posted on June 19, 2001 07:44:28 AM
I sell wedding dresses. I had one end Thursday with Buy It Now.
WBN was sent and responded to the same day. Buyer states he wants to pay with check. I get an e-mail the following day stating that he has sent his check, please advise when shipped, wedding is so and so date. O.K. Fine, I use AW post sale so no problem. Received his check in the mail Mon. afternoon, which is pretty quick considering I'm in Arkansas and he's in California it usually takes at least 4 business days. Anyway, I get this e-mail tonight;
*** Please advise the status of our wedding dress that we
won last Thursday night. We have mailed a personal
check to your attention & would like verification of
the fact that you have received it. Your response is
greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
XXXXXXXXX
EBay states: "The buyer and seller should contact each
other within three business days to complete the sale.
Not getting in touch leaves the contract in limbo and
can earn you negative feedback."****
The first part is fine, The part about " EBay states that bla, bla, bla... "is what has gotten me kind of preturbed. Isn't that what the WBN is for? To contact them? DUH>>
BTW, they are new, with sunglasses and zero feedback. Thanks for letting me rant. What do you guys think??
posted on June 19, 2001 07:49:22 AM
Sounds like they are just worried about getting the dress to me. I would just proceed as normal. Let them know that you're shipping the dress so they'll be happy.
Then again, they could have zero feedback and sunglasses because they're a deadbeat and just created a new account...
posted on June 19, 2001 07:53:04 AM
Sounds like the buyer is new and nervous and preparing for what some consider to be one of the biggest days of one's life --- and just needs a little extra hand-holding.
A little patience and extra communication will go a long way.
posted on June 19, 2001 08:04:47 AM
I find it a little strange that someone who is in such a hurry to receive an item would send a personal check which you have every right to hold.
posted on June 19, 2001 08:26:04 AM
could be a newcomer who heard bargain could be had (even for wedding gown) from all these 2 shoe pony sellers on ebay.
sellers who sell below retail ,willing to stand in line at post office for hours,look for free packing material and boxes and can be intimidated by that big stick-negative feedback??
posted on June 19, 2001 09:02:25 AM
I've stood in line for couple hours once...
I think this buyer is just anxious about the big day. Probably feels disorganized and is thinking I am just sure something is going to go wrong. Don't take it personal. As a seller sometimes you need to have empathy for the buyer's situation.
posted on June 19, 2001 09:31:49 AM
Sounds like he's not hearing from you.
I don't us AW, never have, so I don't know what they generate for you, but you might want to ameliorate the situation before he goes nutbar on you.
Best of luck!
(go to AW Roundtable and share some hair-raising bridal stories!!! I love those!)
posted on June 19, 2001 09:37:05 AM
No, I am not a newbie seller. To date I have sold 167 dresses. How does any thing I have said warrent that comment? Fact is, I HAD contacted them. This is what the whole thing was about. Jeez, the auction ended Thursday night. I have had my share of nervous buyers before, just never one that was in this big of a hurry. That is what I found to be odd.
I own a real property bridal shop also. After being in the business nearly 10 years, I am so used to it. It is a very emotional business. In dealing with them face to face, I have found the ones who were threatning to be my biggest risks. All I asked for was a little help in dealing with the situation.
Also, there was a good point brought to light. The very thing I was thinking; If he were in such a hurry to get the dress, why did he send a personal check? That was the red flag to me. I am more than happy to take checks, but I do have a right to hold them too.
posted on June 19, 2001 09:43:18 AM
Well, I do know he did get the WBN. He responded to it the same day it was sent. Here's a copy of what I sent him. I was trying to explain everything plus soothe his anxiety at the same time.
***Hello, we received your check this afternoon. After a customary clearing period your dress will ship.
You are correct in that Ebay states that the buyer and seller should contact each other within three business days. This is why our winning bidder notices are set to be sent automatically after the sale. Many sellers with multiple items utilize this service because it makes the sale process much quicker. We appreciate yours being responded to in such a timely manner.
When your item ships, you will get a second notice from AuctionWatch. This will contain your tracking number and a link to track your package. The dress will be shipped in a new box encased in a new vinyl zippered bag. Your tiara will be shipped in the same box, but will be wrapped seperately .
If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us, our shop hours are 10-5 central time, we usually check our e-mail every hour or so during this time.
We appreciate your business,
The Staff @ XXXXXXXX ***
I hope this helped to lighten some of his anxiety.
posted on June 19, 2001 02:16:21 PM
cletusray, you have my sympathy. Sometimes its hard to just keep on smiling and nodding when folks act so, well, pushy.
I can see sending lots of messages to the seller if one is anxious, but sending a quote of the rules is a bit rude. Seems silly, to me, to risk antagonizing the person who has your wedding dress in their hands. Your buyer could have saved the process quite a bit of time by sending you a MO or a cashier's check...
In this vein, in the spirit of ranting, I got a message today that I'm trying hard to smile about. I'm selling some of hubby's old videos, and I got a message telling me that one of them is NOT OUT OF PRINT, and that I am misrepresenting my item, and it is ILLEGAL to do so, and it is ILLEGAL to sell COPIES of videos......
I'm sure the sender of the message meant only to stop a potential pirate, but, well, goodness! I did research the titles, and I thought my source of info was reliable... I certainly didn't think my ad had the air of the back-alley fell-off-of-a-truck sale...
Oh well.
Sorry to glom onto your rant, cletusray. I'll smile on, if you will! Deal?
Does your WBN say that you will hold for check clearance?
Maybe they are confused and think this [b]
EBay states: "The buyer and seller should contact each
other within three business days to complete the sale. [/b]
means the whole transaction, paid for and ship, should take 3 days!
posted on June 19, 2001 07:29:56 PM
Welcome, my friends to world of retail! Thank God we don't have to deal with the Bozo Buyers face to face. Oh, Oh, how many time have I wished there was a I.Q. requirement for buyers.
It doesn't sound like you do this, but I strongly suggest you include in your payment info on all your future auctions that "personal checks will be held for 10 business days before merchandize is shipped" or something like that. So your buyers know upfront that if they use a personal check, they're gonna have to wait!
posted on June 19, 2001 09:18:05 PM
I think maybe barrelracer is right! I agree, maybe this person DOES think that the WHOLE transaction should only take 3 days! You might want to clarify this with the buyer, in case this is what they are upset about.
posted on June 19, 2001 10:32:37 PM
If that is the worst email you ever receive from an ebayer then you are pretty lucky. I have a seller who thought they would send me junk and I would accept it. I finally had to block their crazy emails, now they are sending me letters in the mail. Oh well, I guess it is good for entertainment value.
posted on June 20, 2001 08:25:50 AM
On the buyer's email, they state:
<<EBay states: "The buyer and seller should contact each
other within three business days to complete the sale.
Not getting in touch leaves the contract in limbo and
can earn you negative feedback."**** >>
Is this actually posted anywhere on ebay?
I can find:
<<The seller (ID inserted) and the high bidder (ID inserted) should contact each other within three business days to discuss payment and shipping details. >>
and
<<If the seller is unable to establish contact with the high bidder within 3 business days of the end of the auction, he/she may lose the place as winning bidder, and be at risk for receiving negative feedback and/or a Non-Paying Bidder warning, both of which can ultimately lead to suspension from eBay. >>
I can't find anything about "completing" and "limbo"
I am a little suspicious of this bidder, if he/she revised the terms like that.
If you don't say in your WBN you hold for check clearance, since they paid by check, they could be the kind to give you problems.
If you do say you hold for check clearance, then they might sputter and spit but those were your stated terms.
edited to paste in what the buyer stated!
~Not barrelracer on ebay, don't pick on them!~
[ edited by barrelracer on Jun 20, 2001 08:28 AM ]
Thanks! I haven't looked at those for awhile since they come after I contact most of the time.
Then this bidder is not as suspicious as I thought. I am swinging back to anxious to get their wedding dress!
Ordering a wedding dress on ebay or through the mail is certainly confident. About the only clothing I can order through the mail that will fit me fine without trying on are stretch socks.
