What If I Don’t Get Paid?

Written by Texas Tracy on July 21, 2008

There are times when a buyer will bid and fail to pay. In reality it has not happened that much to me, but it does indeed happen from time to time. When you get a slow pay/no pay bidder I would recommend following these steps. Get too pushy and you run the risk of getting a negative.

First, give them the benefit of the doubt. Things happen in life-I have had relatives of bidders email me stating that the bidder had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. Relatives of the bidder die. Pets get sick. Computers and Internet crater. The list can be endless, and, sometimes a bit unbelievable, but you can never say for sure. Don’t be quick to assume they are deadbeat.

Second, send them the following email or some version thereof:

Ebay item #____________________________
Hello-just wanted to make sure you received my email regarding your winning bid on the (*FILL IN THE BLANK*). The total with shipping is $(**.**)-insurance is $(**.**) extra. Please email me when you receive this message with your address so I can prepare your package for shipping. Thank you!
Tracy Paymeplease
123 Pay Me Street
Pay Me, TX 99999

This reminder generally will refresh them if you have gotten lost in their jillions of emails.

Last, and most recently the most controversial, is to file a Non-Paying Bidder Report. I do this only when I am confident that the bidder is not going to respond. It is the only way in which sellers can recoup their Final Auction Value fees. I say this is controversial because thanks to ebay’s new feedback system, bidders can give you negative feedback if/when you file a Non-Paying Bidder Report. They can do this because a Non-Paying Bidder Report is a black mark on their record and with too many can result in the eventual expulsion from ebay. So, be aware of this prior to filing one.

As of this writing date sellers cannot file a negative feedback if a bidder fails to pay. Can someone explain the equity in this scenario?

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