Should non paying bidder's be charged a fee?

[kobies_costume_jewelry]

Hi and thanks to everyone for their advice if only Ebay was as helpful

I know that this probably has been raised before.

But.

Should non paying bidder's be fined? I didn't realise that there were so many.

A simple fee of say $5 (charged by Ebay) that goes to the seller for their time and effort. .

A dishonour fee?  

Placing restriction on an account for non paying is pretty lame. (you bad person don't do it again this month next month go for it.)

They would certainly think twice about bidding on an item and then not pay espescially if the item was under $10.

Come on Ebay if it wasn't for the seller's where would you be?

The million's of dollar's your company has spent on lawyer's to protect yourself yet you don't protect the people that made you.

Yes I know I'm a newbie at selling and I have a lot to learn but this is ridiculous.

.

[phorum_junkie*]

Of course they shouldn't, the seller has lost no (or very little if it is a paid for listing) money and there are often perfectly valid reasons for not paying, how many times has a buyer come to the boards because alarm bells start ringing and we advise them not to pay?

Ebay giive you the ability to give non payers strikes and the option to block any member with more than one strike from bidding or buying. Havinf done so I don't usually need even a whole hand to count the number of non payers across three selling ids per year.

[zelly888]

Simple answer is NO

[wicked*desires]

well, i for one am sick of the dodgy bidders that won't even respond to a 'friendly reminder' that they haven't paid for their item.  i value my time and don't like it when someone doesn't give a hoot, then gets away with it.

i agree with you, Kobies...  unless a genuine, legit reason is given then there must be consequences on the buyers part.  For that to even take place, they first need to have the courtesy to respond!

[hbrih3]

Of course they should, plus they should be made to at leat pay for the costs of placing the ad and final valuation fee if there is any.   Also sellers should be allowed to block bidders without a Paypal account and bidders with feedback score less then 10 if they chose to do so.

[trulyspecialgoodies]

Although I totally agree with you and Kobies that non-payers are a nuisance - how would eBay enforce any kind of penalty for non-payment?

If someone is thoughtless enough to bid for an item and not pay for it, what on earth makes you think that they would be agreeable to paying a fine? It's not going to happen.

When I first started selling, these people used to annoy me no end but now I just treat them like mozzie bites - definitely irritating but not life threatening. Just open UPI, give them a strike, put them on BBL and forget about them - not much more that you can do. Life's too short to worry about these pests and luckily (in the long run) the nice buyers greatly outnumber them

[*crikey*mate*]

"should" they?  - YEP

can eBay impose such a fee? NOPE - they are not a party to the contract between the buyer and the seller.

The options op4en to the contracting parties are through the legal system. The purpose of contract law is to put contractual parties into the same position that they would have been in had the contract been poerformed. So, if you want that to happen, ya gonna have to sue the non performing party.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@sengadee wrote:

well, i for one am sick of the dodgy bidders that won't even respond to a 'friendly reminder' that they haven't paid for their item.  i value my time and don't like it when someone doesn't give a hoot, then gets away with it.

i agree with you, Kobies...  unless a genuine, legit reason is given then there must be consequences on the buyers part.  For that to even take place, they first need to have the courtesy to respond!

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They only get away with it because you "allow" them to.

It is your responsibility to pursue the contract between the buyer and seller - not eBay's.

Ebay are nothing more than a "dating site" that provides a platfiorm for people to meet and make their own arrangements (in this case buying and selling LOL)

[amber-eyed-girl]

Such a fee would not deter non-payers...if they are not paying for an item they bid on for fun, or now do not want, how is eBay going to force them to pay the penalty?

Have members sign up with a kitty for penalties?

This would deter the real buyers, who might one day have a legitimate reason for not paying. Such as a dubious seller who changes the terms/amount due after the sale...it happens.

Should sellers who refuse to sell the item after bidding also be penalised? The answer to that would yes, if a non-payer is. But again, how would eBay enforce it? Easier there, as eBay could put a penalty onto the fees bill.

There are ways to block potentially poorly behaved buyers. It would be better to tighten those, then start imposing penalties that would never get paid.



For your non-payers, add them to your blocked list

http://offer.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?bidderblocklogin&hc=1&hm=uk%601d72f%2Bkw5ipwsu%7E%7B

[belindabargainhunter]

In that case I think sellers who cancel sales should be charged a fee. I have missed out on many items only to have sellers withdraw or cancel sales. I have then had to pay more money to buy from someone else. Should the seller pay the difference.