Expired unpaid item case

[egglesdtp]

On 19/3 a buyer purchased two items from me, each weighing just over 500g. I sent a combined invoice, saving the buyer a considerable amount in postage, as the two items could be sent in the same 3kg satchel. Two days later she sent a message apologising for non-payment, and saying that she had lost her CC and was waiting on a new CC to pay the invoice. Three days after that, the buyer sent a message saying the new CC hadn't yet arrived and could she pay by DD. So (now the 25/3) I sent my bank details, and I haven't heard a word since, nor received payment either by Paypal or DD.

As I was going to be travelling overseas for much of April, before I left I opened an unpaid item case for each item in order to get my FVFs back. Today I received emails stating that the unpaid item case(s) had been automatically closed, with this message:

You can contact the buyer to arrange a payment. Any payment that is made to eBay will be returned.

Firstly, I don't understand what this message means. Secondly, when I go to My Ebay and look at the Sold items, I see this note with the relevant items:

This unpaid item case expired on 25 Apr, 2016. You will not receive a final value fee credit.

Why don't I receive my FVFs back, since the buyer did not pay?

[phorum_junkie*]

Why on earth would ypu give a buyer 3 weeks to pay?  You are not doing them any favours as tey may then think that is OK and end up with a couple of unpaid item strikes as most of us give no more than 8 to 10 days in total.

Yu knew ypu were ging away and ypu knew the dispute had been open for more than 4 days so not closing the dispute and getting your fees back was a choice, no point in changing yur mind now.

[egglesdtp]

---

@phorum_junkie* wrote:

Why on earth would ypu give a buyer 3 weeks to pay? 

As explained in my initial post, the buyer emailed me 2 days after the sales were made on 19/3, letting me know she had lost her CC, and although she had applied for a new one, it had not arrived, and she apologised for the delay in payment. She asked if she could have more time to pay and I agreed. It was a biggish sale for me and I didn't want to cancel it. I knew I still had more than 2 weeks before I went away. On the 24th, when her new CC still had not arrived, she asked if she could pay by DD, and so I sent her my bank details.

I then received no further communication from her, and before I went away, I submitted unpaid item reports for the two sales. I don't recall which date I did this, but probably close to the end of March. Sorry I offended you by waiting so long to submit the UPIs, but I had other things on my mind, and was sure the buyer was going to pay.

Geez - sorry I even asked the original question, as everyone seems to want to shoot me down in flames.

[springyzone]

I feel sorry for you as I think your auction ended well before your trip was due to start. You didn't do anything wrong as such except let the buyer string the time out too long.

I think if a buyer had contacted me two days after auction end, telling me they were waiting for a new credit card, I would have done as you did and given them some leeway.

But it's a lesson to us all (or at least to me anyway) as I think what probably needs to happen in any case where payment isn't made within 4-5 days is that any new arrangements that are negotiated need to have very limited and exact time limits put on them.

On 25/3, when she was asking for your bank details, you probably would have been better off when you sent bank details to say that payment would need to be showing in your bank account within 4 days or you would need to open an unpaid item dispute simply to get your fees back. I am well aware that 25/3 was over Easter but there is such a thing as internet banking and a transaction would still go through by 29th.

Then you would have had time to open and close your case before you went away.

That automatic assistant thing sounds like the go too, if you can't be there. You deserve your fees back but I doubt ebay will refund.

[ozstockman]

Try to contact ebay regarding refund anyway and explain what has happened. You have not done anything wrong because  you have been  trying to help to resolve your buyers problems with her payment.

[collect247]

No one is trying to shoot you down in flames,just telling you that you won't be getting any FVFs back as you left it to late.

And we have explained to you what you should have done so in future just do as we have explained and next time if this happens

you should then get your fees back.