Buyer says they can't pay?

[st311ar]

An item I had for sale was sold yesterday, however today I got this message from the buyer: 

I am sorry to say but i have insufficient funds to pay for this.
I hope this isn't to inconvenient for you, Sorry about this.

So who does what now? Do they Cancel Purchase, or do i do something?

Thankyou very much in advance for your help!

[pennyforum14]

The buyer can't cancel, you need to do it, and you have two choices.

1. Wait four days from the sale, lodge a NPB and close it four days later, you will receive your fees back and can then relist, no penalty to you, but it may not please your buyer who will receive a strike.

2. Select Cancel sale in the drop down list beside the item, make sure to select the first option, something like buyer changed mind or there is a problem with their address, then select the reason, Buyer changed mind or made an error.  Message the buyer and tell them they will receive a cancellation request, and that they need to respond agreeing to the cancellation to avoid penalties to both parties (they are more likely to respond if they think there might be a penalty for them if they don't, and this speeds up the process).  As soon as they respond, you will get a message back from eBay advising that the sale is cancelled and you will receive a fee credit and can relist.  This method should also mean no penalty to you and your customer will be happy and may well return when they have funds.

[iamanark]

Open a NPB … wait four days
.
Then just as you are about to close the case
.
Put the seller on your blocked buyers list
.
Then go to feedback and leave something along the lines
.
Thank you (user ID) I received my FVF credit back due to your non payment
.
(Using the term “thank you” it will not be considered “negative feedback” and your comment will not be removed)
.
Then immediately close the case

.

You will receive your FVF fees back
.
If you do not open a NPB case they can leave you negative feedback … and that has been known to happen !
.
The buyer who has mucked you around (like how can you buy something and THEN realise you do not have enough money)
.
Will get a strike against their name, and with enough strikes, will be blocked from mucking other sellers around
.
And then might realise ebay is not a game

.

.

.

It is not over until the Fat Lady posts

[clarry100]

I would go the NPB route.

If you go the transaction cancellation route they can refuse to accept. That means you will never see your FVF back.

And you may also end up with a defect (correct me if I'm wrong here someone).

[springyzone]

You are quite correct in your summing up.

But if I were the seller, I am not sure I would be lenient.

I would just contact the buyer and say I understood their position & I would contact ebay to say it is an unpaid item, purely in order to get the listing & commission fees back on the sale.

I have my doubts this person is going to be a return buyer anyway. Perhaps-but just as likely not to be.

[thecatspjs]

What I have done in the past is send a message to the buyer something along the lines of

"Hi, 

Thank you for message to let me know you are unable to make payment for your purchase, it is appreciated.

Please note that an unpaid dispute will automatically open when 4 days have passed and payment has not been received, and then close 4 days after that.  This process allows me to recoup my eBay fees on this sale.

When the dispute is closed a non-payment strike is issued by eBay, however please note that a single non-payment strike should not affect your buying on eBay, it is only when 2 or more strikes are received that a buyer might be restricted from purchasing from some sellers.

Please note that you are still able to make payment while the dispute is open and if payment is received it will close with no strike recorded. 

Regards,

Seller"

Thats just me though, up to you OP though, many sellers chose to send a cancellation, which if accepted by the buyer will return your eBay FVFs to you and you can relist your item more quickly, if they accept straight away.

[kopenhagen5]

Penny says it beautifully however if they don't accept the cancellation, you cannot open another case (Unpaid item).

But in this instance as they responded immediately and politely I think they will accept the Mutual Cancellation and if they don't respond to it you can close it 7 days later.

[pennyforum14]

In this instance the buyer has been reasonably upfront about their situation, they responded fairly quickly, didn't make excuses and didn't drag the process out, so I don't see any reason why they would not agree to the cancellation they have requested.  While I appreciate that some sellers are naturallly wary of being placed in a situation where they are penalised for things outside their control, I doubt this is one of those situations.  With block lists getting longer and longer everyday, if it were me, I would give this buyer the benefit of the doubt, after all everyone deserves one mistake, and they are more likely to be a return buyer if they are not labelled a NPB for this one mistake.  (Of course, that's assuming their feedback history doesn't show signs of habitual sin).

[clarry100]

We have one this week who has not paid.

On day#3 I sent a gentle reminder message.

I got a reply to that saying that her wallet had been stolen and she was unable to make payment becasue her cards had been stolen too.

So I will give her a couple of days grace and then open the case.

There has been no further communication from her to indicate when payment might happen.

[putney32]

but clarry she doesnt need her cards..... just log into paypal and pay from existing funds or bank account.....

simples