0 feedback bidders; always win, never pay :(

chompie

recently all of my auctions are being won by people with Zero feedback, and invariably a new user symbol as well.

they all seem to bid in the last 12 hours, and i am sure that when people see a highest bidder as a zero it stops others bidding.

then when they win, i get nothing, no response and certainly no cash.

i have the -1 contingency in place, and i am sure this has helped to some degree, but is there anything else i can do to stop this happening

it's starting to grind.....:mad:

i am just about to contact one such bidder and say "hi, can i ask you if you intend to buy this item, if you win it?
it's just that recently a lot of my auctions have ended by new users winning late on and never paying.
if you do not get back to me before the close of the auction, i will cancel your bid, and block you from bidding again.
(sorry if you are genuine, i'm just getting a bit fed up, of non paying bidders) "

is this OK to do:o

soolin

You can remove any bids you choose and block bidders at will.

However, maybe you are just having a bad run, I really don't have as many problems with zero feedback users as I do with those with around 4-8 feedback.

Zeros can be a little slow to pay as very often they don't have paypal accounts set up and use cheques instead which can take a week or so to arrive.

Soo

bleugh

same here, rarely have many problems, i keep an eye on my more expensive items tho for unusual bidding activity, emailing the bidders, no reply and i cancle their bids in the last 12 hours

larmy16

soolin wrote:

You can remove any bids you choose and block bidders at will.

However, maybe you are just having a bad run, I really don't have as many problems with zero feedback users as I do with those with around 4-8 feedback.

Zeros can be a little slow to pay as very often they don't have paypal accounts set up and use cheques instead which can take a week or so to arrive.

Soo

Soolin how long do you leave it before you remind them about paying? And if for some reason you get no response, how long is it before you report as a NPB? I am sure these questions get asked all the time, but though I saw them it never made sense. Now I have sold something it does

soolin

larmy16 wrote:

Soolin how long do you leave it before you remind them about paying? And if for some reason you get no response, how long is it before you report as a NPB? I am sure these questions get asked all the time, but though I saw them it never made sense. Now I have sold something it does

I usually send a second invoice on about day 7, possibly with a note to ask whether they have all the information they need to make payment and suggesting they contact me if there is a problem.

If I hear from them then I'll give them another 5-7 days for payment, if I don;t hear from them at all then I start the NPB process on about day 10-12.

Soo

bluep

Why not say in your auction that anyone bidding with under 10 feedback should contact you first by email otherwise you will cancel their bid? Sounds harsh but might put off any non-genuine people even more.

pug_in_a_bed

I do this but they all ignore it! I think i've had two or three in the last year who have actually read all the details, although I do keep this to a minimum to actually encourage people to read my terms