How do I deal with this buyer?

[rosscd57]

I have a buyer with a feed back of 4. Yesterday he bought an item and did not pay for it. Today he emails me and wants to know if I will ship it to him free. The shipping will be in excess of $30.00. This was my response:

"No - sorry. I can't do that. These types of questions have to be asked before
you buy. If you don't want the radio - just let me know."

I am yet to have a non paying bidder. If he does not want the item which is better - ask him to request a mutual cancellation or wait the 4 days and ask for my fees back and list him as a non-paying bidder?

I seem to remember that the latter is better because it takes away his option of giving me feedback - is that correct?

[ggsale27]

if you do not want him to leave feedback, then start an unpaid item case against him. he deserves the strike for sure.

[ggsale27]

You will also have your fees for this sale refunded, where as the other way, if he refuses the cancellation, you lose those fees.

[pjcdn2005]

ask him to request a mutual cancellation or wait the 4 days and ask for my fees back and list him as a non-paying bidder?

You would have to request the mutual...not him. If he wants to cancel, I would file the mutual and explain to him that he will be asked by ebay to agree to it so that he realizes what is going to happen. If you file the unpaid item, there is the possibility that he will pay and I don't see any good coming from someone who really doesn't want to pay what you are charging. If a buyer lets me know that he does not want the item, I usually go the mutual route and have never received bad feedback because of it so imo feedback is not an issue.

[rose-dee]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

You would have to request the mutual...not him. If he wants to cancel, I would file the mutual and explain to him that he will be asked by ebay to agree to it so that he realizes what is going to happen. If you file the unpaid item, there is the possibility that he will pay and I don't see any good coming from someone who really doesn't want to pay what you are charging. If a buyer lets me know that he does not want the item, I usually go the mutual route and have never received bad feedback because of it so imo feedback is not an issue.

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I agree.  A seller has to weigh the possibility of an angry buyer who may finally pay after a UIC is opened (and feel as if he's been forced into the purchase), against a happy buyer who accepts a cancellation and will probably simply go away. 

I've never actually had anyone who accepted a cancellation leave FB/DSRs -- as 'pj' says, they're usually glad to get out of the transaction and just vanish. 

BTW, although FVFs are not refunded on a refused mutual cancellation, in a case like this, assuming you've communicated through eBay, you might want to try contacting eBay to get your FVFs back if he refuses, as I imagine the FVFs will be substantial on one of your antique radios, and this buyer is playing a form of extortion. 

It is a hard call, I know -- risk bad FB/DSRs, lose the FVFs, or give the guy what he's demanding.  There's no "perfect" answer to this one.

[i*m-still-here]

Jeez........... instead of getting personal about it analyze if it's profitable to reduce the price by $15.

You sell higher priced items so it could well be.

If that's the case, then offer to split the cost of shipping with the buyer because "Your Satisfaction is so Gall Darned Friggin" Important to Me."  after all.

That way you make $15 less but does it really matter if you're making a nice profit?

(Right or wrong:  When sellers point out that all questions should be asked prior to the purchase it grates at least a little even when the seller is clearly correct about that observation.)

[rose-dee]

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@ggsale27 wrote:

You will also have your fees for this sale refunded, where as the other way, if he refuses the cancellation, you lose those fees.

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True, but if the buyer refuses the cancellation, he is still obligated to complete the transaction (i.e. pay), in which case the FVFs would normally be properly charged.  The real difficulty with a refused cancellation is that the seller may not be able to open a UIC afterward (there has been some discussion about that).

However, my point above was that there is an element of extortion in the buyer's demand -- give me what I want or I know the dilemma you'll be in.  I'm not assuming this is a problematic buyer, but I'd be interested to know if he's experienced or not.  That might say a lot. 

At any rate, if I were in this situation and initiated a mutual cancellation which the buyer refused, I might be inclined to contact eBay and see if they could force a cancellation and refund my FVFs. 

Remember, as 'pj' mentioned, it's essential to message the buyer before beginning the cancellation process to let him know what will occur (and you might also want to ask if he's agreeable to it).  If he seems happy to agree, then go ahead with the cancellation request and keep your fingers crossed.

[rose-dee]

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

Jeez........... instead of getting personal about it analyze if it's profitable to reduce the price by $15.

(Right or wrong:  When sellers point out that all questions should be asked prior to the purchase it grates at least a little even when the seller is clearly correct about that observation.)

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Sorry, but I completely disagree with this view (and I speak here as a seller who also does a lot of buying on eBay).  If the OP listed his shipping rates, the buyer had a chance to review them and either accept or reject them (or ask for a reduction).  There is nothing "personal" about expecting a buyer to read the description and either ask questions beforehand or adhere to the terms of his purchase.

I've contacted sellers in advance about shipping reductions myself on occasion - some have agreed, some haven't.  However, making the request in advance is the only fair thing to do, and it's also the honest and right thing to do. 

Demanding a discount after the fact is either the result of the ignorance of a new buyer who doesn't understand the "Commit to Buy" concept (in which case the seller might want to give him a pass -- once), or a disingenuous and underhanded attempt by an experienced buyer to gouge the seller after he has a sale (and has already paid eBay his fees), and the buyer knows the seller is now in a corner.  This is not excusable, and is something I as a buyer would never think of doing to a seller. 

The bona fides (or lack thereof) on the buyer's part aside, for the OP absorbing a $30 shipping charge might represent quite a significant loss that he's not willing to bear, and why should he? 

There is, after all, a reason why eBay insists on sellers posting their shipping charges, and a good reason that buyers are told they are entering into a contract and are given an opportunity to back out before choosing "Commit to Buy". 

No, there's really no justification for a buyer with any reasonable experience to play this game of chicken with a seller.

[i*m-still-here]

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@rose-dee wrote:

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@i*m-still-here wrote:

Jeez........... instead of getting personal about it analyze if it's profitable to reduce the price by $15.

(Right or wrong:  When sellers point out that all questions should be asked prior to the purchase it grates at least a little even when the seller is clearly correct about that observation.)

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Sorry, but I completely disagree with this view 

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You have a right to your opinion.

[rose-dee]

'rosscd57' --I'm sorry, I just re-read your original post and you did mention your buyer had a FB of only 4. 

Unless this is someone who has switched ID's recently for obvious reasons, I'd assume this was a case of newbie ignorance or inattention and would suggest the mutual cancellation. 

The risk of not doing so is that a new buyer might not even be aware of eBay's rules and may get angry, believing it's somehow your fault that he's forced into the transaction via a UIC, with resulting FB/DSR nastiness if he does end up paying in full. 

On the other hand, UIC's are how buyers who don't bother to read descriptions (or eBay policies) learn the rules.  However you may not want to risk being put in the role of teacher at your own expense (if the buyer ultimately pays and leaves you poor DSRs).  Given my druthers, I'd offer the cancellation if the buyer is willing.

[rosscd57]

Well it is getting interesting - he emailed me back and told me that he was considering buying a number of radio from me and was just inquiring about the shipping cost.

This is the response I sent him back.

"Ok - well that sounds great.

Just so you know, I am not prepared to
change any of the Postal costs - they have already been discounted 18%.

I can't put more than one radio in a box because they may be damaged and the box
gets too big.

Because of that - if you buy more than one radio, please
pay each individually with PayPal.

Thanks and take care"

Up to this point - he has not bought anything else, not has he paid for the first purchase. I will just have to wait and see.

He also keeps calling me: "dear" - it's irritating.

[femmefan1946]

He also keeps calling me: "dear" - it's irritating.

Then it is also likely that 'he' is a 'she' and over 60.

[rosscd57]

Nope - it is definitely a male Arabic name - I Googled it. Judging from the emails - English is likely a second language - it's still irritating.

[brandeentertainment]

Don't worry about my dear everything will work out in the end there sweetie pie LOL.....

Sounds like the buyer legit ... I would just go with your profit margins and decide by that ....

Mutual Cancellation you have to make sure they agree and if they take 10 days to respond and agree then a cnacellation is a bad idea because time may run out beofre they check there messages again ...

If the cancellation does not go through call eby they will take care of it for you ...

[reallynicestamps]

And now we are into the haggling culture.

Sigh.

The joys of multiculturalism

Well as my late mother used to say, 'If we weir a alike it ud be a guy queer wurrld.'

[rosscd57]

Now it's getting worse.

I wen in and looked at what this guy has done in the past couple of weeks. He has purchased 22 items and is the high bidder on about 20 others. But he only has a feedback of 4 from sellers.

There is something wrong. I guess I could ask a couple of other sellers if he paid them.

Interesting.

[brandeentertainment]

They are probably just like Gambling addicts bidding on everything they might kinda want and then backing out when deciding they have changed there mind or maybe everything they win they are asking for betters deals and some are saying yes and other are saying no ...

I was just kidding with my comments before just find it funny because I completely understand what your saying .....

[i*m-still-here]

You are really over-analyzing this.

Your buyer should have asked about shipping discounts prior to buying.  He asked after the purchase, but that's nothing more than an ebay faux pas.

This could be the best buyer you'll have this  year, or not, but it was just a request from an over eager buyer and nothing more.

[rose-dee]

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@rosscd57 wrote:

Nope - it is definitely a male Arabic name - I Googled it. Judging from the emails - English is likely a second language - it's still irritating.

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Don't be too concerned about the "my dear this" and "my dear that" -- I know it sounds weird and irritating to a native English speaker, but it's a typical speech translation (or machine translation) from the Arabic, where "my dear" (even to another man) is a friendly and courteous way to address strangers.  It sounds bizarre in English, but is a normal turn of phrase in Arabic. 

So the strange speech habit aside, do you know where this buyer is actually located?  That might help you to decide whether to attempt to cancel or go with a UIC.  If you're dealing with a country that has a problematic postal system to begin with, it may be more trouble in the end. 

'reallynicestamps'  is right -- you are probably dealing with someone for whom haggling and arguing about pricing ad infinitum is a cultural expectation.  On top of that, this may be someone who hasn't got a grasp of (or doesn't care about) eBay rules and policies -- which compounds the issue.  You did the right thing to turn down his request for multiple purchases if he hasn't even paid for this one yet. 

A buyer with a fresh eBay ID bidding all over the place and arguing over pricing with you says "red flag". 

What I would probably do at this point is click on his current ID and see if there is any history (i.e. has he changed IDs recently?).  That may be of some help in your decision.  You could also just send a quick note saying you unfortunately cannot change any of your pricing, and would he please pay within 24 hours, then decide whether to start a UIC at that point. 

I really don't think a thorough analysis is inappropriate in this situation -- you're in a very uncomfortable place, and it's worth trying to determine as much as you can before making a decision.  I feel for you. 

[rosscd57]

I used Google Earth to check out this guy's address, it's in Sarasota FL - an express lane in a huge warehouse, with shipping containers everywhere. Could be fine - but again just odd.