Ebay problem - suggestions?

[drivelikejoewho]

Ok.. so I've responded to people's ebay problems on here before. I find myself in one now and pretty much know how I want to handle it but wanted to get some other opinions first.

 

I sold my guitar on ebay yesterday. There was only one bid which was the minimum I put it up there for. The guy sends me a note today saying he can't afford to pay for the guitar and that it was a "throw on bid" (whatever the hell that means). He goes on to explain his car is having trouble but if I'd let it go for less the shipping cost, he can come up with the money. He also stated he would come up with the full amount owed to avoid negative feedback. He siad it would take a week or two though because he'll have to sell some stuff to come up with the money. That is the part that was a major red flag.

 

Now I have a heart but this sounds like complete BS to me. I think he has buyers remorse or at worst, maybe he is being honest but he shouldn't have bid on it if that were the case. I'm thinking of telling him to send me the eBay fees and either 1) relisting it or 2) selling it locally at a discount. I had been trying to sell it locally for more than it went for online and I'm fairly confident I could get what it went for on ebay, locally. I just don't want to send him the guitar and have more problems. I just have this bad feeling if I send him the guitar something else is going to come up and I'd rather avoid that. This is my first experience with a potential deadbeat.

 

So do I let him off the hook at the cost of my ebay fees or do I make him pay?

[Leisure Lee]

Make him pay the full amount then send him the guitar......done deal

[WRGKMC]

By no means do any kinky back door deals. You can give him a window for full payment, you can let him off the hook by not giving bad feedback. Main thing is you're out the amount of the lsiting and have to relist it.

 

Keep it pro and work by the book and tell him to leave the sob stories for his family or church. If they dont have the cash to buy, they shouldnt bid. If they bid and dont pay, they should get bad feedback as being a bum buyer. That way the quality of the community for buyers and sellers is maintained. I would however get your bad feedback in before he does though. Buyers will turn it around and make it look like your fault that it wasnt sent then you'll really be screwed.

[drivelikejoewho]

Thanks for your feedback! I appreciate it. I guess I need to have more of a back bone.

[HALSAM00]

OK guys

 

I sold a radio on ebay and the winning bidder sent an e-mail requesting a full refund because the radio will not work with his vehicle because it is a "low bus speed" radio, which I put in the description hes also said it will not work because he has a 2009 dodge ram. In my description of the radio i said it was a low bus speed and i listed the vehicles it would work in and a dodge ram was not one of them. should i send him the radio and say tuff luck read the description next time? his $$ is already in my account.

[fu2jobu]

I would tell the buyer if they want the item they need to pay the full amount agreed by the deadline. If they can't do that then the deal will be considered voided once that deadline expires (hopefully you get more from a second auction).

[bisticles]

I've had this happen to me a few times, and it sucks. You really kind of want to side with the guy and help out another guitar player, but at the same time, people who can't afford {censored} shouldn't be looking at eBay, let alone bidding on stuff.

The only compromise I'd offer up is to let him pay for the guitar now to hold it, then when he comes up with the shipping, it gets mailed. You've got eBay fees to cover now. The other option is to relist it as buyer non-paying. It puts a bad mark on his record, but that's exactly what it's for.

OK guys I sold a radio on ebay and the winning bidder sent an e-mail requesting a full refund because the radio will not work with his vehicle because it is a "low bus speed" radio, which I put in the description hes also said it will not work because he has a 2009 dodge ram. In my description of the radio i said it was a low bus speed and i listed the vehicles it would work in and a dodge ram was not one of them. should i send him the radio and say tuff luck read the description next time? his $$ is already in my account.

If you send it to him and keep the money, you can expect a PayPal dispute headed your way. Just refund the money (you can do this without any fees being taken) through PayPal and relist the item. You should be able to do this for free. It sucks, and you shouldn't have to do this, but the alternative is going to be even more of a hassle.

[RaVenCAD]

I'd tell him to shut up and pay up or enjoy the negative feedback. Business is business..

[drivelikejoewho]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys! Keep 'em coming...

[Belva]

Give him negative feedback and relist. This guy is just trying to negotiate something that's non-negotiable. That's why he came up with the sob story. He's got the money. He's just a cheap {censored}. And I'd bet he does this all the time. The negative feedback will hopefully help other Ebay'ers keep from having this problem with him.
I can also guarantee he'll threaten negative feedback in an attempt to push the price even lower.
He's a buttwad. Flush him.

[harold heckuba]

You cant give a buyer negative feedback anymore. I would suggest you sign up for unpaid item assistant immediately, ebay will handle the whole thing, he either pays or you get your fees back, and he cant leave you negative feedback. Without UPI he can.

[poolshark]

Just cancel the transaction and relist. Pretty sure eBay will return your fees, so you're only out some time and and a little frustration. Believe me, it could be so, so much worse.

See, you *could* bully him for payment in compliance with eBay guidelines. If he doesn't pay, he gets a strike, which is hardly a win for you; in the very plausible scenario that he does pay, he'll be so much more likely to be unhappy with the transaction.

If he's generally unhappy with the situation, then he'll be more likely to find something to nitpick, more likely to file a claim and more likely to generally make your life hell, even if you deliver 110%. Trust me, just cut your losses and move on.

[jrockbridge]

Go through the unpaid item procedure as per Ebay rules. You may even want to start up unpaid item assistant so that everything happens automatically. Then, your item will be re-listed for free automatically after all the time has passed...assuming the buyer doesn't pay.

 

Basically, you can file an unpaid item procedure within 4 business of the end of an auction...if the payment has not been received. Then, Ebay takes over and sends messages/payment notices for 4 business days. After that, your Ebay fees will be refunded and you can re-list the item.

 

If you do this procedure, you won't have the opportunity to leave any negative feedback. However, the buyer will have an unpaid item strike. If they accumulate too many strikes in a short period, Ebay may take action against them...possibly, even locking their account.

 

P.S.

 

I suggest adding this person's handle to your block list so they can't bid on your auctions in the future. There are too many deadbeats on Ebay and they deserve no mercy IMO.

[Wyatt]

Go through the unpaid item procedure as per Ebay rules. You may even want to start up unpaid item assistant so that everything happens automatically. Then, your item will be re-listed for free automatically after all the time has passed...assuming the buyer doesn't pay. Basically, you can file an unpaid item procedure within 4 business of the end of an auction...if the payment has not been received. Then, Ebay takes over and sends messages/payment notices for 4 business days. After that, your Ebay fees will be refunded and you can re-list the item. If you do this procedure, you won't have the opportunity to leave any negative feedback. However, the buyer will have an unpaid item strike. If they accumulate too many strikes in a short period, Ebay may take action against them...possibly, even locking their account.

 

 

+1.

 

If eBay knows there was no sale, you won't be on the hook for the fees.

 

Negative feedback doesn't mean $#!t in terms of money or the real world. Just nullify the auction and start again.

[Tabletop]

Well, technically you can request a transaction cancellation through ebay and get your fees back without the buyer having to pay. The caveat is that once you put in the request, you are at the mercy of the buyer to agree to cancel. If he doesn't agree and then does not pay, I don't think you can open a non-paying bidder case after you request a cancellation. If you want to pursue this route to be nice, make sure you have the buyer paypal you the ebay fees and only refund him after the cancellation goes through.

[drivelikejoewho]

Ok so do I try and send him a note back first asking him to pay it or do I just go straight to "Unpaid" item after the 4th day has passed? I'll read up on eBay's site in the meantime.

[jrockbridge]

Ok so do I try and send him a note back first asking him to pay it or do I just go straight to "Unpaid" item after the 4th day has passed? I'll read up on eBay's site in the meantime.

 

 

Just send the buyer an invoice. This is very straightforward. The buyer owes exactly what's on the invoice and any notion to the contrary is purely confusion in their mind. You don't have to enter into a dialog. But, just in case you can't resist, keep all messages short and professional.

 

FYI, Ebay won't let you do unpaid item until 4 business days have passed. Then, Ebay spenda the next 4 days trying to collect from the deadbeat. This is why Unpaid Item Assistant is so helpful, it does everything automatically according to the parameters you setup in the system.

[drivelikejoewho]

Great.. i've set up unpaid item assistant. I'm going to send an invoice for the amount owed. I believe they said on "ebay help" that unpaid item assistant will allow the buyer to offer a different timeline for payment if they can't make payment right away. I feel like I'll give him a week or two extra to come up with the money if he asks and then end it at that point as unpaid if it is still unpaid.

[Wyatt]

Ok so do I try and send him a note back first asking him to pay it or do I just go straight to "Unpaid" item after the 4th day has passed? I'll read up on eBay's site in the meantime.

 

 

As him for the full amount. Say you don't have any room to negotiate. He may back down and pay.

 

Otherwise go to unpaid.

 

But if he is trying to pull crap now, it may be a hassle on the back end as well.

[jrockbridge]

Great.. i've set up unpaid item assistant. I'm going to send an invoice for the amount owed. I believe they said on "ebay help" that unpaid item assistant will allow the buyer to offer a different timeline for payment if they can't make payment right away. I feel like I'll give him a week or two extra to come up with the money if he asks and then end it at that point as unpaid if it is still unpaid.

I wouldn't give the buyer ANY extra time! As it stands, you're stuck waiting to sell your guitar because this deadbeat bid on it with no intention of paying! What if you REALLY needed the money for food, rent or another guitar? Meanwhile, they're trying to jerk you around with offers of less money at some point in the future. HELL NO!

[drivelikejoewho]

Ok so I just sent him a note and told him I listed it for the lowest I was willing to sell it for and I won't go any further. I told him I do expect payment and was apologetic for his situation. Once the 4th day has passed I'll just let unpaid item assistant do the work. I don't want to deal with this {censored}. that is why I went through ebay. I don't want to negotiate. I just want to sell the damn thing and I put it up there for the minimum price I'd accept.

[Fat_Tone_77]

I would take his word and let the buyer off the hook by...

1. Cancel the transaction. Once the buyer agrees to cancel, eBay refunds all your fees.

2. Relist at the minimum you'll accept.

I've done this a couple times recently and karma is a wonderful thing. The deadbeat buyer I helped out was super happy. He referred a friend to me who has bought twice. A good deed will help you in the end.

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

I would take his word and let the buyer off the hook by... 1. Cancel the transaction. Once the buyer agrees to cancel, eBay refunds all your fees. 2. Relist at the minimum you'll accept. I've done this a couple times recently and karma is a wonderful thing. The deadbeat buyer I helped out was super happy. He referred a friend to me who has bought twice. A good deed will help you in the end.

 

 

I like this advice, it's very Christian and Humanist and would see happiness all round

[guitarcapo]

Personally I'd give him time and if he didn't come up with the cash, just relist it. I'm not sure if there's some sort of deadline you have to avoid in order to relist with Ebay for a non-paying bidder to avoid new listing fees, but I'd try and give him as much time as possible as long as it wasn't costing me money.

People freak out all the time when Ebay deals don't go down....but in my experience you run a 50/50 chance of actually getting MORE money relisting. That's happened to me more often than not. Some guy doesn't pay me...I relist and it sells for $40 more on the second time around....Some guy returns a guitar for some bull{censored} reason and then it sells for $120 more when I put it up for auction a second time. (It's always fun sending a link from that auction to the first guy who returned it...he gets to kick himself for not flipping it instead of sending it back)

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

Some guy doesn't pay me...I relist and it sells for $40 more on the second time around)

 

 

The only two times I've had a seller pull out I've got a better price for it the second time round