posted on September 7, 2000 08:37:34 AM
I recently had a bidder with a 0 rating win my auction. After several days of no contact, he finally emailed me that it will take him some time to get the money but in the meantime, could I send his item. I replied that I do not send items before I get paid. Then I went back to check his rating. He has retracted every single bid he ever placed, 8 this past week alone. Mine was the only auction he didnt retract. I emailed safeharbor and they replied "This bidder has been warned against such activity." Excuse me? Retracting every single bid ever placed and deadbeating on the one auction won merits just a warning? What does it take for a bidder to get suspended? Does ebay actually want folks like these "active" on the site?
posted on September 7, 2000 08:44:46 AM
I had a deadbeat NARU'd. Mine was her 3rd neg (out of 10 auctions) for not acknowledging her wins. She wasn't NARU'd because she was a deadbeat, but because I offered proof to eBay that she had purposely provided them with false personal info.
She could have gone on screwing sellers forever. Another double standard, I guess ...
posted on September 7, 2000 08:47:56 AM
I recently had to email Safeharbor regarding a deadbeat I had with -4 rating as to why he wasn't automatically NARU'd. They did NARU the guy, but it makes you wonder.
Start the process with NPB and a well deserved neg if he doesn't pay. Once he gets -4, eBay won't have an excuse.
posted on September 7, 2000 08:50:57 AM
You need to tell him that he must send the money within 14 buesiness days. Sounds like a young kid. You might also contact the second bidder and state you might not be getting mayment and would they like to be in the wings.
posted on September 7, 2000 10:26:53 AM
You are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT BUT I have gathered that most of all the other auction sites have about the same problem....if you look at the bidbay chat you will see complaint after complaint about deadbeats and nothing being done about it....guess it is just part of the auctions...
posted on September 7, 2000 10:39:17 AM
EBay's policy is almost always to warn for the first infraction, suspend for the second. I think the majority of the people here would be livid if eBay suspended a seller for a first minor infraction (and yes, IMHO, retracting a bid is a minor - though annoying - infraction. Goose/gander and all that ...
mballai: When an account reaches -4, the account is automatically prohibited from bidding and listing. NARU is always a manual process and for that reason, the account must be reported to eBay.
posted on September 7, 2000 10:46:51 AM
>>EBay's policy is almost always to warn for the first infraction, suspend for the second. I think the majority of the people here would be livid if eBay suspended a seller for a first minor infraction (and yes, IMHO, retracting a bid is a minor - though annoying - infraction. <<
1) This is NOT the first infraction, he has done this with EVERY bid he ever placed, 8 times this week alone. ebay doesnt act until someone reports the person. By the time the person is reported, he has usually amassed a collection of "violations." Treating this as a first offense, when the evidence is documented, is silly. That's like saying no one should be put in jail unless they're caught committing three crimes. Just having witnesses to them is not enough.
2) retracting a few bids or a small percentage of bids is a minor infraction. Wholesale bidding followed by wholesale retratractions are not minor. They indicate that this person is only out the mess around with other people's livelihoods. If someone loiters in a bookstore for an hour, they may say nothing. If someone comes in every day, browses all the books and buys nothing, they will ask the person to leave.
But my question is not about how severe the crime. It's about why sellers get suspended over minor infractions and often without warning, while bidders are free to do anything. If ebay wants to be considered a serious commerce site, ebay has to take steps to prevent outright jokers from participating. I think a "bidder" like this deserves a 30-day suspension.
You're absolutely correct. An item can be VERO'd and pulled instantly without so much as an email to the seller beforehand. Yet eBay allows all kinds of BS to go on and doesn't act until several people have been screwed. Kinda makes you wonder sometimes...
posted on September 7, 2000 11:48:20 AM
And worse than that, not even VeRO'd! I can have any one of your auctions canceled by simply sending an email to eBay. I don't even have to say I know an item is in viloation - all I have to do is tell them I 'think' it might be, and the auction is gone.
VeRO (Verified Rights Owner Program) is simply a bunch of trademark holders that employ CyberCops to watch out for their stuff. If they spot something, they instruct eBay to cancel it. This, I have no problem with.
My gripe is with the other way that an auction can get canceled. The current eBay policy allows one user to 'turn in' another user without so much as a word to the victim. EBay will tell you they 'investigate', but that's a crock.
