Didn’t block, now what?

[kerbel1]

On my selling account, I sold an item to a buyer and attempted four times to reach the person and never got any sort of communication from them regarding the item so I canceled. Literally a few hours after I canceled I get the whole “oh my goodness I can’t believe I missed it I’ll pay now…“ to which I didn’t reply. I made the mistake of not blocking them and I did relist the item. I should’ve blocked them. Now they have gone and re-bid on the item. Would you cancel their bids and block them or just let it go? In 15 years I’ve never come across the situation, usually either I block the person or they aren’t goofy enough to attempt to purchase the item again. As experienced sellers, what would you all do? Thanks!

[kerbel1]

There is no non-paying bidder process anymore. You cancel the sale.

[kerbel1]

Most of my items are small and have low postage. If I make a mistake on postage then guess what, I bite the bullet and eat it. No big deal. I only send invoices to people who haven’t paid the next morning. I do mainly use auction, it works well for me but I pick my inventory very carefully so that it does. 

[fern*wood]

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@kerbel1 wrote:

Most of my items are small and have low postage. If I make a mistake on postage then guess what, I bite the bullet and eat it. No big deal. I only send invoices to people who haven’t paid the next morning. I do mainly use auction, it works well for me but I pick my inventory very carefully so that it does. 

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It isn't because of a possible mistake on your part.  Sending an invoice locks in the postage cost and since buyers can always change the address when they pay, I want it to calculate to the correct location.

We didn't see the big picture because you didn't give it to us when you initially posted.   We had no idea how long you waited or if you used the proper non-payment cancellation.  Personally, if I didn't block them,  I would let it play out now.

[kerbel1]

Correct I did not go into latent detail. My mistake. As far as postage, Ebay gives a hefty discount that covers the small difference that a change of address makes. So moot point.   Regarding letting the person bid and win, you would risk getting a less than stellar feedback as retaliation? 

[fern*wood]

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@kerbel1 wrote:

Correct I did not go into latent detail. My mistake. As far as postage, Ebay gives a hefty discount that covers the small difference that a change of address makes. So moot point.   Regarding letting the person bid and win, you would risk getting a less than stellar feedback as retaliation? 

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Depending on what you sell, the postage difference could be substantial.  I can't see what you sell, nor did I know it they are small low cost items.  I was just trying to help, so call it a moot point if you wish.  Others reading this may not know it locks in the postage.

Yes, if I didn't block them from bidding, I would let it go now.   Sounds like you already know what you want to do.  

[slati_2013]

When I sell something, I just wait for the payment. If there is no payment, eBay sends reminders and cancels the sale on my behalf. I never send an invoice or daily reminders. I like that approach a lot. I do nothing until I am notified of payment. 

[house*of*paws]

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@kerbel1 wrote:

I guess you guys aren’t getting the big picture - I canceled because the buyer did not pay. I sent three different communications trying to get them to pay. They did not pay nor did they respond to the communications. Now they have bid on my item again.

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@kerbel1 

I don’t think anyone missed the big picture.  They simply needed more  information.

The experienced sellers wanted to know how long you had waited to cancel … AND whether you gave buyer a nonpayment strike … before giving a reasoned opinion.

They now have a more complete picture of what happened after you provided those details.

[kerbel1]

I understand that, and thank you for clarification. However, it adds nothing to the solution to my issue. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@kerbel1 wrote:

Correct I did not go into latent detail. My mistake. As far as postage, Ebay gives a hefty discount that covers the small difference that a change of address makes. So moot point.   Regarding letting the person bid and win, you would risk getting a less than stellar feedback as retaliation? 

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You risk getting less than 'stellar' feedback with every sale - that's why feedback doesn't really matter.  Perhaps the buyer only checks their account every so often and simply forgot.  Let the bid ride and if they win, ship the item. *

*If this is the first time this has happened in 15 years and you still do auctions - that's pretty good.

[kerbel1]

Please understand I’m NOT asking for advice regarding whether the reason I canceled was correct – I don’t cancel without reason, ever. Like I said, I have been selling on here for 15 years and my seller account has plenty of positive feedback. I’ve only ever gotten one negative in my history, ever. I’m a good seller whether you guys want to think so or not.  I give a buyer plenty of chances to pay and if they do not communicate and I don’t have a previous relationship with them then I go through the proper channels and I cancel for non payment. eBay forums seems to be a channel for other sellers to attack a good seller even when they have done the right thing. All I want to know is what you would do given the same circumstances- A buyer with a rather low feedback ((<50) did not pay and you canceled their transaction after five days. You relisted the item and they re-bid on it. Given the circumstances, they can give negative feedback if they do go through with the transaction. The auction has just begun so there is plenty of time to cancel their bid and block them.  

[chapeau-noir · Accepted solution]

They apologised and obviously want the item.  This isn't hard - if they win, just ship. 

[soh.maryl]

No one has said or implied that you are not a good seller.  It was just difficult to respond because you did not give all the relevant information in your first message.

Although I no longer sell on eBay, if I did, my method would be to let the 4 days play out, then on the 5th day, cancel using the reason as unpaid.  Then I would block.  

And, how would any buyer ever get to at least 50 FB if all sellers cancelled because the buyer was a new guy? 

[kerbel1]

Thank you. 🙂

[kerbel1]

I don’t think they were new persay, just inexperienced. I didn’t cancel because of the low feedback, but because of the non-response and non payment. I always give low feedback bidders benefit of the doubt, and have had some great buyers. 

[kerbel1]

This is what I will do, and hopefully the “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” proverb doesn’t play out. 😉