Expert: Suzanne Wells - 5/16/2007

Question
Hi Suzanne,

There are times when the highest bidders of an ebay auction just do not send the money.  How are these cases dealt with, and how could I protect myself if someone feels like not paying me?

Question 2, does ebay deduct a lower commission for charity auctions?

Question 3, do you think an internet auction is more effective than a live tv auction?

Answer
Hello, my apologies for the delay in answering your question.

Non-paying bidders are a fact of life on eBay. Unfortunately, all sellers have to deal with this problem. Here are a few strategies that may help you minimize working with non-paying bidders.

Paypal is definitely the preferred method for several reasons. First, buyers generally pay faster when using Paypal. If a buyer has to go purchase a money order, then mail it out; you won’t receive payment for several days. Checks and money orders can be fraudulent, so I do not accept them. Paypal is an electronic system, there is a record of the transaction, and the funds are guaranteed. You also won’t have to worry about having a business account at the bank to deposit checks and money orders into. The great thing about having a Paypal account is that you can transfer your funds to your bank account on-line, or just go to an ATM and withdraw cash. When you sell on eBay with Paypal, you can get paid every day!

If you have not received payment or communication from your buyer after 2 weeks from the sale date, go ahead and relist the item. Next, block the bidder from bidding on anything else from you. Don’t be afraid to leave negative feedback for non-payers. Many sellers are afraid of retaliation if they leave negative feedback. Don’t be. Let’s look at the big picture.

You sold an item 14 days ago and your buyer hasn’t paid and hasn’t replied to your emails. You go to their feedback page, and see that they have a low feedback score but no negatives. You are afraid to be the first person to leave negative feedback. For all you know, this buyer has won 5 other items that he hasn’t paid for, but no one has left negative feedback because they are afraid of retaliation. If they had left negative feedback, this member would have been suspended by now and you wouldn’t be spending your time dealing with him. We have to work together as a team of sellers to keep the undesirables off of eBay. You certainly don’t want go on a mission to leave negative feedback over every little issue, but don’t be afraid to use it when appropriate, especially for non-payers. Odds are that this buyer has totally lost interest in eBay and he won’t even see the negative feedback because he isn’t coming back to eBay anyway.

I hope this helps you. Please visit my eBay store Atlanta Golf Shop and look at my eBay selling ebooks. You can also sign up for my newsletter thru my blog. If you would like links to these sites, please email me at atlantagolfshop@hotmail.com

Best wishes to you, and happy selling!

Regards-

Suzanne Wells
atlantagolfshop@hotmail.com