posted on February 23, 2001 06:29:50 PM
I just wanted to share...I have a bidder who hasn't responded to any of my emails...the auction ended on the 12th...it's now the 23rd. I turned him in to eBay as a non-paying bidder...still no word. So, I look up his contact information, and find out he lives in Argentina. Yay. So I WRITE TO THE GUY IN SPANISH! Still no response. Can I possibly go farther out of my way? I am NOT calling him...it's not worth the long-distance bill.
posted on February 23, 2001 06:39:29 PM
Hey Kim love the fact that you
wrote to him in Spanish. I have very
limited French but used that to write
to a fellow from Switzerland and I was
the only one of 8 won bids that he paid.
Amazing...don't you think??
posted on February 23, 2001 06:48:34 PM
Well, I wish I had realized earlier on that he was from Argentina...I would have sent all my correspondence in Spanish.
However, I know he must speak some English, or else he'd be pretty dumb to have bid on my auction without knowing what it was. :/
It was fun, actually, because I am taking a course called "Spanish in the Business World" and we're always having to write letters in Spanish, as though we own our own business. So, it was good practice, though I had to dig out my book to remind myself of some of the vocab.
posted on February 23, 2001 10:30:29 PM
I'm always getting emails in German from folks! Nothing about my books would seem to me to 'lure' them! I write back a brief note in English "thanks for writing. Please write back in English as I cannot read German." Then I print out their German letter and take to an elderly friend who reads them to me. She gets a big kick out of it, but I don't want to impose. So far every one of the German customers (12-14) have answered back in perfectly passable English. Transactions completed. Even got two feedback in German (print and hurry over to Maria's house to see if it is lukewarm or glowing [yes!]). I am enjoying the foreign customers. I've sold to Malta, France, Guam, Switzerland, Canada, Portugal, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Maine, whoops! sorry! Well, about 25 foreign countries.
posted on February 23, 2001 11:50:42 PM
I have sold to several foreign countries and most of them answer quickly and in English. But there was one from Germany that first seemed to indicate he wanted to pay via Billpoint, so I sent him an invoice. After a couple of weeks I did a NPB and he replied to the eBay letter with an email to me saying he "had broken my address for send me the money." I sent him my mailing address and three weeks later I received cash in the mail from Germany saying "Her is money Send me Card so fast how possible please"
Now this guy gets around well enough on eBay to bid and have over 30 positive FB. But he broken my address.
At least I got the money. I just hope he gets the cards okay.
"Western culture has practiced imperialistic conquest, racism,
slavery, persecution, intolerance, and oppression. So has every
other culture in the world. Only two things remain to be explained.
First, why was the West so successful at it? Second, why did
they repent?"
posted on February 24, 2001 12:44:56 AM
Kimbonovich
I deal with a fair number of foreign buyers. Sometimes, they are a little slow to respond. Could be trying to exchange local currency for U.S. dollars. Could be cash is coming and not yet arrive due to the mail. 11 days is not a long time for foreign mail. And not all buyers will follow the ebay rule of acknowledging your email with 3 days of auction.
I would wait 21 days before filing a non-payer alert. Sometimes, an email from ebay will wake up the buyer. I would wait about 50 days before filing my request for final value fee credit. This would have given the buyer ample time to respond to the non-payer alert and send you the money.
It is not unusal for me to receive money from foreign buyers well beyond 30 days after the auction has ended.
posted on February 24, 2001 01:27:38 AM
I understand the complications that come with selling worldwide. However, I would have been extremely pleased with an "Hola, no hablo ingles". Just let me know you're actually alive, guy. It hasn't been long, no, but I would like to know that he actually got one of the several emails I sent to him.
Also, I want to point out that I filed the NPB before I realized that he was foreign. I had no way of knowing until I looked him up.
I will wait a while before sending in the second complaint.
posted on February 24, 2001 06:01:46 AM
I had a seller once who I don't think wanted to honor the bid. The auction was in English. All of the emails from him to me were in some foreign language. I couldn't understand what he/she was saying. I kept emailing back asking what was up with that and what was he saying. I couldn't get him to send me anything in English. So finally I got fed up and refused to pay him. About a month later, he left me negative feedback and he sure spoke English then!
