Unpaid Items on the rise...

[bcbeautiful]

From my last 4 reports:
Unpaid Items reported as % of sold items 17.0% , 3.9% , 18.8%, 23.5%

Wow, my unpaid items for the last 4 weeks are really high. Usually I am between 5-10%.

Auctions work really well for my type of items and my market. But seriously may start looking at BIN's with immediate payment required.

My sales have increased, even with the non-payers, so I am not going anywhere, just really wish buyers would not bid, if they don't intend to pay! Am happy that the dispute process is now a shorter time frame.

Anyone else seeing an increase?

[pierrelebel]

"dispute process is now a shorter time frame. "

That ,may be the source of your problem.

I generally do not file a dispute for three to five weeks. My percentage is very low (under 1%).

[bcbeautiful]

We wait the week still, before filing. But we do close after 4-5 days if we hear nothing from the buyer.
You're right about the shorter time, that might be the simple answer.
I wonder if eBay is seeing increases like myself in UPI .

[bighillbargains1]

My UPI's are on the rise as well. I only file if I don't hear from them within 10 days, after sending 2 reminders. I usually have to file 1 every 2 weeks or so now I'm filing 3-4 per week.

[jakeeangel]

I've been noticing that too. I like to give people time but if I hear nothing from them in a week, I file. The other thing I've been running into is people - usually 0 bidders, don't ask for shipping costs and then when I give it to them they don't want to pay because it's much higher than they thought it would be. Then I get some dum email that just says cancelling.

ARGH!!

I list on .com and ship with USPS except for Canadian customers. Lately it's been my $50 item which I'm not going to ship from outside Canada for duty and tax reasons for the buyer. But at the same time, I can't post a shipping cost because of the huge variance for cross Canada shipping so I don't have a choice but to have none posted. I'm not willing to take a loss on shipping costs for this item.

Some places it costs $12 to ship and some it's almost $20. Then there's the argument about the PST that some customers have. It's posted that I charge that in my listing but they still didn't know 'it'd be that much'.

*shrug*

File, block and move on.

[surplusdealdude]

I've had one out that enormous run of keypunch plate buyers.

Not bad.

And now, someone ELSE has written ANOTHER blog about it.

Oy.

[axe_n_gear_music]

Yeah I am seeing more unpaid items too. I report 'em on the 7th day at the latest, every time, and I find that maybe one in 100 might pay. I can tell you this, if you wait any longer, you are wasting your time. If they dont pay within 3 or 4 days, in most cases, they wont pay you at all. (unless you are selling cheaper items, and they are waiting to add other cheaper things to combine in their shipment, etc).
Report em, and close em within 4 days and move on.
Cheers,
AXE

[surplusdealdude]

My unpaid bidder paid after 4 days.

[craftycatsattic]

I haven't filed one since November and I had that one reversed as my buyer was out of country and did pay me after she received her strikes. I am like Pierre though and give very lenient terms: 3 weeks to combine with payment immediately due within the 4th week before eBay checkout expires. Perhaps it's the nature of what we sell: same category of items that can easily be shipped together. Honestly, it's almost as much work for me to ship 1 item as it is to ship 12 so I prefer to pick up extra sales by letting the buyers have fun, browse and see what new items I put up...PITA to refund and re-invoice the ones that keep buying within the same 2 days and paying separately though...and you Pierre?

[ameroindustries]

Mine are only 5.9% Highest i had was 9.5% back in November

Only 1% higher than December 379 Upi's

[pierrelebel]

"PITA to refund and re-invoice the ones that keep buying within the same 2 days and paying separately though"

Unfortunately, a few buyers do not understand the requirement to combine ALL purchases into ONE payment.

I do not re-invoice. Instead I refund in full the shipping charge on all additional payments with a note: "To refund the shipping charge (by exception). For future transactions, please DO NOT PAY each item individually but combine ALL purchases into ONE payment to save on shipping. "

A similar comment is added to the email message sent to buyers acknowledging receipt of payment and confirming shipping.

And yes, I know, it does cost me an extra $0.30 per transaction/payment. And life does go on.

[dipmicro]

"PITA to refund and re-invoice the ones that keep buying within the same 2 days and paying separately though"

Unfortunately, a few buyers do not understand the requirement to combine ALL purchases into ONE payment.

I do not re-invoice. Instead I refund in full the shipping charge on all additional payments with a note: "To refund the shipping charge (by exception). For future transactions, please DO NOT PAY each item individually but combine ALL purchases into ONE payment to save on shipping. "

Some buyers may like receiving lot of (happy) mail, or international buyers like to get under customs duty exemption, so they split orders. What's paid separately, ships separately. We had 5-6 orders from same person within same day and he keeps ordering separately.

[g-manthebossman]

Power seller with average sales of about 3k per month for 4 years now. Before sellers feedback rights were essentially revoked i had about 10-15 unpaid items over a 2 year period (gold bugs tend to pay most of the time) Since the feedback change just over a year and a half ago i have had 176 unpaid items! THOSE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

[surplusdealdude]

G-man,

Did it escape your attention that we've also had the worst recession in history for about a year and a half now?

Think that might have something to do with it? Hmmmmmmmmm?

[pjcdn2005]

I don't understand why there would be more non paying buyers when there's a recession.If someone is having financial problems when its time to pay, they more than likely were having those same problems when they bid or when they clicked on the buy it now button.

[jakeeangel]

Yes but they had a job this week but they lost it the following week. Stuff happens. Their roof needed major repairs, car broke down, kid got sick and it's not cheap in the US etc etc.

No, they shouldn't bid if things are tight but people are people. *shrug*

[pjcdn2005]

I agree Jakee..stuff can happen and I'm sure that "stuff" is tougher to handle during a recession. But, I really don't think that the recession is the main reason some people are having to make more unpaid item claims. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[surplusdealdude]

Paypal is having a problem

There's a notation that Paypal payments aren't being posted to accounts as fast as they should be and I've just seen another 6-8 similar problems reported on the Paypal ommunity forums.

So, not all of those unpaid items may be really unpaid.

Caution is indicated.

[angelic_passion]

Yes, unpaids are up. So are the number of people who bid or buy and then message saying "oh, I thought I was just watching it., please cancel the sale."
I have my buyer restrictions set at the higest for unpaid items and my unpaids are still up over the past few months.

[westernstargifts]

Yes, unpaids are up. So are the number of people who bid or buy and then message saying "oh, I thought I was just watching it., please cancel the sale."
I have my buyer restrictions set at the higest for unpaid items and my unpaids are still up over the past few months.

I have also had more buyers requesting that I cancel their bid. They usually claim their newbie status as a reason for "accidentally" purchasing or bidding on identical items.

I have had some unpaid items but not more than usual.