Question
I normally don't ship overseas, but a French buyer made a point of emailing me and asking if she could bid on an antique inkwell. I said yes, so she bid--persistently--and ultimately won the auction (in fact, drove up the price to nearly $250.00). At first this was happy-dance-time for me...but almost immediately, the buyer started blitzing me with emails, all but demanding that I ship the item NOW because it's going to be a gift.
Okay, here's the rub. I don't accept PayPal, but the buyer did arrange for payment through Bidpay, from whom I received a "payment approved" message. As yet, however, I still don't have the moola in my mitts. Would it be foolhardy of me to go ahead and mail this pricy item without first receiving payment? Could the buyer conceivably cancel the Bidpay payment before I receive it and after I ship the item (in which case I'd be royally screwed)?
I checked her feedback--over 1,000, most of them positive. But a few sellers did complain about this person not wanting to stick to the terms of the auction, and one even called her "completely mad."
What's your take on this? Do I play nice guy and ship now, or should I wait until the payment is securely deposited in my bank account?
Snow
Answer
I would wait. Partially because it's a high amount, and partially because
she is being demanding.
A nice and polite email, very businesslike, stating it will be shipped the same day
payment arrives, thank you.
After that, I would not address the issue with her again.
Oh, if the item is related to perfume, or a French brand, DO NOT put that on the Customs form. Just put "old bottle" or something generally correct.
I had a $350 perfume bottle get refused by Customs and SLOWLY returned to me. Had to call all over the world and get a special number to put on the
package. Luckily, she got it and was happy.
Lucky me, I sprang for shipping that I could insure and track.
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Thanks, larruone. I truly do feel skittish about caving in to her demands. What's kept me from giving her the explanation you suggested is the language barrier. My fluency in French is nonexistent and hers in English isn't much better. I'm not quite sure how to get the point across. I'm also wondering if I'm courting a neg, or worse, if I stand firm (can't get that one feedback comment out of my mind: "She's completely mad." !)
Snow
Answer
I'd add to the advice given...
I'd list it as "Old empty bottle". Or "Old empty decorative bottle" on the customs form.
With BidPay, they aren't allegedly able to stop payment. Not even from their credit card as the BidPay service sold them a money order and not your item, thus they did get the money order sent, and cannot stop that. They cannot complain to the credit card service that you didn't ship, because the credit card bought a MO, not your item... BidPay's service allows you to check MO status online, and once it says, you should be able to send the item. However, being cautious too, I might also wait until I got the MO in the mail.
I like the idea of being able to confirm online on a known site that the seller should expect a MO from the known Western Union owned company and then the MO is a known type and that the buyer isn't supposed to be able to stop payment, nor complain about non-receipt once the MO order status shows "approved" or "mailed".
If the seller hasn't gotten the MO in four business days, they can initiate a trace on the mail with BidPay. If after 10 days it hasn't arrived, BidPay, at the seller's request, can request the MO be replaced with another, with the first one having a stop payment placed on it, as long as the first MO was not cashed.
If the buyer uses a stolen credit card, BidPay will email the seller and attempt to stop the shipment of the item. They will ask the seller to destroy the MO if it has not been cashed and ask that the transaction be considered null and void. If the item has been shipped, then absent abnormal conditions (which are not defined on their FAQ), they claim to typically honor the MO. I would presume the abnormal conditions would be some kind of collusion between the seller and buyer to defraud BidPay. If the seller has cashed the MO and not shipped the item and is notified of the fraud, they ask that the seller return the money to BidPay and not ship the item.
Here is the link.
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snowschu...
Here is a link to Google's language translator.
What I do is write my email in short, simple sentences.
Then I translate it into the desired language.
When I email them, I first paste in the English message, add my closing, and then I paste in the translated email.
That way they get both languages and can do their own translating if preferred.
I also lead off the translation with something like: "I apologize if this contains mistakes. I used an online translator."
Also, if you respond to them through ebay's email system, I THINK, but am not sure, that it will send the email in their language. Seem to have read that somewhere, but I'm not sure...
Answer
Originally Posted by larruone
Also, if you respond to them through eBay's email system, I THINK, but am not sure, that it will send the email in their language.
eBay only translates what eBay writes in the standard e-mails sent through the eBay system. Thus, if you send an eBay invoice to the buyer, the invoice is received in the foreign language of the eBay foreign site where the buyer registered. However, if the seller adds sentences in the note section of the invoice, those sentences are not translated.
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I use freetranslation.com I dunno how good of a translation it is though since I don't speak the language
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I always wait until I have the BidPay $$ in my hand before I ship. It usually comes in about 2 days anyway.
In addition to the good advice Laruone gave you, I would suggest you have as little communication with the buyer as possible. Sometimes (especially with a language barrier) the more you say, the more it hurts you in the long run.
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Again, thanks so much for all the considered advice and invaluable information. You've all been a great help!
Snow
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Hi, Snowschu, welcome to here!
I gotta ask - does your name refer to the wintery footwear or to the breed of kitty?