Question
But I am going to bow to your counsel. Hello again - its been awhile. I stopped selling on ebay about a year ago and just started back up. So far so good, everything is going fine. Until.
Had an auction end Friday night. My TOS and general ebay policy asks for contact in 3 days, payment in 10 or I can relist or cancel. I send an invoice Sat am. Nada. I send another copy last night with a brief note:
"Hi - This is the 2nd invoice I'm sending for this item. Please confirm you still intend to purchase this. My TOS states contact in 3 days, payment in 10 or I reserve the right to cancel or relist.
thanks, Tessa"
note - I am getting a little more antsy than usual since I am moving and am trying to get all the breakables etc outa here first.
THis is the reply I get from the pompous buffoon.
"Hold onto your horses my dear lady!*Yours is the most discourteous messages/demands for payment I have yet received from any eBay dealer. You*come across as*a*pushy, impolite unprofessional. I only won the auction on the 25th- so please kindly BACK OFF and sit tight! And while you are backing off and letting your heels cool- you might check out my recent purchases on eBay. You've just lost yourself one of the*most well respected*collectors of*high-priced antique porcelain art on eBay. I spend thousands per month adding to*our collection. Check out*recent*eBay*purchases #00000000 and #000000. How many return customers do you have who can pay $12,000.00 apiece for*two* 12" hp Limoges chargers??? You ought to be ashamed of sending a such rude demand for payment- especially after a busy Easter holiday weekend. Where do you come off???Never again will I purchase from you. I will pay you via PayPal and you may consider this your required notice within your 3 day cut-off deadline. Also take some time and review my buyer feedback record- over 700 total positive feedbacks from Sellers only- zero negatives. I am actually one of the nicest buyers/fastest payers*you could possibly have* according to my other dealers. But*I am*never nice*to unmannerly, demanding individuals such as yourself. I*intended to send*your payment in the morning- but as far as I'm concerned you can now wait patiently and cool your hot little heels off until day #10."
I'd love to say something like "well if you can't afford to pay right now I understand"
Any thoughts on holding my temper would be greatly appreciated! This guy seems way too impressed with himself IMO.
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My response would be:
Thank you for the update, I will keep an eye out for your payment.
Then I'd ignore anything else he had to say and add him to my blocked list.
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Holiday weekend, good feedback on his part, sorry, but I think you lost a good future customer there.....
Yes, I see that your TOS says contact within 3 days - but 3 business days would have been nice don't cha think.
Anywho --- the great thing about ebay is you get to run your business anyway you want and buyers be da**ed so you are right and he is wrong.
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The auction ended 3/25? That's just two business days ago.
His e-mail WAS a pretty arrogant-sounding, but IMO, he does have a point.
Many bidders just send their payment without any contact first. Just my opinion, but I would've waited at least 7 days before e-mailing him a second time.
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Not excusing the email you received, but...
Had an auction end Friday night. My TOS and general eBay policy asks for contact in 3 days, payment in 10 or I can relist or cancel. I send an invoice Sat am. Nada. I send another copy last night
if you sent an invoice on Saturday am, it is three days later just this morning, and there was a holiday this past weekend. eBay even suggests that you allow three business days for contact.
edited to add- I don't type too fast. I see you've already received similar replies, and didn't mean to be piling on.
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After 3 days I just send another "won auction" notice - just in case the first email gets lost. Along with auction and payment details, the email states my deadline (7 days), but not in a demanding way...just a cheerful "Your payment is due on: 01/01/05, please reply if you wish to send a money order so we know to expect it".
At day 9 (2 days late), I send an email with all the invoice info, plus this:
'I have checked my records and I can't find confirmation of your payment. I know that sometimes payment notification emails fail to get sent by Paypal, so it's possible that I have just missed it. If you believe you've paid already, please check your records and let me know. If you've sent out a money order, please reply and let me know that you sent it (also, please send me your address). I also realize that sometimes people get busy and forget about their winning auctions. If that's the case, please follow the directions below to make your payment as soon as possible. Thanks! "
For what it's worth, I'm 5 years, 100% fb (2500+), no NPB's in 4 months, and no one has ever called me rude.
Bottomline - my mantra on these msg boards - Never get adversarial with a buyer. Even if someone doesn't pay, I'm polite right up to the end. I even apologize for "having" to file with eBay to get back my listing fees. I tell them that I understand that sometimes there are valid reasons why people cannot pay for an auction. I wish them luck in their future purchases, and hope they will consider buying from me again in the future.
No matter how rude, how insulting, or how stupid, I positively wreak in syrupy niceness.
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The buyer in question has stellar feedback and isn't afraid to spend money. If you are in the habit of listing the type of items they collect, I would try to appease him/her a bit. Repeat buyers are a wonderful thing.
I like to hear back from my buyers promptly too, but I give extra time over weekends and holidays. If I have items end on Friday, I'll wait until the following week before resending my EOA.
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When you ship the item, include a sincere thank you acknowledging their email response, etc. Many peope don't respond to emails right away for a variety of reasons, some not at all, even when they send/sent payment promptly.
Tip-toe right past those buyers who have their fangs bared, to some buyers its a power play. Let them have their way, in the end you might have the final say. Is this relationship workable, salvageable, worth-while?
If you don't like them, "mummify" your item when you send it. Wrap it up thoroughly with bubble wrap, followed by lots and lots of tape. Those things are are real pain to unwrap.
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His reply was a bit over the top.
If I'd been the buyer I would send you back something like, "Sorry I missed your first email. I've been celebrating the holiday weekend. Payment will arrive within your 10-day window."
Then I would send payment on day 10, and never buy from you again.
Impatient sellers are just like impatient buyers. I have no desire to invest the time/effort it takes to keep them happy. There's too many fish...errr.....sellers to choose from.
I very rarely buy from sellers who want "contact" in X days, anyway. The way I see it, I placed a bid, didn't I? You send me the payment info, I'll send the money. Everything else is a waste of time. When I walk into a B&M, I don't see any need to walk over to the cashier and say, "Hello, my name is xxxxx and I'll be buying xxxxxx today using a credit card. You can expect me to check out in 30 minutes."
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I've never said I have the patience of a saint. I really am moving and have a window to get everything shipped and sent out before the boxes proliferate. Ergo the quick note.
The item I sold him was a one off - something I inherited and I don't expect to have again. THis is my moving sale - everything must go!
I may have been impatient but I don't think I was rude. I had a one feedback buyer who paid immediately after the auction without an invoice so ask me which type of buyer I would rather have.
It just frosts me when someone tries to intimidate by name-callihng etc. There's no need for it.