How long to wait before giving Neg Feedback

[alero0]

I'm looking for a little advice. Maybe I've been lucky up to now because this is my first issue with a non paying bidder. The buyer bought from me on Feb. 17th using the BIN. This was the same day he registered on ebay. After 4 days I sent him a polite reminder asking if he was planning to use Paypal or send a money order. I also offered him help if he was having trouble starting his Paypal account. Two days went by and I re sent that same message. He replied saying he there was a problem with his Paypal account and Paypal was working on it. That was the last time I heard from him. I've sent him about 4 other reminders asking him to make some sort of contact with me.

I've accepted the fact that he probably won't pay and in my last email to him I explained that I will have to take steps to make a non paying report to ebay so I can retrieve my final value fee and also explained that this would put a mark on his record.

It's now Mar. 6th and still no contact from him. I ready to give him NEG FB. Should I be waiting a longer period of time? Like I said this is my first case where the buyer will not respond to my emails.

Any advice will be welcomed.

Thanks,
Harvey

[shoplineca]

There are no hard and fast answers or rules. If you are concerned about getting negative FB in response, well, that person can leave negative FB for you whether you leave him any or not and at any time.

The consensus for most Power Sellers is to wait until FB has been left for them first.

Some, tired of eBay allowing NPBs who simply choose not to proceed with the deal, refuse to leave negative FB as the system is flawed and one-sided in that respect.

I would proceed and file NPB notice through eBay to recover some of your fees first.

What does the buyer have currently in terms of FB?

Morally I always left FB reflecting the transaction and full comments to warn other sellers however one can get tired of receiving unjustified negative FB as a retaliation.

This is especially true when I also just how many other Power Sellers often preferred to leave positive FB when a transaction went bad to avoid getting negative FB from bad buyers. The moral issue just wasnt there for alot of other sellers who sold out to get positive FB at the expense of other Sellers falling into a trap and dealing with a scum buyer.

From a business prospective, the most important thing you can do is recover your fees and relist and sell the item.

The timing of leaving a neg and what comments you will leave must be up to your discretion and concience.

Malcolm

[recped]

The negative feedback should be the very last thing you do on this transaction (feedback should always be the last thing done in any transaction).

I had a very similar situation recently, just registered, having "trouble with PayPal account" etc.

I responded, "no problem, if you can't get the PayPal situation cleared up this week please select an alternate method of payment"

Heard nothing back but about a week later I rec'd payment via PayPal.

If the buyer does not have online access to his/her bank account or credit card (cc more likely) it can take quite some time to get your PayPal account going. I remember opening my PayPal account with only a bank account. Not only did I not have online access to my bank account but as it was a savings account with passbook I had to wait until I physically went to the bank to have my passbook updated to have the info required (the 3 cent credit paypal made to my bank account) to confirm and activate my PayPal account.

Interestingly I just rec'd today a message from PayPal about a new feature where buyers could make payment (via credit card I presume) without having to open an account first.

It's over two weeks so I would file the NPBA/UPI and see what happens, if nothing, then file for FVF and file a strike against the buyer after that you could think about leaving negative feedback.

Although my partner often disagrees I will wait and wait to try to complete a transaction, I'd much rather get paid late then relist.

Ben
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

[zarzuella]

I agree with Ben.

As far as when to leave Neg FB - if you decide to doi so - nasty sneaky people wait until the 89th day. 🙂

Ann

[alero0]

Malcolm,

I Filed a NPB with ebay 2 days ago hoping to get a reply from him. As for his FB it's 0. He just registered the day that he bought.

I definatly will leave Neg FB. to warn other sellers about this guy. If he gives me a Neg. in return...so be it. My feedback speaks for itself. It would be disapointing to ruin my 100% but it's not the end of the world.

Ben,
I think I'm a bit like you, I want to give this guy every chance to make good. If only he would return my one of my emails. I still have 4 or 5 days to be able to get back my FVF so I'll wait for that and then file a strike against him the same time as I leave him a Neg. Maybe by that thim the guy will wake up and surprise me.

I think the thing that's bothering me the most is his refusal to make contact with me. If he would have said that he made a mistake and he didn't need it I'd be able to deal with that. Unfortunatly so many people have the additude that if you ignore it, it'll go away!

Thanks for your opinions,
Harvey

Here's a copy of the last email i sent him. I think I've done all that I can do.

William, I have sent you numerous emails asking about payment.It has been over 10 days since you purchased the Mackie covers and I am starting to get concerned about weather you plan to pay or not. I realize that you are new to ebay so let me explain how it works. Once you buy an item I have to pay ebay a % of the price before you even pay me. I also pay for my listing. The only way for me to recover that money if a buyer does not pay is to report them to ebay which would put a mark against you. Three marks and ebay kicks you out. I will also have to give you negitive Feedback to warn other sellers. I do not want to take that route but the fact that you will not answer my emails leaves me little chiose. If I do not receive any answer to this email as to what is going on in 2 days, I will have to start proceedings. Please understand my position about this issue. Thank you, Harvey (alero0)

[recped]

One other thing...you need to chill at least until Monday. Lots of my customers have internet access at work OR at home but not both.

Just as a generality, although I make about the same number of listings each day of the week my incoming emails slow to a trickle from Friday evening to Monday afternoon.

If you've already filed the NPBA/UPI then you have until April 17th to file for FVF refund and until mid May to lay out that NEG.

Remember if you get a neg in return it's unlikely you can get a mutual removal, that only works when someone has a high rating they want to protect. Newbies can just get another ID and move on.

Ben
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

[shoplineca]

Have you tried emailing him through eBay's mail system and from a different server?

I hate to say it but someone with "0" FB, well there is a very high potential that it will be a NPB. Either they dont realy know the rules and potential consequences or they know the rules and this is a new eBay userid for them having been prviously Narud.

If you both end up with negs, at least the new eBay system allows for mutual withdrawl of the negs if you both agree.

The first neg is usually the hardest.

My philosphy is if you are in business to please everyone and seek 100% positive FB by changing your terms and lowering your principles to meet theirs, then you wont be in business very long.

Malcolm

[lizandemma]

Your bidder also bid and won another item #7956174203. I would suggest you contact that seller and ask whether or not he/she has received payment or any contact from the buyer.

Your buyer seemed to have bid on a couple of items, including yours' before dropping out of sight.

good luck,

Jan

[alero0]

Thanks Jan,
I just emailed the seller of that item and I'm waiting for an answer.

Harvey

[kursor17]

First block them from ever buying from you again. Then leave negative feedback if they leave negative feedback first. Do not neg them until they neg you.

Assuming they don't neg you, leave negative feedback on the 89th day to the last minute right up until the 90th day.

Set all your calendars and your notes so you don't forget. That's the safest solution.

[ononokajibwa]

I'll wade in on the fray on this one. I have had a few people who were reluctant to pay but I found most folks do if given enough time. If they don't I generally file a NPB, get my fees back, and then try and sell the item over again. I work very hard to please my customers and my feedback shows that. If I get one clown that gives me negative feedback - that's life. You just can't please everyone, no matter how hard you try. I have left negative feedback only a couple of times and kept it short, professional, and without any "nasty" comments. Hope this helps.

[sunset_sports_cards]

I think if a buyer purchases something they should pay right away. Why wait, you don't go to Wally World and pick up something and not pay right away. Why should e-bay be different? All sellers have costs and bills to pay and have to pay them in a timely fashion. I expect to be paid right away, and in my auctions I give ten days grace in case something comes up where the buyer has some unavoidable problems. Communication is the big hitter here. If I can receive some form of contact as to why payment hasn't been remitted, I work with the buyer on a solution. But buyers who do not contact me at all, I do not go the extra mile for. Having said that, I leave negative feedback for non-payment because I think it gives other sellers the heads up when it comes to selling their items to these people. If I get retalitory feedback then so be it, I would rather have that then see other sellers get stiffed. In my opinion, it is a diservice to a already flawed feedback system.

[alero0]

To update everyone on my situation:
The buyer has still not paid or made any sort of contact with me after many attempts that I have made to contact him. I felt that in order for the FB system to work it was my duty as a seller to warn other sellers about him.
As of 5 minutes ago I left him NEG. FB. I felt there was no point in waiting until the 89th day to do this and let this guy possibly do the same to other sellers without them having any warning about him.
Thank you all for all your input on this issue, it has helped me come to my decission.

Harvey

[shoplineca]

Harvey
Good job. I like a man with priciples. Unfortunately after a while on eBay you will likely give up on some of your priciples when you discover how many Sellers (Power Sellers included) will give a bad Buyer, even a NPB, positive FB with praise of a great transaction in their remarks simply so they can avoid getting negative FB.

The system isnt perfect because people arent perfect and as such you may hit that critical day when you sell to someone with 100% positive FB and later learn that of the 26 people he bought from, 11 of them never got paid yet left positive FB.

Hopefully on that day, all you will loose is time and not fall into a trap of shipping only to have the Buyer cancel his PP transaction claiming non-receipt, and as a non-confirmed address, there is nothing you can do about it.

I now place only about 60% trust into the FB system having discovered how many sellers gave positive FB to a Buyer I had major problems with last year and they had problems with but lied in exchange for reciprocal positive FB from the Buyer (which he never gave them).

Keep your principles as long as you can.

Malcolm

[sunset_sports_cards]

Excellent Harvey! You do not owe that buyer a thing, he/she has chose not to honor their side of the deal. Now that buyer has some work to do if they would like to continue in the ebay experience. Or they could just form another alliance and do it to someone else.:-(