Buyer keeps bidding and not paying

[brendoric9]

I had a buyer win my auction and not pay. I relisted the item after a week and the same person won my auction and outbid everyone.

There is a comment on his feedback he makes fake accounts. How is he allowed to keep ruining my auctions?

[countessalmirena]

Did you not cancel with the “unpaid” reason?

❝If the buyer still hasn't paid after you've sent the invoice, and it's been more than 4 calendar days since the listing ended, cancel the order by selecting the Cancel order button below and choosing Buyer hasn't paid in the drop down menu.❞

You should also block the buyer. If you did, and the buyer used another account to circumvent the block you can report the buyer. Link: https://www.ebay.com.au/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/report-issue-buyer?id=4084

[sandypebbles]

So other sellers have helped this person’s feedback score by rewarding them with positive green ticks for not paying, not only putting their own accounts at risk, but encouraging this person to keep on fake bidding

You need to put them on your blocked bidder list or they will keep on doing this to you once they discover you still allow them to bid

[springyzone]

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@brendoric9 wrote:

I had a buyer win my auction and not pay. I relisted the item after a week and the same person won my auction and outbid everyone.

There is a comment on his feedback he makes fake accounts. How is he allowed to keep ruining my auctions?

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I am not a fan of inappropriate feedback (as in a seller giving a false positive as it just bumps up the bad buyer's score and makes them look better than they are) but I have to admit, there are times like this when it is enlightening. Obviously this is a buyer who has done this and worse to other sellers.

You need to re-read countess's post and follow her instructions.

1.  For a non payer, put in an ebay claim to get your fees back. I have had a quick look at your history of sold items and it isn't as if these are dirt cheap items, you'll be charged fees on the sale unless you put in a claim about non payment.

So put in a claim now for that first sale. The buyer gets 4 days, I think, in which to pay but we know they won't so after that, you need to follow through to get your refund. Don't just let it time out.

Then after that is through, put in a claim for the second sale. I think that should work. If it won't, one of the sellers will probably let us know.

Getting your fees back is top priority.

2. After you put in that first application, go into the settings and block that particular buyer. It will stop him from bidding on your items again. Plus-and this is the bonus bit-when you place a request for a refund of fees on the basis that buyer has not paid, they get an unpaid strike against their account. If they get 2 unpaid strikes in a certain amount of time, they will find they are blocked from bidding with a lot of other sellers.

3. As well as blocking this buyer, tick the box to block any buyer who has had 2 strikes in the last 12 months.

4. You've been given a heads up by another seller that this is a buyer who obviously tries to get around seller blocks by opening a new account so he can bid. That is against ebay policy (not having more than one account, that is allowed, but trying to get around blocks is frowned upon).

So keep an eye on your items and who is bidding. Have a look at location and how long they have been registered and if you get any vibes that it might be the same person under a different name,  delete their bid and block them.

[springyzone]

PS You asked how bidders like that are allowed to keep ruining your auctions.

All you can do is apply for your fees back and block him from bidding (and block any other suss bidders).

The strikes against their account are the only penalties most of these people get and at least it can work to limit who they can 'buy' from.

It is unlikely to get them kicked off ebay.

I've seen buyers who have given almost nothing but negs to a massive range of sellers or who have failed to pay dozens of times (going by the false positive feedback) but unless sellers follow through with blocks and claims for a fee refund, ebay wouldn't know about it.

All you can do is look after your own interests. Ebay will let these people stay because every now and again maybe these people will pay and when they don't, it is not every seller who knows to apply for a refund on the fees. So it isn't ebay that loses, it is only the seller.