Item no longer available ....??

[Tillyscoutsmum]

I bid on something and got the winning bid. I paid by Paypal, got a receipt and have been waiting for the item to arrive. I've just had a refund via Paypal with a message from the seller saying that the item is no longer available.

I obviously can't force them to send it, but its not something that's happened before. Does it seem a bit odd ?

They probably did not get as much as they wanted for it, hence returning the money. Or someone else has emailed to pay more privately.

Either way it stinks and is bad form.

That's what I thought. Don't suppose I can leave any negative feedback though if the transaction hasn't actually gone through ? Bloody annoying though

It does seem wierd to me but i've had a similar experience this week

I bid on an item and was not winning it. Then the person winning the auction withdrew the bid and I then seemed to be winning. On the last day the item was withdrawn but has since been relisted.

Sorry to hijack your thread but I was hoping someone out there can help as I'm not sure what the rules are on this either.

I would report both to ebay, and ask for their advice on this. You can leave neg feedback saying that you purchased the item only to be told it was no longer available - other buyers beware sort of thing.

They could come back with something on yours though, but if they have not given you proper reasons why it has happened, i would say they are ripping you both off.

Also make sure that if you got the refund via paypal, you did not get charged a fee for receiving. i.e they need to send it as a 'gift' or something like that, then you don't pay a fee.

start an "item not recieved" so you can stop them doing it to others!

and yes, you can leave feedback, even though he hasnt sent it. Let other potential buyers know he isnt squeaky clean!

ashoesandbagsbird, it sounds like the seller got a mate to bid on the item in the hope of persuading you (as the genuine bidder) to enter into a bidding war. When that didn't work, the mate withdrew his/her bid. The seller obviously wasnt happy with the amount he/she was going to get for the item. You should report it but I cant imagine ebay will do anything about it. Shill bidding is against ebay regulations but in the end, higher selling prices result in higher fees for ebay so why would they care?

But after saying that, I recently withdrew an item (a toy)after selling it and had to refund the buyer. This was because my son got his hands on it and broke it! Grr.. So the seller may well have a genuine reason for withdrawing the item, you never know.