eBay is broken? Buyers don't pay with impunity.
I am no longer able to sell stuff on eBay – buyers who win auction simply ghost you. The same thing happens over and over – active bidding war, and then silence (winner disappears).
Even buyers with established reputation (100% rating and 25+ reviews) follow this behavior. I read this board – this is common complain among sellers. Looks like this overbid-and-forget method has become a buyer’s tool of denying other auction participants access to items one wants.
This is very unfair to sellers. Not only we lose listing fees, but we also lose precious pre-holiday shopping time.
The situation is fixable. For example, I would love to be able deny bidding for my items for buyers who had more than one “buyer didn’t pay” warning in past N months.
I have been using eBay as a buyer /seller for the past 20 years. This is a unique place to find rare items and offer stuff to wider buyer audience. However, recent experience makes me wonder if I should look elsewhere.
quiltgeek
·3 years agoIf you get a buyer that does not pay within 4 days, cancle the sale with the reason "buyer didn't pay" and you end the transaction, neither buyer or seller can leave feedback and you give that nonpaying buyer an Unpaid Item Strike!
Here's the blocks you can access:
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoeBay changed that feedback policy a couple of years ago. After a buyer gets a nonpayment strike, the buyer cannot leave feedback, but now the seller can leave feedback.
myatticcorners1
·3 years agoI just had to cancel and non-payment sale. I also blocked this buyer. They only had 2 feedback, so my guess is that they have another account and don't care if this one gets an unpaid strike. How does a seller leave feedback to let others know this is a problem buyer? Is it too late now that I have canceled the sale?
marnotom!
·3 years agoYou can't. Buyers can't get negative feedback, nor can sellers leave "false positives," i.e. a negative feedback comment to accompany the positive feedback icon. You just have to have faith that the buyer will eventually get done in with non-payment strikes.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThat option has been available for over ten years. You can choose the look-back interval (1, 6, or 12 months) and number of nonpayment strikes (2, 3, 4, or 5). Most sellers choose the strictest level (2 strikes in 12 months).
https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements
eBay is working on a setup that requires immediate payment with auctions, but the rollout is very slow. To really avoid nonpayment, you have to set up fixed price listings with immediate payment required, and don't send or accept offers.
pika55
·3 years agoThis does not fix the problem. I have enabled 2 non-payments in 12 months, but this continues to happen to me as well. I'm currently listing the same item for the fourth time. Buyers simply create multiple accounts to run up the prices of items they are also selling to drive up the average price. It's so obvious that this is being done. Gen 1 ipads are selling for over $1000? Come on eBay.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoNot sure I understand your statement fully; however, if a buyer simply creates a new account once he has one nonpayment strike, then, yes, he will be able to get around your two-strikes-and-you're-out" rule.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoIf there are a lot of the Thing being offered on eBay, there is no point in having an Auction.
List at the price you want.
Add Immediate Payment Required.
If the customer doesn't pay immediately, the listing remains visible until someone actually pays or 30 days and then relists .
Do not accept Best Offers.
Note that Best Offers, once accepted, override IPR.