eBay

stickersnstuff78 · ‎12-03-2013

When is Ebay going to do something about non-paying bidders? I am at wits end with non-paying bidders. This week alone, I have 9 non paying bidders!! This is half of my revenue for this week!

Filing non-paying bidder complaints just isn't enough. There needs to be some other way to identify and dissuade people from bidding on auctions and then not paying. Consequences need to be more serious.

Out of the 10-20 auctions I do weekly, there is almost always atleast 1-3 non paying bidders

Non-paying bidders should be marked in some way so that sellers can see who the potential non payers are. We can't leave them negative feedback, so what can we do...it's so unfair!

If I quit selling on Ebay it's only going to be because of the non-paying bidders, and the non-existant protection that I have with ebay

If each time a non paying bidder case is opened against someone it should be information that is publicly visible. That alone would dissuade many I think. There names should appear in big bold red letters, or a big fat asterisk alongside there name or something along those lines.

In most cases, it's not the the members with low feedback scores that cause the problems....it's the people with lots of feedback. The people who know how the system works, and use it to their benefit. They know what they can get away with.

It's depressing to spend hours and hours during a week to setup honest auctions, only to be sucker punched afterwards by non paying bidders.

What is everyone else's view on this matter?

pierrelebel · ‎12-04-2013

"I see more specialized sites becoming the norm"

You may need to buy a new crustal ball! Take a look at Amazon - growing listings and sales even faster than eBay. That is the new trend. Everyone wants everybody to shop at their site.

Yes, there is a huge market for specialized sites but they will remain "niche" markets. And that is not a bad thing.

73rhc · ‎12-04-2013

The whole point was that if eBay goes towards the BIN retail type store. All of the collectables people, et al. Will be off somewhere else. Crystal ball is just fine, btw!

pierrelebel · ‎12-04-2013

"The whole point was that if eBay goes towards the BIN retail type store"

That is correct. As stated above, it was not eBay's decision but buyers who wanted BIN and sellers obliged.

73rhc · ‎12-04-2013

BIN has been around for a very long time. It just got more popular. And yes, eBay did make and is still making the decisions. Regardless how high anyone puts the almighty buyer on that ?@&$! pedestal!

pierrelebel · ‎12-04-2013

"almighty buyer on that pedestal!"

At the end of the day the buyer decides what to buy and at what price. That decision is not made by the seller nor eBay.

Smart sellers offer what buyers want to buy.

eBay profits from offering the platform.

73rhc · ‎12-05-2013

Sorry, but no! It''s the basic supply and demand theory that sets the price.

eBay does not only supply the platform, it make the rules for both buyer and seller. Much to the chagrin of both. It also polices both, albeit not very well!

captivatemedia · ‎12-05-2013

The buyers want instant gratification, they no longer have the patience to set a price and watch an auction take place. I can put an item up for auction and get one bidder at 99 cents, but put the same item up BIN for 9.99 and have it sell.

Seems to me like more than supply and demand at work here. The buyer is the one who pushed me to BIN, when I was originally doing this as mostly auctions. This was not an Ebay decision, Ebay has not taken the ability to auction off their site.

Chris

73rhc · ‎12-05-2013

You make a statement putting all buyers in the same boat. Great generalization. There's more to it than that.

I am a buyer and I still like the auction principle. I don't mind waiting for the end of an auction. And I am patient for delivery. And I am not the only one. You are seriously dreaming if you believe that eBay just sits back and implements buyers ideas all day long. They have a business plan and do what they think is best for their stockholders.

As for your selling analogy, I once put up an item for auction, that went unsold for $4.99. I relisted and got over $15. Without changing a single thing! It just happens that way sometimes!

It seems that a lot of people on these boards have a stereotype image of buyers. To hear people speak they are a bunch of impatient idiots. Who have no patience and would rather pay $9.99 for something rather than $0.99. But then smart enough to make the great eBay machine do whatever they want. Quite, amazing! Business schools around the world, take note!

recped · ‎12-05-2013

I get you on the Auctions, I generally ONLY list Auction except for a few times I'll use a Fixed Price promo (like I plan to do later today).

That said, I get a few non-payers but I'm not freaking out over it, you want auctions then accept the small number of non-payers that come with it.

It's certainly a lot better than the "good old days" when I did some auctions by mail, it would take as long as two months to run the auction and then you have to inform the winner (by mail) and have them send you the money (by mail), you could end up waiting another month before you found out they were not going to pay. AT that point the item could go back on the auction block for another 2 - 4 month cycle.

All I mean by this is that non-payers are just a fact, if you want to run auctions and reap the benefits then you need to accept reality, a reality that cannot be changed except by such draconian measures that would chase away 75% (or more) of potential buyers.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

rose-dee · ‎12-05-2013

@73rhc wrote:
Not unlikely. But if I use my crystal ball, I foresee eBay coming to an end. Or at the very least, a massive reduction in listing. I see more specialized sites becoming the norm. Why sell books here when you sell on Abe.com? And so forth...

You have a good point. I for one am finding it more and more difficult to sell from my little "niche boutique" when I'm surrounded by zillions of electronic gadgets of every size and description, and dollar-store junk. I have a feeling buyers just aren't coming here in such numbers anymore as they used to do, looking for the unique and unusual -- they want the common and usual, but at a cheap price. And eBay is encouraging them.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-06-2013

Why sell books here when you sell on Abe.com? And so forth...

I just bought a book this morning on eBay after checking out three cheaper copies on Amazon. I'm even going with GSP! (passes smelling salts to afantiques).

Why?

All the copies were used but only eBay offered complete descriptions including photos of the book jacket. I chose the copy with the nicest jacket, although there was also a first edition offered at a lower price.

Sometimes price is not the only criterion for purchase.

The much hated DSRs can come into it.

Being able to find feedback and evaluate it.

Multiple pictures available.

Long detailed descriptions.

And even paying duty and tax in advance, allowing the buyer to skip a trip to the PO to pay these is an advantage.

73rhc · ‎12-06-2013

"although there was also a first edition offered at a lower price"

Yes, please past the smelling salts!
You also forgot to mention the vast choice of books Abe.com. Or did you.
You can get quite a good description on Abe.com if you take the time to read. We are talking about books, after all. There are a ton of stock pictures on eBay! Btw!
Oh btw, I never had to go to the PO to buy a book on there!

Conclusion: I really don't see your point.

premium-audio-tubes · ‎12-07-2013

I have 34 this past 10 days.

spherian · ‎12-13-2013

As a buyer and seller, I've been having this issue as well. I've found that most, if not all, non-paying buyer issues come from accounts with 0 feedback. In cases where they do have feedback, it's all negative, but since you can't leave negative feedback for buyers anymore, it gives them a 100% positive rating. Buyers need to be able to block bidders who have 0 feedback. Even better, this should be configurable. Perhaps set it to 10 or 20. If a bidder who has low feedback wants to bid, they can contact he seller.

The only way I have been able to keep NPB away from my auctions is to require PayPal. Some guy with a bogus account isn't going to go to the trouble of setting up PayPal for an account if they have no intention of paying.

maggiebvintage2010 · ‎12-13-2013

Personally, I have found that new buyers who do pay can become good returning customers. There have always been buyers who do not pay on time, or at all. That is why credit cards were such a hit with merchants - it took the heat off them and moved it to another level. When you choose to sell on eBay, some of that other level is missing. PayPal reduces a lot of the risk, but those buyers who end up not paying are no different than they always were. A few are deadbeats. Some are inexperienced and rash, then do not know what to do about their impulse buying, so do nothing. Many are stretched too thin either by economic or lifestyle stress. Some auction buyers bid early and forget by the time the auction has ended. Most respond to friendly reminders, some just disappear into the woodwork. And that is where you should leave them. If you like to sell by auction-style listings, then factor some non-payers into your calculations, the way you factor some non-selling items. If you think that going through the procedure and waiting the time to relist is costing you something, then figure out what exactly that is, and factor that into your eBay business. If it's money, raise your prices. If it's stress, learn to shrug it off - it's business, not personal.

spherian · ‎12-13-2013

I've been seeing this a lot in he past year, both as a buyer and a seller. In all instances in which a 0 or low feedback buyer won an auction, the item was relisted a short time later. I even got a few second chance offers in these cases. Most items I bid on end up getting a 0 feedback bidder. In most, if not all of these cases, they were bogus bids. They are bidding with the intent to win the item and not pay. Why? Sure, some 0 or low feedback bidders are legit. You have to start at 0 when you join. But regarding the items I've been selling and buying, 0 to low feedback members have always been deadbeats. The only time I don't know this for a fact is if a legitimate bidder wins the item. This issue is out of control. We need eBay to provide a means of controlling it. It hurts both the seller and the buyers who are trying to win these items.

ricarmic · ‎12-13-2013

Maggie: I completely agree, I have many zero buyers, who have subsequently purchased a lot of stuff.....although my stuff (stamps) is BIN stuff....in fact the type of material I sell is more catered to people just starting out...they buy my bulk stuff for a bit, then they refine their needs and start buying more specific stuff from the Pierres of the world....overall I think a lot depends on the type of stuff you are selling... but in my case I wouldn't ever block zero feedback people.....another note, is that my non-pay rate remains the same, less than 1% a month......

73rhc · ‎12-13-2013

I think the majority of new buyers/bidders will pay. But that being said, I would love to see a probationary system put into place where, payment is automatically made once you have won an auction or BIN. Once you've reached, let's say, 20 positive feedback from say 10 different sellers. Well your probation is over. Welcome aboard! Just a thought.