Missed a cancellation - is there really no way to cancel now?

[teap0t42]

I somehow missed a cancellation last week - for some reason there was no notification under the bell and I only go in to my messages when I get a notification I've received one, so I didn't spot it until I got an angry email from the customer this morning.

Of course the order also didn't show up in my list to be despatched as it gets hidden once a cancellation request comes in, so it went undetected.

My fault of course, aided by eBay's changes making it harder to spot things like this.

However, I now find I can't cancel the order. The original request timed out and I can't choose cancel manually as I just get a message saying there is already a cancellation request for the item - which eBay has decided to deny as I didn't see it in time.

So, how do I go about cancelling it? I seem able to refund, but what is the difference between just refunding and a refund via a cancellation?

[ed_58611]

Check here first as you may find something to help...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/order-cancellation-policy?id=5298

[teap0t42]

Thanks, but there is nothing I can see. It does confirm they will automatically decline a cancellation request after 3 days if the item was paid - most BIN items will be, so that's a bit pointless.

It doesn't say that once closed a cancellation can't be reopened, but that seems to be the case.

At worst, I may get a slap for refunding saying the buyer asked to cancel - an automated system is likely to spot the declined cancellation request and think I'm pulling a fast one. Who knows with eBay...

[*guinevere*]

Contact ebay and ask them to cancel the order for you. 

eBay Customer Service

[m25jet]

In addition to the advice you have already been given, it may be worth contacting the buyer via eBay Messages explaining that you didn't see the cancellation request due to the fact that the eBay notification function wasn't working and therefore didn't bring it to your attention.  Apologise for any confusion that the issue may have caused, and reassure the buyer that you will refund his/her money in full.  At least if you do that then there's a possibilty that once the buyer calms down he/she may see it as a genuine mistake on your part, as opposed to a deliberate attempt to refuse the refund and keep the money from the sale.  If the buyer does indeed realise that you weren't deliberately ignoring the cancellation request with the intention of keeping the money after you apologise and explain what went wrong, then the buyer may well change his/her mind about leaving you some damaging negative feedback if he/she is currently feeling inclined to do so.

[teap0t42]

Yes, that's pretty much the first thing I did, apologise profusely and refund manually as soon as it became obvious a cancellation was non-trivial to sort.

No reply yet, let's hope!

[teap0t42]

Of course, the next issue is that having refunded it is now appearing on my list of orders to despatch. The only way to remove it appears to be to mark it as sent, which will just confuse the buyer more and probably mess things up further...

[m25jet]

@teap0t42 wrote:

Of course, the next issue is that having refunded it is now appearing on my list of orders to despatch.  The only way to remove it appears to be to mark it as sent, which will just confuse the buyer more and probably mess things up further...

Whatever you do, don't mark the item as having been sent, or your prediction that it'll just confuse the buyer further may well come true!  If that were to happen then you could potentially end up with another angry e-mail from the buyer, and perhaps some negative feedback relating to the contradictory information.

The best way to sort this matter would be to contact eBay Customer Services as suggested earlier on in this thread.  The best option would be to contact eBay early on in the morning, as that way you've got a better chance of getting through to an eBay representative in Ireland, as opposed to somebody based in the Philippines, and therefore would be far more likely to get through to somebody who speaks English fluently.

Once you get a call back from somebody at eBay explain what has gone wrong, pointing out to them that although you have refunded the buyer in full you still have a notifcation from eBay telling you to despatch the item.  If you're lucky enough to get through to an eBay representative with an ounce of sense then hopefullly he/she will be able to sort the matter out from his/her end and make the necessary changes to confirm that the buyer has been refunded in full and that you do not, therefore, need to despatch the item.  You will also get your Final Value Fees refunded as a result of issuing the refund as per the buyer's request.

[padanpcparts]

Totally agree, the cancellation system is a mess. Easy solution to this one which is the opposite of the above poster. 

Contact the customer. Nice short apology. Ask them what the issue was and why they were cancelling.

If they still want to cancel (they dont always so its worth asking), then message them and advise that you are going to mark the item as dispatched and that you want them to open a return for the item as 'No longer required'. Advise that you can then refund them immediately. 

Once return is opened, refund, relist. Get on with your day. Not stuck in any que, and does not affect any meaningful service metrics. 

Done.