posted on December 27, 2004 02:35:51 PM
A newbie with "0" feedback won one of my auctions at the beginning of December. They emailed immediately afterward saying they would send me a money order. Of course, I never received any payment from them. I emailed them last night requesting payment that was due on the 15th. Haven't heard from them.
I am worried that they might say they DID mail a money order and I am trying to rip them off or something.
I'm sure they never sent me anything, but what should I do if they say they DID send me the money order?
Since 1999 I have always sent a postal money order payment for auctions I've won and have never had a problem. But it makes me wonder if a seller would say they never received payment (maybe it even got lost in the mail or stolen) would I have to buy *another* money order-- paying double for the item?
What should I do if this buyer says he sent the money order? (I know, I know I'll never hear from this guy again, but I'm wondering how you handle "lost in the mail" postal money order payments.)
posted on December 27, 2004 03:02:34 PM
It's not the sellers responsibility to receive pmnt, it's the buyers responsibility to get pmnt to the seller. If MO is lost, it's buyers responsibility to have kept MO receipt and put in claim. If stolen - same responsibility. We as sellers have enough problems without worrying about dippy buyers. File NPB alert and wait 7 days for response. If none, file for your fees and continue trudging on.
I've had alot of buyers claim to have mailed MO's or PC's. They always manage to mail "another" one after receiving NPB alert.
posted on December 27, 2004 03:07:48 PM
Tell them you did not receive it.
This is not rocket science. If this is truly a concern of yours, why state that you accept them? It sounds like you are just setting yourself up for extended periods of paranoia and concern.
I don't mean to sound mean but ... Are you sure you have the stomach for this?
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on December 27, 2004 03:45:29 PM
I have gone through this twice in the past year. One sent me a picture of the carbon copy so that I would continue to hold the item until they could get USPS to do something about it. The other threatened and postured and then ended up NARU for pulling the same thing on others people. You can generally tell the honest ones because they are willing to send some sort of proof.
Try not to worry in advance of problems. You will end up with enough real ones over time without worrying about things that might happen.
Kevin (I am now on my 3rd pot of coffee and only 20 more NEW listings to go!)
Yer worried NOW about sumptin that hasn't even happened yet?
Ai! Carrumba!
Would ya like to borrow some of Ralphie's "tension relievers" (chewies)?
Seriously, if theu do P&M that the MO was sent, just tell them to call the 800 number on their MO RECEIPT, and while they're at it, they could forward said receipt serial number to YOU!
And then...you'll NEVER hear another peek outta them!
posted on December 27, 2004 04:20:35 PM
Oh you're all making me laugh! Thanks! It's my job to worry-- paranoia and concern are just the perks! Do I have the stomach for all this ebay seller stuff? No! But that's not going to stop me, no no no!
I've never had to file an NPB alert. Believe it or not, my first 'no pay' here!
Thanks for the advice and the kick in the pants. I appreciate it! (-:
posted on December 27, 2004 05:00:01 PM
That just happened to me, only she sent CASH. Never got here. Waited for 3 weeks, filed FVF, she responded she sent it, I had to wait another 7 days and filed for last time. NEXT day the envelope arrives. So being the good eBayer that I am, I reversed the FVF and sent the item to her.
For a $9.24 purchase she sends $10.00 and wants her change sent back with the item. I charged her the extra weight to send the coins back. LOL
posted on December 28, 2004 08:59:35 AM
I guess there's no "perfect" form of payment:
Money orders can get "lost" (for real or as an excuse), money orders can be forged too
Same with cash, plus cash could be counterfeit
Checks can bounce or be fake
PayPal has their fees & fear of chargebacks
BidPay costs the buyer $5 if I'm not mistaken, and I'm sure there's some other drawback
Credit Card Merchant account - high fees & threat of chargebacks, plus hard to get a merchant account
Having said that, I try to make it easy for the buyers by offering almost all. If you make too many exclusions, it will turn some people away or they'll do it their own way anyways. I take PayPal (no extra charge for this), BidPay, Cash, money orders and cashier's checks. I don't take checks and make that quite clear, but occasionally someone sends a check anyways. If they've got a good feedback rating I accept it anyways.
