problem with a bidder, what should i do?

[Jypsy]

I do a crazy amount of ebay auctions for work, going through old collectibles that have been in storage or doing commissioned auctions for customers, and I have to say this is EXTREMELY common.


you have two options:
1. (as you already have) Tell her that you are willing to cancel her bids, if she says no, then inform her that you expect her to pay in full if she is to win the auction, and if she does not, file a non-paying bidder report. This may be the best bet to make sure she doesn't scam anyone.

2. Just cancel her bids immediately and block her.
I am slightly concerned to hear that you have gotten "texts" from her. she has your phone number? or else does this refer to your ebay communications? 

Don't let sob stories change your mind. If someone is really going on ebay trying to get a gift for poor dying Timmy but are going to beg you to break the rules, they have bigger issues anyways.

Selling on eBay is a business and it should be treated as such by all parties involved.

[cyanide]

I do a crazy amount of ebay auctions for work, going through old collectibles that have been in storage or doing commissioned auctions for customers, and I have to say this is EXTREMELY common.


you have two options:
1. (as you already have) Tell her that you are willing to cancel her bids, if she says no, then inform her that you expect her to pay in full if she is to win the auction, and if she does not, file a non-paying bidder report. This may be the best bet to make sure she doesn't scam anyone.

2. Just cancel her bids immediately and block her.
I am slightly concerned to hear that you have gotten "texts" from her. she has your phone number? or else does this refer to your ebay communications? 

Don't let sob stories change your mind. If someone is really going on ebay trying to get a gift for poor dying Timmy but are going to beg you to break the rules, they have bigger issues anyways.

Selling on eBay is a business and it should be treated as such by all parties involved.

Yes it does really seem like a good idea to cancel and block! and i will do that, i just want to see what she replys (she'll ge blocked either way).

as for your question 2  jypsy, i meant text as in ebay messages, not mobile phone texts. english is not my main language so i apology is theres wierd words here and there =)

[FantasticFirefly]

Yep- very common.
I always got messages that someones gravely ill child wanted a pony, could I please end the auction for XX amount (usually 40% to about 10% of the value). People's kids always wanted the expensive ponies, funny that. I never ever got such a message about a Sundance, or Peachy I had listed. Mail orders, rares with accessories, heck yeah! It's a really common tactic to use a story about a child sadly.

[Icecrystalline]

Sorry but this sounds like a scammer. I'd cancel bids quick and block her!

[cyanide]

righty, an update . i sent a message that i would not accept any part-payments or lower prices should she win. i also offered to remove her bids again. but she replied with this:

" No, it's fine. Whatever price it turns out to be then I'll pay it."

so what should i do? now it seems she is willing to actually pay it, she also have 100% postive feedback from buying stuff before. but you never know.. (i know sellers cant leave negs) and i know theres a risk she may not in the end, gah

[FantasticFirefly]

If you leave her bid in place, you can report her and recoup your fees if she does not pay. You can also send a second chance offer to the second highest bidder if she doesn't follow through.

If your plush ends high I recommend shipping with insurance and delivery confirmation, even if you do so out of pocket. You don't want her pulling a "I didn't get it" scam through paypal on you later to keep the item & get the money back.

[Galactica]

She sounds like a scammer or a nut.   

but if she has agreed to pay the price no matter what it ends at- there is still a possibility she will pay you, if in fact she even wins.   

I would give her the chance unless you really don't want to deal with her which is totally your own choice after all.  It is your auction- you can cancel crazies if you want to, and she certainly has done enough to warrant being cancelled (and blocked).


Oddly enough- something similar happened to me when I sold a large collection of Strawberry Shortcake dolls.  The lady said she really wanted them for her sick kid who was home-bound, etc.   I did not agree to end the auction or give her a deal (her story sounded fishy).  She actually did win and pay for the dolls-  she ended up re-selling them all on ebay very soon thereafter-  I didn't care but thought it was odd she would sell her poor sick daughter's treasured possessions.... right.   People are liars.    Anyone who truly did have a sick kid would NOT using their child's illness as leverage for an ebay auction-

[cyanide]

yea, i suppose some people use sick kids as a chance of getting stuff cheaper and counting on peoples goodwill. ive heard other stories like it before.

I think im going to let her bid as she said she will pay if she win even if it goes high, she also just recently sent another message where she said that she had been working some extra hours at her work, and felt better about it if it would go higher.

The other risk is ofcourse whats have been mentioned here, that if she claims a "item not recieved"-type of scam after.

Still there is about 4 days left of the auction, so theres still time to reconsider should i see any other "warning signs".

Thanks for your opinions everyone, i'll keep you updated on how it went

[ClosetAvalanche]

I thought I would add that a common way of getting out of a npb strike is to pay for the item, then claim not as described and return it. Another scenario- she recieves it, claims not as describes then hassles you for a partial refund.

Honestly, I would cancel her bids and block.

[Icecrystalline]

I thought I would add that a common way of getting out of a npb strike is to pay for the item, then claim not as described and return it. Another scenario- she recieves it, claims not as describes then hassles you for a partial refund.

Honestly, I would cancel her bids and block.

I agree 100% with this. I would really block and cancel bids, it sounds extremely dodgy, and I really feel going with your gut instinct can get you out of any future problems. Just my thoughts.

[NoPonySpecial]

  I know sellers cannot leave negative feedback, but they can still write detailed comments, can't they? Did you read her feedback at all? There could be some clues in there as to whether or not to trust her to pay.
  She sounds like a wacko to me!

[goddessofpeep]

Ah the sick child story.  There must be an awful lot of sick children who want rare and expensive stuff off of ebay.  99% sure the story is a complete lie.  These mysterious sick children tend to pop up for rare ponies, but pretty much anything expensive is apparently of interest to them. 

Personally, I would cancel and block.  She might be planning to do a chargeback if she's no longer concerned about the cost.  Ebay and Paypal almost always side with the buyer in disputes, even when the seller has proof that they sent out the item.  *If* you still want to accept her bid, insist that she pay for top of the line shipping with tracking/delivery confirmation/insurance/signed-for delivery/whatever else the post office has.  Even with all that, you still could be out the money if Paypal refuses to accept your proof.  If this is an international transaction, I wouldn't risk it.  As far as I know, there is no form of proof that Paypal will accept for international transactions.  You just send it and cross your fingers.

Also, do yourself  a favor and check her feedback.  While buyers can't get negatives, you can see what she's left for other people.  It's a good way to spot a nut.

[fingerpaints]

I agree, there are alot of people out there with apparent sick children, with horrible problems, that "all their child wants in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD is your expensive, rare item you have for sale". I have had alot over the years, and I have heard just about every excuse under the sun for people not contacting / paying. From they were in hospital, their partner / child / parent / uncle joe / librarian etc were in hospital, they couldn't drive for whatever reason, their parent / child / dog etc died, don't get me wrong, if the stories are true, I have empathy for them, but, I am very suspicious of these messages as I seem to deal with alot of them.

A simple "Hi, I can't pay until x day, because that is payday" is fine for most people, and if you don't intend to pay for it, don't bid.

I really hope this transaction goes well for you

[Ringlets]

Soo many times I've heard the sick kid story    This buyer does sound a bit dodgy , and it probably would be safer to cancel her bids.  Still.. if she is insisting that she will pay now , even if it goes high, then there is a chance that she will. If she doesnt pay then you can always open a non paying biddr case to get your fees back, and then do a second chance offer to the next highest bidder.  If you decide to give her a chance and she does win the auction, then definitely make sure you send the item with tracking, insurance, delivery confirmation -whatever your country offers - to make sure that she doesnt scam you by claiming that the item never arrived   

[babylofty]

To be honest, I just had to put down a cat that had been hit by a car over Thanksgiving weekend - in this case I was the seller, and I asked my buyer to give me a couple of days to get myself back to where I wasn't bursting into tears while driving to the post office.  So yes, it does happen.

However, I DO roll my eyes at the whole "child sick/dying" excuse, or "I have multiple excuses why I haven't paid/sent my items" which have been beaten to death.  And in this particular case, I would absolutely go ahead and cancel the bids.