posted on February 11, 2001 08:46:01 PM
I have been doing really well at selling since I started eBay about 2 months ago. Now, I have a long list in my auction manager of people who have failed to contact me after the auction.
This is what I do, I have the auction notice sent out automatically when the auction has ended. If after 3 days I haven't heard anything, I manually send out the WBN again with REMINDER! at the top in red letters.
If a week has gone by and I still haven't heard from the buyer, I send out a 3rd email informing them that I have tried to contact them twice and I will be putting the item up for auction again. Is a week long enough to wait for contact from someone?
I reposted an auction today after sending out the third notice and then they contact me and say they were out of town and a friend had bid the item and had the money order ready. Now what do I do? Pull it?
Sometimes I think this get's to be more trouble than it is worth and it takes up more of my time looking thorugh my list of non paying bidders than it does posting new auctions.
posted on February 11, 2001 10:57:23 PM
I have had the same problem this week with no responses. I send out a second notice and at the same time I send this auction to a friend ( the buyer) from the actual auction page with a reminder for payment. This is just in case they have mail filters on . 4 out of 5 I received responses within an hour. Just lucky I guess. The one I had to file NPB notice it had been 11 days since auction end with no response after 4 emails and after NPB notice still no response. But of course this bidder has completed a few auctions before and after the end of mine. Then I see she has purchased a similar item already ( ski pants) so obviously a case of I don't need two pair! UGGGGHH! So I retrived her contact info and gave her a call , I was right buyers remorse. So I negged her and will file for my final fees in 2 days, and have relisted the item.
posted on February 12, 2001 07:21:51 AM
I have had the same thing happen to me; someone who has purchased and received POSITIVE feedback while ignoring my attempts to contact them about my auction.
posted on February 12, 2001 02:03:21 PM
I agree. My latest eBay experience has been lower sales prices and increased deadheads. I don't know if this is due to an economy slow down or the moon cycle. Anyway, some funny excuses I've had from deadheads or slow payers include: 1. Away on vacation, 2. Sick 3. Passing a kidney stone 4. Account was hacked and criminal bid on my item...
Okay, nice attempts...Who would snipe an auction and then 5 minutes later get so deadly ill that you can't even email. Also, why would you bid 5 minutes before you leave on vacation for a week? Finally, why would some tricky hacker spend all his time getting an ebay password in order to bid $24 on a stupid item? Get real! The truth is I rather have the truth quickly so I can relist the item instead of playing email games. Share some of your funny deadhead bidder's stories!
posted on February 12, 2001 03:39:08 PM
I used to be bent out of shape if they didn't respond within 3 days - now I let 10 days pass before initial contact, and 30 days before payment arrival before leaving an NPB alert. THe 30 days sounds long, but its what most companies allow for payment of an item - like hydro and gas...
As for funny excuses, well they aren't so funny anymore, but I did get a hilarious thank-you from a Japanese woman who bought a Gucci bag from me. After I wrote her to tell her it was on its way she responded with
"Thanks-you I take pleasure coming for your purse".... True story.....
posted on February 12, 2001 03:44:24 PM
I always file a NPB Allert before relisting an item. I would say that 8 out of 10 times getting that email from eBay gets me a response.
posted on February 12, 2001 03:46:58 PM
At the end of my email I always put this:
Please, reply to this email so I know you received it.
That gives me the option to spam the buyer over and over until they answer me. If they were really out of town they will tell you I'm sorry I wasn't in town. If they are there, and want to buy your item they will answer you, if they decided no to buy it, they will answer you: I'm not interested anymore, and I'm not going to buy, don't send me email anymore. etc. When they answer you this way you have 2 things to your favor, his/her compromising email of not willing to complete the transaction, ...and,
I forgot the other point If I remember I will post it.
posted on February 12, 2001 03:59:25 PM
I give bidders 2-3 weeks to respond. Some never bother to answer emails, they just send a check.
Bidders often have real lives and may not log on their computer for days at a time. also kids get sick, cars break down, washing machines die, they really do go on vacation, We are human, we forget things, put things off, etc, etc.
Bottomline..Auction closes... cash comes in... Stuff goes out...life is good.
posted on February 12, 2001 04:26:44 PM
Oh ok, I got it, you just sell a few items.
But, full time sellers, want an immediate answer, not everybody, BUT at least within 3 days. Bidders love to bid, but they hate to pay. Full time sellers, don't believe in problems of others. When a potential buyer bids, he's supposed to answer within 3 days, and his responsability to the seller is to answer in that lapse of time, neither eBay or me care about the personal life of others. The responsability of the buyer is the be in front of his/her computer as soon as the auction closes.
I'm not on eBay to make friends, or be nice with other, or to understand people's problem, I'm there to do business and make money from it. If the buyer is not that responsible, I don't want him/her as a customer.
posted on February 12, 2001 10:19:07 PM
I could understand the sick kids broken car vacation thing if....I didn't look at their feedback and see that they had just gotten positive feedback that day for being a great paypal payer.
I have kids. I have a full time job also. But I keep up with my eBay stuff too
If I remember I will post it.