Unpaid Item - Opened Case - Buyer Unresponsive - Buyer Very Active??

[alexsisk85]

I had an auction end approximately 3 days, 1 hour ago (October 2nd). The buyer (956 feedback, 100% positive) has completely ignored me.

I was able to see on the profile that he/she received 5 pieces of feedback on October 4th alone, and 138 in the past month. I am courteous enough to pay for any purchases I make quickly after the auction ends - usually right away, or if that is impractical (auction ending during odd hours), within 8 hours or so. I realize eBay is more leniant, and I understand why.

eBay of course automatically contacted the person to let them know that they were the winner. I followed up with a polite message about 30 hours after the auction ended. After 48 hours, I opened an unpaid item case with eBay.

I am now somewhat regretting this, as I really just want to move on and relist the item. I plan to use Buy It Now this time and force immediate payment, just to avoid any issues this next time. Do I HAVE to wait the full 4 days after I opened the unpaid item case to relist, or is this person now allowed to hold me hostage with a Final Value Fee hanging over my head and 6 days of time wasted? When I click Take Action ---> Receive Final Value Fee Credit, it says that I have to wait 3 days and change, but I just want to know if there is any other action that I can take.

Yes, I am impatient. I don't like to fool around with business. 🙂

[tiramisu41 · Accepted solution]

If your buyer is that active, it's possible that your transaction may have gotten overlooked and lost in the shuffle.  Payment still may come through, you never know but you did the right thing by filing an UID.  Once the clock runs out on it, you'll not only be able to get your FVFs back, the buyer will get a black mark on his/her buying record. 

That's a good thing as many sellers have their site preferences set up so that buyers with more than two UID strikes against their accounts can not bid on their items.  You might want to check your own account preferences to see if your account is set up that way to prevent getting bids from deadbeats.

If you have't already, you may want to add this buyer to your Blocked Bidder List.  That way, the person won't be able to bid on any of your other items in the future.  You also might want to give some thought about not using the auction format for your listings.  Ostensibly, 80% of the sales on eBay these days are made from listings with fixed pricing which is a lot quicker way to conclude a transaction.  Add "Immediate Payment Required" to a Fixed Price listing and you'll be paid immediately after the buyer commits to purchase.

Good luck!

[alexsisk85]

Thank you for the extra information. I’ve had this account since I was 16, and I’m 33, but as you can see from my feedback count, I’m not a heavy user.

I will just be patient and make the suggested preference updates.

Why couldn’t the other thread have been so simple?!

[fern*wood]

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@alexsisk85 wrote:

Why couldn’t the other thread have been so simple?!

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Perhaps had you mentioned the subject/title of the missing thread then the confusion could have been avoided to some extent.    All I knew was you said your recent post was missing and I looked and saw a recent post, so I posted a link to it.  I did think it was weird the title was exactly the same as the one before it in 2015,  but I didn't read them.  I was just trying to find your missing post.

This happens to me when I try to guess what someone is referring to that doesn't give many details.    I need to stop trying to help.

[alexsisk85]

Well I appreciate that you tried to help. I didn’t think the subject was relevant. It may have been, if someone truly had the knowledge that marked posts are invisible. In fact, it turned out that by not disclosing that info, I was able to determine that some of the responses were for sure incorrect.

Nonetheless, others would have searched, come up with nothing, then done what people did anyway and look at my profile and assume.

Imagine if I had said something about the 2015 post. Without me saying anything about it, I had to repeatedly indicate that this had nothing to do with it, and to no avail. People just kept talking about it.

Now I know that no overnight mod or other entity can see posts marked as spam, and nobody who answered apparently knew that either.

[thecollegefund]

It might not help to add any restrictions to your buyer requirements as far as bidders not being able to bid on your auctions with 2 unpaid item strikes on their record in one year.

I just had 2 different bidders get around my buyer requirements. All they have to do is contact Ebay customer service to get one of the cases dropped off of their record (for whatever "plausible" reason they give), and then they will be able to bid.

[city*satins]

Hi alexsisk. You do sound awfully high anxiety and impatient.  Look how much time you've spent on this transaction, writing to the buyer, opening a case, worrying about the 4 days remaining, what if this, what if that, trying to close the case early, looking at evidence that the buyer is buying stuff.  What is the benefit of any of this?   Are you really hard up for $$ right now and depending on the money to come in so you can pay a bill that's coming due or overdue? If not - this isn't helping you.  If so - it's still not helping you.

You say you don't like to "fool around with business"  but from my viewpoint, that's exactly what you're doing - fooling around wasting time that could be better spent listing something else, for instance, if you have something to list - then list. If you have scouting to do - then scout.

Let me tell you what I do and have been doing  and what I don't do, since 1998.

1. unless there's something unusual like multiple purchases or an accepted offer, I don't send an invoice.  eBay already notifies the buyer that they've won and directs the buyer to pay.  So your messages don't do anything but clutter up the buyer's in box.

2. I never ever EVER send a reminder message or worry whether the buyer has had a case of amnesia, bought the item elsewhere, or has any other reason to not pay or delay paying.  If they are going to pay, they'll pay.  Messages from me won't speed that up but might annoy the buyer or make me look weak and vulnerable. 

3. I know that an unpaid item case can be opened after 2 days but I wait 4.  I just do.  2 days more won't kill me.

4. I know that an unpaid item case can be closed by the buyer paying or I can close it in four days.   I'm ok with that.  As long as it isn't December 10 and I'm selling Christmas ornaments or something else seasonal and somewhat time sensitive, I'm fine. But even then - nothing I can do. The buyer will pay or the buyer won't pay - regardless of anything additional I might do.   Most people end up paying and some wait until day 4 of the unpaid item case.  I don't know why. They just do.  It's fine.  Some don't pay - I close the case and move on and am sure to put the buyer on my Blocked Bidder list.

My advice.  Relax.  If you don't like to fool around with business then let your time be spent on things that help your business.  Like selling more stuff.  Hand wringing over slow payers is not a good business strategy.   

For future, here's what I recommend as a good use of a seller's time early on:

Consider the things that can delay or create problems in your business.  The main ones are

1. slow or non payment

2. buyers who request things you don't offer

3. buyers who complain about stuff either through messages or formally through eBay 

In all 3 cases, create a strategy that's one size fits most.  A plan.  Steps to follow.  Then when and if that situation arises don't think about what to do. Don't second guess the other person, or yourself or go off on tangents.  Instead, go to the plan.  Follow the steps.  Just chug through the procedure in an orderly and mechanical way.

It's better use of time, effective 99% of the time, and causes a LOT less stress and anxiety.  Plus you don't have to make a bunch of decisions because you already decided what to do way back when you created the plan.

Hope that helps.

[pburn]

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@alexsisk85 wrote:

I am now somewhat regretting this . . .

. . . is this person now allowed to hold me hostage . . .

Yes, I am impatient. I don't like to fool around with business. 🙂

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It definitely takes a certain kind of temperment to sell on eBay--or any other online platform.