buyer doesnt want to pay said he didnt bid that high?

[01tmau]

Hi i started an item at 99c i saw this item from completed listing it would fetch anywhere from $200-$350.  The last couple of minutes i had 2 buyers go wild and it sold for nearly $300.  The buyer than emailed me saying he didnt bid that high and he isnt going to pay.  He said he only bid to $99 and that ebay placed the other bids or must of been hijacked for that last minute.  Very annoyed as i have lost a sale.  I have asked he could pay my fees to save him a non payer dispute.  But... if i send him a cancellation he could easily disagree and i would loose the fees and he can walk away to do this again.  But if i start a non payer dispute he can easily just neg me and forget any customer support on here it doesnt exist.  I sent a 2nd chance but of course i would be suss and think it was the seller bumping up the price.  And no this is not the id i sold the item on:-)  Im just thinking i should just start a non payer but... he sounds angry and wants to report to ebay.

[lyndal1838]

 And he admited he did bid upto an amount and the last minute someone else maybe tinkerbell kept bidding up LOL.  I cant see how it can be hijacked in the middle of him bidding.

Maybe his story is partly true.

Have a look at the bidding history and see when he placed his highest bid.

The most feasible explanation is that when he placed his highest bid he entered the wrong amount and as the underbidder/s have kept bidding it had automatically gone up, not that he has been entering any bids.

[*new2vintage]

" What was the amount of the other buyer's highest bid? If it was a reasonably high amount (e.g. over $200), then why not just let it go and sell it to the second highest bidder? "

Not everyone is as gullible or as green as you.

[lyndal1838]

What was the amount of the other buyer's highest bid? If it was a reasonably high amount (e.g. over $200), then why not just let it go and sell it to the second highest bidder?  

In view of the fact that the final price is dictated by the second highest bid, the second highest bid is just one bid increment below the highest bid.

If the item sold for $300 then the second highest bid has to be over $290.

[zenremix777]

In view of the fact that the final price is dictated by the second highest bid, the second highest bid is just one bid increment below the highest bid.

If the item sold for $300 then the second highest bid has to be over $290.

Good point. For some reason I thought it was different but you're exactly right - the second highest bid is only one increment less than the highest.

So, yes, you're 100% right - the second highest bid is about $290. The OP should probably have just done a Mutual Cancellation and sold it for a mere $10 less than what the highest bid was. Again, this is where we should take a step back and realise money ain't everything. What's $10?

[*new2vintage]

A mutual cancellation is useless and you lose the chance to arrange a strike for your buyer if they don't agree to it - that is what needs to be seriously considered by 01tmau.

[zenremix777]

A mutual cancellation is useless and you lose the chance to arrange a strike for your buyer if they don't agree to it - that is what needs to be seriously considered by 01tmau.

Is there a way to open/close a NPB dispute without issuing a strike to the buyer? Because if the buyer is being co-operative and made a genuine mistake, they probably don't deserve a strike as much as someone who just can't be bothered paying or is being rude. That's kind of why I suggested doing a Mutual Cancellation if the buyer has been co-operative and you're on good terms, to prevent giving them a strike.

[*new2vintage]

No there isn't and there shouldn't be either. Dealing with a non payer isn't an enjoyable experience. I'm dealing with one now and after 10 years it hasn't become any easier. Apart from missing out on a sale the worst thing for me is when I receive the silent treatment. If anything ebay are too lenient on non payers. It takes at least a few strikes for one to become unregistered.

[peternt2001]

As a buyer only, there is only one thing to do, and that is too issue your buyer with a strike. Its when sellers dont follow the procedures that the whole system falls down Issue a strike , easy.

If you were to tell the whole truth to the second bidder and offer him / her the opportunity to buy it. If i was the second highest bidder i wouldnt touch it with a barge pole.

You said the winner stated they had only bid too $99 , so if he withdrawns on those grounds and you accept those grounds, doesnt that mean that there was only a valid bid up to $110 by the second place bidder ?

If you explain EVERYTHING to the second place bidder and want him to buy your product for $290 i would be saying the whole thing stinks of shill bidding.

[lyndal1838]

If the highest bidder does not pay, the SCO goes to the underbidder at the price they had as their top bid, not the amount that they bid before the NPB entered the bidding.

[***super_nova***]

The problem is that too many people here assume that the underbidder will accept the second offer.  If i miss out on an item that I really want/need I immediately look for another one, and if I find one, it is often finishing soon and may even be much lower at that moment, so I would not be interested waiting for the second offer.  It may take a while for the seller to get his mutual cancellation, and in any case, I would wonder if the top bidderr really backed out, or if it was simple case of shillbider getting caught.