posted on May 10, 2002 10:48:29 AM
I had 10 auctions end yesterday. Five of them ended with the same bidder, which I usually love because I can combine shipping and reduce hassle. (With light items, I can sometimes ship up to a dozen for the same price as one.) I was getting ready to write out EOA notices when I get this adorable email through "ask seller a question":
hi this is jane I am looking at your items (a, b, c, d, and e) what i need is this kind of widget and i wondered which one of these i should pick thanks.
So I checked. Sure enough, it's my multiple bidder. I counted to 10, said "It may not be what you think," and sent her the standard EOA notice with her total and shipping, and added at the bottom, "On your question, I think item "d" is closest to what you're looking for. Fortunately, it also goes well with "a" and "b", so you'll have plenty of uses for these."
Don't you just know it....an hour ago I got this....
well i only need d then and how much is shipping for just one?
Well, this is just dandy. First off, she got three of the five items for their starting bid, which is calculated for a very slim profit margin. (One of those is for the auction she won.) Because I can't get the listing fees back, the net result from all five auctions will be that I will lose money EVEN if I do NPB/FVF.
Second, the combined shipping price I had quoted her for all five auctions was the SAME as the price stated in each auction for one lot!
I don't hold out much hope that there's anything I can say that will make this nitwit follow through with all five auctions (she hasn't refused point-blank yet) but I'm open to any suggestions. I'm not going to email her back until tonight b/c I'm a little too irked right now to be businesslike. I'm tempted to roll all the non-recoverable fees into a "new" S/H figure and just send that to her, but I know that would violate the terms of my own auction and I won't do that.
Her feedback is mid-20s, all positive, but not very warm - including some sellers whom I recognize, whose FB had a distinct air of "damning with faint praise."
Any suggestions?
edited to add: I had thought of just emailing back and playing dumb myself "Oh! If you want to add another lot of "d," I can do that for you...the new total is "x" (giving her a price for all five auctions PLUS another lot of "d."
[ edited by msincognito on May 10, 2002 10:53 AM ]
posted on May 10, 2002 11:06:14 AM
just do the last part:
Dear Buyer
if you only need the D widget
I will gladly take apart the lot of items for you and sell you just the one,
the price will be XXXX unfortunataly due to the fact that you won 5 of my auctions I will have to ad XXXX for my listings fees.
This means that I will not have to file for FVF and it will not show up on your eBay profile. (with some many filed you will be naru)
The shipping price will remian the same and I will even throw in widget B since you were so honest . (of course only in the case when you are charging her the original amount of all 3 items plus insertion fees)
Your total is $ XXX
Thank you for shopping with me.
Get all the money you can from her,
leave her another luke warm FB and block her
or null the whole transaction and
and also file for FVF all auctions.
posted on May 10, 2002 12:00:11 PM
fluffythewondercat is totally right here. this newbie needs to know how ebay actually works. explain the fact that she bid and won 5 items and is obligated to pay for all five. explain that you will gladly mail her only the one if that is her wish, but she must pay the full amount to stop you from filing the npb's against her. also explain that four of these will cause her to be suspended from bidding at ebay again.
posted on May 10, 2002 01:43:03 PM
Let's face it, every day is hair pulling day when you are selling on eBay.
As a seller, EVERYTHING is our responsiblity and fault.
If a seller misunderstands, misreads or fails to read our listings, its our fault. If a seller doesn't pay, it's our fault becuase they didn't receive or read the winning bid notices we sent. If the item isn't delivered promptly or is damaged by the carrier, it's our fault. If the item doesn't fit, it's our fault. It just keeps going and going and going.....
posted on May 10, 2002 03:51:48 PM
thank you thedewey
So in reality, I have someone who wins 5 items, a no pay for now going on 20 days, and they could have others they didn't pay, if those sellers do not file NPB's & FVF's on her, then she's ok to go... ok to keep bidding.
It used to be the -4 feedback rule, but thats long gone.
posted on May 10, 2002 03:51:55 PM
Something you can do - Tell them you will let them off the hook for the other 4 auctions if they leave you positive feedback on all 5 auctions. After they do that, you can then leave negative feedback in return for all the auctions, and block the bidder. You never told them you wouldn't leave negative feedback, only that you will let them not pay for the 4 auctions...You're going to be out the money no matter what, because it does not sound like they are going to pay. Might as well have some fun with it.
posted on May 10, 2002 04:41:02 PM
Whoa! Don't tear out your hair! It seems that there are SO many newbies out there right now and SO many of them that just plain don't get it!
However, from the gist of what she wrote, it doesn't seem malicious at all. Have you thought about simply writing to her and explaining that when you place a bid, you are responsible to follow through on each and every bid you place?
This seems to be the kinder, gentler way to point out that this is the real world. And, once informed - she may turn out to be a great bidder!
We have to nurture the newbies - they are our future! I would add, incidentally, that I wish we still had an endless supply of the bidders of a couple of years ago! But, when you get lemons - at least TRY to make some lemonade!!!
posted on May 10, 2002 05:51:45 PM
NearTheSea -- Yep, you got it. With only 1 seller filing NPB/FVF, a bidder can keep right on bidding.
I once had a bidder back out of 43 (yep, forty-three!) of my auctions. I filed NPB/FVF on all of them, but if there hadn't been at least 2 other sellers who also filed NPB/FVF, my 43 warnings wouldn't even have been enough to suspend her.
I believe the -4 (total) feedback rule is still in place, as far as I know.
In msincognito's situation, I would try to explain how eBay works and try to salvage the transaction ... or at least ask the bidder to cover the listing and final value fees on the items she didn't want so it won't go against her record with eBay.
Maybe mention that the buyer could go ahead and purchase all of her wins as per eBay's rules, and then the bidder could re-sell the items she didn't want on eBay?
posted on May 10, 2002 06:16:24 PM
Fluffy's right...
OP's buyer is no newbie.
Ms needs to let the bidder know that bidding on five auctions and winning means she pays for all five items but since Msincognito is such a gracious seller, she is willing to combine shipping, thereby saving Ms-Not-A-Newbie some dough.
posted on May 10, 2002 07:08:57 PM
That bidder is either very dense or just playing at being dense.
I would send her a polite e-mail and explain to her that her winning bid is considered a contract. Include eBay's link to that particular TOS.
If she wants to back out of it once you've explained to her that she is costing you money, give her the opportunity to reimburse you for the listing fees and the FVF of the other 4 items and you'll ship the one she wants.
Tell her that in the future she shouldn't bid on anything she isn't prepared to buy, because she may not encounter a buyer as forgiving or nice as you are.
Definitely make her reimburse you for the fees, then relist them. Block her from your future auctions.
If she doesn't want to play that game, tell her you have no choice than to file NPB on her, which you'll likely have to explain the low down and dirty of to her, too. I bet the prospect of 4 negative feedbacks will make her sing a different tune.
We have signs from God because some of us are too stupid to figure things out for ourselves.
posted on May 10, 2002 07:35:32 PM
I'd just automatically add the fees for all those auctions into the handling. Then if she asks, say those are the fees on the auctions she won that she deadbeated on, and you thought it was better to add it than file for non-payer FVF refund which would have got her suspended. She will count her blessings and thank you.
posted on May 10, 2002 08:37:32 PM
She may just grow into a first rate ebaytrix- But I sense you need to help her over the hump with some classic "Tough Love"... Be nice but let her experience the truth first hand - Tell her the rules" you bid and win - you must buy. No return options like at walmart and target. this is the way online auctions work. Now how would you prefer to pay for your five auction items and oh by the way - I was nice enough to bundle the shipping and save you $. Make it all or nothing. If she dumps- add her to your blocked bidder list. Thats what Id do.
Ok4
posted on May 13, 2002 03:14:40 PM
Update: Well, I tried to take a semi-diplomatic way out and I think it's going to work. Thanks for all your help!
I was tempted to "play dumb" myself and just send her an email that totted up her total for all five auctions, and leave it at that. Instead, I sent her a (fairly long) email that essentially explained the fees sellers pay and the way eBay generally works as nicely as I could. I also let her know that I was a small-time seller, not a big business, and that if we completed the transaction the way she seemed to want, I would actually end up losing money to send her purchase...and that I was NOT willing to do that.
Then I asked her what she'd like to do and offered two choices: A) Follow through with all five auctions B) Follow through with the item she "needed" and pay fees for the rest.
I also threw in a lot of "sympathy" language like "I know eBay can be really confusing when you're new" trying hard not to sound patronizing. The closest I got to a threat was "I would hate to see this transaction turn out badly for you." I didn't mention feedback at all.
Fortunately, she decided to take the easy way out too....she emailed me back today saying she'd take all five lots and "sorry for causing confusion." Now it's just wait-and-see if the payment ever arrives.
I did email one of the other sellers she's dealt with (one that I know) and asked about their transaction. I haven't heard back yet.
[ edited by msincognito on May 10, 2002 10:53 AM ]
