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Pricing error – buyer threatens to leave a negative review, what should I do?
Summary: alexshop_24, a commercial seller on eBay, made a pricing mistake and accidentally sold an item at a far too low price. The buyer insisted on receiving the item at the incorrect price and threatened to leave negative feedback if the sale was canceled. perfect-sally advised arguing that it was an error of law and pointed to possible legal consequences. petersmodellbahnstuebchen recommended communicating politely with the buyer and, if necessary, treating the loss as a lesson learned. alexshop_24 expressed hope of finding a reasonable solution despite the looming financial loss.
Hello everyone,
I’m a commercial seller on eBay and unfortunately I made a big mistake.
I accidentally listed an item at a much too low price. The listed price was almost €100 below the actual selling price. The item was bought within a few minutes.
I contacted the buyer right away, apologized for the pricing error, and offered to sell him the item for €150 as compensation, which is still a very good price. Unfortunately, he رفض and replied that under German law I am obligated to sell the item at that price. He also announced that he would give me a negative rating if I cancel the sale.
What would you do in this situation? Has anyone already had similar experiences with an obvious pricing mistake? Does canceling make sense in a case like this, or would you ship the item despite the high loss?
Thank you very much for your experiences and advice.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
Mentor1 month agoHey @alexshop_24
Something similar has happened to most of us at some point too. There’s only one thing that helps: communicate politely with the buyer and try to find a solution that works for both sides.
Otherwise, I’d write off the loss as tuition money and be more careful when listing in future.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
alexshop_24
OP1 month agoThank you very much for your replies. Yes, this is really a very unpleasant situation. What’s especially frustrating is that I sold the item below my purchase price, which means I would take a significant loss. Still, I hope a reasonable solution can be found.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
Mentor1 month agoHi @alexshop_24
but for the fact that you offered the item below your purchase price, the buyer can’t help that. That was your decision alone, even if unintentionally.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
perfect-sally
Mentor1 month agoWell, there is a legally valid purchase contract! Of course, you can plead mistake, and if the buyer demonstrably threatened you with a bad review, it may be that that will also be deleted.
However, the buyer could also take action against you outside of that.
And if he does that through a lawyer, he will certainly also check your legally required commercial details and see that quite a lot is missing there, and that could get expensive too!
alexshop_24
OP1 month agoThanks a lot for your replies. Yes, this is really a very unpleasant situation. What’s especially annoying is that I sold the item below my purchase price and would therefore make a significant loss. Still, I hope a reasonable solution can be found.
alexshop_24
OP1 month ago