posted on September 8, 2000 06:51:20 AM
I wanted to post this question before I go to work this morning. I am a relatively new seller, with a feedback of 23, all very positive. One of the bidders on a item up for auction currently has a -1 feedback. I checked the feedback and it was posted June of this year with comment Beware Sellers, .... no payment, thirty days now. My question is, do I give her a chance; do I let the bidder stand and maybe e-mail her concerning this neg. Any advice appreciated. thanks, Sheila
posted on September 8, 2000 06:54:20 AM
All this person has done in the past few months is deadbeat on one auction? Doesnt sound like a winner to me. My personal stance is I'd rather lose a potential sale than have a problem. The few dollars of possible profit doesn't cover the hours of aggravation.
posted on September 8, 2000 09:26:26 AM
Ok, I'm in the minority here, but...
I had the EXACT same situation just yesterday, bidder was -1. They bid on 2 of my auctions. They were negged for not contacting the seller of the previous auction.
My bidder is so anxious, she emails me before the 2nd auction ends (they ended one day apart). She is very conscientious & has sent several emails since. I think her experience made her gun shy, and someone needs to give her a chance. I will. I think she'll be just fine.
I've had buyers with 26 good feedback, no bad NOT pay me. I had another buyer who had wracked up 3 negs already along with about 9 positives, and she always pays me, too. And many more, blah, blah, blah.
So I would give them a chance. Newbies make mistakes. If no one gives her a chance, ....
Aren't we in the business of trying to HAVE customers, not writing them off before you have to??
posted on September 8, 2000 09:26:33 AM
I'm curious as to how Sellers have the time to keep watching their auctions and trying to decide if they want to sell to a person or not.
I personally post my auctions and don't look at them again until I get the EOA'S from eBay.
I think we worry about things for nothing and before it happens. All the while we spend all that time keep viewing our listed auctions we are wasting precious time away from our families, or listing more auctions, or just plain having fun like socializing on groups such as these.
Once listed my recommendation is don't look at it again until you get your EOA's you will not be so stressed out and upset most of the time.
It it sells it sells, if it doesn't it doesn't just relist the thing. NO BIGGIE!
posted on September 8, 2000 10:16:48 AM
I'd guess that most of us who monitor bidders on auctions 1) do Ebay selling pretty much full time, 2) need to be somewhat sure of who's bidding so there's a good probability we will get our money, and 3) aren't listing so many auctions that it isn't humanly possible to keep an eye on them. I usually don't pay very close attention unless I have something up for auction that's potentially high ticket, or something that I know might attract a lot of deadbeats. I've only cancelled one bid so far, and that was for a bidder with repeat negs for non-contact/invalid email address. I might even have let that bid ride, except that email from 3 different addresses (one web-based and two different ISP's) was all returned as undeliverable.
posted on September 8, 2000 10:31:57 AM
My Advice: Wheat I've done in the past when this has happened to me, is also check the feedback on the Seller who left that neg. Sometimes their feedback is also not so great, then I have to decide.
posted on September 8, 2000 11:46:44 AM
I would take a look at what else she has been bidding on. If she hasn't been going crazy bidding, I would give her a chance. You may get lucky and she will be outbid.
posted on September 8, 2000 12:18:42 PM
One time I had a bidder on an auction and he had 4 negs and 9 positives...All the negs were recent...and his ID even had "deadbeat" in part of his user name! I thought about canceling his bid..but I didn't. Well, he paid me took a couple of weeks, but he did. I noticed that he is now NARU.
I have never canceled a bid...and like ksterni said...I have had people with higher feedback and all positive not pay. While Most of the newbie bidders I have pay.
posted on September 8, 2000 12:48:47 PM
On Yahoo, I don't worry. On eBay, my experience is that a minus is indicative of a deadbeat. It isn't that they absolutely are everywhere everytime, but on my merchandise they do run that way. If they aren't the only bidder, I'd cancel their bid.Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.
Keep in mind that you could have someone with a negative rating snipe an auction.
posted on September 8, 2000 12:57:36 PM
I once had a similar situation. I had a bidder with -1 PLUS private feedback (feedback made up of one negative and no positives at all)
I decided to let it ride. I figured it was within the realms of possibility that this persons one and only transaction on Ebay was with an awful seller.
Turns out they paid straight away and it was one of my easiest transactions ever. After I left positive feedback she made her feedback public again and I saw that the seller she first dealt with sounded like a complete moron!
Hope your bidder comes through!
posted on September 8, 2000 02:07:01 PM
On lunch break, I want to thank everyone for their help. I checked the seller out and she had a total of 9 neutral and 10 negs and several of them were during the month of June when my bidder received her neg. The neg has 6 auctions going, 2 closed yesterday and today. The other four between the 12th and 17th. She has bid on a second item of mine this morning. My friend at work, I posed this same question to her, suggested letting the auction run, if she wins, when I send my end of auction notice, to let her know that due to her negative feedback, she needs to reply to the EOA notice within three days and that payment needs to be received within 10 or post negative feedback. Part of me wants to nip it in the bud and part of me wants to let it ride and give her a chance, I was new once as well and I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Maybe the two closed will get to post before mine close. Once again, thank you.
posted on September 8, 2000 02:58:04 PM
I'm with Guyellas on this one. On Ebay I never even used to check the feedback of the auction winners, let alone individual bidders. I certainly don't have the time to check on each bidder.
I sell more on Yahoo now & I love looking at my bidders' feedback there, but more because it is so interesting- you can tell what items your winners have bid on by checking their feedback. (It's good to know what your customers like to buy if you ask me.)
I would let the bid ride. The odds are good that she will be outbid. The odds are also good that her first buying experience was with a horrible seller. Or that maybe the seller wasn't horrible, but the negative should have been left for the post office who lost her payment after she sent it. Anyway, I'm a firm believer in the benefit of the doubt.
posted on September 8, 2000 05:12:28 PM
I have to let everyone know that when I came home from work today I had an e-mail from this bidder. She just learned what the neg meant and explained what happened, didn't remember bidding nor ever getting an e-mail. This coincides with the complaints I read for the seller during this particular month. I suggested to her that she post a reply. Once again thank you all and there are decent and honest people in this world.
