twiceblessed
|
posted on February 16, 2001 07:44:26 PM
I am SO sick of people not reading my auctions! I marked that I will ship in the US only AND put in big capital letters NO INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS and of course, some guy from Indonesia with zero feedback bid on and won my auction. I have about $4 or so in fees associated w/ this auction that of course I want back since I am not selling to him. What do I do to get my fees back? If I file a NPB warning I don't want him to get an email from ebay reminding him to pay his seller (because I don't want to sell to him!) is there an option that I can pick that won't send him a reminder to pay me? And what in the HECK can I do to keep international bidders from bidding on my stuff? This is the second time that a zero feedback person from Indonesia has bid on my auctions despite my best efforts to prevent it... Grrrrr.....
thanks for the help (and for letting me vent!)
|
kiddo2
|
posted on February 16, 2001 08:22:29 PM
Just grit your teeth, smile and sell International...there is no other option unless you politely explain to the bidder and than eat the fees. At least your auction post filters some International bidders. Usually the high postage causes them to change their mind but they are so apologetic about it, I usually eat the fees so as not to hurt the bidder rating..usually, they are newbies that are unaware..
|
sumcomputers
|
posted on February 16, 2001 08:32:33 PM
Hi,
You can ask ebay to return your insertion fees by going to Seller Services...Request Final Value Fees & then file the non-paying alert. After 10 days you can file for the insertion fees. Ebay will refund you this way. It takes 10 days but atleast you'll get your money back. You can ask for your fees with ebay since your terms indicate No International bidders..
Hope this helps
mscomputers
|
sharkbaby
|
posted on February 16, 2001 08:52:28 PM
Watch out with Indonesia...There have been many alerts out there about fraudulent purchases being made out of Indonesia!
|
twiceblessed
|
posted on February 16, 2001 08:54:27 PM
well... I don't feel that I should HAVE to sell internationally if I clearly stated so in my auction. And I don't at ALL feel comfortable taking this person's payment (he wanted to pay w/ a credit card!) since I checked the other auctions he's bid on (and lots that he's won) and we are talking TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars worth of auctions from an indonesian bidder w/ zero feedback. I'll pass! And I don't think I should have to eat the fees either - why should I eat $4 to $5 in fees for a mistake that he made? I dunno... maybe I'm just mean LOL!
and thanks sumcomputers! I will do that, and I also went to safeharbor and did some reading and it is an investigatable offense when an international bidder bids on an auction that states they sell to home country only so I turned him in.... By looking at the other stuff he's bid on, I am not the only seller he has done this to!
|
twiceblessed
|
posted on February 16, 2001 08:58:11 PM
hey sharkbaby, I've heard the same thing! And this guy has got to be one of them..... I had another one from Indonesia a month or so ago and he too had zero feedback and had bid on thousands of dollars worth of stuff. Too bad you can't mark some box on auctions that won't let these people's bids even be accepted... you have no way of knowing your high bidder is from one of these countries until AFTER the auction closes and by then, you are out the fees AND the sale for the week (since I only list one of these items per week so I'm not competing w/ myself for bids!)
|
abacaxi
|
posted on February 17, 2001 03:18:52 AM
Let me guess ... and he wants to pay for EXTRA FAST shipping via credit card, and it's EXPENSIVE computer equipment.
Do not sell to Indonesia unless they pay by wire transfer from their bank to yours ... it's LOADED with scammers.
Just go to the FVF page and file, using ANY excuse that looks good ... buyer failed to follow TOS might be one of the reasons.
|
tazcubby
|
posted on February 17, 2001 03:22:15 AM
You don't have to eat the fees. File a Non-Paying Bidder alert and just put down that you both mutually agreed to back out of the transaction... you can get your final value fees back. Also, if this person left (or leaves) you negative feedback, I heard that eBay will remove feedback from an unwelcome international bidder. Check it out!!!
|
tomwiii
|
posted on February 17, 2001 03:32:45 AM
You will recover your FVF ONLY! The insertion fees are GONE! for good! Sucks doesn't it??!! 
|
minniestuff
|
posted on February 17, 2001 05:30:26 AM
Listen to abacaxi!!! (thanks agian abacaxi BTW) Saved me alot of money last October with an Indonesian bidder who won some computer hardware. You should be able to file with customer support and recoup your listing fees if an International bidder won your item and you stated no International sales in your TOS. That was one of the first things that cusotmer support asked me, but I DO accept International bidders, so my listing fees were not reimbursed.
|
twiceblessed
|
posted on February 17, 2001 06:16:10 AM
Thanks for the info! And you were close, it was a computer system to run an electronic telescope! I'm so glad to hear I can get my insertion fees back! Not that the buck or so will break me but it's the POINT of the matter! Geez, I pay enough fees without having to 'eat' fees for sales gone wrong!
And he did want to pay with a credit card. My husband argued with me that taking his credit card payment would be safe but I've heard that accepting international credit card payments does not have the same safety as accepting a US credit card payment... I feel for the sellers whose auctions he won that the sale was several thousand dollars (rolexes, diamond rings, computer equipment) I wonder what they are going to do!!
|
mivona
|
posted on February 17, 2001 02:45:27 PM
What about contacting the other sellers, just to highlight the possible problems that this buyer may pose? Especially with high value goods and a credit card... Just to warn them to make sure they do not send it to an unverified address?
|
kaskas
|
posted on February 17, 2001 09:41:17 PM
mivona~ That is a great Idea, and also considered Auction Interference.
With such expensive items you would think people would protect themselves.
You may want to ask Ebay to contact the other sellers.... You can also speak to Ebay and they may set up a sting operation... What FUN!!
|
suzyq
|
posted on February 18, 2001 01:04:14 AM
I just had the same type of buyer win one of my auctions and of course he wanted Global express mail, etc. and was paying by PayPal. Thankfully I was prewarned by another seller that this buyer had burned him and had won one of my auctions. He said they paid him with PayPal and 3 days later PayPal reversed the credit as they found out it was a stolen credit card.(he had already sent the item). I just told the buyer that I had stated in my TOS and EOA invoice that sales were to USA only and therefore I absolutely refuse to send to Indonesia. Also told him not to bid on anymore of my auctions. (he had 0 feedback too). I did a search on what else he had bid on and it was all electronic stuff and high end watches. The next time I checked on him, it stated he was SUSPENDED!!. This seller also told me he had been hit by 3 different bidders with the same MO, but it was the same guy who kept changing his ID name. I love PayPal but if a stolen credit card is used, it may take them a little while to ascertain that and I usually send out PP payment items right away, but from now on if it's a foreign sale, I will be more suspicious. I have accepted International bidders wins, but they have emailed me first to ask if I would make an exception and they used International MO's.
|
mivona
|
posted on February 18, 2001 03:10:01 PM
I do not see how this is auction interference. It is not encouraging bidders not to buy, nor is it encouraging sellers not to sell, but rather to sell cautiously and giving them information which they may not otherwise have.
A seller can choose to ship global priority to an unverified address if they choose to, but in other cases it may make a seller think twice about such an arrangement and choose to make alternative arrangements.
Do you really think a seller is going to complain about receiving an email warning them about potential loss? Do you really think a scam artist is going to complain about being thwarted?
Sorry, but I would choose to do the warning thing, even if it was considered auction interference...
I feel the same way about deceitful box auctions.
|
twiceblessed
|
posted on February 19, 2001 01:00:48 PM
UPDATE on my mess! I had contacted safeharbor investigations and explained my situation to them (and of course told them that I'd like a refund of my listing fees, not just my final value fees) and they wrote back saying this guy is registered as living in Florida and basically I am S.O.L. on getting my listing fees back but I can file a NPB on him. So I forward them HIS email stating that he is in Indonesia and where he gave me his shipping address in Indonesia and ebay again, refuses to refund my listing fees since he is supposedly in Florida. GRRRRRRR...... Obviously they don't even care that this guy is out scamming their sellers like mad! What gives!?!?! Guess I just file the NPB alert and get my end of auction fees back.....
|
Zazzie
|
posted on February 19, 2001 01:07:59 PM
Tell him you will ship to his Florida address---but will not take any payment via credit card. Tell him you You will accept Bidpay---if Bidpay accepts his CC.
or you will ship to the address the CC is registered to---and first you need to verify the purchase with the CC company
[ edited by Zazzie on Feb 19, 2001 01:09 PM ]
|
zippoholic
|
posted on February 19, 2001 01:47:36 PM
I am currently having a similar problem. (See Indonesian bidder -need help). I however did not ay that I will not ship internationally (as I have had many many great international transactions). This is my first from Indonesia and when I checked what this "0" feedback bidder is buying it is all the same items you mentioned your bidder is buying. Then I got the want to pay by CC ASAP email. I responded that I do not accept CC (as stated in my ad) and I have not heard from him. I too feel that I want to warn other sellers but I am not sure if it is appropriate. If this bidder is a scam they cost me a substantial sale as they outbid another bidder who has positive feedback. If there was something I could do to warn them I would do it. It seems to me that Ebay should be doing something seriously proactive about this. If I was taken on this sale it would take me months to recoup the loss. As it is now, it looks like i lost several hundred dollars in profit (from the bidder who was outbid) not to mention the fees.
Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
-zippoholic
|
taz8057
|
posted on February 19, 2001 10:53:46 PM
There was a post about Indonesian bidders and credit cards:
http://www.auctionwatch.com/mesg/read.html?num=2&thread=333455
I had an Indonesian buy off my website with a stolen credit card yesterday. I called AMEX and reported him. They told me there is nothing they can do to him.
My advice: Only ship to Indonesia if you get cash or a wire transfer. I would not even accept money orders from them.
-Trey
***********************************
"If your mind can concieve it, and you believe it, then you probably can achieve it."
http://www.CondomDeals.com
***********************************
|
Puddy
|
posted on February 20, 2001 12:07:39 AM
Twice,
Do this first. In your TOS template put in that you do not ship International. Keyword being "SHIP". It doesn't matter where the order came from. Next, go back to safeharbor and let them know that you will not put up with any lax attitude or canned response. Let them know that by stating, and clicking on US only, that is what you meant. If the member who "won" the auction doesn't understand that, then it is up to ebay to explain it to them. It is ebay's program and they are responsible for it's verbage.
If you can find other sellers who have dealt with this person, and have been burned, have them email SH with their experience. Even though the creep has a 0 doesn't mean you can't find an email addy with their ISP. If you go to completed in search and look up bid history on like-items other than your own, chances are you will find other 0 feedbacks with the same ISP. Then request info from ebay as to the users Name, address, etc. When you see the same name, or one that is obviously a fake let Safe harbor know.
I just went through this nightmare with a creep with 4 Ebay id's that was sabotaging a friend of mine's auctions. He bid on every auction with bids like $3800.00 on a $20.00 item just to win them and then not pay and neg my friend. A real sicko!
The point is that you can get this resolved and get the scammer NARU'd. It is not easy. It takes a lot of work, and we, as sellers should not be doing ebay's job, but we are. We did get the loser off, but I fear it's only a matter of time before a new ID will surface. It took 4 ebay'ers from around the country and their forewarded emails to get it done.
The new "feature" where we can't contact emails directly that ebay is going to implement soon is going to make finding jerks very hard indeed.
You can also go to www.vrane.com and use their "anihilator" program to cancel bogus bids on your auctions. I don't know if it only takes care of current bids or future bids as well.
I truely hope this helps. In the meantime, do not let the minimum wage people tell you that there's nothing they can do about it. Keep insisting that ebay does it's part in keeping this "venue" a place that you can feel safe in.
Do not accept any form of payment that can be cancelled or disputed. And by all means, do not send the product to a foriegn country.
After all your TOS said it to begin with. It's ebay's problem.
Good Luck
John
|
