Non Paying Auction Winners ~ 4 days is TOO long

[4-peepsandpaws]

I always list with Buy it Now and if I have a little bit of wiggle room or the environment is competitive I'll put in "or best offer".  STUPIDLY I had forgotten why I don't do auctions and threw a few items up on auction just to see if I get more views.  The reason why I don't do auctions that I'd forgotten is  because PEOPLE DON'T PAY and they pretend that they haven't seen the many messages that both eBay and I send to them (and they usually blame their children for playing playing on the computer.  Strangely, over the course of my eBay tenure, I've had six different people with errant children who go on eBay to bid.  Yeah, right).  So here I sit with unpaid auctions.  I've switched all of my other listings over to buy it now that were listed as auctions because I now remember why I don't auction stuff to start with.  

I feel it is very unreasonable to have to wait 4 days to get payment on an auctioned item.  I feel that in order to bid you should have the funds readily available and upon winning they should be sucked out of your account just like when you make an offer on an item that is listed "or best offer".   I have mine set up to require immediate payment upon purchase. 

eBay should ABSOLUTELY require immediate payment upon winning an auction!  It is no different than Buy It Now or with Best Offer!  As a matter of FACT it is a commitment to purchase and one is taking our product out of circulation for four whole days and they probably are NOT going to pay if they haven't within 24 hours.

I do not understand why eBay allows 4 days for them to pay.  It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever at all to me!  If they have intentions of committing to an item why are they not required to pay immediately???  Anytime that you do a Buy it Now (the way I have mine set up anyway) or Best Offer (in all cases), immediate payment is required and sucked out of your account Godspeed.  Should be SAME with auctions.  

I do not want to hear, even one more time, that somebody's little kid was playing on the computer and just happened to bid on my item and the adult had no idea.   When I was green I chased down auction winners for weeks before I realized that I could cancel the transaction and block the "buyer" and heard these ridiculous excuses.

[brightlightbookseller]

That's just because that's how eBay has always worked, payments have never been instant.  Granted, they're testing making customer enter a payment method when they bid, but there's been customer pushback on that so it may not stick.  Be grateful, it used to take much longer than 4 days; it used to take 4-5 days before you could even open an unpaid items case, then that took 2-3 days to resolve usually.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Originally, back in the pre-2008 days of snail-mailed payments, the unpaid item process took 14 days: 7 before you could file, then another 7 before you could close it. So 4 days looks pretty speedy to the old timers.  As noted in the OP, there's a simple solution for those who can't wait.

[m60driver]

Your being far too impatient.  Some people need to get back to their desktops to transfer funds around and that might take a few days.  I for one never do financial business on my phone, including Ebay business.  I send out an invoice after 24 hours and then wait 4 more days at the minimum.  I rarely have a non-payer, only slightly delayed payers.  It is no big deal.

[mtgraves7984]

"... and they pretend that they haven't seen the many messages that both eBay and I send to them..."

@4-peepsandpaws 

I'll address this part. No need sending invoices after eBay has sent the payment reminder. Those only reset the clock.

[4-peepsandpaws]

Sending them notices extends it to MORE periods of 4 days?  OMG.   That's absolutely crazy.  Thank you for making me aware of that.  

[4-peepsandpaws]

Nothing that I'm selling requires big bank transfers.  I think that if a buyer does not have the funds readily available they shouldn't be bidding and taking an item out of circulation.  

[mtgraves7984]

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@4-peepsandpaws wrote:

Sending them notices extends it to MORE periods of 4 days?  OMG.   That's absolutely crazy.  Thank you for making me aware of that.  

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@4-peepsandpaws 

Note the nuance in my post... INVOICES reset the clock to a fresh 96 hours. 'Notices' sent through messaging don't. Since I didn't know what you meant by 'notices', I only thought  they might be invoices. Happy to help. Bummer, tho...

[4-peepsandpaws]

Thank you for clarifying!   

[jhtobias]

I do agree with the original poster . In sports cards vs other products it is strange but auctions seem to sell for more than buy it now even if the buy it now is less the the final auction price . Strange but true .  I do still occasionally list with a buy it now but for the most part auctions.  

For me I have just accepted the fact I will have non paying bidders. eBay sends them a invoice once auction ends . I don't resend nor to I remind buyer to pay . They have 96 hours I believe to pay or I simply complete the non paying bidder agreement block them and relist . 

Hounding people for payment get's ugly and can lead to returning of items , negative feedback etc. resending an invoice only resets the clock .  If a repeat buyer contacts me that they need an extra day or too to pay ok  I have done business with them before. If it is a first time buyer , I just email a simple reply and only once " Please see eBay rules for payment of auctions" nothing more nothing less. 

[reallynicestamps]

Granted, they're testing making customer enter a payment method when they bid, but there's been customer pushback on that so it may not stick.

And as a seller I hope it doesn't.

Nothing tells a customer they are not trustworthy like being forced to prove themselves before they can bid.

It's like being followed around WalMart by a salesclerk.

but auctions seem to sell for more than buy it now even if the buy it now is less the the final auction price .

And to that, what percentage of auctions actually end with an Unpaid Item?

I know it is higher, much higher, than with Fixed Price listings, but if it is still below the industry standard of one percent failed transactions, the problem is emotional, not practical.

And if it is a lot higher, do the better prices on completed transactions make up for the angst of those that failed?

Note that auction sellers can opt for Buy It Now or for Best Offer on auctions either of which end the auction immediately. Neither solves the UID problem, of course.

[stacy_pme]

Hate to break it to you, but "best offer" with "buy it now requirements" is just now being rolled out.  Many people still aren't in the program... so I still have some non-payers - which I hope ends soon!   I agree with you.  So many people who just never respond, and never pay, leaving sellers sitting twiddling thumbs with our items not selling waiting on dead beat buyers.  

[stacy_pme]

Ummm that's the 4 days he (and we all) are talking about 🙂

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@stacy_pme wrote:

Ummm that's the 4 days he (and we all) are talking about 🙂

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I think they were not referring to the current 1-step, 4-day system, but to the old two-step process.

They said, " it used to take 4-5 days before you could even open an unpaid items case, then that took 2-3 days to resolve usually,"  referring to the old two-step unpaid item process. Originally you could file after 7 days and then had to give the buyer  7 more days before you could  close it. Then the intervals were shortened; IIRC it was 7 and 4, then 4 and 4, finally 4 and 2.

[campanaelia]

If sellers can't afford to wait 4 calendar days then they just list items with BIN requiring immediate payment.

A MBG claim takes a lot longer than 4 calendar days for buyers to be refunded. and if buyers have to wait 6 calendar days, factoring in weekends, just to ask ebay to step in, sellers can wait too, it's a 2 way street. It actually takes aprox. 3 weeks for money to be refunded to buyers for items through the MBG process. I find it comical ebay sellers are complaining  about having to wait the minimum 4 days to simply relist the item for the slim minority of non-payers.

Some of my sellers allow me up to 3 weeks to win items for combined shipping orders, which makes a lot more business sense. It keeps me loyal to watching and bidding their items, plus even the items I don't win, I help bid up the aucton prices.

In 20 years on ebay I've never had an unpaid item and never plan too. I am also not going to let ebay make charges on my card w/o me reviewing it first, I've seen too many glitches on ebay to allow that.

My life also doesn't revolve around ebay deliveries. I am usually out of town 50% of the time and bid and make offers during that time knowing I have the 4 days to pay. I certainly don't want immediate payments and items being delivered when nobody is there.

In addition. sellers already have their buyer requirement settings to weed out non-payers, 2 unpaid strikes and your out... Meanwhile buyers can't get a simple sellers block list to block deadbeat sellers.

So far my 2 accounts are being punished with this auto pay only for offers. I was waiting til the 20th, my cc cut off date, to make a bunch of offers. After attempting a few and seeing this I gave up. I will probably find the items elsewhere rather than cave and be one of the sheep. When I start being punished for auctions too, which is the majority of my purchase, I won't be bidding either.