piggypoosmom
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posted on March 6, 2002 10:27:54 AM new
For the first time in several years of selling on eBay, I have received a money order with absolutely nothing I could use to identify it. I have received them before with no buyer name or item number, but usually I could find some record of the name in my e-mails, or match up the dollar amount. In this case, I had several auctions end at the same price in a week or so.
So, do I send the money order back with a note asking what the !@#$%^&* they're paying for, or do I e-mail everyone whose bid was the same amount, and see how many claim it?
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trai
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posted on March 6, 2002 10:33:33 AM new
"I have received a money order with absolutely nothing I could use to identify it."
I would just sit back till they contact you. Sooner or later someone will ask you where their parcel is.
Then advice them that the hold up was their own fault. Try to do it in a nice way.
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KelliLou
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posted on March 6, 2002 10:34:12 AM new
Piggypoo-
I would imagine you could at least check the postmark to see where it came from to narrow down the possibilities...that is, if it wasn't from Western Union or bidpay or something, and you still have the envelope.
Very interesting problem, I would love to know how you eventually solve it!
Kellilou
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BananaSpider
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:18:33 AM new
I would email everyone who has an outstanding balance for that amount. Explain that you have received a payment for XX amount but without any auction identification enclosed. Let them know you have several pending shipments for this exact amount. Ask for a reply including the return address on the envelope and where the payment was purchased. Add something about delayed shipment and you're sure to get their attention.
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NanasTurtles
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:24:34 AM new
no return address on the mailing envelope? There should at least be a state contained within the postmark on it.... You might be able to look at the mailing addresses on your packaged items and at least get an idea from the state they are addressed to and maybe match it up that way but then I would email to verify before shipping it......
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computerboy
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:27:54 AM new
Sit back, relax and wait until you hear from sender that they haven't received their item. Then, take the opportunity to remind them that auction and shipping information should be provided with payment, so the recipient is able to clearly identify what the payment is for. Don't waste your time playing detective, as it's not your job. This should change the buyer's beahavior in the future, as they will most likely send the apporpriate information with their payment next time around.
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RainyBear
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:36:07 AM new
I agree with BananaSpider... write to all bidders for that amount.
Just so not all of them think it may be theirs, note what state the payment was from and ask for confirmation of the street address on the envelope.
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NanasTurtles
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:38:14 AM new
Why spend time writing to ALL of them when you would only need to email those from the state it came from??
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piggypoosmom
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:43:33 AM new
I have a city and state, but several of the bidders of that amount did not give me their shipping info yet.
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NanasTurtles
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posted on March 6, 2002 11:52:13 AM new
I guess I'm confused then....if you don't have shipping info. yet for certain buyers, why would they have already sent you a payment? I would think it would be easy to narrow down unless you get payments in the mail for items that you haven't even recieved a shipping address on. I usually acquire the address information as soon as the auction is closed and I have this in hand when I send out their invoices with total due......Wouldn't you just be getting payments from the buyers that sent you their information, their items were packaged, invoices sent out and they mailed their payments??
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BananaSpider
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posted on March 6, 2002 12:11:28 PM new
NanasTurtles
Sounds like you are witholding your own payment address until you receive the shipping info from the buyer?
I request a reply to the WBN with shipping info but not everyone does things that way. Even if they did, not every buyer will comply. It happens.
It doesn't really matter who's at fault, you have received their payment. I'd do my best to contact the buyer and complete the transaction in a timely manner.
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NanasTurtles
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posted on March 6, 2002 12:20:33 PM new
BananaSpider......I don't necessarily "withhold" my address information......as that sounds more like a penalty......but when an auction closes because I sell items that weigh different amounts and give my buyers their own choice of shipping methods....I request all this information up front so I can package and weight their items to give them an acurate shipping quote according to their zip codes.....I realize everyone doesn't do things the same way on ebay, everyone has their own system that they find works best for them.....but as stated in my response, I was just confused and was wondering......nothing personal meant by the posting, she was just trying to identify who the buyer even was that the payment belonged to....
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BananaSpider
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posted on March 6, 2002 12:36:31 PM new
NanasTurtles
I suppose withhold does sound like a penalty. I certainaly did not mean to imply you were doing anything wrong. I will have to go to a similar system when the new postal rates go into effect.
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NanasTurtles
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posted on March 6, 2002 12:45:20 PM new
Thats Ok BananaSpider......nothing taken from it....as was said, everyone has their own system.....
piggypoosmom.........hope you find your buyer and maybe some of the suggestions here have helped....
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rarriffle
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posted on March 6, 2002 12:47:05 PM new
I had this happen last week. Received cash with absolutely no name or address anywhere. The letter was mailed in Canada and I had nothing waiting to be shipped to Canada! I finally got an email saying did you receive the cash? I emailed back telling them they forgot to include any info with the cash and the item would be shipped immediately, all is well.
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slabholder
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posted on March 6, 2002 01:08:17 PM new
I would frame the money order in question and place it on my wall. I truly believe it would be an interesting conversation piece among my fellow ebayers.
On a serious note,I would not sign it, or touch with a ten foot pole. Money order could be stolen.
Could be a scam, be very careful.
Slabholder
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mballai
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posted on March 6, 2002 01:08:27 PM new
there's two real good things to prevent this sort of thing. One is to make a real point of getting a full address in confirmation. This makes it easy to narrow down who might have sent what. I've never had a payment I couldn't track with this
The other thing is to use the last few digits of an item number to mail payments:
John Doe
eby4123
200 my street
my town ny 10016
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