ebay questions about payment

[darktone]

I sold some coins this morning on ebay and one buyer responded that he would send payment in a week when he got paid from work. I said sorry but I expect payment right away and that he should have asked if he could make a delayed payment before bidding. Do I sound reasonable in my request? Thanks Mike

[MAULEMALL]

Yes

[Oldtrader3]

IMHO, a buyer should ask if they intend to delay payment or make any changes from a normal transaction. EBay sales are not ordinarily "time-payment" or lay-a-way sales. I would never bid on an item in any auction that I could not pay for within a day or two. I have to believe that many of these promised delayed sales never materialize. I would not accept it.

[truthteller]

I have had several of these emails before when selling on ebay. It really doesn't bother me for the buyer to delay one week, and, at times, I am grateful that the buyer actually let me know this. Usually, for items under $100 I give two weeks for payment.

 

TRUTH

[Wihlborg]

Mike,

 

Yes, you are being reasonable. If the bidder knew he would not be able to send payment until he gets paid he should have sent you an e-mail asking if this would be O.K. with you before he bid.

 

I might not have a problem with waiting a week for payment, but I would want the courtesy of being asked first.

 

John

 

[CarlWohlforth]

Mail can get delayed or lost. People might be busy and can't make it to the PO right away. eBay themselves insist one waits more than a week before filing a non paying bidder warning. So I think waiting a week before sending payment is nothing to lose sleep over. As was pointed out your customer at least had the courtesy to let you know what was happening. I've waited several weeks before giving up on deadbeat bidders. In fact I can only remember one time when all winners paid within one day by PayPal.

 

The thing I worry about is selling coins to people who can't seem to be able to afford them. I always let people off the hook if they realize they can't afford a coin and want out of the deal.

[sanmary]

I generally expect to receive payment in 10 to 14 days after the auction closes. Waiting a week to mail it would probably still get the payment to you in this timeframe. However he should have asked permission first. If he had not contacted you and payment arrived in say 12 days would you think this too long? In the future you might want to add to your listing the timeframe you desire.It's probably no real big deal but clarifing these things upfront helps to eliminate any misunderstandings. Hope it works out to your satisfaction.

[Wihlborg]

Carl,

 

What if the bidder e-mailed after the auction that he would not be able to send payment for two weeks? What about three? I think the point is that the bidder knew full well that he would not be able to pay for the item until a week later when bid on it. This is not the same as the payment being late due to the mail, or not being able to get to the post office to send payment for a day or two.

 

I think that if someone knows that they cannot pay for an item right away they should contact the seller and ask if this would be all right with them before bidding. As I said I probably would not have a problem with someone asking to do this if the bidder asked first, I just think this is common courtesy.

 

Personally, if I cannot pay for a coin at the time I bid on it, I do not bid. If I win an auction and the seller accepts PayPal I send payment immediately after the end of the auction. If the seller does not accept PayPal, a postal money order goes out no later than the day after the auction ends.

 

John

 

[darktone]

Thanks everyone for your views on this and please keep them coming. My view is that it really gets confusing to keep track of 5-10 auctions a week when half of the bidders need special attention for some reason and it takes weeks to clear up the auction. Myself if I win an auction I will pay instantly with Paypal or send a Money order the next day along with contacting the seller. If I am out of town when the auction ends I will contact the seller before the auction ends. mike

[SilverEagleCoins]

Once I was bidding on some Star Wars memoribilia. With still a week to go my work assignment was going to send me away for month to a different state. I had no way of knowing if I was going to have a net connection to check to status. I emailed my situation in advance, I would be gone without net connection for 3 weeks after the close and will not know if I won or not. Obviously I would not know to pay or not. He simpy replied he understood and allowed me to pay later based on my feedbacks. Turns out I ended up winning and my temporary assignment allowed me net access so all was ok in the end.

[sanmary]

Well I think proper protocol would dictate that most of us would do as you did. Perhaps someone new on eBay or a youngster just dosen't know better. We are not born knowing things...we learn as we go. Hopefully this bidder will learn a lesson here and not allow this to happen in the future.

[gmarguli]

Many buyers wouldn't even let you know this and they'd just send the payment a week later.

 

I'd have just let the it go and be happy that the payment was coming. Had he said 2+ weeks, then that would be a different situation.

[Leothelion]

I believe you need to be on the up and up with everyone in the beginning. If you had no alarms about ever being paid due to no emails or ill responses or a buyers bad feedback, etc, there's no sense in climbing the walls because someone may not pay you. You still have the item, if payment never arrives then the guy's a scumbag and you can block bid this bidder from your auctions. Sure, it's a waste of your time to resell the item but ebay won't charge you so life goes on. There's all kinds out there and it's unfortunate when they cross your path.

One of the times it happened to me, the guy was buying a $250 tape recorder. He was in the process of moving into a new state and house and hadn't established a bank account. It took a couple three weeks to get paid but the guy said he was some kind of rock star and saw the auction and didn't want the chance to pass him by.

Be nice and get paid! Otherwise, take the neccesary steps and get on with your sales!

 

Leo

[Beijim]

Darktone,

 

You are being reasonable. The Buyer is likely named Richard Cranium. I don't recall reading anywhere in the eBay guidelines that Sellers are responsible for their Buyers' cash flow problems.

 

I agree with the majority of respondents here in that, while one week may be no big deal when compared to the possibility that a good asteroid strike could ruin the day for eBayers everywhere, the Buyer had an ethical obligation to contact you in advance and ASK if you were willing to deal with him despite his flaccid money management.

 

Which brings me to the core of this question. Ethics. Your Buyer has sloppy ethics. Like most of the contributors to this thread, I wouldn't DREAM of bidding if I wasn't able to make immediate payment. And I do make immediate payment, unlike some eBay Buyers I've encountered who can't seem to find their arse with two hands and a flashlight and require that you engage in an elaborate game of footsie just to get them to visit the Post Office and mail a stinking money order.

 

Other than that, I have no strong feelings on the subject.

 

Best of luck,

Beijim

[jom]

I probably shouldn't ask this but what the hell is someone buying a coin when they seem to be living "check to check"? Boggles the mind....

 

Anyway, as long as they ask BEFORE they bid it shouldn't be a problem. This assumes, of course, you AGREE to let them delay payment.

 

jom

[fish-migration]

hmm... might get my nose bitten off for chirping here, but...

 

It's edifying to see how dealers feel about payment, but I read this thread from the buyer's point of view, as I don't tend to resell coins that end up in my pocket. I just wanted to point out a few things.

 

The thing that most irks me about sellers is when their payment instructions are not clear on the auction listing, e.g. different shipping amounts listed in different places, 'credit cards accepted' when they are not, and all the hoops of going through several emails and alternative checkout (although I must say vendio is pretty painless) procedures.

 

Most often I won't deal with people who must have a money order, because getting to the post office for me is an ordeal. I'm sure that's true for many people.

 

So, as a buyer, what I'm getting at is that when sellers accept electronic payments, credit cards (I get a % back ), their shipping info is clear to read (which I'm sure all of you noble vendors do), and the invoicing process (if it exists) is not more than a couple of links long, I can pay as soon as I snipe the goody. Which I do. And everybody's happy.

 

[as for the buyer's ability to manage cashflow, it seems tangential to the main post]

[gmarguli]

The thing that most irks me about sellers is when their payment instructions are not clear on the auction listing, e.g. different shipping amounts listed in different places, 'credit cards accepted' when they are not, and all the hoops of going through several emails and alternative checkout (although I must say vendio is pretty painless) procedures.

 

That's interesting, since as a seller what I find most annoying is buyers who can't read 3 sentences worth of instructions. In my listings I list the shipping cost (only one place). I list the costs for insurance if they want it. I list the cost for additional items, if they should win any.

 

I also include a message telling the bidders that when the auction ends they will receive an email from PayPal telling them how they can pay for the auction either thru PayPal or by check or money order. I clearly state that this email will list EVERYTHING they need to know in order to make payment (i.e. payment methods, shipping costs, my address, etc). Want to guess what percentage of people contact me asking how much is shipping or for my address of if I take PayPal? It's probably around 15%.

[Beijim]

I probably shouldn't ask this but what the hell is someone buying a coin when they seem to be living "check to check"? Boggles the mind....

 

Precisely. Regardless of the Buyer's sensibility, however, their inability to pay promptly is simply not the Seller's problem. To make it the Seller's problem without prior arrangement is simply hubris.

 

Beijim

 

[Beijim]

[as for the buyer's ability to manage cashflow, it seems tangential to the main post]

 

It isn't tangential but rather at the core. The issue is that Buyer presumed to inconvenience Seller without advance notice. The reason Buyer so presumed is that Buyer imagines Seller should, without additional compensation, take on the burden imposed by Buyer's failure to manage money.

 

I'm fairly certain that were I to contract to purchase something from you, agree to complete the purchase in timely fashion, and only then announce that you'd have to wait for payment because "I'll be getting the cash real soon now," you'd feel that my lack of fiscal responsibility was central to your being annoyed.

 

Beijim

 

[Beijim]

That's interesting, since as a seller what I find most annoying is buyers who can't read 3 sentences worth of instructions.

 

I couldn't agree more. My small number of listings have been explicit regarding auction and payment terms. Yet, I find as does Greg that the percentage of people who can read and comprehend plain English appears to be unexpectedly low. I've been gracious to every single Buyer, but in a couple of cases what I really wanted to do was rip their heads off.

 

Beijim

 

[darktone]

Here's the answer I got from the buyer. "I WILL SEND PAYMENT OUT MONDAY. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE A JERK, BUT A

PERSON DOES NOT HAVE TO ASK TO MAKE A LATE PAYMENT. THOUGH I WOULD NEVER ASK

FOR THIS AMOUNT OF TIME, IF YOU CHECK EBAY RULES A WINNING BIDDER HAS UP TO

20 DAYS TO MAKE PAYMENT AS LONG AS THE SELLER IS NOTIFIED WITHIN 72 HOURS.

THIS IS JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION IN DEALING WITH OTHERS IN THE FUTURE.

THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND" I never knew it was in the rules you could wait 20 day's before sending payment? but then again I never looked for this rule. mike

[MAULEMALL]

Here's the answer I got from the buyer. "I WILL SEND PAYMENT OUT MONDAY. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE A JERK, BUT A

PERSON DOES NOT HAVE TO ASK TO MAKE A LATE PAYMENT. THOUGH I WOULD NEVER ASK

FOR THIS AMOUNT OF TIME, IF YOU CHECK EBAY RULES A WINNING BIDDER HAS UP TO

20 DAYS TO MAKE PAYMENT AS LONG AS THE SELLER IS NOTIFIED WITHIN 72 HOURS.

THIS IS JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION IN DEALING WITH OTHERS IN THE FUTURE.

THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND" I never knew it was in the rules you could wait 20 day's before sending payment? but then again I never looked for this rule. mike

I didn't know either.

[Oldtrader3]

I can not find the "(20) Day Payment Rule" anywhere in EBay Policies. Is this true or is thie person just blowing smoke? I thought that the seller established the payment method, terms and policies of their sale.

[DonHeath]

To be eligible to collect a Final Value Fee credit, you must complete the Non-Paying Bidder Alert form at least 7 days but not more than 45 days after your listing closes.

 

Ebay apparently doesn't know about the 20 day rule either.

[gmarguli]

I can not find the "(20) Day Payment Rule" anywhere in EBay Policies. Is this true or is thie person just blowing smoke? I thought that the seller established the payment method, terms and policies of their sale.

 

Neither can I find it. Every thing I type in the search engine brings back pages telling me how to pay with PayPal.

 

I thought it used to be that you were supposed to contact the seller within 3 business days and pay for an item within 7 days after.

[fish-migration]

That's interesting, since as a seller what I find most annoying is buyers who can't read 3 sentences worth of instructions. In my listings I list the shipping cost (only one place). I list the costs for insurance if they want

 

I *love* sellers that use 3 sentences of instructions. And I can bid, wait until the auction ends, and paypal away. So, my above post was probably preaching to the choir, as it were.

 

And I agree with most of the other posts in that an ebay sale should be little different than buying something at the shop down the street. You want it, you pay for it. If you have special circumstances, you make those arrangements in advance. It's unfortunate that so many buyers apparently have trouble with that.

 

As long as the auction listing is clear (and >95% of the coin listings I see are), then no problems. And "I'll pay you next week for that thing I bought today" is just bad business. You shoudn't feel remorse about pursuing ebay remedies or leaving neg feedbacks. That's what the feedback is for.

[Oldtrader3]

I do not use EBay much for coins anymore. I have bought too many slabbed clunkers. Nor do I sell many coins (except really low priced stuff) on EBay anymore, because of payment uncertainties and other noise. I would quess, since I am not a dealer, that I have bought roughly (2) times as many coins as I have sold. I pay for my purchases via PayPal within (24) hours or by Money Order mailed within (48) hours. However, I have sold enough coins to have dealt with both problem buyers and sellers.

 

My assumption is: that if I have to wait to receive payment more then the (10) day payment terms that I list on the auction, I do not have a sale. Also, if a seller does not ship within 30 days after receipt of my payment (except under extraordinary circumstances), that person as a thief and I file a complaint.

 

If I can not afford to buy a particular coin today, I pass or put it on a credit card. How I manage my money is not and should not be the seller's problem. It seems as though a great number of people are "living on the come" making their cash flow, credit and payment problems someone else's problem. These people are not children and I am not responsible for them or their issues!

[Count_Erfit]

Bejim...........Re: Richard Cranium

 

ROFLMAO.

 

Please be advised that I will be shamelessly plagiarizing that great name from you in the future.

 

Call your lawyers.

 

luvvit!

 

He may be related to Richard Weed.

 

[spy88]

eBay states that "...as a professional courtesy, payment should be made within 3 days...". The operative words here are "courtesy" and "should". Most people follow thru with this but then there are the others

 

You can read of my present buyer problem after I post this thread and rant on about my NPB in a new post.

 

David

[darktone]

Well, I just had another first with this buyer. He wrote this on the back of the envelope that his payment arrived in - EBAY# (the actual item number) the year and denomination of the coin and the amount of the money order $132.50. This is really crazy!