4 days No Payment or Email Contact

[dmh160161]

Hi, I have a question.  I sold an item 4 days ago, it was won on a last minute bid, I have had no contact from buyer, and no payment received.  This morning, I sent a friendly reminder, stating it had been 4 days and if there is a problem with paying to let me know and we can work something out.  I got an almost instant reply, stating "Sorry have had a death in the immediate family so this is the last thing on my mind atm". 

If it is the last thing on their mind, why are they on eBay, replying to my email within 10 minutes of me sending mine.  If they have to time to respond to eBay emails, why not just pay while on there.  Not sure if this is an excuse or for real, I did reply with "So sorry for your loss".  Should I be sceptical, which I am not usually, but seems strange, or should I give them time, and how much time?.  Need some advise how to handle this. 

[dmh160161]

Looks like I made her angry:

Her email to me: 

"MY NEIGHBOUR HAS JUST PAID
SO THERE
HAVE YOUR MONEY" 

I have printed out label and will post today, and just wait and see what happens.  I hope her NEIGHBOUR leaves a good comment for me in feedback.  She can't complain about the top, it is brand new, has tags, and I am posting it a couple of hours after payment, when I get home.  I can see feedback now NEG - "Seller rude, expected payment, opened NPD 12 days after auction ended"

[shahmink]

I've had sellers give me excuse after excuse when it comes to posting an item too. It's not just non-paying buyers that play this game.

I had a couple tag-teaming me with emails. One would say the item is sent. Then the other would send an email saying problems with AP and item has been returned to them. Then it was re-posted. This went on for nearly 3 weeks. In the meantime I opened the Ïtem not received"case and received more abusive emails from them both about that. They waited until the last possible moment to respond to the opened case and in the end give a refund. Silly me had no idea that sellers couldn't give negative feedback and me being afraid of that happening for standing up to this couple, I gave them positive feedback. Doh!!!

[foxette-in-sox]

and has left 51 feedback comments

Didn't take her long to spend her *cough choke splutter* dearly departed husbands money ;\

[*sparklz*]

Looks like I made her angry:

Her email to me: 

"MY NEIGHBOUR HAS JUST PAID
SO THERE
HAVE YOUR MONEY" 

I have printed out label and will post today, and just wait and see what happens.  I hope her NEIGHBOUR leaves a good comment for me in feedback.  She can't complain about the top, it is brand new, has tags, and I am posting it a couple of hours after payment, when I get home.  I can see feedback now NEG - "Seller rude, expected payment, opened NPD 12 days after auction ended"

Um why has her neighbor paid for her when she is /has been on line to do it her self.

Sorry I still think it is all bull.

If she had buried her hubby today I do not think she would be on line but at the wake by now and one would not leave family and friends to go play on ebay and post a message!!!!

[shahmink]

dmh61 - have you left feedback for this buyer yet??

If not, you could maybe say "THANKS TO YOUR NEIGHBOUR".

[*new2vintage]

Never leave feedback for a buyer who has given you trouble - you only add to their score.

[thecatspjs]

Well she must be having the day on eBay replying to messages, I suppose it is a good way to get over grief.

I sent my first reminder email at 10.16am, she replied 10.25am, I sent sorry email at 10.29am and now she has responded again with "will pay by next thursday at latest" email at 10.48am.

Just seems very strange, if you have the time to send emails from eBay, and it looks like she has been on there for over 20 minutes, why not just pay, I think she is giving herself time to pay, she may not have the funds and does not want to say so, or it could be for real.  I will leave the NP dispute till next Thursday night, just in case.       

If you have a mobile device with ebay app, you can send and receive alerts pretty much the same as you would text messages. So the person may not be "sitting on ebay" as claimed.

Whilst I do not condone the death in family reason for non-payment of goods or non posting of items, I do think that it is just as tactless for sellers & buyers to undertake a deep analysis of what a buyers / sellers behaviour should be in the circumstances.

IMO short, polite messages as required, and opening an unpaid dispute and closing it if payment is not received.  No need to ponder or lament non-payment circumstances required.

[dotcomdotayu]

dmh61 - have you left feedback for this buyer yet??

If not, you could maybe say "THANKS TO YOUR NEIGHBOUR".

No, don't leave that feedback. It's antagonizing and condescending (although, brilliant lol)

I wouldn't leave ANY feedback. You can't leave neg or neut anyway, and never ever ever leave positive with a neg comment.

Just leave none and only reply to theirs with facts and no emotions. Also, don't use caps.

[phorum_junkie*]

You were on a hiding to nowhere as soon as you started exchanging emails. Of course you will now get a neg and I hope you are sending with click & send or signature required or you will have a Paypal claim which you will lose too.

If her emails are anything to go by her feedback comment will be a nonsensical, capitalised tirade which will just make them look foolish!

What you should have done if you wanted to reply at all is say you were sorry to hear of their loss (while having a sly titter to yourself) and that you were happy to wait until Thursday for payment but you hope they understand that if it does not arrive by then you will open an unpaid item dispute which of course gives them another 4 days to make the payment.

As you were already so deep in the hole that you would have achieved nothing by stopping digging I would have replied to the 'You'll have your money after I bury my husband this afternoon at 4pm' by saying thank you very much, I will expect payment to arrive at 4.05pm.;-)

[thecatspjs]

Just noting that are a range of services and methods aside from click and send that meet paypal requirements.