If you are new to Ebay or a long time seller I am sure that by now you have ran across that certain buyer that just refuses to pay. I have heard all of the excuses! My kid bid on this item, I lost my job, I had a family member to die, I accidentally hit the bid now button, and they go on and on and on. I learned the hard way that being short tempered and leaving negative feedback right away without any communication is the wrong way to go. Don't forget even though they did not pay you they can in return leave you negative feedback as well. Here are some things that I have tried in the past that seem to work and cut my unpaid items down tremendously!
* As soon as the auction ends I always send the buyer a invoice from MY EBAY page.
* If the buyer has not paid within 24 hours I will then send them a email congratulating them on winning my auction. In my email I will also list all of my policies and what methods of payment are accepted. I give all buyers a period of 7 days to complete a transaction and in my emails I will always encourage anyone to email me with questions.
* From here on out I will continue to send a invoice every day that gos by without a payment.
* Around the 4th day I will contact the buyer once again by email to be sure there is nothing that I can assist them with in completing the transaction.
* On the 5th day I will then go to
Link hidden: Login to view This is where I can fill in the user id of the buyer and the item number and receive their contact information. Please be aware that when doing this they will receive your information as well. Now I have a telephone number and I will make an attempt to contact them personally by phone to discuss payment methods. REMEMBER! Always be polite and friendly!
* On the 6th day if all else fails I will then file a case with Square Trade. This is FREE if you choose not to have a mediator for the case.
* On the 7th day I will make one final attempt to contact them by email. Please explain to them that if payment is not received within 24 hours that you will be forced to file a unpaid item dispute with Ebay. Make sure that they are also aware that a unpaid item dispute will result in a buyer strike against their Ebay account which could lead to suspension from Ebay. I also let buyers know that I leave negative feedback for all unpaid items. Send one more final invoice.
* On the 8th day if there is still no payment or communication I will then proceed to file a unpaid item dispute with Ebay. This usually seems to be the point where the buyer wants to talk and make payment arrangements.
* After the unpaid item dispute has been filed I will continue to send out 2 to 3 invoices per day for 7 more days. Sometime they will get tired of seeing those in their email and give in and pay.
* If no payment has been submitted by now you have to throw in the towel. You should then close your unpaid item dispute with Ebay which will result in a buyer strike against the buyers account. You will then become eligible for a final value fee credit that will be most likely granted.
* Now you will have to go back to Square Trade and close your case.
* Last of all when all else fails leave this buyer negative feedback. Chances are that if they did not pay for your item then more than likely they will do the same to other sellers. If this is the case even if they do leave you a negative it will be removed when they are removed from Ebay!
