Buyer is threatening litigation over item I refused to sell. What can I do?

[peridot77]

I listed a $500 furniture item on Ebay on behalf of my mother twice last year and a buyer from Canada purchased it the second time. Both auctions listed 'local pick-up only - no shipping'. This buyer had inquired about the mirror during the first auction and we investigated shipping options, but nothing came of this. The buyer made an offer on the mirror that I did not accept and the listing ended without any buyers. I listed the item a month later and the buyer from Canada went ahead and purchased it at the 'buy it now price' without contacting me first to see if I would allow this. The buyer also sent the payment immediately and wanted to schedule a time when a shipper could pick it up. My mother has been adamant about not selling the item to another country and that is why I listed the 'local pick-up only' terms in both listings. I sent a message to the buyer stating that we do not want to ship the mirror out of the country because it is extremely fragile and refunded the payment immediately after sending the message. The buyer has since been contacting me at work demanding that I sell the mirror and has threatened litigation today. Since the buyer is in Canada, can she file a suit against me for this? The mirror is not even mine and my mother has the receipt to prove it. It was purchased before I was born. I am very concerned about this situation and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[dee_dub]

The auction that the would-be purchaser won specifically said "local pick up only". It doesn't say "not for sale to another country". So that's a little fuzzy. What if someone from another state wanted to buy it and send someone to pick it up?

The purchaser being in Canada is no bar to them suing you. But for that amount, they'd need to sue you in small claims, which means they'd need to file in your jurisdiction. Whether they would win is up for speculation.

 

[amijewelry]

i buy and sell on ebay all the time and they have been refunded money many times because they changed there mind on selling the item , I agree with the above answer, But if you refunded the money , I don't see what they will gain . Tell them to go ahead and do what they want. I don't believe it will go anywhere .