Need to vent.....

[ekrabappel]

Really annoyed at the moment.  Was purchasing some stamps and there were several lots over a week or so.  After purchasing the first 3 lots I messaged the seller to say that I was intending to bid on more lots over the next 7 days and would let them know when I was done. Seller responded that it was fine and they would issue a combined invoice once I had finished. I purchased another 3 lots yesterday.  I get home from work to discover a message from EBay that the first order has been cancelled by seller because of unpaid items ( a whole $7 worth).  So I now have 3 items that I no longer want because I won't get combined postage as agreed by seller. Furthermore, this sellers actions have now had my bidding suspended as punishment from EBay. I had nearly $750 worth of bids lined up for this evening for some items that I really wanted that I will now lose because my bidding is blocked. Arghh!!! EBay has agreed to have the unpaid strikes removed but will take up to 72 hours so fat lot of good it will do for this evenings bids.  I always thought that such action had to go through resolution centre. Apparently not. A seller can screw a buyers bidding account with no repercussions.  Soory. Rant over. Still very annoyed...

[papermoon.lady]

Maybe the seller had automatic cancellation enabled in his settings and didn't remember.

When you enable Preferences for items awaiting payment, you can customise your settings so that orders that aren't paid for will be cancelled automatically after 4 calendar days.

From: Resolving unpaid items | eBay

[jellybirddesigns]

I've seen these threads from time to time.

Perhaps it would be better to pay as you go and then include reminder messages to seller that you intend to bid on others over the next few days and to please hold off on mailing out. Once you are finished bidding and paying, then send a message to tell the seller as such and to please refund excess postage as agreed.

The seller might have the auto cancellation enabled, as mentioned or they could feel that they don't really know if you're going to pay, even though you're bidding. So from the sellers point of view, they might get a buyer who bids and wins on tons of stuff and then doesn't pay up. It can go either way for a seller and most err on the side of caution these days.

[ekrabappel]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know auto-cancellation was an option.  Whenever I've had a NPB I've had to go through the resolution process and wait the 4 days for buyer to respond blah blah so was surprised to see I'd copped an unpaid strike with no warning.  If the seller had said they would prefer payment upfront and will hold on postage because auto-cancellation was enabled, fine. But they didn't. Also, I was the only bidder on all 3 of the first items and I think on all 3 of the second 3 items so it's not like they were losing out on all this money. 

Out of interest, I placed a manual bid on an item and it went through so no restriction. The 3 first items were combined as one order so maybe the unpaid item strike was against the single order and not 3 individual items? Maybe I have a bidding limit imposed? The items I'm bidding on tonight have a higher value. I have tried to find some more info but the Ebay rules regarding account limitations seem a little vague. I am hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can shed some light. Thanks

[jellybirddesigns]

I don't think you should rely on a seller telling you they would prefer payment upfront etc. I would take it upon myself to do this and send the messages with each sale so that the seller is continually reminded. The seller might have lots of other items for sale, or a million things on their mind and they may not remember what they discuss with you, especially if some of the sales are a week apart.

Sellers can also impose limits and blocks. The pic is of my own buyer limitations/blocks, although some of them are not actually relevant as all my items are BIN with Immediate Payment. 

[ekrabappel]

@jellybirddesigns - Seller is not a power seller. 207 feedbacks. I get what you're saying re don't rely on the seller. I just get paranoid that the seller won't see my messages and post an item after the first payment.  One of my tactics is to find items with a higher postage (say $7-10).  I buy lots of coins so choose sellers that have lots for sale. By getting combined postage I end up paying less postage per item which means I can afford to bid a higher price on each item which is an advantage over buyers who are just buying the one coin and so have to factor in the higher postage cost.  Last thing I want is to be stuck with a coin and maximum postage because the seller forgot that I am buying more items.

[jellybirddesigns]

I don't think there is a way to win with this particular seller.

For myself, I often have orders come in and then the buyer messages me to say that they are still deciding on some other items from what I am offering and not to post right away. For the most part, the buyer then comes back within a day or so and either they have purchased more, or they say they are finished. If they order more, I tell them that I will refund the excess postage from the second transaction once I have been to the PO and gotten the final weight. 

For me it's maybe different as I definitely do take note of my buyers requests and do accommodate them. Since I get paid upfront, my only stipulation is that I have an answer within a short period so that I do not miss posting within my handling time. 

And speaking of which - that's something else to bear in mind when making requests of sellers. If the sellers handling time is 2 days (for example) and you ask them to hold off for another week while you bid on something else, they will incur a defect on their account for not posting when they should.

[*sons_and_daughters*]

You forgot to ask for an item number...................

[repentatleisure1952]

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@*sons_and_daughters* wrote:

You forgot to ask for an item number...................

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Why is that necessary?

[*sons_and_daughters*]

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@repentatleisure1952 wrote:

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@*sons_and_daughters* wrote:

You forgot to ask for an item number...................

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Why is that necessary?

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Because most posts she asks for an item number, even if it isn't relevant to the thread.