eBay query?

"kim" wrote

That reminds me I've got to do that with a buyer too. Go to the listing page and click on 'contact the buyer' and tell him the heavies are on their way! ;-)

John.

John Turner said the following on 19/01/2006 00:27:

...or you can send another invoice. eBay do keep changing things around, and it is annoying!

"Paul Boyd" wrote

My buyer has 'overstretched' himself and can't pay at the moment. At least he's had the decency to tell me and as a result he'll be given some leeway - beats leaving 'negative feedback' for sure.

John.

On 19/01/2006 17:32, John Turner said,

As you say, at least he appears to have admitted the problem. It's the ones that give you one excuse after another that bug me (got a seller like that at the moment). So long as people are honest, I'm also happy to give leeway, in fact I often seem to bend over backwards for my "customers", and my feedback reflects that.

If you get negative feedback, wear your badge with pride! Never had any myself yet though...

Right now, I am selling an item, loosely model related, that has reached an embarrassingly high price with 3 days to go. I'm not sure whether to be pleased, or worried about what they think they are bidding on!

How do I solve the opposite problem? I won an auction about 2 weeks ago but in spite of two requests the seller has not yet sent me an invoice.

My son runs an on-line business using eBay for a lot of his turnover. He reports this excuse has replaced "the cheque is in the mail" as the No.1.

It might occasionaly be true but it is more often people who have seen a better deal and want out of the first one.

If they accept PayPal then you can pay them anyway but it sounds like you risk losing your money.

Complain to eBay.

Leave negative feedback

MBQ

I've had that a couple of times, though it's usually they've "over-stretched" their PayPal account, because they've not gone through the verification process. This limits their transaction volume to a specific amount, and PayPal does not warn them or make this explicitly clear.

Thanks for the tips.

The problem is I don't know how much to pay, as I need the total including overseas shipping. Is there an eBay link to complain about this? I don't want to leave negative feedback unless I have exhausted all the possibilities - I would much rather receive the goods!

John Nuttall said the following on 20/01/2006 12:08:

Normal convention is to ask your seller how much shipping will be before bidding, or if they will even ship overseas if it isn't mentioned in the auction. If you don't get an answer at that stage, then things don't look good, so don't bid. Whatever it is you were bidding on, there will always be another one along later!

I suppose the other thing I should ask is how you asked for the invoice? Did you send an email/message, or use the correct "Request Total" option?

Paul, I used the Request Total link and also sent an email via Contact Seller. I didn't query the price during the auction as worldwide shipping was clearly offered on the item description page. Perhaps I should do this in future.

When I confirm my bid as a buyer, I have to acknowledge that I am entering into a binding contract if I win the auction. Does the seller make the same commitment (I've never sold anything on eBay yet)? If eventually I decide to give up, how do I inform eBay of what has happened and what action are they likely to take?

Of course, there may be a sound reason such as the poor chap being in hospital or something, so I don't want to get confrontational - yet.

Thanks for the tips anyway.

"John Nuttall" wrote

I'm not sure on the latter point but there is a facility to withdraw an item - something which does seem to happen with some sellers on occasions.

In several instances when I've had items for sale on eBay I've been asked by potential buyers if I will withdraw the item or include a 'Buy It Now' option. If my item is without bids then I will consider this (never have done so as it happens) but I refuse point blank if the item has attracted any bids.

John.

Progress is being made - my third request for an invoice has brought forth an apologetic response, so I have now paid and hopefully the goods will arrive in sunny Sydney within a week or so.

Strangely not. Items are routinely withdrawn from auction if they fail to attract sufficient bids. A common excuse is that the item was "wrongly described".

(kim)

On 21/01/2006 07:01, John Nuttall said,

In that case if all else fails at least you have done the right thing. eBay will be able to see that you repeatedly asked for the total.

I always do, just to be on the safe side.

It does seem to be much easier as a seller to pull out of an auction, but then again a buyer can retract the bids for certain reasons. If you do decide to take it further, you have to open a non-performing seller dispute, although from your other post it seems as if things are moving forward, slowly!

There are certain excuses that are offered so often that the natural inclination is not to beleive it when they are genuine. Apparently one seller's father died three times, and judging by the number of people in hospital, I think eBay must be a health risk :-)

On 21/01/2006 09:30, John Turner said,

I have done this very occasionally - the last time I was selling a camera body, and was made an acceptable offer. I added a BIN button, and received payment within a minute, and all was done. Then I got an irate email from a watcher criticising the price I sold it for, and that the buyer was a dealer, and was the BIN always there? I thought my reply was quite restrained ;-)

If you have attracted bids, then you can't add a BIN even if you wanted to, I don't think.

Excuses? I always say that if you are not totally happy with a particular environment, eBay included, then you should just stay away from it. Life's too short to be irritated by the potential for disappointment in an eBay auction.

Personally I love eBay, and find it to be a hilarious distraction from reality. When I was in hospital myself, I use to get out of bed in the middle of the night, drag my dripstands and monitor trolley along the corridor in the darkness, then hack into the PC on the nurses' station so I could do my eBay stuff, including telling sellers that I *was* in hospital. It never occurred to me that someone receiving that message would think it was an excuse. I just let my feedback speak for itself. Beyond that I couldn't give a toss what anyone thinks.

To answer this ever-recurring question about seller's obligations, the seller has *no* obligation at any point except to describe the article in good faith and to pay his eBay fees. That is until the point that he solicits money with an invoice or other message. At that point the contract is made between the seller and the buyer, and the buyer is obliged to complete. Until that point the whole transaction is an invitation for the buyer to treat, that is to make offers. This is true on eBay, at all auctions, in your home, or in a shop. This is the basis of contract law in this country and has been for a thousand years. I just find it incredible that as a nation we spend billions on education, yet more people know what's going on in the Big Brother House than know the fundamental basis of their own lives.

Cheers, Steve

On 21/01/2006 19:12, Steve W said,

Get out of bed the wrong side this morning, did we? Can I suggest that you read what I actually said, not what you thought I said. Quote:

"There are certain excuses that are offered so often that the natural inclination is not to believe it when they are genuine."

I though that statement was pretty bleedin' obvious!

Under this general catgory comes the woman who was so bereft at her sister's death the day before that she continued using her "sister's" eBay account to carry on bidding without a pause. The *woman* who was in hospital with a prostate problem, those who are at death's door in hospital, but can still manage to place bids, and the afore-mentioned person who's father died three times in a year.

And I think that sums you up nicely!

Not at all. I thought I was offering a positive philosophy.

Well, it *was* your statement, not mine, so I have no idea what point you are making.

And how, pray, do you know all this? As for the death's door and placing bids, that is *exactly* what I was doing, and if I can do it, so I am sure can everybody else. Why do you call it an "excuse"? And why do you care?

Oh good. I'll count that as a compliment.

Cheers, Steve