posted on June 7, 2004 02:34:15 PM new
I just went through my list of late payments and have discovered 3 of the 4 who have not paid have a long history on ebay. The first one has a 73 (96.2%), one has a 428 (94.4%), and the third has a 1575 (99.4%). Then of course, add in the newbie with the 0 feedback.
I believe I am pretty fair in my payment requirements. My auctions state that payment must be received within 7 days. Around the 10th day I send a payment reminder and file a NPB warning. Then I give them the remaining 10 days to make payment. In essence, they have 3 weeks to pay for their item before they get a negative and a FVF warning. I find it absurd that they wait and wait, then when they get the FVF warning, they'll email me and say something like, "I sent you a check, it must have been lost in the mail. I'll put a stop payment and send another one." They of course do that only after I sent 3 notices, and ebay hits them with a warning. By that time, I have already relisted it.
As my previous thread a few weeks ago suggested, I am now reply that the item is no longer available and I charge $20 for FVF to be removed during the 1st 30 days, and $50 for it to be removed after that. This is getting out of hand and I'm tired of wasting time dealing with deadbeats.
I'm a small-time, occasional seller - just 143 auctions that sold over two years.
Over two years, I've had 6 non-responders. I'll send 3 or 4 emails over 10 or 12 days, and a 3-day notice, and if they're still not responding, I'll get the contact info and call before I issue the NPB.
I work from home, and I have the Sprint package with unlimited long distance.
Of the 6, 4 immediately said: "Oh, my God. I forgot. I'm so sorry." Something had come up in-between - one had been called away on a business trip; another had been called into court on a child custody battle. Some of my guys are in a lot of auctions, and sometimes, they just miss one.
Those 4 thanked me profusely for not issuing the NPB, paid promptly, and left glowing feedback.
The other two were goofballs who got NPB'd/FVF'd.
So I would say if someone is long-term with eBay and overall the feedback is good, call first before you issue the NPB - if that's practical.
eBay's advice to call the other party really isn't very practical if it's a low-ticket item, and you have per-minute charges.
But, if you can, a phone call clarifies it - you'll know where you stand.
posted on June 7, 2004 03:48:56 PM new
I hate it when people call me regarding an ebay transaction. Most of the time they call because they want to whine about shipping costs, etc.
I don't want to be bothered with a phone call. 99% of all of my ebay auctions are handled through email, and I shouldn't have to coddle someone who knows what they are doing. It's not my responsibility to hound people. Sending 3 emails to remind them should be plenty.
posted on June 7, 2004 04:06:40 PM new
Right now I have 4 late payers. Of the 4, 3 responded to my original WBN with their shipping address. 1 didn't respond at all. I do not send reminders. I let eBay do that for me with the NPB alert after 10 days are up. I think that if I received a payment reminder before the payment was due, I'd be a little upset. Anyway, after the tardy buyers receive the eBay notice, they usually sent payment and email an excuse.
"The only thing more expensive than an education is ignorance" B. Franklin
posted on June 7, 2004 04:40:44 PM new
I've seen many sellers who do exactly what you do. They let ebay do the reminder for them. Here is how I handle an auction.
Day Auction Ends: WBN from Ebay and Vendio.
3 Days After: I send a WBN reminder if I haven't received confirmation. If I have received confirmation, then I wait up to 10 days for payment.
7 Days after w/ NO contact from bidder: I file NPB warning and relist item for the 9th day.
10 Days After for those who confirmed payment: I send a Vendio Payment Reminder and File a NPB warning.
20 Days After: I file FVF.
Do you think I'm working too much? I've considered scaling down the notices figuring these people should be more responsible for themselves.
posted on June 7, 2004 04:45:40 PM new
"Do you think I'm working too much?"
Absolutely!
I don't send an eBay or Vendio invoice, only the one that I generate. In it I ask them to email their complete shipping address. Some of them obviously don't read invoices any better than they read auction details, so they don't respond. They still send payment in most cases. The few that don't do anything are the ones that get the eBay notice after 10 days.
"The only thing more expensive than an education is ignorance" B. Franklin
[ edited by max40 on Jun 7, 2004 04:51 PM ]
posted on June 7, 2004 05:20:28 PM new
Small timer with roughly 5-600 sales over last 5 years. Never had a bidder fail to pay.
I wait 2 weeks before sending a second notice. My guess is I've sent out perhaps a dozen 2nd notices. I've forgotten to contact sellers a few times and had them email me. Now using the ebay notification system. Often get emails from buyers that payment is on the way before I even get a chance to send out a notice. Looking forward to my 1st deadbeat so I do FVF, negs, and all that other neet stuff.
posted on June 7, 2004 05:39:56 PM new
lately i have had quite a few wait for 5-7 days before contacting me. these mostly have over 200 feedback, what is the problem. i read feedback "fast pay, great ebayer". either they lied or this guy fell off the turnip truck. really ticking me off.
But the bigger one - you relist in 9 days?
Isn't that awfully fast?
I think it helps if you send the winning bidders your own "congratulations"
email. Mine is pretty short and simple - much of it is cut & paste.
The title on the email is something like: Congratulations - Pittsburgh Steelers beer cans.
Then I say: Congratulations on winning my auction for X, and thanks for making my auction a success.
Then the rest of it is standardized - please send me your complete shipping address so I
can calculate your exact cost of shipping; please let me know if you'd like your box insured for an additional X; and please let me know how you plan on making your payment.
The person doesn't have to deal with the "checkout" process. They just respond to me directly with the info, and it's a short and quick email.
I think if you rely on those emails from eBay or Vendio, it might not be as clear to the bidder what he or she is expected to do
next.
Generally, people don't like dealing with forms. It used to be that a lot of my winning bidders found eBay's checkout process confusing, so, for a while, I had a TOS that said: "Don't use the checkout. I will email you promptly at the close of the auction." Now I just say: "I will email you."
posted on June 7, 2004 06:18:51 PM new
9 days is only when I haven't received any contact from the bidder after the auction closed. If a bidder emails me or completes Vendio checkout, then the 9 days doesn't apply. My auction rules state that payment confirmation must be made within 3 days of the end of auction. I file the NPB for non-contact on the 7th day, just as eBay allows. If I don't hear from them within another 48 hours, it gets relisted (the 9th day). I would think that I have given someone plenty of time to respond under that time frame.
The "rustygumbo law of diminished returns" have found that as the days go by without payment confirmation, the more likely they are to be a deadbeat.
I've been doing this for 5 years, and list 100-150 items a week. Unfortunately, I do cater to a more immature crowd. I sell sports and music clothing/memorabilia, and you can bet your a** that a much higher rate of deadbeats can be found in that bunch than say, antique doily collectors.
If you do that many auctions a week for that kind of stuff - yeah, I see what you're saying. No way could anyone type 100 - 150 individualized "congratulations" emails.
My father's collectibles appeal to a mature crowd, and I do a limited number of auctions at any one time.
But maybe if someone hasn't responded, but they've been on eBay long-term - relatively high feedback score - maybe you should give them a little more leeway.
Like I said, sometimes, my guys are in a lot of auctions, and they just overlook one.
Maybe it would be less stressful for you if you let it ride a little while longer for the bidders who are long-term on eBay - like an extra week.
