posted on January 17, 2001 05:29:51 PM
Okay...buyer won an auction on 12/27. I sent out EOA same night. She emails days later and said she will send check right out.
Jan 13...no check in my hands. I email her and say that I haven't received payment ..will file NPB on Jan 16. She emails and says check was mailed on Jan 8 (two weeks after auction ended). Maybe check got lost okay.
I file NPB on the 16th so I can protect myself..just a formality. She says she sent new check yesterday, the 16th..no problem.
Now..if you won an auction on Dec 27th and paid like you said, wouldn't you be wondering where your stuff was by Jan 13th???
How can these bidders act like they paid when they were suppose to when they don't have items yet?? I don't feel guilty anymore about filing NPB..if I win an auction I pay right away..common courtesy still dictates..even if we don't see each other face-to-face.
posted on January 17, 2001 05:36:27 PM
Yes, I get bidders that say the payment was mailed. Then, two weeks later I ask them if it by chance got returned (when I know darn well they never sent it, I've been going to mind reading classes!)
Usually I send a pre-written letter where I fill in the deatils. I wrote it when I was clam. I tell them sometimes the mail is slow, etc, but please let me know when you mailed payment, or if you just plain forgot, you can be honest! I understand we make mistakes sometimes.
Sometimes I get no replies, sometimes I get "oh, you know what, I just found it, it fell under the seat in the car," or "Oh, my wife forgot to mail it" as well as some people that actually admit they forgot, and say they're sooooo sorry.
posted on January 17, 2001 05:41:23 PM
This is the letter I use, and it seems to work quite well. I think it's written in a way not to put them on the defensive, but rather make them embarrassed, and it gets positive action, most of the time.
Insert item #, end date, etc....
I haven't heard from you, so I just wanted to be sure you didn't forget or have any problems.
If you have already sent your payment, thank you very much! Please just take a moment to email me so that I know it's on the way and when to expect it.
If you have not yet sent it, please email me right away and we'll try and work things out. Remember, you can pay quickly and easily with your credit card at www.paypal.com or www.bidpay.com which are the quickest ways for you and me.
I strive to receive all payments within 14 days of the close of the auction, but we're all human and make mistakes, so if you just plain forgot, you can be honest, I understand. I just need to know that you are sending it right away.
In any case, please respond to this email within 3 days, or sooner of possible.
posted on January 17, 2001 09:40:14 PM
I won an auction on Dec. 24th and sent a check on the 26th. I didn't contact the seller until Jan. 16th to ask if my item had been shipped because it is the norm for sellers to hold a check for ten business days . Accounting for mailing time and Christmas and New Years and Martin Luther King Day, I didn't expect my item until the last couple of days.
