Advice needed on unethical buyers (resolution centre and ebay help)

[goaussies1]

I am a fairly new seller. Mainly renovation cleanout stuff, so low prices.  Some buyers seem to think this be a justification to bid and not pay. After my first bad experience I set the block to highest for non-payers. I am always professional and polite in my dealings, and give customers no reason for angst, assuming most people are basically good and will do the right thing.

 I've had mostly good buyers (18) and three bad.

1. First bid, PROLIFIC ebay buyer didn't pay. Invoice reminder sent after four days. No response to (polite) communication, no payment.  Sent to resolution centre. Buyer continued to buy before and after this failure. Closed as a non-payment.

2. Prolific buyer wins bid on a 530g item which has to be sent from VIC to QLD (details very clear on advert). Doesn't pay. On 4th day I send an invoice reminder. Postage is then queried. Gave the buyer two options (Australia post rates) confirming the weight/postage. No response (including to a second reminder on abt day 7). Sent to resolution centre. Buyer asks to cancel because postage is "way too dear". I didn't comply to the request. Believed buyer knew my postage costs were fair and their delays and responses were rude.

3. Prolific buyer outbids another. Day three/four I send an invoice reminder. Buyer replies saying they are having trouble with paypal and they have sent a request to ebay to fix. I reply:  No worries, give it a few days. Or you could pay by DD (details at checkout).

Two days later I get a msg to cancel the purchase as ebay hasn't  resolved their paypal issue and they don't have access to a bank to do a DD. This strikes me as being VERY ODD. Surely a person without access to a bank would use I/N banking. So I google their address. They have three banks within 600m of their home. I send a query to ebay, who reply that they will contact the buyer.

On 31st  I notice the buyer has marked as payment sent on 29th.  So i check my DD and paypal as I've had no alert. Zilch! So I send a msg to the buyer, asking if they have sent a cheque as there is no DD or paypal deposit record. Buyer says thay must've marked it as payment sent by mistake and they are still having paypal trouble and can I please cancel the transaction.

Okay, so my take on this is:  Buyer makes multiple bids over competition over several days. Then decides they don't want it. AFTER I send the invoice reminder they make excuse #1.  I give them time and mention the other payment option. Then they make excuse #2. After ebay contacts them, they mark as payment sent to get ebay off their back (and maybe think I will send the item w/o checking). When I query, they claim this as a mistake and paypal still not working.

So are these typical problems for sellers? Or am I just being unlucky? Do I now open a case against buyer #3? Do I contact ebay again as I have no idea what they discussed with the buyer? Is there any chance they could be genuine?

Thanks

[cq_tech]

Non-payers are the scourge of eBay and they deserve to be treated harshly and with no second chances. All of my listings clearly state that payment is requested at the time of purchase, but in any case must be received within 4 days, otherwise an Unpaid Item Dispute will be opened.

I maintain that if they can afford to buy, they should be in a position to afford to pay immediately, so if there is no payment advice at the time of purchase, I send them an invoice. Ebay automatically sends them a payment reminder after 2-3 days so if they still haven't paid by the end of day 4, I don't muck around and lodge a UPI without giving them any notice.

That gives them another 4 days in which to pay. If they still fail to do so after that 4 days has expired, I close the case, issue them a strike, add them to my BBL and receive a credit of my fees. I used to feel a bit guilty for being so brutal but not any more. After being stuffed around numerous times by non-payers, they deserve everything they get, and more.

[goaussies1]

So I gather you'd agree with my take on #3?

[digital*ghost]

The best way to deal with these situations is to minimise the time and energy spent on them. Sadly, eventually you'll work out a suitable, efficient routine...

Mine is:

Wait the applicable amount of time for payment, as noted in my listings

Send an enquiry when that time is near (it's a copy/paste of a forumlated message which pretty much covers all the bases, so only takes a couple of seconds)

If no reply within around 48 hours, block the buyer and open UPI

If they pay, send as normal, if they don't, close, get my FVF back and continue not giving them more of my time than necessary 😉

Sometimes it helps to set some informal boundaries / policies, so you know exactly what to say in reply to a buyer who seems to be trying to string things along or make poor excuses. I basically just say "sorry for your troubles, I am only able to defer the process to cancel this transaction and keep the item available for X days, after which point the process will automatically initiate. This process takes a few days, during which time you can stil elect to pay, but if you no longer require the item, you won't need to do anything and the transaction will be officially void on X date".

So far, by giving very clear dates on which things will happen, I've not had one buyer reply and try to negotiate further, they either pay or disappear. Either way, I only spend a couple of minutes manually dealing with it (though still not impressed UPIs take a minimum 8 days >_< ). 

[springyzone]

Good on you for not allowing the cancellations under the circumstances described.

What is suss about #3 is the fact this buyer did not message you about any paypal problem after the sale, they had 4 days to do so.

This person is trying to mess you around, hoping you will time out on them. I once got messed around for a month by someone like this, who 4 times claimed to have paid. Never again.

Do as DG says and don't give these people too much time or work. No cancellations either. Just go into dispute and let them cop a strike.

They may be prolific buyers but a few non payment strikes might put a spoke in their wheel. Some people won't change until they feel consequences.

[cq_tech]

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@goaussies1 wrote:
So I gather you'd agree with my take on #3?

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Absolutely. Unless there's a very good explanation I don't do cancellations, and instead I simply tell the non-payer that they don't have to do anything. Just wait a few days and it will all be sorted out by eBay. I'm not going to risk a defect or go out of my way for some grub who's either bought elsewhere or changed their mind. They need to learn that committing to a purchase is a serious thing and should not be taken lightly. For example, if somebody wants to cancel because they say their grandmother has died, I'll want to see a copy of the death certificate before I agree. 😉

[phorum_junkie*]

For example, if somebody wants to cancel because they say their grandmother has died, I'll want to see a copy of the death certificate before I agree

I don't care about their grandmother's demise, I want them to send a copy of their death certificate

[arlottstreetstation]

I'm with you ALLTHE WAY.... In fact I'll go further & say that this nonsense of having to wait 4 days before being able to open a UPI & then another 4 days before being to close it is just that - NONSENSE !!! It ties up valuable stock & money.

IMHO ALL Buyers should be required to pay IMMEDIATELY or the Transaction is cancelled. As I've often said, try going into any Shop & saying "I want you to keep that item for me & I'll be back in 8 days to pay for - if I feel like it"

A Buyer either has the money at hand when they buy an item or they don't - It's that simple !!!

[stampingpaws]

I agree, my actions are:

BIN - If they dont pay immediately, that is at the same time as bidding, I send an invoice noting "IMMEDIATE PAYMENT REQUIRED"

Auction -  when auction ends I send an invoice noting "IMMEDIATE PAYMENT REQUIRED".

In both cases, if no payment, invoice sent again after 24 hours.Thats it.

I have set my UPI to 4 days and 4 days automatically. Ruthless but necessary. No cancellations, no extensions, no communication.

 Basically, YOU BUY, YOUR PAY NOW.

[arlottstreetstation]

In fact, I need some advice... I have a lazy Buyer & not sure what to do. He has bought from me before with no problems & is becoming a Regular so I want to go a bit easy.

I suspect he used the Ebay App to purchase an item & it accidentally made 2 separate purchases. He has paid for one which I have posted. I messaged him re the second & asked if it was a mistake & if so we will need to go through the Cancellation Process (God help me) - But no response.

So what do I do? Do I send the Invoice & id still no response open a UPI? Or should I put in a Cancelation Request saying Buyer requested to cancel? If he doesn't respond to Ebays E-Mail what will happen?