As a seller do you let auction winners "off the hook"?

[rjpb]

I ve only sold maybe five hundred items on ebay over the years, and have only had one bidder flake on me, and that was in the early days of ebay. When I hadn't gotten a payment in two weeks I sent a message and got a response apologizing, the buyer had forgotten and would have payment in the mail. Another two weeks later I sent another message and got a response that payment had been sent, when I replied I hadn't received it, I got a response saying ebay was a scam and the buyer was done with it. All this for a $12 item mind you. The NPB never left feedback of any kind, and I decided to keep the item ( still have it).

[Number 6]

I like to avoid stress at all costs. Forcing someone to follow through with a purchase can lead to a stressful situation. Simply relisting can sometimes lead to a bigger sale and at least chances of a smoother transaction are on the horizon. Let the a hole go.

Yeah, exactly. BECAUSE it's a smaller dollar amount it's nothing to get stressed and worked up for. If it was several hundreds+ than yeah, for sure I'd be upset and take further action but for $66? Not worth time going back and forth and freaking out about it- simply relisting it will likely be easier.

 

While I understand the sentiment here, you do realize that this mentality just enables flaky eBayers? Why would buyers worry about consequences when sellers will just let it go and relist? File unpaid bidder claims no matter what dollar amount is involved. Get them reported and their violations recorded. Then relist. There's nothing to stress about, just let the system work. By allowing this behavior, you lose the right to complain about it because you are encouraging it.

 

Ebay's policies are what's enabling this kind of behavior, not sellers who are trying to be reasonable.

 

If a buyer flakes out, I send them a Cancel Transaction request and let them out (if they simply don't pay and don't communicate, then I go the NPB route). The reason being is that if I try and force them to follow through on their "obligation" by filing a NPB, it could easily blow up on me.

 

Let's say I file a NPB on a buyer who want's to back out. I've got a return policy, so all the buyer has to do is pay, get the item and then claim "Not As Described" and return it. Now I'm out return shipping, I run the risk of getting items back damaged through careless packing by the buyer (or an empty box with a tracking number) and a Neg on top of it.

 

Sorry if you see it as enabling, but like other's said, it's not worth the headache. Let 'em out, block 'em and move on.

 

As far as the seller in the OP, yeah it could be a shill. But it's also possible that the reason he didn't want to divulge the buyer's name is fear of retaliation. When you do a Cancel Transaction Request the buyer can still leave feedback. If the buyer goes to bid on another item and find's himself blocked, he may ask why, find out who's responsible, and slam the first seller with negative feedback. Just my

[Hawkman]

if they give me an answer that seems decent, then i'll let them out. i've done it before when people told me they had to get unexpected surgery, etc. luckily for me, it's only happened with items i could easily resale.

[Venom]

I have had countless people buy books from me and not pay for a week an once I re list the item they immediately pay and demand the item is shipped that day, but then again I have also had people not respond to my invoices and never pay. The best bet on a shill bid is to look at % of activity with the seller.

[fastballspecial]

Its really not worth they headache. I do require they complete the cancellation form so I can recoup my fees and re-list the book.

 

Its seems lately instead of just not paying they have alot of excuses for why they didnt mean to bid or buy this book.

 

Closer to holidays it will get worse.

 

[Warlord]

Not too many months ago I had a buyer from Greece win about a comics lot for about $100. About a day or two after the auction ended I got a message advising that the buyer had lost his job and asked if we could cancel the transaction. It seemed like a good idea to go along with the request.

[shadroch]

On the other side of the coin- A few years ago I was bidding on an early Thor book- I think it was #91, but not sure. I put in a bid and a day or so later got an outbid notice. I moved on and bought another copy on a BIN. A couple days later I get an email invoice. The high bidder retracted his bid soon after he placed it and I unknowingly won the book. I neither wanted nor could afford the second copy but the seller was a hardazz about it. He refused to do anything and I ended up getting a NPB or whatever its called.

[Buzzetta]

I feel out the situation.

 

If the buyer walks away then of course I file a NPB form.

 

If the buyer contacts me and has a story then so be it and we cancel the transaction. It sold once, it will sell again.

 

No, I try never to report names or talk about individuals by name here or on other boards. As far as I am concerned it is not anyone's business. I handle my own situations.

Concerning what Shadroch just mentioned. I would have agreed to cancel the transaction. Not Shadroch's fault. Things happen. The seller was being a tool.

[Cascaders27]

In the instances where the high bidder backs out and I was the second highest bidder I've always seen the second chance offer as exactly that - an offer. I never knew you were obligated to follow through on a second chance deal. Did Ebay change the way this works at one point perhaps? I know I've declined second chance offers by just not purchasing the item within the I think 24 hour period I got.

[comixcroz]

In the instances where the high bidder backs out and I was the second highest bidder I've always seen the second chance offer as exactly that - an offer. I never knew you were obligated to follow through on a second chance deal. Did Ebay change the way this works at one point perhaps? I know I've declined second chance offers by just not purchasing the item within the I think 24 hour period I got.

He is saying that the winning bid was canceled or retracted during the live auction and he ended up winning the item without knowing. A second chance offer is definitely not mandatory. That only comes in to play with the under-bidder after the winning bidder reneges. In this case, Shadroch was the winning bidder.