Do Buyers Really Believe Sellers Have A Crystal Ball?

[designers*n*more]

Sold an item on 19th April. 1. Automatic eBay invoice sent when auction finished. 2, I sent an Invoice on 21st just in case the first wasn't received. After day 4 and NO contact from buyer I open an UID (too many non-payers lately)

Today I get this message:

"I am paying for this today. I have been in hopsital after having a baby via caesaran section. Thank you for making inital contact with me to maybe to discuss a delay for the payment. Maybe you need to work on your commuication skills"

Is this woman kidding?? I am suppose to know that she was in hospital......how??  Maybe she needs to learn how to read Sale Requirements in listings before placing bids, particularly if she cannot pay on time.

I need a good (non-smartarse response as much as I would like to send one)!

[enigmabear]

I'd like to say (but I would'nt) SHE needs to work on HER communication skills, since she knew she would be in hospital when the auction she chose to bid on ended, she could have easily messaged to say/ask if it was ok to delay payment for that reason

[mbselections00]

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@designers*n*more wrote:

Sold an item on 19th April. 1. Automatic eBay invoice sent when auction finished. 2, I sent an Invoice on 21st just in case the first wasn't received. After day 4 and NO contact from buyer I open an UID (too many non-payers lately)

Today I get this message:

"I am paying for this today. I have been in hopsital after having a baby via caesaran section. Thank you for making inital contact with me to maybe to discuss a delay for the payment. Maybe you need to work on your commuication skills"

Is this woman kidding?? I am suppose to know that she was in hospital......how??  Maybe she needs to learn how to read Sale Requirements in listings before placing bids, particularly if she cannot pay on time.

I need a good (non-smartarse response as much as I would like to send one)!

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Lol, very hard to think of one that isn't ! 

I would say as simply and politely as possible, that you hope all is well now and that you have automatic settings in place, whereby you 'automatically' send a second invoice after a set number of days and if you receive no communication from the buyer at this point, the system is set to send UI notifications after a further 4 days.  It's nothing personal, just a use of the tools provided and recommended by eBay.  Had you known there was a reason for delayed payment, then you could have over-ridden the automatic setting, but you had no way of knowing as you had not heard from her. 

Unless you sugar coat it to the extreme, I'm guessing you'll cop less than 5Stars for communication 😞  Although I agree completely, she is the one who needs to brush up on her communication skills.

Who knows, perhaps it was an 'emergency' c section, in which case eBay was probably the last thing on her mind.

Edit :  And for goodness sake Thank you for making inital contact with me to maybe to discuss a delay for the payment.

Ah, how about she should have made contact with you to discuss the possibility of delayed payment ?  What tha ?

If there was time for any discussion, it was before purchase, and anyway, if there was time to discuss, there was clearly time to just PAY !!! 

[bright.ton42]

Geez having babies seems to be the top excuse.   I got one because his daughter-in-law had a baby.... lolol.  It's just mind boggling.  I can't remember how I responded but it was through gritted teeth.   

[digital*ghost]

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@designers*n*more wrote:

"I am paying for this today. I have been in hopsital after having a baby via caesaran section. Thank you for making inital contact with me to maybe to discuss a delay for the payment. Maybe you need to work on your commuication skills"

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And what do they think the point of that would have been?  If they were in the hospital recovering from a c-section, they wouldn't have been able to respond anyway, and the end result would have been the same - purchase, no payment, no response, UPI opened.

Whenever a buyer seems to think I should have made allowances for their special circumstances when those special circumstances were never communicated to me in any way, shape of form, I just reply and tell them I can only make decisions based on the information I have, which (in this case) would have been an item was purchased, not paid for after X days, and no communication or response to reminders. 

[enigmabear]

Maybe they were going to Google with the Gyno? 

[book-of-hezekiah]

Invent yourself a snarky smart alecy response just to go through your feelings and get it off your chest, just DO NOT POST IT!! >.<

"You had time to get your guts ripped open to achieve a squalling free loader. You ripped my heart out with your bully post. Now I cry boohoo." (I don't really think this or condone it *pious face*)

Vaguely ignore the angry part and put it down to caesar/baby stress and I think there is no need to make any reference to the dispute. Perhaps you could say something like, "Congratulations on having your baby. I look forward to sending your item once the payment is processed. Thank you."

As an aside, mums don't always know they are having a caesar until very close to the event and I suspect anything not baby-related would be low priority.

Now I have a question that is somewhat off-track - depending on the item purchased, would it ever be okay to include a card congratulating the arrival of the baby or would that be too creepy???

[kopenhagen5]

Do Buyers Really Believe Sellers Have A Crystal Ball?

Yep and sellers have teleport machines to get the item there the same day. 

Dear buyer,

My account is set to open unpaid items automatically at 4 days and as clearly stated in the listing those are the payment tems.

It is usual for buyers to make contact should payment terms not be able to be met and alternate arrangements are gladly made.

eBay also make suggestions for buyers to contact sellers as sellers cannot know a buyer's unforeseen circumstances in such a scenario.

I am a little saddened by the remark made in your message as you can now see, it was beyond my control.

An open unpaid item case does not affect a buyer's account and the buyer has a further 4 days to make payment.

Should you require more time please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Kind regards,

PS - Hope mother and child are doing well.

Just being honest and convey the nice person you are may make the buyer feel a little guilty in jumping to conclusions as she did.

[davidc4430]

next you will be blamed for her post natal depression and she'll want you to pay her hospital bill.

[*tippy*toes*]

I'm certainly not sticking up for her, but she may not have known she was about to have the baby. She may have gone for a pre natal check with her doctor/clinic, something is amiss (stressed baby, very high blood pressure), guess what, you need to have this baby today. Get yourself to hospital, do not pass go, do not collect $200. If she had been to the ante natal clinic at the hospital, she may not have been able to leave. If the situation was bad enough, she may have been sent straight to theatre from the clinic.

That said, she had no right to say your communication was poor given you tried several ways to make contact. In the event that she negs you or trashes your stars, I'd be calling eBay and getting them to check your messages so they can see that you tried.

She sounds like one of those people who thinks the world should stop and bow to her because she's had a baby. She's the only one who has ever had a baby. One of those people who will go to one of those breast feeding rallies where they all stand around feeding their kids (you know, the ones who think they pretty special because they breast feed their kid. No idea how mothers coped for millions of years before this new modern concept of breast feeding).