Why won't my buyer pay me?! ( atgi on ebay)

[michelle53]

This is not pony related, but I could use some advice.  On July 18th, one of my items on eBay sold.  Great, I was happy and sent the buyer an invoice.  Nothing beyond that.  Then 5 days later on the 23rd, the same buyer bought 2 more of my items and asked about another one.  I sent another invoice with combined shipping for the three purchased items 2 days later.  They said that was fine, and asked again about my other item.  That night, I sent over a price for the item they had asked about and said that shipping would cost more considering the weight of the new item.  This was 4 days ago.  Today marks 15 days since the initial auction ended.

Today is August 1st and I still have not been paid for ANY of the items they purchased.  Now I am now getting angry!!!   The kicker??  All 3 items including shipping are like $23 total.  All of my auctions clearly state that "payment must be made within 3 days of auction ending."  This person is not a newbie buyer, with over 1000+ positive feedback.  So why haven't they paid for my auctions yet?!  I strive to be a patient and understanding person, and I have no problem helping someone out!  If the buyer needs more time to pay, then they need to let me know that.

Considering both myself and the buyer have been communicating through messages, I would feel like a major jerk relisting the items.  In all reality, I have another person interested in 2 of the sold items, and would much rather sell them to her.  What should I do?  How much longer should I wait???  Ugh, I hate being in this type of situation. 

[edited to add ID to the  title for you  . this person is a time waster.  ~ XX Ringlets ]

[ponylady]

  Michelle.

I am going to go by a little experience here with those types of buyers.  When you send a new combined invoice to them it resets the whole how many days they have to pay.  So yes, initially it had been 15 days from the sale of the first item but like I said when you send that new invoice it changes back to the beginning according to ebay.  And buyers have figured this out, sometimes to string you along for some extra days.  I am not saying that all buyers who do this are milking the system but there are one's who do.

I would politely message her and say that although you are pleased she has purchased your items that payment is now due.  I think if you are upfront with her about it she will either pay or hopefully tell you she needs more time.

Good Luck! and let us know how it turns out.

[michelle53]

Ahh, I see what you're saying Ponylady.  So in all reality, I suppose I shot myself in the foot by sending the invoice.  Oh well, I've never had this happen before, and have sold items on eBay before with no incident.  I suppose it is better than having to deal with someone complaining that the item is not as described or that the item is not in the box as others are handling right now!!! 

Thanks so much for your help Ponylady:)  You are seriously one of the best eBay sellers I've ever had the pleasure of buying from!!  For the future, I should just not send an invoice unless requested by the buyer.  Or just continue to sell here on the Arena.

[ponylady]

I don't think you did anything wrong by sending her a new invoice, it's just it shows the most recent purchase date and voids that other one technically.

But if you have it stated in your auctions that payment is due within three days.  Then you are well within your right to expect payment no matter what was just purchased.  Like I said I would message her and explain that payment is due.  It just stinks when these things happen especially if you were counting on getting paid within a specific time frame. 

And thankies for the compliment.   

[Ringlets]

*hugs*    Its such a pain when buyers do that - especially when they seem to think its perfectly ok  
  I would definitely suggest that you contact your buyer and politely ask her if she still wants the items she originally bought since you noticed its been 15 days since the first purchase, and you usually require payment within 3 days.  Hopefully that will move her to hurry up and pay you.  If she has so much positive feedback there is still a very good chance she is going to pay up, but its not fair to keep you waiting for this long *sigh*

[TornadoLovesMelody]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having trouble with a buyer. You of all people. =(
Ponylady and Ringlets have great advice and I have nothing to add to it. I just hope for the best. Please keep us posted.

[plushroo]

I never knew that it would restart the time you first bought an item. 

[michelle53]

I never knew that either Plush!!  Awww thanks TLM for the sweet words, I'm so happy to see you around again!!!!!
So still no payment.  I'm sending over an email just to ask what is going  on (politely). 

[kakenterprise]

I find that some people honestly forget to pay or try to put it off for as long as possible.  If they have 1000+ in feedback there probably not going to risk getting a none paying strike against their account.  I had a similar situation with a giant plush I wanted out of the house asap.  I sent a friendly email telling them their item was packaged and would go out as soon as I received a payment.  The next day I received a payment and was trilled to ship it.     

You can except a payment within 3 days but I'm pretty sure you can't file against a buyer for 7 days. 

[emery]

You can actually file a non-paying bidder dispute as soon as 4 days after the auction ends. Then the buyer still has 4 days to make payment before they get the strike so I would recommend opening a dispute if you don't get payment or communication ASAP. They are not a new ebayer if they have that much feedback and they have been communicating so they just may need a little kick to actually get the payment out of them and sometimes the dispute does the trick. If you last sent the combined shipping invoice over 4 days ago you are well within your rights to start opening disputes if you don't hear anything back.

[michelle53]

Day 17, still no payment.  I sent over a polite message the other day kindly asking when they plan on remitting their payment.  The buyer did reply, saying they are stalking another one of my auctions and *might* buy that one too. 
I have to be honest, I'm not at all happy with how any of this has gone down.  I really don't mind waiting the extra time if the person has a good reason.  Heck, I try to be as flexible as possible, but even I have my limits.

Ugh, such a pain the the butt!!!!

[Shenanigans]

Sometimes people will put in their description that they will wait for payment in between auctions for a certain amount of time. Like if they win an auction they have to pay within 5 or 6 days to get combined shipping. Not wait 7 to 10 days to bid on another because then the seller just keeps getting strung along. The buyer doesn't sound like he/she is even sure they are going to bid I think you've you patient long enough. Maybe you can tell them you don't have forever to wait for payment and give them a deadline?

[ponylady]

What a joke.  I can't believe they are still stringing you along.

In all honesty I would block them so they can not purchase anymore items till they make good on the other items.

I would then send them a polite message and say although you appreciate their business you can no longer wait on payment for the other items.  And you have blocked them from further purchase until payment is made.

That is just plain ridiculous making you wait and then telling you "Oh I was going to purchase more" after YOU emailed them.  If they had emailed you instead stating their intentions then I might think differently about it but that is not the case.

[michelle53]

All of my auctions state:  payment is due within 3 days of auction ending.  There's no confusion there, no head scratching moment!!  The buyer keeps saying how they want another of my (expensive) items and wants to know how much I'd sell it to them for.  Check the listing!!!  The item is my PVC boned underbust corset that I paid a fortune for.  I get the feeling they want it for super cheap.  Sorry, but no.  How about you pay me the 23.65 that you owe me and move on.

I am so frustrated right now.  Not to mention I have to wait before PayPal releases the funds to me, which will likely be another 2 weeks.  That makes over a month for me to get paid.  I have my own things to pay for, and Arena members I owe money to.  I can't afford to be jerked around!!!  I am never selling on eBay again! 

[Glacia471]

This just sounds like a huge hassle! Sorry you're having to deal with this Michelle   Back when I did still sell on ebay, I only listed items maybe 2 consecutive days a week and wouldn't list more until those had finished simply to avoid situations like these. I do know that won't work for everyone though