Seller shipped wrong thing, then prematurely refunded

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I recently bought a game off of eBay. Unfortunately, the seller (who is very new) seems to be an inexperienced mess and a frustrating situation has developed.

They accidentally shipped out the wrong item to me. They sent a message informing me of the mistake and asking me to send the incorrect item back when it arrived. Then they sent a followup message that they were sending out the correct item, and one that they had sent it. But it seems my slowness in responding to the messages (along with the stress of the mistake) caused them to panic, because they then sent a message saying they were refunding me until the situation was resolved. By the time I saw any of these, they had already refunded me. And ironically, despite their panic I have yet to hear back from them after replying to those messages.

Which was not a very helpful move and actually makes it harder to resolve the situation, because the refund means I can't open a return request and will have to sort out the return label entirely myself. To make matters all the more annoying, the incorrect item sent was an iPhone 11. Which means it's hazmat due to the battery. And USPS' crappy Click'N'Ship web interface allows you to properly identify package contents as hazmat (and what type)... but is apparently incapable of letting you select a compatible shipping service type for that, so I can't actually buy a label online without repeating the seller's malfeasance of not properly labeling it as hazmat. So I guess I'll be dragging myself to the post office tomorrow...

Argh. What a total headache. Kinda makes me wish you could dispute refunds.

What feedback should I leave whenever this is finally sorted?

[DreamvalleyMLP]

That sounds like a real mess, but if it is indeed a newbie, I wouldn't be too harsh and just give a neutral saying that the wrong item was sent but the issue got resolved eventually. Feedback can make or break a newbie account.

Or just wait until they get back to you and see how it goes from there.

You certainly have reasons to give a negative feedback, but it sounds like the seller really was trying to correct the mistake, so maybe let it rest for a few days after everything is resolved and see how you feel.

How is their current feedback btw? That can tell you something.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

They have zero feedback and have sold a total of three items thus far. That's how new they are.

[BlackCurtains]

What a mess! I hope it works out.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I'm now very annoyed. The seller said they would send me the game, but I haven't heard from them since August 15th. Nor have I received the game.

Yesterday, I looked at their eBay page... and what should I see but a relisting of the game? It kind of makes it feel like they got cold feet about the discounted price they offered me, and messed up the shipment so they would have an excuse to cancel the order.

I'm very tempted to leave negative feedback on the transaction.
EDIT: I'm even more tempted now. I tried to make a Best Offer on the re-listing (for the price I paid on the original purchase) only to get a message saying "The seller is not currently accepting bids or offers from you".

[PinkieLopBun]

Yeah, I think you would be justified in leaving negative feedback at this point. Before, it sounded to me like they just didn’t know what they’re doing, but now it feels like they’re deliberately keeping it from you for whatever reason. Not that they should have to sell it to you, but it would have been a lot easier if they just said no.

[Ponyfan]

That is a mess.  At first I thought that the seller might have made an honest mistake (although I don't see how you can mix up a game vs an iPhone) but this just keep getting more suspicious.

I think a negative feedback is justified at this point.

Ponyfan

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

That is a mess.  At first I thought that the seller might have made an honest mistake (although I don't see how you can mix up a game vs an iPhone) but this just keep getting more suspicious.

The iPhone was apparently something else they were selling (either for parts or as a project), judging by their feedback from someone else. So it was possible they grabbed and addressed the wrong box.

I think a negative feedback is justified at this point.

Ponyfan

Yeah, wound up leaving one. I didn't want to, but after being ghosted for over a month I don't know what other choice I had. I made sure to include a detailed comment.

After speaking with eBay, I also (on their advice) reported the seller for selecting "Issue with buyer's shipping address" as their reason for canceling the order.