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?

[collect247]

Because if you don't ask ebay to step in after a certain date and ebay don't hear from you then the case gets closed

without a result and no FVFs either.

You needed to at least contact ebay after 4 days from opening the case and not let it expire sorry.

[egglesdtp]

That hardly seems fair as I was overseas and in China without internet contact until today. I think I will take this further with ebay as the FVFs involved were not insignificant.

[phorum_junkie*]

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for ebay to break their own policy by giving you a FVF refund.  I would have opened the dispute the day they asked to pay by bank deposit and told them I would give them 5 days to have the funds cleared into my bank account or I would have no choice but to close the dispute in order to get a fee refund..

[*tippy*toes*]

What you probably should have done in this instance was to use the unpaid item assistant. It would have opened the dispute automatically and then closed it 4 days later if the buyer hadn't paid. It does say in the help pages that if the dispute times out you don't get your FVF's back. How was eBay supposed to know you were going overseas?

If you'd opened the dispute and left the country before the first 4 days were up, what would you have done if the buyer ended up paying? All you can really do is call eBay and plead your case. It's an each way bet whether they refund you the fees or not.

Next time you plan on an extended stay away, make sure everything is finalised before you go, or make other arrangements. e.g turn on the unpaid assistant.

[davewil1964]

At least you dodged a red dot.

If they had paid and you only posted now (without any notification to them as China doesn't have the internet), I an reasonably sure you would have copped a neg. Plus a defect for late delivery, which is even more damaging.

[egglesdtp]

I did communicate several times with the buyer that I would be unable to post after a certain date. And if she paid after that date, I wouldn't be posting until my return.

[black*poppy]

Yeah, the timeframes are clearly set out in the T&C's.  I don't reckon you would have much chance of fighting this.

4.

Close the case Timeline: As soon as 4 days and up to 36 days after the listing ended. If the buyer pays using one of eBay's accepted safer electronic payment methods (PayPal or credit card), the case closes automatically. But if they use another method, you need to go to your My eBay and mark the item as paid. If the buyer doesn't pay, you should close the case in the Resolution Centre and request a final value fee credit. If you don't close the case, it expires on the 37th day after the listing has ended and you don't get a final value fee credit. You also won't be able to reopen the case or open another case for the transaction.

[davewil1964]

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@egglesdtp wrote:

I did communicate several times with the buyer that I would be unable to post after a certain date. And if she paid after that date, I wouldn't be posting until my return.

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But, if a parcel, as soon as the eBay estimated delivery date (from date of payment) had passed it would be an auto-defect.

Maybe pull your listings a bit earlier, ie 8 days at least, if you are going to be away for extended periods.

[egglesdtp]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

But, if a parcel, as soon as the eBay estimated delivery date (from date of payment) had passed it would be an auto-defect.

Maybe pull your listings a bit earlier, ie 8 days at least, if you are going to be away for extended periods.

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I'm not sure what your point is. But my point is, the buyer did not pay, despite making her purchases on 19 March.

I ended all my listings by 31 March, and went OS on 6 April. So I gave the buyer 3 weeks to make her payment before I went away, and I don't think I could have been fairer than that.