posted on October 11, 2000 08:41:41 PM
Hi all. I'm a long time lurker but have never gotten around to posting. But know that someone here will give me some excellent advice. Talk me out my anger, etc.
My problem is with two seperate auction payment which I received today. Both sent cash through the mail, which to me isn't very smart anyway. Rather than send coins they have rounded the amount to the nearest dollar, rounded DOWN of course, and sent cash. So OK, it's only a matter of about .50 on each deal. The first one I opened I figured I'd go ahead and send anyway. Then I open the second and find the same situation and I'm sort of steamed about it, you know? I don't walk into Wal-Mart and round my amount down to the nearest dollar. What makes these people think that they can? One of these buyers is new with only two feedbacks, both positive. The other has 27 feedback, all positive.
Anyway, what would you all do? I appreciate your comments.
posted on October 11, 2000 08:46:13 PM
I would tell them that their total was $xx.xx and when you receive the balance of $xx.xx you will ship out their item.
Happens to me every so often - don't let them get away with it, they are most likely doing this to all their sellers!
Besides - if they don't pay the full amount of their bid (and shipping) and there were other bidders - say the 2nd highest bidder lost by 25¢ - wouldn't be fair to the 2nd highest bidder if the high bidder gets to pay less than they bid.
____________________________________
The only place you'll find success before work is in the dictionary.
posted on October 11, 2000 08:52:43 PM
Good advice. If they are allowed to just give themselves a discount they will be back to do it again. Do you want them bidding your things again because they remember you are "flexible" ( an easy mark ).
posted on October 11, 2000 09:22:57 PM
Thanks for the replies.
You know what really irritates me? The one item I started the bidding at $1, worth more in my opinion, for whatever reason that's the highest the bidding got. It happens! But the lady still stiffed me on the total amount. Jeeez, she got a killer deal as it was, you know?
posted on October 11, 2000 09:38:55 PM
I feel your pain. I had a cheapskate do the same. It was for a bubble gum comic from the 1940s--so the final bid wasn't much. He rounded down, which really cut into the meager profits.
To top if off, he mailed the money in a little plastic holder and requested I mail it back to him...which increased the First Class postage amount.
AND he didn't leave me any feedback. I wish I could have punched him in the nose.
posted on October 11, 2000 09:53:08 PM
I have a problem with people in my state not wanting to pay sales tax, even though it is clearly stated in my TOS that they will have to. I just write them back and tell them that since tax was not sent, I'll have to use the money they sent for insurance to cover taxes-is that all right? They don't figure that I'll hold the package for tax-but they don't have to pay that tax in January! No, don't let them do that-they have more ways of getting around paying for things than we can ever cover in our TOS!
posted on October 11, 2000 10:01:34 PM
I have had this happen. I now state "full" payment and have not had any repeats. Absolutely do not bend until you get your full payment. You can always return change in a package if someone overpays.
I would also set a deadline on this thing. Some people will string you along in hopes that they'll save the dough--you'll go what the heck and send it. Don't. No response..return the money less your postage to do so and fvf credit the transaction in fact I'd start an NPB the minute you get shortchanged as they are violating TOS.
posted on October 11, 2000 10:27:31 PM
I make cash a payment option to all of my cuistomers. I state in my eoa letter that if they opt to send cash, to please round up to the nearest dollar and I will send their change back to them in their package.
I know some people don't want to get into making change but this has worked very well for me and my customers.
I recently sold some vintage ads to a lady who chose to send cash. I had asked her to round up to the nearest dollar, which she said she would do only if I promised not to send back the change. So I sent her a bunch of bonus ads in the same genre and she was as pleased as punch.
posted on October 11, 2000 10:34:48 PM
We tell customers that a nickle either way around the full amount will not result in a refund of change. Before that, we offered change back in the way of postage stamps. We were doing a thriving business in postage stamps for a long time. Then, when someone would round off $5.99 to $6.00, I'd have to make a special note of it on their paperwork to include a 1-cent stamp back as change. Since we changed that policy to "no Change Back" on a nickle either way, an unexpected result has been that absolutely everyone has been sending us the exact amount.
posted on October 11, 2000 10:41:10 PMbearmom: I think you'll have problems if you use the buyer's insurance money to cover the sales tax and the package is lost. After all, they did pay for insurance, so they're entitled to that coverage. The only way that I think you'd be OK with that is if you stated in your TOS that the customer gives up insurance coverage and that his insurance fee would be applied to the missing sales tax.
posted on October 12, 2000 04:43:55 AM
I had someone short me on an auction ... as a result I only had enough money to ship it into the next postal zone.
So I let them know that I would ship it to any city I could reach for the shipping money they sent, and asked them for the name of a friend or relative in those states who would recieve the package and reship to them.
posted on October 12, 2000 06:27:36 AM
It took me three times to learn my lesson. Payment was short postage three separate times. Bidders said check was in the mail, so I sent packages. never received postage. Now if I am shorted, I email and tell them how much they are short and explain that because of being burned previously that I no longer ship until the difference is received. I apologize that because of a few, the majority suffer the consequences. Currently I have been waiting almost two weeks for the difference on one package. Oh well.
