Weed out buyers with zero feedback

[rosst400]

Is there any way to block buyers who have no feedback? I'm sick of the number of idiots who win auctions on items that I am selling and then they don't pay or contact you. It's happened five times in the last few months and it's really frustrating.

[sandypebbles]

I have not sold anything for several months on my selling ID, but I *think* eBay got rid of the option to block buyers with less than x amount feedback

(I'm sure a member who is active at selling these days can answer that better)

Having said that, if all five were all 0 feedback members, it is possible it was the same person more than once under different user IDs

I hope you reported them for non payment and added them to your blocked bidders list?

Was there a buyer at some point in the past who you had big problems from? (if so it is possible it is them, opening different IDs just to be a smart *you know what*)

[lyndal1838]

No, you cannot block 0 feedback buyers.

Set your buyer requirements and they will soon get enough strikes that they will not be able to buy from sellers with their blocks in place.

Don't forget, everyone, including you, started with 0 feedback.

[jellybirddesigns]

I have plenty of zero feedback buyers and never have an issue.

I do, however, have all my items set to "Buy It Now" with immediate payment required, so this circumvents any issues up front.

I also have my buyer blocks in place so anyone with a certain number of strikes won't even get a chance to purchase from me at all.

[tazzieterror]

I'm with jellybird above - I quite often get 0-fb buyers on my BIN items (I've had a few the past fortnight) and thanks to requiring immediate payment, they've all been legit!

[repentatleisure1952]

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@rosst400 wrote:

Is there any way to block buyers who have no feedback? I'm sick of the number of idiots who win auctions on items that I am selling and then they don't pay or contact you. It's happened five times in the last few months and it's really frustrating.

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I don't understand why you worry about non payers.

You appear to regard not being paid a positve experience.

[shoppingbag*]

We all had to start somewhere, even you, so don't be so hard on inexperienced buyers. Sometimes you need to explain things to them and have a little patience. I learnt early on to have BIN rather than auction, because of the problems you face. I found that non paying bidders were not just new buyers but from people who had been on eBay for years. There are no problems with Buy it Now items, it appears the sale does not go through until they pay. even without "immediate payment" being selected. However, if you switch to BIN and want to offer combined postage, you need to change your settings in "site preferences" to allow for combined postage, so the buyer will get the "request total" button and can wait for you to send an invoice.

[4channel]

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@rosst400 wrote:

Is there any way to block buyers who have no feedback? I'm sick of the number of idiots who win auctions on items that I am selling and then they don't pay or contact you. It's happened five times in the last few months and it's really frustrating.

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Yeah I hear you! There are a lot of newbies that don't know about the seriousness of a bidding and winning c commitment. They can be a pain. In this trying period we are in, feedback is  necessary indicator of a buyers bidding history and behaviour. Sadly, items are often arriving from overseas close to, or after the 2 months TTLFB (Time to leave feedback)  allowance. I have suggested that it be restored to the pre May 2008 TTLFB because of what we're facing with the Corona Virus Disruptions.

A recent thread about it was started by eBayer shatojak

https://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Buying/why-does-ebay-feedback-often-close-before-a-delivery-has-bee...

Restoration of TTLFB to what it was of 3 months pre May, 2008 would be of benefit to seller as well.,

Of course the usual "You know who crew" willl say otherwise lol.

[springyzone]

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@rosst400 wrote:

Is there any way to block buyers who have no feedback? I'm sick of the number of idiots who win auctions on items that I am selling and then they don't pay or contact you. It's happened five times in the last few months and it's really frustrating.

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I can understand how frustrating that would be but I think the most important thing is that you follow through and give these people a strike for non payment. Don't be tempted to just cancel the sale or give up and relist. Actually follow through and give non payers a strike.

I know one strike won't hurt their account but if they do it again and get another strike, they'll find themselves blocked from buying from quite a few sellers. That's the best outcome there could be (apart from persistent troublemakers being kicked off by ebay).

I know it is tempting to be wary of zero feedback members but you have to give people a chance. I remember many years back when my sister & I set up a selling account. We had both had individual accounts for years with 100% good feedback (at a time when buyers could get a neg) but our new account started off at zero of course. We were so grateful for buyers who were willing to take a risk with us in those early stages and bid. Despite zero feedback we were genuine & honest and I am sure a lot of other zero buyers & sellers are too. They will never be able to move past zero if people don't give them a chance.

[rosst400]

Thanks everyone. I’ll consider using BIN in future. Also to respond to the comment made by tuckcase1989. I think you miss my point. Imagine that you’re trying to sell something and you need the funds for some other purpose. When buyers don’t pay it takes a few days to lodge a dispute and then another week or so to sell again. That’s the frustration.