posted on March 27, 2001 05:00:42 PM new
I had an auction end ten days ago and despite repeated emails I have had NO contact whatsoever from the winning bidder.
I realize that I may contact ebay to make a non paying bidder claim for my fees, but does this make it impossible to relist or sell my item to the second highest bidder before the matter is resolved? (Waiting the ten days until the high bidder has been informed of the NPB claim by ebay, etc.)
What is my obligation to this high bidder at this point? Do I still have to sell the item to her if she finally comes forward now?
I understand that I don't HAVE to file claim for the fees, I'd just be happy to sell the item!
Can anyone give me advice on the process for contacting the second highest bidder?
I don't know if there is some "official" ebay channel to go through to do that, or if I may just email them directly.
I am a fairly new seller and this is my first problem auction. I'd love some advice from the more experienced sellers!
Also... there was no "fine print" in my auction saying that I reserve the right to relist the auction after x amount of time if I do not receive payment.. Is this something that a lot of you recommend?
posted on March 27, 2001 05:15:55 PM new
If you've had no contact from the high bidder, you can offer the item to the next highest bidder.
If you sell it for less, you can still file for the difference in FVF fees.
Once you file the NPB, you can do whatever you want. ebay "hopes" you and the buyer will work it out but you are NOT required to work it out". You can relist, sell it to the next highest bidder.
You can contact the next highest bidder directly.
You don't need any "disclaimer" in your TOS or EOA about how long you will wait.
unknown is right, 72 hours is the minimum.
BUT be aware, there are always a handful of buyers who never respond to an EOA but send a check.
posted on March 27, 2001 05:32:21 PM newIrisca, there are other threads here that have discussed how some ISPs block e-mail from other ISPs (AOL seems to be a prime offender). As a last resort (and if you have not done so already), try contacting the high bidder through the "send this auction to a friend" link on the auction page. It may be that he simply has not received your previous e-mails. In case YOU have the problem, you might want to first open a hotmail or yahoo e-mail account as a backup, and that way you can ask your bidder to reply to BOTH e-mails and you'll be sure to get one of the messages if he replies. You'll then know if he's really a deadbeat or if there's just been a computer glitch.
posted on March 27, 2001 05:40:06 PM new
mcbrunnhilde makes an excellent point.
In the future, if the buyer hasn't responded to your EOA in a period of time (many of us use 3 days after we sent the EOA as a guideline), then we send a second EOA, sometimes using another ISP or the "send this auction to a friend" on ebay.
And, as I mentioned, there are always some who never respond to your EOA no matter how many you send but will put a check in the mail.
Unfortunately, there's no way to know which are deadbeats from which just don't respond.
If you choose to offer the item to the under bidder just have a plan in mind in case a check shows up in your mailbox from the winning bidder after you've already sold the item to someone else.
posted on March 27, 2001 06:38:09 PM new
All of the above is good advice. However, there is no reason the bidder can not contact you . I find that when I send out a EOA, I ask that they send their name and address so that I can get the parcel ready. In other words, get their Info first, Otherwise if you hear nothing you do not know if they sent payment or not. This is a great pain and waste of time. Do not forget to file for your fees no matter the amount. Best to you.
posted on March 27, 2001 06:47:08 PM new
In this case I needed to get her address to figure shipping, as it's a heavier package. I know it's not a matter of her just putting a check in the mail without telling me.
She only has a few feedbacks and all of them have been good so far, I hate to give her a negative, but this is a pain in the patootie!
I've never given anyone a negative feedback before... *sigh*
posted on March 27, 2001 06:57:01 PM new
At this stage of the game I would file and move on. Waste of time to neg a newbie. They get four npb points and they are gone
Life goes on
[ edited by gs4 on Mar 27, 2001 06:59 PM ]
[ edited by gs4 on Mar 27, 2001 06:59 PM ]