ebay-how long should I wait for payment?

[mrsbornkuntry]

This is gonna be kinda long, sorry! Someone won an auction from me on Aug. 23rd. I haven't heard from them yet. I sent a reminder invoice, but on it I had lowered the shipping because I had entered the wrong weight originally so the shipping was too high. Because of that I tried to send another email explaining why the amt. was lower to her "contact me" address on ebay and it was returned "host not found".

I haven't contacted ebay with any questions because I don't want to report this buyer if I haven't waited long enough, but this whole situation seems suspicious. They have a low feedback score, but it's all positive. I didn't state in my listing that they needed to contact me at the end of the auction (I do that with all of my listings now, though).

What I'd like to do is offer the item to the other bidder because it was obvious from the beginning of the auction that they really wanted it, they had made sure they bid up to my reserve and outbid the winner once. But of course I want to do this right and give the winner plenty of time to pay in case this is on the up and up and they just aren't communicating with me (which I think is rude).

So, to sum this up, my question is: How long should I wait before contacting ebay about this buyer and offering the item to the other bidder? Is there a policy about this?

 

[montblanc]

Hi,

I'm an eBay veteran, I'll give you my take on it.

Payment terms are usually stated in auctions and these are your guidelines. If you have nothing specified I would wait 1-2 weeks before relisting or offering to the next highest bidder.

You also report they have an invalid email address. That is a violation of eBay policy and should be reported, users can get their selling priviliges suspended based on that.

There is not set policy, usually people give buyers 3-4 days to get in touch and a bit longer for payment. If you want to move faster that is up to you and your standards of customer service. Ratings play a factor and check feedback details for how promptly the buyer pays.

 

[threeboysmom]

One of my auctions ended on 8/13, and I never heard from the person to let me know he/she was interested....was sending payment...etc, even though I sent the invoice, a reminder notice, and a personal email. Well, yesterday I planned on relisting the item and lo and behold I received a Paypal payment when I turned on my computer! It's aggravating when people can't even take the time to send you a quick email to let you know that they are aware that the auction has ended and will be sending payment shortly. I'm debating now whether to leave negative feedback or just let it go...

I would wait AT LEAST a week before pursuing anything further....

 

[montblanc]

Be careful about leaving negative feedback, it is sad but often buyers will retaliate and your negatives hurt you more than theirs.

I usually leave positive feedback with a comment like "slow payment".

 

[MosMom]

I wait a week (7 days as I state in my auctions) and then file Non-Paying Bidder with eBay so I can get my final value fees back.

About 3 days after the win I send a reminder notice. At 7 days I tell them that I am giving them one more day to pay, after that I will be filing NPB. If during this time, I hear nothing from them I go ahead and file. If they are in contact with me and there are special circumstances I will wait.

I only accept Paypal so I don't see why payment can't be made in 7 days. I actually filed on a woman last week who said her friend used her eBay account and I would be paid by Friday. Here it is the end of Saturday and no payment.

I also leave negative no matter what. Avoiding leaving feedback is what allows bad buyers/sellers to continue on. I do have a few negatives/neutrals now but I calmly respond stating why I left the negative first.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Thanks for all of your advice, I'm glad I waited longer. I sent her the reminder notice and still never heard from her, but today I got a money order in the mail (I state in my listings that I accept money orders) from her. I'm angry that she never sent me an email at all since she won the auction letting me know how she was going to pay, but I'm glad she finally did, I had given up on her.