Zero feedback bidder blues

robowen

Bargainbabe wrote:

Op- I did ask a few posts ago whether you accepted Paypal? Do you?

Sorry !! Missed that question in all the steam !!

I do have paypal, but for these listings, I'm not offering it out. I think the fees are too high. The things I'm listing finish upto around £100, so I get whacked with all the fees.

I offer paypal after the listing ends to those who WANT to pay the fees.

Sorry I missed your question babe !!

jockettuk

let me see if im getting this... a person gets a pc for the first time logs onto ebay and signs up to start bidding and you lot or the majority of you lot say ban him/her.. how the hell will someone get any feedback or get onto ebay if everyone banns newbies... im guessing here but werent you lot newbies to start with.. if all newbies are banned wont ebay grind to a halt eventually as like any company they need people to keep coming in ..? i might have got this wrong but this is the way im seeing it... i think mabey ebay should look at someway protecting the sellers from anyone not paying etc how they can do this im not sure but let the newbies come in and try and get some feedback so they no longer a newbie..

soolin

robowen wrote:

Sorry !! Missed that question in all the steam !!

I do have paypal, but for these listings, I'm not offering it out. I think the fees are too high. The things I'm listing finish upto around £100, so I get whacked with all the fees.

I offer paypal after the listing ends to those who WANT to pay the fees.

Sorry I missed your question babe !!

You might have your answer there.

A lot of high feedback users/buyers won't bid if they can't use paypal. I certainly wouldn't go anywhere near a high cost auction if I couldn't use paypal. That only leaves newbie buyers to bid, and maybe once they talk on newsgroups or boards like this they get advised, after the auction finishes, that they don't have any protection if they don't use paypal, so they don't complete and just set up a new account.

Also, and I'm sorry if this sounds blunt, if you are offering paypal after the auction ends but at a fee you are directly contravening ebay terms and conditions, so any newbie buyer who has already been warned about scams and problems with ebay will be further worried.

Soo

MimiJane

As a relative "newbie", must admit I'm mystified by this. Why single out newbies ... we were all new to ebay once? The vast majority of newbies are desperate to get good feedback and make an extra effort in their transactions to get this. Why should they ask a question when if, you're so clear in your auction description, this should not be necessary?

With these "extra" terms and conditions you state for newbies, IMHO you're demonstrating unjustified prejudice and causing unnecessary confusion. Everyone should be treated with the same respect on ebay.

I appreciate that, if people are late payers/non payers, action should be taken, but it's just as likely (if not perhaps more so) that seasoned ebayers would be guilty of this.

Perhaps you could avoid negative feedback by treating newbies with a little more respect

Hintza

I agree Paypal fees are too high.

But

When i put it into context of the hassle and time and effort it takes to chase up cheques and postal orders; it a complete bargain.

Paypal:- auction ends you get paid by paypal you post and 99% of cases job done!!

Cheques (most are ok):- auction ends; send payment instructions, send reminder, start NPB, call them, send you will be booted from EBay e-mail, claim FVF leave negative feedback, await tit for tat negative.

As I said earlier in this post newbies do cause me my biggest headaches but if/when they get in contact they are a pleasure to deal with usually very keen to please they also help to drive up prices.

However their are some who are just out to cause mischief or bid flipantly or set out to wreck auctions; some of whom are certainly not newbies!!

At the end of the day though:-

VIVE LE NEWBIE!!!

chugalug

Perhaps we've all forgotten what its like to be a newbie. When I first started buying I made sure I treated everyone how I would expect to be treated - and no problems (yet) in over 75 transactions. I have now set up a new account just for selling with 0 feedback. I'm about to be reminded whats its like to be new!

Hintza

chugalug i would suggest you start off your new account with 10 purchases (small) just to get over that first threshold. Just gives the account a bit of credibility.

robowen

Hintza wrote:

I agree Paypal fees are too high.

But

When i put it into context of the hassle and time and effort it takes to chase up cheques and postal orders; it a complete bargain.

Paypal:- auction ends you get paid by paypal you post and 99% of cases job done!!

Cheques (most are ok):- auction ends; send payment instructions, send reminder, start NPB, call them, send you will be booted from EBay e-mail, claim FVF leave negative feedback, await tit for tat negative.

I think you have taken a good case scenario with paypal, and parred it with a bad case scenario sending cheques. Not a very good example.

If paypal is so good, how come so may people in here complain about it ?

We can all discuss the merits of paying in any form, but they all have their drawbacks and pitfalls.

But, I think we are digressing a little, my OP asked why bidders with zero F/B failed to read and adhere to a simple request to contact me before bidding.

This has nothing to do with banning zero bidders at all. I agree, we all had to start somewhere.

We_Laugh_Indoors

i would assume that they just don't read it properly.

as a matter of interest why do you want zero bidders to email you?

to make sure they are willing to pay?

Hintza

I was just pointing out that from my experience if a person has or is willing to set up a paypal account (/payment) they are usually much more serious about buying.


On £100 paypal costs would be just over £3 if that means you get your payment there and then which is normally the case it cuts on the hassle and admin. £3 odd is worth it to me to save on that endless round of emails.

You could also help yourself by making it a paypal only auction ie only those wih paypal accounts may bid. Those people tend to more serious and tend to read the terms and conditions.

Your way of working must mean you have to constantly monitor your auctions deleting and barring bidders thereby by default reducing your price. Any system that bans bidders will affect your final price.

But at the end of the day it is your choice, but a list of do's and don'ts would certainly encourage me to look elsewhere. But that is just my opinion!!