annoy you is really funny.

 

Fucking douchebag. Put him on ignore years ago, thanks for reminding me why. I had forgotten.

[PK90 3,573]

Yeah, ripping people off because they annoy you is really funny.

 

Fucking douchebag. Put him on ignore years ago, thanks for reminding me why. I had forgotten.

 

WTF you talking about?

[Gus 33]

Yeah, ripping people off because they annoy you is really funny.

 

Fucking douchebag. Put him on ignore years ago, thanks for reminding me why. I had forgotten.

WTF you talking about?

 

Yea, I'm curious too. I didn't get that one. Did I miss something?

[Malsua 1,422]

Yea, I'm curious too. I didn't get that one. Did I miss something?

 

Yeah, dickweed upthread figured I damaged the item then shipped it, instead of just telling the person trying to scam me that it was damaged and I was unable to ship it and the auction had to close.

[brucin 923]

Spoke to someone at Ebay after about half an hour on hold and they agreed that Puerto Rico is not in the United States so transaction cancelled and final value fee refunded.

 

I am actually surprised since they almost always side with the buyer even if the buyer is obviously wrong.

[Gus 33]

Yeah, dickweed upthread figured I damaged the item then shipped it, instead of just telling the person trying to scam me that it was damaged and I was unable to ship it and the auction had to close.

 

Seems like some real bad blood here. Maybe we can forgive and forget? What do you say fellas?

[AlDente67 563]

Can I add my "I hate Ebay" story here, since we're on the topic?

 

When the first iPhones came out back in the day, a friend overseas wanted one and I was flying over on a business trip soon.  So I bid on one and lost.  2 days later, the seller emails me with an offer to accept my bid because the winner flaked out.  I agreed and Paypal the funds to his "verified bank account".  And that was the last I ever heard.

 

After much hassle, Paypal eventually covered the maximum $200 fraud refund.  So I was still out another $200 net.  If the guys' account is verified, they should be able to reverse an ACH payment, but they don't really give a crap.

 

The one thing the scam seller did wrong was using his business screen name on his Ebay profile.  Thanks Google!  The rest of the story is better left unsaid.

[fishnut 2,358]

Ok I'll add my story too. I bough some parts for my jeep( rock sliders to be specific) and to gather they weighed about 100lbs. The company shipped them from California but they shipped the wrong ones. I emailed the company with a picture and they said to bad they are not going to make it right. So I contacted eBay, they looked into it and sided with me. I was told I would have to ship back the wrong parts at MY EXPENCE! I explained that I did not want to pay for shipping because they sent the wrong parts it was not my fault. eBay said in order for me to receive a refund or the correct parts I would have to pay for the shipping to California and if I did not want to pay for the shipping The parts are mine. I don't know how much shipping is for a 100lb 4 foot long box to be shipped to California but I'm sure it costs quite a few bucks. I just ended up keeping the parts and modifying them to work. I have not used eBay since

[brucin 923]

Ok I'll add my story too. I bough some parts for my jeep( rock sliders to be specific) and to gather they weighed about 100lbs. The company shipped them from California but they shipped the wrong ones. I emailed the company with a picture and they said to bad they are not going to make it right. So I contacted eBay, they looked into it and sided with me. I was told I would have to ship back the wrong parts at MY EXPENCE! I explained that I did not want to pay for shipping because they sent the wrong parts it was not my fault. eBay said in order for me to receive a refund or the correct parts I would have to pay for the shipping to California and if I did not want to pay for the shipping The parts are mine. I don't know how much shipping is for a 100lb 4 foot long box to be shipped to California but I'm sure it costs quite a few bucks. I just ended up keeping the parts and modifying them to work. I have not used eBay since

 

Ebay has just modified the return policy. If the item is not as described the seller must pay the return shipping.

 

This is a problem for sellers because I have had a buyer claim that a Hot Wheels car I sold was not original and was damaged. I showed Ebay before and after photos that Stevie Wonder could tell that the car was not damaged when shipped and I still had to give the lying sack of crap his money back.

 

I had 2 experts check out the car, both certified it original and Ebay says "to bad."

 

I sold it to another buyer a week later for $50 less than the first buyer and the second guy was totally satisfied. The first buyer left negative feedback and armed with all this info Ebay still would not remove it or make up the difference.

 

If you sell and get stuck with an unscrupulous buyer you can get screwed royally.

 

That being said out of several hundred sales I've only had problems with 3 buyers.