Should eBay start charging non-paying bidders?

[whatagoodprice]

I like many sellers are annoyed with the constant array of non-paying buyers.

Although eBay does compensate final value fees (by using the unpaid item dispute process) listing fees for fixed listings are not refunded.  

All buyers receive is a strike which is nothing compared to the consequences handed out for those who participate in shill bidding - no restriction on buying/selling on eBay no tutorial which buyers must complete so they understand that non-payment is unacceptable.

Perhaps if eBay fined non-paying buyers between $2-$5 every time they refused to pay it would stamp out this practice of non-payment. This would also save eBay effort and the money raised could be donated (at eBay's discretion) to benefit local charities.

I look forward to other buyer's opinions on this issue...   

[2106greencat]

How would the buyer possibly have had enough strikes to warrant being blocked JHS ?

All the numpty sellers have done is leave a negative comment on positive green dot. Hereby INCREASING the positive feedback and that green dot stays even if the buyer requests the actual feedback to be removed. The strike system is failing for one reason and one reason only - Sellers are not doing the right things, and in not doing the right thing, more sellers are being hurt.

[wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts]

The system does not work. As has been stated many sellers do not open unpaid item disputes for a myriad of reasons. Relatively inexperienced sellers may not be aware that if they pursue payment the buyer cannot effectively leave negative feedback if they do not pay. Other buyers may provide a sob story requesting a cancellation. For whatever reasons sellers do not open UID's the fact is that some of them don't, so the process of putting blocks in place etc fails.

In addition to non payers are those that habitually request cancellations because their pets bought the item by mistake etc. It would be interesting to note the value and % of ebay sales that are not completed.

EBay recommend opening unpaid item disputes in every situation where a buyer doesn't pay, including when a buyer requests a cancellation. This hardly seems like good customer service to me. What about the situation where a buyer selects the wrong item by mistake and requests it be substituted with another etc. Do we say to the buyer. "Thank you for your custom. I will open an unpaid item dispute for the item you don't want. You can either proceed with the purchase, or receive a strike which may restrict your ability to purchase from the ebay site. Please go through the buy it now process to purchase the one you would like." I don't think that would be appreciated.

Why not extend feedback so that it flags unpaid and cancelled transactions.

[jameshouseofstyle]

How would the buyer possibly have had enough strikes to warrant being blocked JHS ?

As mentioned above, that buyer was given strikes by at least 8 sellers, we know because we asked them, and Ebay didn't dispute that whe we spoke to them. They just kept removing them as they were obviosly happy with the explanation/excuses for non payments.

By gagging sellers from telling the truth about the buyer in the f/back they can effectively hide the fact that most of the strikes get removed.

If you are still not convinced that setting prferences always works,  thinking they will protect you from s....heads feel free to speak to Ebay, as they have changed the rules somewhere along the way. Used to be 3 strikes and you are out.... now, nothing could be futher from that!

[2106greencat]

So are you saying of 8 strikes, eBay removed all of them or at least 7 of them?? If so then that is disgusting I agree and I do apologise for not reading your post correctly Helen.

By the same token however I have also heard that sellers quite often get neg's removed - which depending on circumstances I also think is very wrong.

As you say not a lot of point having the system in place if all it takes is a call to eBay to flout it.

I honestly had no idea that could be done so often and so easily X-(

.

[pak335]

As far as I concern eBay does not care about problems of sellers.

So if buyer pissed off me - it is my problem and eBay does not want to be involved.

I do not think they are going to do anything about bad buyers.

[jameshouseofstyle]

So are you saying of 8 strikes, eBay removed all of them or at least 7 of them?? If so then that is disgusting I agree and I do apologise for not reading your post correctly Helen.

By the same token however I have also heard that sellers quite often get neg's removed - which depending on circumstances I also think is very wrong.

As you say not a lot of point having the system in place if all it takes is a call to eBay to flout it.

I honestly had no idea that could be done so often and so easily

Hi sweete, yes, that is exactly was Helen was saying!

Ebay guy also said, something like:" what are you complining about, you still have heaps of those who couldn't get through to you to bid/buy "(looking at the list) - except most of those were the ones on a BBL!

Removal of the negs is not quite the same though as everyone knows on Ebay they are mostly unjustified, hardly ever relevant or truthful, sometimes downright insulting or even malicious.  Also given for the most of the trivial reasons, almost always advocated by the regulars here, straight away: "give them a neg they desrve" has a become most boring  repetitive advice given to all and sundry for anything and everything! Most of the sellers probably couldn't care less what the neg giver thinks of them if it wasn't for being in the public wiev for all to see - and that is not on.

That is why Ebay has no choice but to remove so many of them.

It makes on wander how any other net site manages just fine without them - without any horrible stories in the media of monumental swindles, cheating, etc. Biggest ones I have personally ever seen (the only ones) were on Ebay - in spite of all the f/backs & protection for customers.

[thecatspjs]

Are you aware that all those sellers who have left postive with negative comments have not only increased the non payers feedback score but they've also breached ebay policy?

Lol, a policy breach is not as clear cut as that.

As previously posted, it is at the non-paying buyers request that ebay may remove the feedback comment left by a seller if it is "sufficiently" negative and then may issue the seller a policy violation.

[kustomizer99]

Ebay likes buyers too much to ever do this. Its the 'customer is always right' philosophy carried to an extreme.

[pay-back!!!]

eBay loves sellers more than buyers! NO BUYER ever paid eBay a cent! That is why eBay bought out Paypal then locked them in as the monopoly payment method! Paypal loves buyers!!

[lyndal1838]

Actually, ebay did not buy out paypal.   Ebay acquired 2 other companies, combined them and then called them paypal.  Both the other companies had been processing ebay payments for some time before being acquired.  And paypal still processes payments for many other companies besides ebay.