ebay question

[3boysluvndisney]

I had sold an item on ebay and it ended on Saturday. The winning bidder still has not paid nor has this person responded to any of the emails I have sent (3 total). This person only has 4 feedbacks but are all postive. What should I do? I put in my stipulations that payment must be recieved by 7 days after auction ends which would be Saturday. Should I wait until then or should I start to do something now? Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[Lollipop Mom]

Well, you can't file a non-paying bidder report untill it's been 10 days. I wouldn't leave negative feedback before Monday just in case they sent payment. If you don't have anything by the time the mail is delivered on Monday then they are well past the deadline you set. I'd give it another day or so and send an email that says something like:

Dear Buyer:

This is the third e-mail we've sent. We have had no reply from you. Our auction terms of sale clearly state that we must hear from you within 3 days of auction close or we reserve the right to relist the item for sale. This auction ended on Saturday, April 10, 2004 and it is now Wednesday, April 14, 2004.

We will delay further action for another 24 hours in final anticipation of your immediate response.

If you no longer wish to purchase this item, please let us know so that we may relist it for sale.

Other than that, you could send a payment reminder through ebay. When you are in your "selling" page of "my ebay" there should be an option next to that item for "send reminder." Also, you could pull their contact information and try calling them. When you pull the contact info, it also sends your info to them. Sometimes just knowing you've done that gets people motivated to send payment even without you calling them. You can go to this page and scroll down to enter their user name and the item number to request their contact info.

Hopefully they've mailed payment and just didn't bother to reply to emails! Good luck!

 

[3boysluvndisney]

Thank you! I will give her until Monday and then take further action. Hopefully it is like you said and she has sent payment but hasn't bothered to reply to my emails. I did do the invoice reminder through "my ebay" today plus the first invoice on Sat. and Monday I just sent an email asking how she was planning on paying and if it had been sent. But no response on any of them. So we'll see what happens. Again thanks for the advice and I love your wording on the email suggestion. Will use that.

THANKS!!!

 

[swilshire]

One thing to consider is an email problem. For example, my yahoo account doesn't seem to do well receiving email from a hotmail account.

Sheila

 

[zoeyandmakennasmom]

Someone won one of my auctions and never responed to any of my emails and then on the 9th day I recieved a money order. This person only had 7 positive feedback, maybe they just didn't know they were supposed to contact through email because they're new.

 

[summerrluvv]

Originally posted by Lollipop Mom
Well, you can't file a non-paying bidder report untill it's been 10 days. I wouldn't leave negative feedback before Monday just in case they sent payment. If you don't have anything by the time the mail is delivered on Monday then they are well past the deadline you set. I'd give it another day or so and send an email that says something like:

That's incorrect, you can file the non-paying bidder alert 7 days after the auction ends, then you have to wait 10 days to file the report and get your fees back. If I don't get paid by the 7th day after the auction, I always do the non-paying bidder alert.

 

[floridagirrl2]

Seven days is an awfully short time period--I've had letters take that long *after* the postmark date to make it from New England or the West Coast to Florida.

I'm a total internet addict and I check my email several times a day. My computer is always on because I have DSL internet connection. That said, I bet the vast majority of people in the USA only check their email once or twice a week. I would cut the person some slack.

 

[figgy4me]

Originally posted by floridagirrl2
I'm a total internet addict and I check my email several times a day. My computer is always on because I have DSL internet connection. That said, I bet the vast majority of people in the USA only check their email once or twice a week. I would cut the person some slack.

I have to agree... Some people I know do not check it even once a week. Their are alot of different reasons you may not have gotten payment yet. Personally, when I have to go get a money order instead of using PayPal, it is hard getting the time to get to the store and getting the MO. But I will get it within 2-3 days. Then it has to be mailed.

To Floridagirrl2: DSL internet service and 2 hours from Disney! Can I come live with you??????????

 

[summerrluvv]

Originally posted by figgy4me
I have to agree... Some people I know do not check it even once a week. Their are alot of different reasons you may not have gotten payment yet. Personally, when I have to go get a money order instead of using PayPal, it is hard getting the time to get to the store and getting the MO. But I will get it within 2-3 days. Then it has to be mailed.

To Floridagirrl2: DSL internet service and 2 hours from Disney! Can I come live with you??????????

Not to sound rude, but if it's that hard for you to get to the post office and get a money order and you don't really have "time" to do it, then I would suggest bidding on a different item that accepts paypal.

I'm very firm with my payment terms. If the payment isn't in my mailbox on the 7th day, I start the non paying bidder alert process. Afterall, I've already shelled out the fees for that item you won, and to get those fees back takes time, so thats why I start it right on the 7th day. I have had several buyers who have purchased and mailed money orders the same day they won the auction and those money orders have arrived in a couple days. I personally don't want people bidding on my items that can't find the time to get the post office to buy a money order, because chances are they will be a late payer. I sell on ebay to make money...not to be layaway for people

 

[floridagirrl2]

Summerluvv, you're right--I would never bid on an auction that requires money orders . However, I think it's reasonable to allow a few days for a person to purchase the money order and a minimum of 7 days on top of that to get the money order in the mail. Remember, if you ask for opinions on the Disboards, you're going to get them!

Figgy4me, DH and I just rediscovered WDW last fall--had been to Epcot a couple of times 10-15 years ago, but never really "got" the magic--now we're making up for lost time!

 

[epcotfan]

Originally posted by floridagirrl2
Seven days is an awfully short time period--I've had letters take that long *after* the postmark date to make it from New England or the West Coast to Florida.

I'm a total internet addict and I check my email several times a day. My computer is always on because I have DSL internet connection. That said, I bet the vast majority of people in the USA only check their email once or twice a week. I would cut the person some slack.

I totally agree. I give all my buyers 21 days to pay up since I sell Internationally. 7 Days is cutting it really short for mailed payments. I have very few non-paying buyers since they have a greater time to get the money together for payment. Some people wait until payday and then send of their money orders or Paypal payments.

 

[jaamee96]

I think waiting until Monday would be good. IMO 7 days is a very short time to expect payment. I'm in Michigan and my mom lives in Florida. She will send letters/postcards/birthday cards and sometimes they've taken a week and a half for us to get them. It's frustrating for her (she works for the post office), but we just smile and wait. There are many things that can happen with the mail.

If you don't have a payment within 10 days of auction, then I would definately start taking action.

 

[3boysluvndisney]

I understand what you are saying about giving people time to send money orders for those of you who said that. That's not the problem. I accept paypal or money orders and cashiers checks. The problem is that I haven't heard from this person after 3 emails. If I had bidded on an auction I would make it a point to check my email or that auction when it ended to see if I had won it or not and if I was paying any other way other than paypal I would reply to the email letting the seller know that. If this person would let me know that a money order has been sent then that would be fine and time would be allowed but this is not the case. Thanks for all who replied but just wanted to clarify all of that.

 

[AdventurerKat]

I would wait until Monday. If you have not received payment or heard from them, I would file the non-paying bidder alert.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by summerrluvv
I'm very firm with my payment terms. If the payment isn't in my mailbox on the 7th day, I start the non paying bidder alert process.

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I think that's WAAAAY too short of a time limit.. I've mailed a payment from my home to across the river (oh..about 3 miles) and it has taken as long as 5 days to get there..

Expecting a letter to travel possibly from one side of the country to another in only 7 days in unrealisitic IMHO..

 

[summerrluvv]

Originally posted by C.Ann
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I think that's WAAAAY too short of a time limit.. I've mailed a payment from my home to across the river (oh..about 3 miles) and it has taken as long as 5 days to get there..

Expecting a letter to travel possibly from one side of the country to another in only 7 days in unrealisitic IMHO..

Well, then it just encourages more people to pay with paypal then I receive things from the West coast all the time from ebay and it rarely takes over 4 days to get to me.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by summerrluvv
Well, then it just encourages more people to pay with paypal then I receive things from the West coast all the time from ebay and it rarely takes over 4 days to get to me.

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Don't you just LOVE the folks that pay with Paypal? I do!

Unfortunatley though, for those who don't, there is nothing "systemized" about the Post Office.. Some get mail delivered to the recipient quickly and others - well - let's just say if they were still using the Pony Express, it would get there a heck of a lot sooner!! LOL

Whenever a buyer questions me as to why a package hasn't been received yet, I just tell them it has "fallen into the Postal Dark Zone" and will magically appear - eventually..

 

[floridagirrl2]

I do love Paypal!

Remember, if you have very strict payment terms (e.g., 7 days), you'd better expect that your buyers are going to have equally strict shipping terms, and will expect to recieve their items within 7 days, too--hope you're using a fast form of shipment!

 

[summerrluvv]

Originally posted by floridagirrl2
I do love Paypal!

Remember, if you have very strict payment terms (e.g., 7 days), you'd better expect that your buyers are going to have equally strict shipping terms, and will expect to recieve their items within 7 days, too--hope you're using a fast form of shipment!

I ship the same day

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by summerrluvv
I ship the same day

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I usually end my auctions on Sunday (so I can ship Monday) - Monday night (so I can ship Tuesday) or Thursday night (so I can ship Friday..

However, getting it to the Post Office does not insure "quick" delivery.. In my area if an item is being shipped WEST, it must be first shipped EAST (from NY to Springfield, MA) and then BACK in a westerly direction again.. For items being shipped to certain areas of the SOUTH, the item is shipped WEST - to the Bell, CA facility and then shipped BACK to a SOUTHEAST route.. When I questioned the PO about this I was informed that 99% of all packages must be sent to a specific "facility" first (regardless of the origination or destination) before it can actually be on it's way to the actual recipient..

See why I said the Pony Express might be a better option? Unless the "rider" is drunk, the horse won't normally "backtrack" like that.. LOL