Buyer not paying

bartelbe

Received a best offer an item on Saturday and accepted, the problem is, the buyer isn't paying. Sent invoice and then polite email offering to cancel sale, if they didn't want item. Got complete radio silence. Buyer has feedback in single figures and I doubt they are going to pay up.

So what do I do next? Ebay talks about a no payment dispute but like most things on ebay, it seems hopelessly rigged in the buyers favour. If I open a dispute and the buyer pays up, there is nothing to stop them giving me a neg out of spite.

Do I have any other options?

steviebabes

I would go straight for an unpaid item dispute, ebay would remove any spiteful negative if you phone them. If you don't do anything you will will pay final value fees and be left in limbo regarding when to relist. If they don't pay up in 4 days you get a refund on FVF and they are blocked from leaving feedback.

soolin

As above do a full NPB it is rare indeed for a buyer to pay and then retaliate with a neg.

MR1988

As mentioned above, follow the eBay practice and open an Unpaid Item Dispute.

Just wanted to add that given your buyer is in the single figure feedback, they might be using eBay rarely and forgot about the offer they put in for your item. Happened to me before as well. Plus you already messaged buyer about payment. Maybe send a further message and say you had to contact eBay customer support to get help with the transaction so they give you back the fees and that they opened the Unpaid Item Dispute on your behalf since that is the only way to recover your fees without buyer interaction. And tell them you are happy to cancel once they can respond to dispute. This way you seem willing to sort it out in case they get back on eBay after Dispute is open.

soolin

MR1988 said:

As mentioned above, follow the eBay practice and open an Unpaid Item Dispute.

Just wanted to add that given your buyer is in the single figure feedback, they might be using eBay rarely and forgot about the offer they put in for your item. Happened to me before as well. Plus you already messaged buyer about payment. Maybe send a further message and say you had to contact eBay customer support to get help with the transaction so they give you back the fees and that they opened the Unpaid Item Dispute on your behalf since that is the only way to recover your fees without buyer interaction. And tell them you are happy to cancel once they can respond to dispute. This way you seem willing to sort it out in case they get back on eBay after Dispute is open.

I personally wouldn’t contact the buyer any further, especially since once the NPB is open it cannot be just closed. It can either be closed on day 4 if unpaid at which point buyer becomes unable to leave feedback, or the NPB is closed and seller loses their FVfs and buyer can still leave feedback. 

bartelbe

Opened the non-payment dispute and now they have paid up. Frankly I would have preferred that didn't happen because I can see negs and the buyer trying to claim the item is defective, to get a refund, in my future.

pbartlett

bartelbe said:

Opened the non-payment dispute and now they have paid up. Frankly I would have preferred that didn't happen because I can see negs and the buyer trying to claim the item is defective, to get a refund, in my future.

yes I have been there and felt the same. One of the many joys of using eBay.

JWM

Although it is only Wednesday, I have the same issue with an auction that ended Monday - buyer was the only bidder but hasn't paid yet, and no reply to my message.

I see there is a 'Cancel' option - if he hasn't paid by Friday can I just cancel the sale or do I need to open a NPB case?

Thanks

soolin

JWM said:

Although it is only Wednesday, I have the same issue with an auction that ended Monday - buyer was the only bidder but hasn't paid yet, and no reply to my message.

I see there is a 'Cancel' option - if he hasn't paid by Friday can I just cancel the sale or do I need to open a NPB case?

Thanks

If you don’t like non payers then why even consider encouraging it by letting them off by cancelling? I really don’t understand that at all, they will just keep doing it and maybe your non payer (although-its too  early to even be worried yet) has been let off by others and allowed to bid on your items. 

open an NPB , wait 4 days and close it and give buyer a strike. Make sure you set your seller requirements to block buyers who have 2 or more strikes in a year and then serial non payers can’t trouble you again. Or let them off and remember they can report you as a non performing seller if you choose an option that suggests they requested it . Or ifyou choose an option that suggests you want to cancel then you get a non performing seller defect and don’t get your fees back. 

JWM

soolin said:

JWM said:

Although it is only Wednesday, I have the same issue with an auction that ended Monday - buyer was the only bidder but hasn't paid yet, and no reply to my message.

I see there is a 'Cancel' option - if he hasn't paid by Friday can I just cancel the sale or do I need to open a NPB case?

Thanks

If you don’t like non payers then why even consider encouraging it by letting them off by cancelling? I really don’t understand that at all, they will just keep doing it and maybe your non payer (although-its too  early to even be worried yet) has been let off by others and allowed to bid on your items. 

open an NPB , wait 4 days and close it and give buyer a strike. Make sure you set your seller requirements to block buyers who have 2 or more strikes in a year and then serial non payers can’t trouble you again. Or let them off and remember they can report you as a non performing seller if you choose an option that suggests they requested it . Or ifyou choose an option that suggests you want to cancel then you get a non performing seller defect and don’t get your fees back. 

Thank you soolin. I am an occasional ebayer user so want to be fair to users, but am worried about retaliation.

I will do as you say above, most helpful.

Can you advise how long you would give it before opening an NPB?

soolin

JWM said:

soolin said:

JWM said:

Although it is only Wednesday, I have the same issue with an auction that ended Monday - buyer was the only bidder but hasn't paid yet, and no reply to my message.

I see there is a 'Cancel' option - if he hasn't paid by Friday can I just cancel the sale or do I need to open a NPB case?

Thanks

If you don’t like non payers then why even consider encouraging it by letting them off by cancelling? I really don’t understand that at all, they will just keep doing it and maybe your non payer (although-its too  early to even be worried yet) has been let off by others and allowed to bid on your items. 

open an NPB , wait 4 days and close it and give buyer a strike. Make sure you set your seller requirements to block buyers who have 2 or more strikes in a year and then serial non payers can’t trouble you again. Or let them off and remember they can report you as a non performing seller if you choose an option that suggests they requested it . Or ifyou choose an option that suggests you want to cancel then you get a non performing seller defect and don’t get your fees back. 

Thank you soolin. I am an occasional ebayer user so want to be fair to users, but am worried about retaliation.

I will do as you say above, most helpful.

Can you advise how long you would give it before opening an NPB?

You can open a Non paying bidder case after 2 days have elapsed since purchase and close it exactly 4 days later. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/payment-policies/unpaid-item-policy?id=4271&st=3&pos=1&query=Unpaid%20item%20policy&intent=Non%20paying%20bidder&context=9004_SELLER&lucenceai=lucenceai

I tend to open a case dependent on buyers feedback, so a high feedback user with lots of comments about fast payment might get 3 or even 4 days from me, but a low feedback buyer or any buyer with remarks like ‘took a while’ or who has left poor feedback for sellers might get a case opened on day2