Silly Little Nit-Picky Stuff

[cmagor-ctvi]

Since I'm getting things off my chest, here's another one!

How do you handle those once in a while situations where the buyer short pays by a dollar or so? I just had one today on a $230 item he was $1 short! It's no big deal, it just upsets the balance in the admittedly small "tidy" part of my brain! I felt like telling him to drop that dollar in the next charity collection box he sees, but figured even that might tick someone off over such an insignificant amount, so I didn't. I always include a Sales Receipt when I ship and I show the full amount less a "Special Discount" for the short-paid amount.

I know this is really a waste of energy on something that isn't going to make the difference between profit and loss (at least in the big picture) and I should probably just "get over it". I just wanted to get some input from you PSers of longer standing than this wet-behind-the-ears "turquoise"!

Chris.

[deltone]

I feel the same way. It happens periodically, and it does bug me, perhaps for the same reasons it bugs you. I tend to not do a darn thing about it. (it bugs me that I don't do anything, but sometimes I figure it's just not worth it. :o(

[treasure-pot]

I'm finding that it happens more and more so I'm beginning to wonder if it is always accidental.

In one instance I had sent a PayPal money request. The buyer changed the S/H downward by $2 and short payed. It was obvious that he had done so deliberately so I refunded and sent another request which upset him to no end. He was upset that I would nickel and dime him while I maintain thats exactly what he was trying to do to me!

Bill

[deltone]

I had the reverse happen to me recently. A buyer won 4 of my items and she overpaid me by around $5 or $6, but made 4 separate payments, so Paypal charged the extra $.30 per payment. Being the honest person that I am, I refunded her money (all 4 payments) with an email explanation, and a new Request for Payment invoice (combining)from Paypal. I didn't want Paypal to make the extra $.30 on each and I also didn't want it coming out of my pocket, or the buyers.

This was over a month ago, and to make a long story short, the buyer now has NO intention of going through with the purchases and I'm out all this money. (and time). I wish I just pocketed the extra she paid me, and I'd have been done with the whole matter, but I just don't do things like that. Seems the buyer was peeved with me that I refunded the 4 payments, even though I was only trying to do the right thing. Very odd isn't it!!!

[treasure-pot]

Yes, sometimes you try to do the right thing and it just doesn't pay. Some people just don't care when you try to do right by them.

[deltone]

Very true, treasure. The strangest thing is, I was very clear in my email what I was doing, and why, etc. Never heard from her for over a week, and then she finally wrote to me and said where are my items? So I forwarded my original emails and did a "reminder" on the invoice, and then she wrote back stating that she misunderstood, so I wrote another email explaining in greater detail what I had done, and she wrote back informing me that she is a lawyer, and she still couldn't understand what I was trying to say. To date, she's still not paid, after several emails from me, and several reminders. She is just ignoring me. I can tell you this much, I will NEVER do it again.

My auctions state that you must pay me in one Paypal payment, and if you don't, I'll refund and reinvoice but I think from this point forward, I'll rethink that whole thing because as they say, "a bird in the hand...."

Thing is though, when you are already working on a small margin, every $.30 counts. What I should have done was just refunded her her overpayment, less my extra $.30 per transaction, and let her "eat" the extra costs, but it bugged me that Paypal was going to come out ahead on the deal, so I did it the way I did. She didn't appreciate my honesty, and was/is actually rather put off by it. Go figure.

[your-chic-shopper]

deltone

It sounds like we has the same bidder

[deltone]

Chic, you've got one too??? OY!!!!!

[zarzuella]

I start many of my auctions at or near my cost, hoping (!) for bidding. Of course, it's always those auctions won at original list price that I get 'nickle & dimed' on.

I agree with treasure-pot - I think it often is deliberate, buyers figure that most sellers - particularly higher-volume sellers - value their time more that the odd dollar or two they are being shorted and will just roll with it.

[firedept10]

Ah but better yet is the savvy Canadian buyer that tries to pay you in Canadian funds and they know darn well that the auction was in US funds. Get several of those a year. Matter of fact got one today. Oh well off to email them about their innocent (? big feedback numbers) mistake. Ha!

Don

[treasure-pot]

The argument I get from some of them is "Why are you complaining about me being $1 short? Is $1 such a big deal?", to which I reply "No, it's not such a big deal so go ahead and pay it!"

[deltone]

It reminds me of what happened to my husband a few years ago. He has a business and one of his customers owed him a particular amount of money. I forget the exact amounts, but let's say it was $45. The guy gave him $40 and said, here, let's call us square, so hubby said, no, you still owe me another $5 so the guy say, what's the big deal? Let's call it square. My husband said, ok, if it's no big deal you give me $50 and we'll be square. The guy was mortified and of course refused, so my husband said, what's the big deal? The guy begrudgingly gave him the other $5 but truly was/is too stupid to "get it". Some people are just fools.

[treasure-pot]

Sometimes it does not pay to conduct a battle of wits with an unarmed person.

[cmagor-ctvi]

You know, I hadn't thought about the "other side of the coin", but yes, I too scrupulously return an overpayment (although I hold on to the money and let them experience the joy of sharing with PayPal!)

I once included an 85 cent overpayment and a little humorous note along with the item - that netted me an extra sale that I'm certain would not have been made otherwise, so my advice Deltone is to keep on doing the right thing. It's just not true what my dear old Dad used to say that "no good deed goes unpunished" (but it sure feels like it sometimes!)

Chris.

[kpamber]

When I first started selling on ebay, I honestly believed those customers who paid in $C, without converting, that they had made a mistake, but I used to have my eyes wide shut!! Now I just email them straight out and tell them that the auction was in American funds, and they act so danged surprised!! Seems that alot of people go to alot of trouble to try to save themselves some money!
I find that the people who make up their own shipping rates are usually pretty uptight to deal with anyways, perhaps, in their worry that the seller will notice...
kp