posted on December 23, 2000 11:52:11 AM
I seem to be running into a second generation of deadbeats who have figured how to beat the NPB system. I'll throw these out so anyone can comment if they've had similar experiences. Potential deadbeats can of course read too.
In one case the bidder was contacted from my authorized email site and each time the email bouced, with an indication of a possible spam block. I contacted safeharbor to report,they say they can get through on their end. Meanwhile,I have sent email from another alternate email address.It doesn't bounce. No response to repeated emails. I end up filing for FVF and leave a neg..Bidder gives a retaliatory neg and says they tried to contact me sice Nov.29 [EOA was Nov. 7,I posted a NPB alert later] six times on the web and called me. Nothing on the answering machine and I didn't get any calls personally. This person had otherwise good feedback,but it looks to me like they got in a bidding war on the item and had second thoughts about the price later. Bids are supposed to be binding, however. And it's not fair to other bidders to just beat them out and back out. They responded to my comments on the retaliatoryneg. by bragging that ebay let them out on their appeal. I guess they are now going in the other direction and letting deadbeats have the benifit of the doubt.
In another case I have a woman who keeps telling me she has sent a check, twice so far. I have not gotten her check after almost a month. Her handle [fictitious,i'm trying to give you an idea of what it sounds like, not is] is something like "sweetperson". She tells me that she has such a great feedback rating, etc.. Fine,but I'm still waiting for the check so I can move this out. I could see once something getting lost,but twice??
Next case is the fellow who was a bidding fiend. He got in over his head and decided not to pay some of the sellers. I mean this man must have had a number of Negs., enough to NARU several deadbeats. He'd also leave retaliatory Negs. indicating that he'd had a gas line rupture close down his business. Sob, sob, and we were all heartless. Fine, but this guy is bidding like crazy for over a month,even during the period when he allegedly was out of cash! Is safeharbor deaf, dumb, blind and stupid? You can see it on his profile, and then he apparently decides he doesn't want something and simply doesn't pay. This joker is STILL out there on ebay, no NARU! Is it me or what?! Several other sellers talked it over and figured he must have had at least 4 NPB/FVF's filed.
This is a lengthy rant, but this has really irritated me. I'm willing to give the benifit of the doubt, but really, some of this defies logic.
posted on December 23, 2000 12:03:45 PM
Ouch! So sorry!...
I am really surprised that the person is not yet NARU'd. One of my NPB was NARU'd after 3 NPB Reports with FVF Credit Requests, and 2 Neutral for Non Paying. But that was a bit earlier in the month. Perhaps things are chan ging already
Wishing you better luck for the coming year.
O.T: Just think: Last year at this time, the world was sitting on the edge of it's virtual seat, wondering if PC's would survive Y2K...What a difference a year makes...
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It blew my mind when this fellow got out from under everything.it looked like a case of compulsive bidding. Have you ever had auctions where you waited, went back to your
page for the auction and found that the high bidder had been NARU'd while waiting? It's interesting (and scary) that some of these folks that get NARU'd have great feedback, then suddenly hit a period where there is a deluge of Negs. followed by a NARU. (Hopping mad at deadbeats)
posted on December 23, 2000 12:21:30 PM
I went through this type of thing with one buyer last month.
Three weeks I sent notice out no reply sent so I sent out an NPB get a 5 word reply from the buyer that says they never got my email for the end of the auction so I sent them the Total from the send this auction to a friend link @ebay still no reply for another week so I sent a billpoint invoice a paydirect invoice and a Paypal request for payment my name and address in the message area of each finilly after the 5th week I got a paypal payment I sent the Item and havent heard another word this was a buyer with a feed back of 1 on a $3 winning bid sheesh
I now send out a bill point invoice at the same time I send my EOA I have been getting most payments within 20 mins of the end of every auction. http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
posted on December 23, 2000 02:46:57 PM
I think the best thing to do with any deadbeat or slow payer is to keep it short and sweet. I file an NPB for any non-payer or non-responder. This usually gets the message across. I file for FVF 10 days later. It's likely to ruffle some feathers, but on small ticket stuff I do not have the time or patience to shoot multiple emails to people who take forever to get on with it.
posted on December 23, 2000 03:21:51 PM
I know what you mean I sell many low cost item that simplly arent worth a 30 day wrestle match to collect a payment for.
I sell these items cause they sell really well and I make a fair profit that keeps me going pretty well but if I put several weeks of effort in to getting payments from buyers who bid which should mean they agree to buy I Make nothing on a sale I love selling these Items but really need to get email address and reply with the frist email at a min within three days with minium effort and I dont mind getting and waiting for checks and money orders but the more CC payments I can get the more money I am makeing as well I can ship and move on to the next thing ASAP that is what makeing money on volume is about not spending up to a month or more trying to collect $2 or $5 from a few sales.
Even with incressed postage prices all most my sales includeing shipping are Under $8.99 takes a load of these sales just to pay ebay fees monthly forget restocking and ISP fees and other costs.
Sending a BillPoint Invoice I am finding along with my EOA really has sped things up many pay with billpoint the ones that dont now seem to reply within 12 to 18 hours of my sending these messages from Ebay seem to comand attention and a invoice from billpoint is more friendly then the NPB route I use to take after 7 days with no reply from buyers and they are not offended right off from the start.
posted on December 23, 2000 03:40:15 PM
Collegepark, although I am in complete sympathy with you, I keep looking for the part that's "new".
The collective deadbeat variations could fill books.
What you will almost never hear is the truth; people will make up the most outrageous and transparent stories rather than say "I got carried away and overbid my pocketbook". Some kind of lop-sided face-saving mechanism, I suppose.
I wish I had a dollar for all the times in my considerable number of years that I've had to tell a salesperson, a child, a friend "I can't afford it"...but that seems to be passé.
You didn't ask for advice, but try not to let them frustrate you....go into every batch of auctions with the attitude that x-per cent are going to deadbeat you, and enjoy that pleasant surprise if they don't.
posted on December 26, 2000 10:50:54 AM
I don't think they mentioned safeharbor exactly, but they said that ebay had let them off in their follow-up feedback. Sort of a nose thumbing at me and ebay, as it were.
posted on December 26, 2000 11:40:58 AM
Sounds familiar. And while we like to give people the benefit of the doubt we just don't have time to keep track of auctions that are weeks past due.
We used to give people over a month to pay. Now we send the EOA when the auction closes, a second EOA 2-3 days later if no reply, then NPB alert after a week and FVF after 10 days.
Not trying to be a hard-a** but we just don't have time to keep running after these people.
