Using "Block Bidders" Option More Often These Days

[davenportpm1]

I can't stress enough how I love the block bidder option. While I want a sale like any other seller, this option is leaving out all the "waste my time" buyers coming my way. 

Just blocked one this morning...

Buyer won a bid yesterday (12/27) that was bid on 6 days ago. Received a message last night saying, "I am broke due to the holidays and cannot pay for the item till the 2nd of January." 

I replied saying, "My maximum time is usually 5 days but will make an exception since you communicated and asked. But if not paid by the 2nd of January I will have to cancel due to non-payment."

They replied again saying, "I was not asking, I told you when I can pay for the item! Just cancel the order!"

I have no time for this incompetence...BLOCKED!! 

[katzrul15]

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@davenportpm1 wrote:

I can't stress enough how I love the block bidder option. While I want a sale like any other seller, this option is leaving out all the "waste my time" buyers coming my way. 

Just blocked one this morning...

Buyer won a bid yesterday (12/27) that was bid on 6 days ago. Received a message last night saying, "I am broke due to the holidays and cannot pay for the item till the 2nd of January." 

I replied saying, "My maximum time is usually 5 days but will make an exception since you communicated and asked. But if not paid by the 2nd of January I will have to cancel due to non-payment."

They replied again saying, "I was not asking, I told you when I can pay for the item! Just cancel the order!"

I have no time for this incompetence...BLOCKED!! 

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Were you both not stating payment could be Jan 2nd? 

Is it frustrating to get these Buyer emails?  Yes.  Would I have waited to see if perhaps they paid on Jan 2nd and then cancelled on the 3rd?  Yes.  Especially, if I wanted the sale. 

The BBL is appropriate for future purposes.  Has zero effect on this transaction.

[*_forum_id_*]

I agree with katzrul15.     5 days from the 27th is the 1st of Jan 2022.      

You had 2 sales on Dec 27th.  Both are very low value and shipping costs are higher than purchase price.

Add that you have FREE RETURNS, you may get a return request because you angered the buyer, should they actually pay.

Now your buyer wants you to cancel the transaction.   You can cancel on the 1st citing non-payment or now indicating that the buyer requested the cancellation.  Then they also can't leave you poor feedback.

Good customer service doesn't include unncessary commentary to a buyers email.   A simple acknowledgemnet of their email would have prevented their anger and yours, as well as the loss of a sale.

Adding them to your BBL is fine, but as already stated, affects future transactions.   I add users to my BBL when I get extremely low offers via messages (no Best Offer option on listings).  I reply to them and thank them for their interest in my item, however I am respectfully declining their offer.     I silently go to my BBL and add them and continue about my day.  

Good luck.

[davenportpm1]

The buyer claimed broke and could not pay till Jan. 2nd and I agreed, just to sum it up. 

Either the buyer did not like my reply on agreeing to wait till the 2nd or they knew they should not be shopping and bidding on items when they have no money to pay.

So, I will not wait around and have an item sitting for days seeing if they will pay for the item or not. Also, they requested to cancel so, most likely, I would not receive the payment. This way there is a chance the item will get sold to a paying buyer. I am not concerned if this affects this transaction, my time will not be wasted by this particular buyer again since they have been blocked.

[luckythewinner]

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@davenportpm1 wrote:

Either the buyer did not like my reply on agreeing to wait till the 2nd or they knew they should not be shopping and bidding on items when they have no money to pay.

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Or they simply made a mistake reading your message. That happens to me once in while. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

“So, I will not wait around and have an item sitting for days seeing if they will pay for the item or not.”

This transaction went south and didnt need to.

Given that eBay allows a buyer 4 days to remit, and you allow 5, the buyer already had til 12/31 or 1/1 to pay. Waiting one or two additional days wouldn't seem like a big deal.

The tone of your communication was rather abrupt, which set your buyer off and created waste for both you and them. Granted, the buyer has the responsibility of managing his finances and you shouldn't be penalized for his failure. But maintaining a pleasant facade is just part of the job of dealing with the general public.

I admit that i think sellers are sometimes too quick to block as a method of controlling risk, or in anticipation of trouble. In over ten years of selling, i have 4 id’s blocked. Of course, sellers are free to do business with whom they choose, and having that freedom is a good thing.