How long do you wait until you report a "non-paying bidder"?

Goodwill_HiFi

Super Member
Most of my bidders pay quite quickly. I have a few that take a few days. So far, I've only had one that was completely unresponsive. I sent an invoice, and I think a message, so after about a week, I filed with ebay, had to wait several more days, and then got my sellers fees reversed, and then I re-listed. I just had a foreign buyer tell me, after sending him a "please pay" message that he had had an issue with his importer, and that he would pay very soon/today... I wake up today, and sure enough he kept his word and paid. That actually kind of worked in my favor since I had several auctions closing at once, and didn't have to worry about safely packing his speakers until now, when everything else has been packed and shipped. However...

I also have a bidder that hasn't responded to my "please pay" message. The auction ended on Sunday the 8th. I sent him a message yesterday/Wednesday, and I've received no response. The buyer is in Poland so their is a large time difference, and I know people have schedules to keep. I don't have anything specified in my auctions as to a time limit for payment. Ebay doesn't seem to have an expectation set in stone, that I see.

What would you consider reasonable, whether stated in the auction, or not? Maybe I should start stating something in the auctions, but I really dislike cluttering the auction up with too much rules/disclaimer etc. When I'm a bidder that always puts me off.... some people have paragraph after paragraph of that crap.
 
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I use the auto eBay bitch setting.
In your account setting, you pick the period.
I set mine to minimum.

I find that foreign "buyers" is where the complete deadbeats are 99.9% of the time.
India, Russia, South Africa, etc.
They buy and never pay.
Maybe others, don't care.
They buy, no pay, eBay starts ragging at 4 days and when they still don't pay, eBay dings the account, tells me and I relist.

When a good buyer has a problem, they message me asking for time.
I tell them eBay will start bitching.
They usually step it up.

The trick with eBay is to just be hard ass as eBay.
50% of humans are below average so you're going to get some mind numbingly stupid things happening.

I've reposted things while dead sales were still waiting for eBay to step in.
After a while you get a feeling about these things.

I have a loose 2 question rule.
After 2 questions, there is almost no actual sale so I blow them off.
Maybe 1 in 100 actually works after 2 questions.
If it's a big ticket item, I will go longer, but the questions must be intelligent.
 
When I sold on Ebay, the overseas buyers paid promptly, and provided feedback in quick fashion. I have also bought from overseas sellers, (that qualifies me as a foreign buyer), and I paid promptly, and left feedback promptly too.
Please don't use that term in that manner.
 
When I sold on Ebay, the overseas buyers paid promptly, and provided feedback in quick fashion. I have also bought from overseas sellers, (that qualifies me as a foreign buyer), and I paid promptly, and left feedback promptly too.

I've often not gotten feedback from foreign buyers, and I always thought that maybe it was because of the time between them buying, and them actually getting the item. I always assumed they were filling a shipping container. International sales through Ebay's Global Shipping Program are faster, and I've gotten some good feedback, that way. I've found feedback from anyone can often lag behind the sale quite a bit. Although, today I got positive feedback for an item was showing "out for delivery".
 
When I sold on Ebay, the overseas buyers paid promptly, and provided feedback in quick fashion. I have also bought from overseas sellers, (that qualifies me as a foreign buyer), and I paid promptly, and left feedback promptly too.
"foreign" isn't the term I took offense to. It was "retard".
 
This depends on the item and if there has been any response from the buyer. If I have no response after 72 hours I relist the item. I have yet to have an unresponsive buyer pay after 72 hours has gone by. If the buyer is communicating I will work with them if they need more time for whatever reason. The more expensive the item the less time im willing to wait.. I do have a disclaimer on my listings that payment is requiered within 48 hours.. I have no idea if that make any difference at all but I rarely have any deadbeat buyers.
 
If you don't receive payment for an item you've sold, we're here to help.

If the buyer is no longer registered on eBay, you can open a case right away in the Resolution Centre. Under I sold an item, select I haven't received my payment yet. You can also open an unpaid item case in the Orders section of Seller Hub.

If the buyer is still registered, please give the buyer 2 days to pay. You can check the payment status through PayPal or their other payment method. If you still haven't received payment after a reasonable amount of time, please follow the instructions below. You can also perform these actions in the Orders section of Seller Hub.

get the buyer's contact information.

Get tips on communicating with your trading partner

Resolution Centre. You must open the case on the same eBay country site where you sold the item.

Timeline: Opening a case - 2 to 32 days after the sale

To open an unpaid item case:
  1. Click the Resolution Centre link at the bottom of most eBay pages.

  2. Select I haven't received my payment yet and click Continue.
Timing is important
There limited timeframes when you can open and close the case, and be credited for certain fees.

  • If you don't receive payment, you can open an unpaid item case in the Resolution Centre as early as 2 days or up until 32 days after the listing ended.

    For example, if the listing ended on 5 October at 11.15 am, you can open the case from 11.15am on 7 October.

  • If the buyer doesn't pay, you need to manually close the case in the Resolution Centre. You can do this as early as 4 days after you opened the case, or up to 36 days after the listing ended.

  • If you don't close the case, it expires on the 37th day after the listing has ended and you won't receive a final value fee credit.
electronic payment methods(such as PayPal), the case closes automatically. But if they pay using another method, you need to go to My eBay or Seller Hub and mark the item as paid.

If the buyer doesn't pay, you should close the case in the Resolution Centre and request a final value fee credit. You must do this within 36 days after the listing ended. If you haven't closed the case on the 37th day, eBay automatically closes it, and you don't receive a final value fee credit. Also, the unpaid item won't be recorded on the buyer's account.



To close the case:
  1. Log in to the Resolution Centre and find the case.

  2. Under Have you received payment from the buyer?, select Yes or No.
Once the case is closed by you or eBay, you can't re-open it.

Second Chance Offer to another bidder.

  • You can relist the item (and you may be credited for the insertion fee as well as the final value fee).
  • When you close the case, our Trust and Safety team is automatically alerted. Actions may include recording unpaid items on the buyer's account, which may lead to limits on or loss of buying privileges.
fraudulent payment and report the buyer. We don't provide mediation, collect payment or force a member to complete a transaction. We will, however, review reports of attempts to purchase items using fraudulent funds and take appropriate action in accordance with our policies.

You can also:

  • Contact the police. We'll cooperate with any investigation after you've closed the case in the Resolution Centre.
setting buyer requirements. For example, you can block members who already have unpaid items recorded on their account from bidding on or buying your items.

  • Unpaid Item Assistant

    If you sell a lot of items, save time by using Unpaid Item Assistant to manage your unpaid items for you. Unpaid Item Assistant can open a case on your behalf if the buyer doesn't pay within a certain timeframe, and then close the case and relist the item automatically if the matter isn't resolved.
 
99 percent of my sales are immediate payment. If not immediate, chances are very high it turns into non-pay. I usually send two or three messages and then open a non-pay case at around day 5. It's a real loss of time as the case takes several additional days of waiting before I can close and recover fees.
 
You can have Ebay's unpaid assistant automatically send the buyer an unpaid reminder after a set period of time I have mine set after 3 days then add 7 days to that before I can relist but I rarely have people not pay. Like some of you the usual late payers are from Asia and most use a shipping service which i'm sure delays things but they always pay I have yet to have an Asian buyer not pay so I don't get concerned if they are late.

I get about 1 in ten buyers that leave feedback is my average


Regards Snow
 
I'm in a bad mood, and if the buyer were decent, he'd have responded to my message in some capacity. He's been reported now.
 
You can have Ebay's unpaid assistant automatically send the buyer an unpaid reminder after a set period of time I have mine set after 3 days then add 7 days to that before I can relist but I rarely have people not pay. Like some of you the usual late payers are from Asia and most use a shipping service which i'm sure delays things but they always pay I have yet to have an Asian buyer not pay so I don't get concerned if they are late.

Yes, they seem to be quite good customers. I've sent multiple items to Korea, and one to Thailand through the GSP. I've also had several going to Korea through the buyer's own arrangements.

I get about 1 in ten buyers that leave feedback is my average

I think I'm getting more than that, although it seems to come in waves. I got three left for me just yesterday. One of them was from an older auction. I know some sellers will wait to leave feedback until the buyer leaves them feedback, but I decided to give feedback right after I ship.
 
I know some sellers will wait to leave feedback until the buyer leaves them feedback, but I decided to give feedback right after I ship.
Agreed once they pay they have done their part and since sellers cannot leave a negative feedback there is no good reason not too.


Regards Snow
 
Are these on listings where bidding occurs? I've not done anything other than buy-it-now (& immediate payment required) listings for the last 10 years.
 
My method is to send a reminder the day before ebay allows you to file a non payment. Mentioning this fact and offering to cancel the transaction. Then send a cancel transaction request along. Then block them from bidding and corresponding after the transaction is removed. Never needed to do any thing else, due to all non payers went MIA anyway. Never paid and never answered messages.

Agree the BIN or best offer is a good way to go and have started to use it more often myself.


Barney
 
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