eBay

bpl521_sell · ‎09-25-2017

All:

Looks like I have a buyer who does not want to pay for a item, so looking for some advice. In short the item is only worth $20.00 but the shipping was quite expensive. Suspect they didn't look closely at the shipping rates. Sent the buyer a invoice and a message, no response.

I don't need the aggravation and wondering the best path to take. I could open up a case, but not sure of the process as I would rather just relist. If I open a case and the buyer is forced to pay (and I suppose they should) then I don't want to risk having the buyer then trying to have the item refunded for whatever reason and then I am on the hook for the item and return shipping etc.

Can I just relist manually and block the buyer, but do I face any repressions from the buyer or Ebay from doing so.

Or can I open up a Unpaid Item case but with a resolution to just relist as opposed to having Ebay pressuring the the buyer to pay?.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-25-2017

Is this for the filters sold on Saturday evening? If so, there is not much that you can do yet as it is too soon. If you cancel the sale without the buyer asking you to, you can get a defect. If you just list it again, someone else purchases it and then the original buyer pays, you would end up with a defect as you would have to cancel one of the sales. Blocking the buyer would only stop him from buying another item, it wouldn't block him from paying.

I have never had a problem when filing an unpaid item and that's what I would do but you can't do that until 4 full days after the purchase. Then you have to wait another 4 days until you can close it and relist. There is no such thing as opening up an unpaid item claim with a 'resolution to relist'. If you want to , you could write the buyer the day before you can open it and mention that is why you are going to open one...so that you can get your fees back and relist. That might prod them to ask you to cancel the purchase or make payment.

Shipping does seem quite expensive...are those filters quite large? When you use expedited, the size of the box can matter more than the total weight so its important to use a smaller box when possible.

hlmacdon · ‎09-25-2017

I don't need the aggravation and wondering the best path to take. I could open up a case, but not sure of the process as I would rather just relist. If I open a case and the buyer is forced to pay (and I suppose they should) then I don't want to risk having the buyer then trying to have the item refunded for whatever reason and then I am on the hook for the item and return shipping etc.

Can I just relist manually and block the buyer, but do I face any repressions from the buyer or Ebay from doing so.

Or can I open up a Unpaid Item case but with a resolution to just relist as opposed to having Ebay pressuring the the buyer to pay?.
Use the unpaid item case and wait till that closes out before you relist. The odds of a flake paying then leaving spiteful feedback/INR are very slim. I've never had a buyer pay after an unpaid item case when it was pretty clear they were a flake. By blocking a buyer and relisting an item while the transaction is still open, you are opening yourself to a bigger headache. Flake gets an not paid strike which helps to protect other sellers and they won't be leaving feedback. Unless a buyer asks for a transaction to be cancelled through an ebay message, this is your best option. After the unpaid item case is closed out, block the buyer's user id and email.

bpl521_sell · ‎09-25-2017

Thanks everyone. Will send the buyer another email asking if he wishes to cancel the transaction to go ahead. I assume that it does not ding me with a defect. If the buyer does not respond then open a Unpaid Item case.

Not particularly worried about the feedback, more so if they reluctantly pay and then play the game and request a refund for some reason. Doesn't appear Ebay backs the sellers as opposed to backing buyers.

yes, I am finding the dimensions of the package really affect the shipping cost.

I was able to shoehorn it into a smaller package and it would knock off about $5.00 dollars. Can I edit the listing after the fact and send a updated invoice. Probably just best to leave as is for now and relist at the lesser rate when the time comes.

cumos55 · ‎09-25-2017

There is an Unpaid Item process..

(1) Item is purchased.

(2) After 4 days or more specifically 96 hours file an Unpaid item Case

(3) and perhaps re-send an invoice.... But I have never communicated with the buyer if the item is never paid.

(4) Block the buyer.... when the Unpaid item case is started.

(5) After 4 more days.... that is an additional 96 hours. close the case

(6) Get your fees back... eBay does this when the Unpaid Item Case is closed.

(7) Now the item can be relisted.

It is the buyer's choice not to pay.... and then if the Unpaid item case is closed, it is the buyer's choice to have this black mark on their record.

The unpaid item case is closed if the buyer pays. ... or... after that second 96 hour period.

reallynicestamps · ‎09-25-2017

Will send the buyer another email asking if he wishes to cancel the transaction to go ahead.

I think this comes under the heading of 'poking a sleeping bear'.

I would wait until Day Three (tomorrow) and send a note reminding him that the item is still not paid. If the buyer is new, ask if he needs help with his Paypal account.

I find that most of these are just slow payers. They pay, I ship, they leave positive feedback and often an apology.

The rest get a UID on Day Four.

Yes, with the UID you have to wait another four days to close and relist.

But you don't take a chance on relisting and suddenly finding you have two payments for one item.

In addition, most sellers have Seller Preferences set to automatically Block deadbeats with Unpaid Item Strikes.

So you help us all.

And you should set your Seller Preferences for the same Block.

Seller Preferences also allows you to Block bidders with no active Paypal account. And you can set up your Fixed Price listing for Immediate Payment Required.

I find these a little draconian, and don't think they should be used unless you have a lot of problems. (ie a new seller in electronics or coins or sportscards or dolls).

hlmacdon · ‎09-25-2017

@bpl521_sell wrote:
Thanks everyone. Will send the buyer another email asking if he wishes to cancel the transaction to go ahead. I assume that it does not ding me with a defect. If the buyer does not respond then open a Unpaid Item case.

If the buyer confirms they would like to cancel, you can use the cancel order feature and then choose buyer requested cancellation reason. The buyer can only initiate a cancellation themselves within 1 hour of purchase. You are not assigned a defect when that reason is chosen. If the buyer doesn't respond to your message within a reasonable period (say 48 hours) then go ahead and open an unpaid item case. By going through the motions you ensure any issues are shifted to the buyer rather than yourself.

bpl521_sell · ‎09-26-2017

Well, in no hurry, so will give the until Friday to respond. If he doesn't will open up a Unpaid Item case. Perhaps has some issue going on that he can't respond. If that's not the case then that ticks me off, if you don't want the item then say so and it can be worked out, ignore it and you can deal with Ebay.

bpl521_sell · ‎10-06-2017

@bpl521_sell wrote:
Well, in no hurry, so will give the until Friday to respond. If he doesn't will open up a Unpaid Item case. Perhaps has some issue going on that he can't respond. If that's not the case then that ticks me off, if you don't want the item then say so and it can be worked out, ignore it and you can deal with Ebay.

So the buyer contacts me on the 27th with a message that he is waiting for a cheque to clear.... and would pay the next day or so. Didn't really make sense, but ok that's fine.

Didn't follow through so sent him a message on the 30th if he wanted to just cancel the transaction. No reply, so opened up a Unpaid Item Case on the 03.

So, does Ebay notify me once the additional 4 days passes or do I just go ahead and relist if I want on the 7th?.

pjcdn2005 · ‎10-07-2017

I'm not sure how it shows up on my ebay but on selling manager under Alerts you'll see a notice once the 96 hours are up that you can close the unpaid item claim. When you close it, you will be credited your fvf and if you want you can relist it then.

bpl521_sell · ‎10-07-2017

Thank you

rose-dee · ‎10-07-2017

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
There is no such thing as opening up an unpaid item claim with a 'resolution to relist'.

Now that the OP mentions this, I've always wondered why eBay never did give sellers this option, say, after 3 days of non-payment and one reminder by the seller, just allow the seller to cancel the transaction immediately and relist, no repercussions, no defect.

As it is, after waiting 3 or 4 days hoping for payment, then filing a UID, and then having to wait for the case to close, a seller will have lost over a week of potential listing exposure waiting for the clock to run out.

I realize eBay wants to give buyers every opportunity to pay (and of course eBay wants its FVFs!), but in my experience a buyer who hasn't paid after 3 days and a "friendly reminder" is unlikely to do so, or may feel brow-beaten into paying for something they didn't really want (I'm not sure how that serves eBay's or the seller's best interests). There might be a better chance of making a paid sale if the item could just be quickly relisted.

Which is usually why, if I have a non-payer after a couple of days and a reminder, I ask them if they just want to cancel the transaction. Most are happy -- even clearly relieved -- to do so (or I cancel for them, on the "buyer changed mind" basis). Usually they've made some mistake or other in purchasing and were unaware they could cancel without creating an issue. Some aren't even aware of the cancellation process. Now that eBay has access to our messages, it's not normally a problem as long as the desire to cancel is confirmed by the buyer. Unfortunately the OP seems to have run into someone who didn't even want to bother doing that.

Just musing aloud...

bpl521_sell · ‎10-07-2017

Well, that was my thought as well. If a buyer doesn't want to pay they don't want to pay. If they reluctantly do so because of Ebay putting the pressure on them then you run the risk of a unhappy buyer. I get it that we don't want dead beat buyers wasting our time, but I get the feeling the ball is usually always in the buyers court, so if forced to pay they can just make it difficult. Requesting refunds, and that sort of thing.

I decided on the Unpaid Item Case because the buyer never bothered to respond back about the offer of a cancellation.