posted on May 28, 2001 08:45:12 PM
A customer won one of my auctions, a Handcarved Statue.
He paid for it via PayPal, without a shipping address. He then emailed me telling me to hold the shipment, as he was in-between moving from one city to another, and that he would get back to me with the correct address.
That was the last time I heard from him. This happened back on October, all emails I've sent him have been unanswered, and the phone he had with eBay is no longer in service.
I dont even have a mailing address!
This item , for which the bidder paid over $300.00, is really huge and taking up lots of space. What would be the right thing to do?
I was thinking of selling the Item on eBay again, and in case he should ever contact me, make a full refund.
Any ideas?
posted on May 28, 2001 08:49:26 PM
hasn't contacted you since October over a $300 item??? He's probably dead or in prison somewhere You'll never be rid of that thing.
posted on May 28, 2001 08:52:38 PM
What I initially thought is that the bidder is a very whealthy person who $300.00 for him is like finding a quarter between the sofa cushions, and that he plainly forgot about it.
posted on May 28, 2001 09:04:02 PM
I would say you have in good faith waited a very long time for communication from him (7 months!) and also tried to contact him. I'd go ahead with your idea to relist it, and if you should ever hear from him again (doubtful), then refund him.
posted on May 28, 2001 10:20:11 PM
Have you tried sending him a note to his old address? He may have a forwarding address through the post office. Then, if it is returned, you have tried everything and I would relist and return his payment if he does ever contact you.
posted on May 29, 2001 05:48:20 AM
I agree with nancy use the contact info address from ebay send him a note in the mail and see if he responds
I would give him a month from the time I sent the note
If there is still no response than go ahead and sell the item and refund him if he should ever contact you.
something may have happened to him ...peaple die in accedints every day.
posted on May 29, 2001 08:25:05 AM
Ebay Contact Information only has city & state. So if he lived in a tiny town, a letter with only a name, city & state might find him. Otherwise, not a chance.
Chances are, during the move, he lost your contact information and could not figure out how to find you again.
My suggestion will cost you a listing fee.
Run the auction, but in the description tell the story of how you are looking for the first owner. Ask for no bids, and that if the owner does not come forward in seven days, the statue will be relisted and offered for sale. Make sure you e-mail any bidders (somebody will always do what you ask them not to) and explain why you are cancelling their bid and offer to contact them if/when the item is relisted.
Require that anyone laying claim to the statue provide either the original e-mail name or the original EBAY bidder name. No one can look that information up to make a false claim.
At the end of 7 days you'll have made every effort to find the guy, and can move on with a clean conscience.
posted on May 29, 2001 08:47:41 AM
Relisting it in an attempt to find the winning bidder is a great idea. But be sure to use eBay's new feature where you can block all but specific bidders. If you list only the person's email addy, then you won't have to worry about cancelling any other bids.
posted on May 29, 2001 08:56:27 AM
And while we are on the subject of missing buyers....
I worked in a large antiques mall for a few years. One day a very nice gentleman came in looking for a wedding present for his nephew who was getting married in six weeks. Well, he decided on a set of gorgeous crystal stemware - $1,200 worth. He paid in cash and asked us to hold it for a month since he was in the process of moving. He left his name and phone number - but no address. Six weeks came and went. We tried to call him but the phone number was no longer in service with no forwarding on it. The buyer had an unusual name and we tried information to get a new number with no success.
A year went by... then two years...
Then one day a young man came in, looking for that same pattern of stemware. He was on his lunch hour, looking for an anniversary gift for his wife. Well, he was from the local aerospace plant and was wearing a name tag from work. And the name was the same as the customer we had been looking for! Turned out he was the nephew of the gentleman we'd been looking for. His uncle had had a stroke about two weeks after he had made the original purchase and had been in a nursing home. The nephew brought his uncle in and his uncle presented the nephew and wife with the rather delayed wedding present...
It was really neat/sad... The mall owner was a 70-something year old lady with a lot of class. We knew about when the family was coming in and she had a bottle of champagne on ice waiting and we served it to them - and all the customers in the mall at the time.
Those customers came back for months afterwards hoping to get more bubbly!
posted on May 29, 2001 11:43:51 AM
Have you tried a reverse lookup of the old phone number in his contact information? It might work and tell you his old address. If so, you could mail him a letter and see if it comes back at you or if it is forwarded by the USPS to his new address.
You'll never be rid of that thing. 