How do you deal with buyers who don’t pay?

[amesrg]

I had a camera for sale that was bought by someone who hasn’t paid and, based on messages asking to take the transaction outside of eBay and a suspicious address, I’m about 99% certain he’s not going to pay.  I found some threads on this issue from 5+ years ago and the consensus seems to be “that’s the way it goes."  You suffer through a bunch of wasted time filling out forms and trying to get your final value fee back from eBay.

Is that still the case?  There are red flags all over this transaction and I just want to cancel it so I can re-list it and move on.

Also, how do you prevent this from happening?  I found reference to some kind of "require immediate payment" option but I don’t see where to select it.  If I do that, does the auction remain active until I actually get paid?

And finally, this guy supposedly has 422 transactions since 2016 but if you look at them there are only a few unique feedback comments that are cut and pasted over and over.  Clearly this is some kind of hacked account, right?

I just don’t get it.  This place seems like a haven for scammers.  Meanwhile, eBay is charging me for their bad behavior...

[nobody*s_perfect]

You can get a credit for the final value fee. Here is the Help page about what to do if a buyer doesn't pay:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/unpaid-items.html

 

[reallynicestamps]

I send a polite reminder on Day Three and on Day Four open a Unpaid Item Dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

I only wait that long because non-US sellers like me have to wait 96 hours to open a Dispute. US based sellers can open a Dispute after 48 hours.

If the slow payer then pays, I ship. I might use tracking and even Signature Confirmation if I am leery of the customer.

If he doesn't pay,

• I close the Dispute and get my FVFs back
• he gets a Strike which will make it harder to bid or buy on eBay in future
• I relist
• he cannot leave feedback, and
• I add him to my Blocked Bidder List.

I avoid UIDs by:

• selling at Fixed Price, because most UIDs are on Auctions
• having the automatic Block on deadbeats with Strikes through my Seller Preferences/Buyer Requirements.
• Immediate Payment Required is an option only for FixedPrice listings.

TL/DR

Stop selling at auction and move to the more popular Fixed Price.

[reallynicestamps]

And finally, this guy supposedly has 422 transactions since 2016 but if you look at them there are only a few unique feedback comments that are cut and pasted over and over. Clearly this is some kind of hacked account, right?

Not the repetition.

I use the same basic automatically loading FB for all my customers. EBay even has some suggested boilerplate.

But the dates on FB?

I'm willing to bet a Canadian penny* that most of that FB is over a year old. That is a sign that an abandoned account has been hacked.

No recent FB.

Buyer who is suddenly selling.

Item purchased is high value/high fraud, like a camera.

Buyer usually is active in some other **category, like dresses or dolls or lacrosse equipment.

*We don't make those anymore.

** With old accounts, compare what his earlier sellers sell with what he is trying to buy.

[amesrg]

How does a fixed price sale prevent the problem of buyers who don't pay?  Isn't the item still removed from sale when the buyer says he wants to buy it?

Thanks 

[mtgraves7984]

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@amesrg wrote:

How does a fixed price sale prevent the problem of buyers who don't pay?  Isn't the item still removed from sale when the buyer says he wants to buy it?

Thanks 

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@amesrg 

When you set your BIN listings, select 'Require immediate payment with buy it now' under the 'Payment Options' section of the listing form. It won't be removed until it's paid for. Good luck.

[amesrg]

Ok thanks.  I gather that option is only available for a fixed price sale - is that correct?

[luckythewinner]

How do you deal with buyers who don’t pay?

• I use fixed price listings with immediate payment required. 
• I do not accept offers - I edit my price. 
• I assume that anyone who wants my item will just buy it. Others are just wasting my time. 
• If someone does not pay, I follow eBay's process for Unpaid Items. 

I just want to cancel it so I can re-list it and move on

IMHO you are inviting a world of hurt if you do not follow eBay's process for Unpaid Items. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/resolving-unpaid-items?id=4137

[simba6]

You can set fixed price listings to require payment right away. In that case the item is only held for a very short time while the buyer pays. If they don't pay, it goes back on sale.  That is about the best way to deal with non paying bidders.  Use of a dunking stool would also work but people frown on that now a days.

[simba6]

That is the only way an item can stay listed when the buyer does not pay. All others the item is "tied up" until the non payment case is closed.  Many buyers only shop buy it now listings as they want their items fast and don't want to wait for an auction to end.

[jonathankirkland]

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@amesrg wrote:

Ok thanks.  I gather that option is only available for a fixed price sale - is that correct?

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Honestly OP, it's really the only way to sell on here (fixed price + immediate payment). I really don't know how people who do auctions can stand it, 1/2 the bidders or more don't pay and ebay does nothing about it.

If you want a little leeway, do what I do, decide first what your item is worth, let's say $200. Now add 10-20% or so to that, let's say 20%, $240. List it for $240 with "make offer" available and auto-decline everything below $200 and auto-accept everything $200 or above with immediate payment required.

Good luck 🙂

[bonjourami]

You are a newbie seller selling a $1900 camera..that makes you a scam magnet, scammers see you as easy pickins'.

[iart]

This sounds like they are a criminal scammer - NOT a buyer.

But to answer your question, we send a couple polite notes, wait a couple weeks then file a non-paying bidder complaint. By then, about 80% of the slow pays have paid.

What else you gonna do? Send a Capone clone to their home address?

[nobody*s_perfect]

"auto-decline everything below $200 and auto-accept everything $200 or above with immediate payment required."

Immediate Payment Required  doesn't apply to accepted best offers or counteroffers, just as it doesn't apply to auction-format listings.  So accepting or sending offers removes the advantages of listing with IPR.

[shag182]

CANCEL the transaction due to NON pay. ADD this buyer to your BLOCK list. Relist item and use the Buy It Now with IMMEDIATE PAYMENT REQUIRED option.

Simple as 1 - 2- 3!!! No stress, NO mess.