Sold A Fp, No Payment- Any Ideas?

[rochester21]

So here`s an awkward situation- back in april i had a fountain pen for sale. Someone contacted me and paid for it. I was getting ready to pack and ship it, when user "XYZ" from UK contacted me and told me that the particular pen i just sold was worth about double the price i had asked for it. I wasn`t exactly swimming in money at the time, so i decided to cancel the sale and return the money, which i did- this was a big mistake, as i`ve come to realize now.

 

Because XYZ seemed like a friendly and knowledgeable person(apparently he restores vintage pens as a hobby), i offered to send him the fp for a price closer to its market value. XYZ agreed, i shipped the pen the next day. He confirmed receiving it a few days later and i`ve been waiting to receive payment for it ever since.

 

The problem is that i can`t seem to get in touch with him anymore. He hasn`t logged in his fpn account in a couple of months. I have his address and i did send him a letter a couple of weeks ago, but to no avail. I wish i could at least get the pen back at my expense, but since there is no reply from his part, i`m not sure what to think anymore.

 

Out of sheer frustration, i`ve decided to share this story with you. Maybe there is someone around who personally knows this user and can get in touch with him(i don`t have his phone number), so i could at least understand what`s going on.

 

Edit: When i sold the pen to XYZ i didn`t ask for payment in advance, mainly because i cannot withdraw money off my paypal. The agreement was that i send the pen, and after getting it he would send me the money via bank transfer.

Edited August 21, 2017 by RMN
removed username

[Bluey]

Oh dear, that was a big red flag stating that it's worth double the price then offering to pay.

 

I'm hoping for you that it has been a mix up of sorts. There should be some sort of anti-theft measures in the payment system(eg paypal) you used, so I would look there first thing.

And then keep a look out in the ads for the same pen.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Bluey

[Chrissy]

I didn't read the OP's post as any sort of a problem in the payment system.

 

I read it as someone else bought it at the price requested, then 'XYZ' sent the seller a message saying it was worth twice what he had asked for.

 

Unwisely, IMHO, the seller then refunded the PayPal payment to the original buyer and cancelled their transaction. That was the end of the monetary transaction between the seller and the original buyer.

 

Then he sent the pen, without any payment, to 'XYZ' and has heard nothing since. It's not totally clear whether 'XYZ' ever actually promised to buy it.

 

I would send a letter to 'XYZ' requesting either the return of the pen or payment for it by a specific date.

Edited August 21, 2017 by RMN
removed username

[KellyMcJ]

Yikes. At worst, take this as a lesson learned to always get payment before you send the goods, then ship with tracking/delivery confirmation. That way, even if they pull a fast one and cancel the payment after it's sent, you have proof to present to PayPal/law enforcement that the item was shipped and they owe you the money.

 

Other than that, I really hope this works out for you. I think the admins would need to get involved here- it's been a long time since I signed up, so I don't remember, but don't the admins have everyone's real contact details on file? Well, whatever we provide anyway. There is no telling how many "Jane Does" there are on this forum. But they would be the best to help you here.

 

This sounds like clear cut theft, and you would need to take legal action in order to rectify this.

[Bluey]

I didn't read the OP's post as any sort of a problem in the payment system.

 

I meant that paypal have some protections if no payment took place, but the OP doesn't mention some of the surrounding details such as their payment expectation (obviously XYZ must have said how and when they intend to pay).

 

It's odd that the user confirmed that they've received it rather than simply disappearing. This is what makes me think of the possibility that perhaps they have paid, and there may be a problem in the payment system.

Possible anyway.

Edited August 21, 2017 by RMN
removed username

[Flounder]

Rochester, I don't feel comfortable with your selling the pen on if the original buyer had already paid for the pen. Sorry if that sounds preachy.

[rochester21]

1. I`m not proud of cancelling the first sale(never again!) and i do feel embarrassed to some extent.

 

2. When i sold the pen to XYZ i didn`t ask for payment in advance, mainly because i cannot withdraw money off my paypal. The agreement was that i send the pen, and after getting it he would send me the money via bank transfer.

Edited August 21, 2017 by RMN

[Bluey]

via bank transfer.

 

Oh no!

I'm sorry mate but that's asking to be scammed. In future, please demand that it be sent via paypal or some other more secure method to ensure you can get your money back.

 

You have their address at least. Even though the bank transfer rather than use of paypal doesn't bode well and feels a little suspicious, it may well be that they either have paid, or perhaps they had intended to pay before some other circumstance intervened.

Surely though when they received the pen they would have mentioned something about how then they are going to pay.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Bluey

[Erik Dalton]

So you screwed over one guy, then got screwed yourself, by another.

I don't condone your actions, but I hear your remorse and genuinely believe you.

Don't give up chasing this guy down. If nothing else, maybe you can get your pen back.

[Jan2016]

Just to give you some hope.

 

I have transactions and even a pen swap with XYZ and never had any issues.

 

Keep on trying, maybe he is on holidays because now it is summer holidays.

 

good luck!

[lionheartlee]

OP...I guess this could be a lesson in economics.

You were content with your first offer, and it was unfair to the buyer to have the sale canceled. You turned down a guaranteed profit for a larger profit with more risk. It's clear now that both you and the original buyer lost out here.

 

It's too bad your in this position now. I hope it ends well.

[mitto]

There are places where there is no PayPal service (and, hence, no Ebay) like where I live. All my suppliers send me pens with no advance payment and I have the option to return any pen(s) I don't like before I make the payment. Usually I make the payment within a week.

Yet, my whereabouts, street address, cell number(s) and landline number are known to almost all local vintage dealers / antique shop oveners. Some have had the honor to be my guest at my house when they visit the capital.

 

So I don't see anything wrong with what the OP did but can't see any reason why the buyer would act the way she/he did.

[Parker51]

I hate to say this, but what if the purchaser was like some people who collect fountain pens, rather old. If so, they may have become incapacitated, or even died. Just this past month, one local pen dealer died unexpectedly, while having many items up for offer on eBay. Hopefully, there weren't some buyers who paid for items as unless the sellers wife or daughter know to check and know how to access his eBay account, the items will not get sent.

This may have happened to you; so I suggest you check to see if that person is alive and if they are not, try to identify there relatives. I am assuming you have there real name and adress, as you would have needed this to send them the pen.

Edited August 20, 2017 by Parker51

[PS104]

Sorry to sound judgmental but it seems that you are your own worst enemy.

First for not doing your homework in finding out the true market value of the pen.

Secondly, for taking the word of a stranger telling you the pen was worth twice what you sold it for. What are the qualifications of this second person ?

Thirdly, for canceling the initial sale and refunding the money you already had in hand.

Fourthly, for sending the pen to a stranger before having their money in your hands.

It sounds like a con job operated by two skilled con artists.

Now you have no pen and no money

An expensive lesson to be sure.

I hope there a happy ending for you.

[Chrissy]

I also hope there is a happy ending for you. Fingers crossed.

[RMN]

Please don't mention real names/usernames, as naming and shaming is not allowed.

 

XYZ, like I used to replace the name, works as good to explain the problem.

 

 

 

D.ick

[mitto]

+1

[rochester21]

I am happy to report that i have just received payment for my pen. Another fpn user has contacted me and indicated that XYZ could be reached via twitter. So i set up an account and indeed, i got hold of him. Apparently he completely forgot about the whole affair, but he was quick to fix the situation.

 

All`s well that ends well. I have to thank everyone for helping me resolve the situation. Once again i am proud to be part of the FPN community (even though i haven`t contributed much lately).

 

Post scriptum: I am sorry for using real names, but this actually helped me solve the problem. Hopefully i will never have to do this again!

Edited August 21, 2017 by rochester21

[Chrissy]

That's good news. I'm glad it worked out for you.

[mitto]

Congrats on the happy ending.