Buyers claiming they didn't bid so high after an auction has ended

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone...

Never posted here before but often read & take suggestions so thank you one and all.

I've been a seller for 10 years with moderate success & it has given me a decent livelihood despite the ups & downs of eBay policy changes....I've always taken the view to cop it on the chin & move on....Got all the right blocks in place for non paying/strike buyers but still getting rolled by new customers....

Up until the beginning of this year, I estimate that my non payer rate on sales at between 5-10% per month & have copped that on the chin, sent out UPI's & relisted....

Since the beginning of this year my non payer rate has risen dramatically to 20-30% per month.

The greatest problem, unlike the past where buyers have simply never paid & never contacted me is this new phenomenon whereby a buyer outbids everyone else by a large margin then immediately contacts me and claims that their last bid was substantially lower than other bidders. Eg. sold something this week for $168.50, got a message immediately after the auction ended saying he only bid to $125.00 which was $40 less than other bidders & I had to chase him to find out whether he wanted to cancel the transaction.  So I lost the 5 days of the auction, lost the sale & lost another couple of days to find out whether he wanted to go ahead with it or not!!

Sure sometimes, I can re-sell quickly on a second chance offer but more often than not I have to re-list.

Is this a new scam to get sellers to agree to the lower price just to shift the stock or more of the same....buyers just getting their jollies bidding on things the never intend to pay for or collect or is there some stuff up with the bidding function on eBay?

I'm really really jacked off with the ease with which buyers can simply slip out of a purchase unlike the hoops I have to jump through to satisfy buyers so I don't end up with a whole lot of negative feedback...

Your thoughts would be appreciated or if you have had a similar experience.

[phorum_junkie*]

It is only a scam if you fall for it. I would inform them that ebay are the ones that have decreed they are the highest bidder at the higher price and you have been charged for those fees so unless they can convince ebay that they got it wrong and that they did not accidentally bid more than they thought you will expect the full payment within (however many of the four days left after the auctio finished) yu will have no choice but to go through the unpaid item process in order to cancel the transaction and get a return of your fees.

[Anonymous]

True thanks...done all that.

Actually my point is that this is not a one off....I have had at least a dozen of these this year...Never struck this excuse before & believe you me, I've heard some of the most ridiculous excuses as to why buyers can't complete a transaction.

I'm actually interested to know whether there is

1. A problem with the eBay bidding function?

2. Buyer's accounts are being systematically hacked?

3. Or the use of tablets & mobiles has increased the incidence of mistaken bids?

Would appreciate comments fromother sellers 🙂

[phorum_junkie*]

I guess I have been lucky, I have had even fewer unpaid items this last selling session, only 4 across 3 accounts. I don't care what excuse they use, they don't pay I open a dispute, most pay once I do that. The only excuse I would take is a near relative sending me a copy of their death certificate 

[Anonymous]

Yep...I agree but what they are doing is asking me to cancel the transaction long before it even gets to the point of a UPI. So I go to all the effort of listing, waiting for the auction to finish then invariably on 20-30% of my monthly sales I am relisting...so my turnover of stock & cash flow has been dramatically reduced by complete time wasting!

[mbselections00]

I list everything as BIN, so am not talking with much experience here, but am wondering if you listed as BIN with instant payment required, as opposed to Auctions would that help at least a little, in that a.) they may think twice before hitting the confirm button & b.) you could possibly re-list sooner ?  I don't stipulate instant payment myself, but I have read on the boards that other sellers use it quite successfully.  Just a thought, as I have not had many sellers ask to cancel - I think the only ones who have are overseas buyers who don't want to pay the exorbitant Registered International postage costs.  Don't understand why they don't check before they hit commit to buy though

[aceantman]

maybey they used the new ebay quick bid.

[Anonymous]

Yep...I've tried all sorts of variations of listing types but I am in the secondhand furniture trade & it would seem the best way to sell is via auction...whether the customers like the thrill of the chase or they don't like my BIN price I don't know.  All our listings have a BIN price as well as an auction start price...but once an auction is commenced as you know, the BIN price disappears...Was really interested to hear whether other sellers are having the same problems more than trying to find a solution through the eBay system...If it is a identifiable systemic problem across various sellers in various industries then I will sit down and write to eBay particularly if it is, as I suspect very much related to customers using tablets & mobiles.

[Anonymous]

ok....that sounds like it is more like the problem....can you explain how quick bid works?

[Anonymous]

its cool...I just tried the quick bid thingo....definitely a trap for buyers!! If they choose the maximum bid offered on the quick bid it automatically places the bid without asking them to confirm....that is definitely a major problem...great i will get in contact with eBay & see if they can change that.