How long before you file for non-payment?

[triber]

I was checking a listing, and I found this in the description,

"I expect payment within 2 days after close of auction. On the third day I will turn into E-bay for non-payment."

I decided that this was not someone I would want to purchases from. How long do others wait?

I wait at least 7 days, if it's someone who has purchased from me before, even more. I always think that you never know what has happened, illness, family crisis etc. I think you can expect some disgruntled buyers if you file so quickly.

[ricarmic]

It appears I am one of the more patient folks, I use the automagic case opener and I picked the default of 30 days. I have a few customers that accumulate items over a period of time and it works great for them.....I only run maybe 10-15 unpaid lots a year which is in the 1.5% range.....

Likely well over 90% pay within 3 or 4 days, factoring out the "accumulators" only a small percentage pay after the first week...

[38e_avenue]

I am more patient now. Before, I sent a reminder on 4th day, and opened the case on 7th day.

Now, I am waiting until 10th day and open a case on 20th day. As of today, I have 19 items not paid, 5 items even since 25 days (but buyer informed me about the possible delay). This is my record since I sell on Ebay (2003). 

[vintagenorth]

I'm like Triber, I give my buyers 7 days to pay and then will send a "gentle reminder" email and also ask if they need more time to pay and to let me know when to expect payment. If I don't hear back from them for a few days then I will file with ebay.

[farmingnorth]

I have no set time frame but I do wait a good chunk of time.  Usually after two weeks I'll wait before filing for it.  As mentioned above sometimes it's buyers who are simply waiting on other auctions to end to take advantage of combined shipping. 

I find the vast majority of the buyers will end up paying so showing a little patience doesn't hurt.  Worst case you get your fees back anyway.

But to only wait two days and then file it is ridiculous.  Posting such nonsense in one's description will scare buyers away.  There are so many reasons for anyone to not be able to pay for two days. 

[widgetc]

I have mine set to file automatically at the longest possible setting of 32 days.

[reallynicestamps]

I'm the grump in this bunch. Polite reminder on the third day and open the case on the fourth (96 hours).

This is what credit cards are for , people! You pay your seller and get your item quickly and then you pay back the bank /credit card at your leisure.

If you can't afford it, don't buy it.

You want a slinky dress? I can buy you a slinky dress! Captain, can I have money for a slinky dress? - Hoban Washburne.

[recped]

I like how some sellers have an item listed for 2 years and then get all bent out of shape if they don't get paid for it instantly when they finally get a buyer.

1st invoice 24 hours post-sale, 2nd invoice a week later, UPI opened 4 days later, close the UPI if necessary after 4 - 7 days.

I don't get many slow pays and very few never pays.

[captivatemedia]

This discussion comes up fairly often, and the answers are the same every time.

-Those who sell to a mature audience (Selling stamps, or decorative goods, etc.) tend to say they're patient and give lots of time and hardly ever a problem.

-Those who sell to a younger audience (Selling video games, movies, electronics in some cases) tend to have a lot of issues getting people to pay and have become less tolerant of it.

I have 2 ebay accounts and I can see both sides of this. One account selling movies and games, which I'm actually taking a break from at the moment, and one selling candles/scented items and decorative/primitive items.

On the movies/games account, I generally send a reminder email on day 3 and open a UID on day 5 or 6. Some weeks I have to file a UID on every 4th or 5th sale, and rarely does the UID end with a paid transaction. (Only once actually, and I have filed dozens of them over the last year)

On the other account, I don't have much issue in the first place, but I'll still send the day 3 reminder, but I'll wait quite a lot longer for the UID and I don't think I've ever needed to file one on that account.

My take on the matter is that I am not offering a layaway service. All the time I'm waiting for someone to pay, I can't sell it to someone else. However, on the account where I don't have issues, I don't mind waiting because I know the sale is going to happen. However, on the account where I do have issues, I want that item to either be paid for, or the transaction closed so I can get it relisted for someone else to see and potentially purchase it. I have learned over time that on this account, waiting longer does not help. Generally speaking if the item is not paid by day 4, it will never be paid in most cases, whether I open a UID or not.

What I'm trying to say is that there is no right or wrong answer here. We all sell different things, to different people, so what works for one of us, may not work for the other. In some cases, all you need is patience, in others, well, you're best to give up on certain transactions and do what you have to do to get them back on your virtual shelf.

Also, some people do this as a hobby and it's all just play money. Some people do this to make a living and need to keep things moving.

What we need on the .ca site that will help this matter tremendously, is the cart function. This way, we can use the immediate payment required option, but also allow our customers to take advantage of any combined shipping discounts.

That's my take anyway

Chris

[rose-dee]

I completely agree with your comments.  We all get to know our own customer base, and all have our own "comfort zones" with payment.

I have other challenges (shipping!), but I'm fortunate in that I have a particularly good buyer cohort -- they tend to be slightly more mature, they read(!), and they are by and large lovely people to deal with.  I have very few slow payers, almost never any non-payers.  I tend to give the slow payers some slack, and even longer for repeat customers who ask me for an extended payment time.  My usual practice is to invoice within 24 hours, friendly reminder on Day 4, wait until Day 7, then open a UIC if there is no response.  If there is a response, I'll often give the customer another week or so.

My big issue with slow payment (or non-payment) is having a rather expensive and particularly attractive OOAK item hung up in limbo and unable to be relisted until the process is completed.