eBay

newlook87 · ‎12-03-2023

As it says above.

I had an auction close on November 25th. There were 24 bids, so definitely interest in the item.

The winning bidder bid on the item several times, winning the item at $62.

However, as soon as the auction closed, the buyer sent me this message:

"Hi, I don't get paid until the 30th;-}"

I responded that was unacceptable, the buyer has a requirement to be able to pay for the items won at auction and that I would be cancelling the order. I cancelled the order within minutes.

The buyer proceeded to send me dozens of messages, said they had paid for the order, please relist, etc. I responded to the first couple messages, then went out for the evening. I never received payment, so the 10-15 messages badgering me for "their money back" I suggested would be resolved through eBay.

Next, the non-paying buyer was allowed to leave me a negative review! I've appealed, but no response thus far.

Sales have immediately stopped, at the most important time of year.

How do I get this nonsense negative review overturned?

What is eBay's expected course of action for a seller?

1. Wait 5 days after auction closes and hope the deadbeat buyer actually pays (and doesn't try additional games to get a better deal, make more excuses to stall payment, etc)?

2. Cancel the order and just accept the negative feedback?

3. Beg the buyer to actually pay for the item they won at auction?

4. Other?

I sell on other platforms and the standard operating procedure for non-paying/deadbeat buyers is to cancel the order and ban them from buture bidding. We also have the ability as sellers to leave them a negative review and a reason, so that deadbeat/non-paying buyers will either pay like they are supposed to or completely kicked off the platform. It works great for sellers.

I sell on various platforms and frankly, I'm prepared to delete all of our stores (we have several) over this and move the entirety of our business to HiBid, where sales have handily eclipsed our eBay sales. Selling is hard enough and this is an unreasonable position to put sellers into.

Why are sellers even put into this situation, when it is so easily preventable? just put in a simple escrow system that enqures that bidders ACTUALLY HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE ITEMS THEY ARE BIDDING ON.

Example - before bidding on an auction, funds are held in escrow up to a certain amount of money. If you're trying to buy a more expensive item, say $300, then you need to have a min of $500 in escrow. This isn't hard folks, do it and make this platform actually relevant again.

This functionality is basic and has been around for decades, yet still isn't on eBAY.

flipistics · ‎12-04-2023

@ricarmic wrote:
Until I read this I didn't realize immediate payment wasn't an option for auctions, one learns something every day!

It's supposedly coming. It's being rolled out to some sellers in the USA while they work out the kinks. Who knows what that means for us though.

byto253 · ‎12-04-2023

Standard for online auctions. Online auctions are a source for me, and it is credit card registered before you can bid and payment automatically on close. For whatever reason, eBay auctions are stuck in the money order era.

byto253 · ‎12-04-2023

An option would be fine. As far as accumulating, I can see that in the stamp business if you run a lot of auctions at one time. For me items are dispersed enough that multiple auction winners is not a factor, no more so than for BINs. If I have similar or related items (BIN or Auction) I do indicate that shipping will be combined and overpayment refunded and have done that successfully as often BINs will be related - crafts and Lego being prime categories.

marnotom! · ‎12-05-2023

@byto253 wrote:

Standard for online auctions. Online auctions are a source for me, and it is credit card registered before you can bid and payment automatically on close. For whatever reason, eBay auctions are stuck in the money order era.

My take is that it’s more like a convention than a standard in the same vein that fast-food hamburgers generally have round patties but Wendy’s has square ones. It’s just something to which we’ve become accustomed to the point of expecting it, but there’s opportunity to differentiate oneself from the competition, whether deliberately or out of indifference.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-06-2023

Yes, I'm sure it's industry standard for in-person "hammer" type auctions where the bidders or a proxy are in attendance,

Not in philatelic auctions. Or any high level auction.

We have been dealing with (and running ) those for decades, and while we don't ship until paid, there is no requirement for our clients to pay instantly or to give a credit card number.

Whether our bidder is on the floor, using a proxy, on the phone, mailed or emailed a bidsheet, or is using live internet bidding, no card is required to bid.

But again we don't ship until we are paid.

newlook87 · ‎12-07-2023

"Not in philatelic auctions. Or any high level auction."

Nothing could be further from the truth. If you're talking truly high level auctions, I suggest you signup for your next local or online Sotheby's auction and see if they will just let you bid without any pre-aproval or hold of your payment method. And even if they were to allow you to do so, it would only take one instances of non-payment for you to receive a permanent bid on the platform.

Thanks for making my point for me.

But to add insult, I opted to use eBay's new-ish service to promote my auction. Nothing like paying up front in hopes of generating interest in my auction, only to find out that the buyer was a deadbeat, couldn't afford the item they were bidding on.

Not a good business practice at all and one that clearly demonstrates to sellers that the only objective is to create more fees, regardless of whether the transaction closes or not.

ricarmic · ‎12-07-2023

As a note, given there was much inerest in the item, once the non paying happened, did you do a 2nd chance offer to the next highest bidder?

I have had VERY good luck selling to the underbidder via 2nd chance offers.....and this way you'd only be "down" the last bid increment.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-07-2023

We get the Sotheby and the Christie's catalogues, almost daily it seems. And have for decades.

And about ten others.

Not to mention the online auction catalogues.

And even if they were to allow you to do so, it would only take one instances of non-payment for you to receive a permanent bid on the platform.

I agree. (I assume you mean a ban.)

Or they get sneaky and accept your bids since they move other bids higher, but don't allow you to actually win.

marnotom! · ‎12-07-2023

@newlook87 wrote:

. . . only to find out that the buyer was a deadbeat, couldn't afford the item they were bidding on.

Going by your side of the story, this "deadbeat" kicked up an awful lot of fuss for an item they didn't intend om paying for.

newlook87 · ‎12-08-2023

Good point. Yes, I tried the "second chance" offer, as the next highest bidder was $1 behind. They had 24 hours, didn't buy, didn't hear from them. So it goes.

newlook87 · ‎12-08-2023

In my experience, buyers that pay for their items are always the easiest to deal with.

But that's not what we're discussing here, init?

brettjet38 · ‎12-08-2023

The auction buyer does not pay...

Wait 4 days for payment, and do not reply to any "renegotiation tactics", if it's not paid eBay closes the transaction and the Buyer gets a strike...

They cannot leave FB, and if they do you can get it removed...

If you make the mistakes you made by responding, you get a mess like the one you have.

These rules apply to everyone, so if the Buyer then decides not to pay within 4 days after reading the information below, no worries on you the Seller and you do not need to call eBay...

All you needed to do was reply with information taken directly from the official rulebook

3 min article

Unpaid item policy

Buyers must pay for the items they purchase on eBay within 4 calendar days.

If the buyer doesn't pay within this timeframe, the seller can cancel the order and an unpaid cancellation will be recorded on the buyer's account.

What is the policy?

When a buyer commits to buy something on eBay - by winning an auction, agreeing to an offer with a seller, or selecting Buy It Now in a listing - they are obligated to complete the purchase by sending full payment to the seller.

Before they commit to buy, buyers should note:

All the terms that the seller has included in the listing, including shipping and handling costs
Placing a bid on an auction is a commitment to buy, and bids can only be retracted under exceptional circumstances

A seller may cancel an unpaid order if the buyer doesn't pay or contact them within 4 calendar days.

Failure to pay for items is a violation of our abusive buyer policy.

When a seller cancels an order because the buyer hasn't paid, the unpaid cancellation is recorded on the buyer's account. Buyers who have excessive unpaid cancellations may have limits imposed by a seller or by eBay, or lose their buying privileges. In some circumstances, buyers can appeal an unpaid cancellation recorded on their account.

Managing unpaid orders

Sellers can cancel an order if the buyer hasn't paid after 4 calendar days and up to 30 days after the order is placed. Learn more in our Order cancellation policy
Sellers shouldn't use the reason "Buyer hasn't paid" to cancel an order when the buyer has paid, or they may:
- Have all credits reversed for the time period in question
- Lose the ability to use the fee credit system
- Be subject to suspension
eBay will automatically remove any feedback left by a buyer who didn't pay for an order when:
- The seller cancels the order due to the buyer's failure to pay
- The buyer is suspended

Activity on eBay is required to:

Follow all applicable laws
Respect the rights of third parties
Follow the eBay User Agreement
Follow this eBay policy

If activity doesn’t meet these requirements, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: administratively ending listings or cancelling transactions, hiding or lowering the placement of listings in search results, lowering seller rating, restricting buying or selling, forfeiture of fees, loss of buyer or seller protections, restricting access to member communication and rating tools, removing feedback, and account suspension.

Why does eBay have this policy?

This policy helps buyers understand our rules on purchasing items, which protects sellers while maintaining a fair and safe marketplace.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/payment-policies/unpaid-item-policy?id=4271#:~:text=Buyers%20must%....

When I have had Buyers trying a renege after the fact, they get a cut and paste of the rules plus a little personal note from me, they usually pay or ask to cancel, and then I block them & report them.

You report them using this...

10 min article