Best offers made but then they don’t pay

[vintagechinashop]

im almost done with best offers 3 buyers this week made a best offer and then just didn't bother paying. Why do people do this it's so frustrating because you have lost out on another possible sale while you wait to be able to cancel and relist    One person even messaged to say she was being paid the next day and then dropped off the face of the planet. My blocked bidders list is ever growing. Anyone else find this frustrating? 

[arkwebus]

While it is frustrating the only way forward is to open a non-payer case every single time.  The buyer gets a defect and will be restricted from buying if he gets another.  Result!

I must admit I cannot see the point in offers on selling BIN.  If you'll take less in reality why not lower the price with no offers?  [High] offers on auction gives an easy way to buy and end the auction.

@vintagechinashop 

[iew-signed-books]

A regular occurrence I'm afraid. Just block them and move on.

[technthread]

I had someone pay on day 5 recently, wasn't bothered about the item, forgot about it and they only paid because I sent them a quick message.

Overall though I've actually found that since I enabled offers on some clothing a few weeks ago, the buyers who made an offer were very quick to pay on the whole. I haven't had many issues with auction payers either recently.

One thing I would appreciate from eBay is when we do get a non payer, if they can credit 1 back to the monthly listing allowance for those of us who pay for a Shop subscription that would be fair. We do pay for it at the end of the day, I have never understood why they don't add 1 back onto the allowance in those circumstances as a good well gesture to business sellers. 

[litp*records]

Why - because it makes the buyer feel that they are getting a deal. Basic customer psychology.

With offers, most people do follow through from my experience, about 1 in 10 don't (after offer accepted on both sides).

With auctions my failure rate is much higher, 1 in 3 do not pay.  Which is ridiculous.  

[iew-signed-books]

That is shocking - and totally unacceptable. They wouldn't do that in a proper auction house - well, not to such a large extent.

[sheba-knows-best]

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@vintagechinashop wrote:

im almost done with best offers 3 buyers this week made a best offer and then just didn't bother paying. Why do people do this it's so frustrating because you have lost out on another possible sale while you wait to be able to cancel and relist    One person even messaged to say she was being paid the next day and then dropped off the face of the planet. My blocked bidders list is ever growing. Anyone else find this frustrating? 

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Yes, annoying, but - leaving aside people who just change their mind, maybe because they were also waiting on an auction end, or because they found something better before you accepted - there is a pyschology to it too. I suspect:

Some people need to know the selling price before they are able to truly make their mind up. 

Some people need to know they have achieved the lowest price possible before they are happy (so early acceptance worries these)

Some people are concerned the item is rubbish if you accept too low a price vs. their price research or if you drop too low from start price.

Some people have changed their mind and it is better FOR YOU if they don't pay than if they return.

There's probably loads more I have perceived - and a pyschologist would have a field day. My point is you need to have a strategy. I try to:

a) price my items well in the first place - so I'm not selling for 50% which could ring alarm bells - unless I give a reason (even something as simple as 'times are hard' ; 'I need the storage')

b) drop to my 'happy price' (usually 20% off) in the first counter, but give an extra £1 or 50p per counter to let the buyer  realise this really is the price and she can think about it.

c) counter with a price just 1p below the offer and add a message something like - please be aware I don't post until X, or I hope you saw that the item is...... -  the point is you are making clear that you are NOT desperate for the sale (again rings alarm bells)  and you give the buyer a chance to know the price and have a think. You will lose some sales this way. But I see them as people who wouldn't have paid anyway, or who would have returned.

[237ben]

eBay could support an entire branch of psychological research. It hardly surprising that 'make offer' results in some odd buyer behaviour. On the flip side, I’ve experienced some highly bizarre behaviour from sellers who use the 'make offer' feature too.

[tommystrezures]

There is a facility on BINS that there that requires immediate payment, when buyers use the BIN feature. Does that not kick in too when offers made?

Its in the preferences bit at the bottom of each listing:

[1956glyn]

To my knowledge...no it does not

[tommystrezures]

Thanks @1956glyn wasn't sure, as never offered in that way, but it was worth the ask!!

[1956glyn]

You are welcome.  I do not usually list with best offer but i do have listings currently with best offer.

If i get an acceptable offer then i will know for sure 🙂

[tommystrezures]

👍

[iew-signed-books]

I have found that that one often doesn't work.

[litp*records]

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@iew-signed-books wrote:

That is shocking - and totally unacceptable. They wouldn't do that in a proper auction house - well, not to such a large extent.

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I have also had 4 people withdrawing bids in the last few days.  Too bad these people don't get strikes!

I've bid on plenty of stuff I either didn't really want or didn't want to pay so much for, but I still honoured the purchase and paid as that is the proper thing to do.  Nowadays it seems there are no consequences.

[litp*records]

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@tommystrezures wrote:

There is a facility on BINS that there that requires immediate payment, when buyers use the BIN feature. Does that not kick in too when offers made?

Its in the preferences bit at the bottom of each listing:

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No, it doesn't

[litp*records]

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@1956glyn wrote:

To my knowledge...no it does not

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Correct.. sorry did not see your post before.

Inmediate payment required is not recommended anyway, since that makes it awkward to combine purchases.  Ideally you want to encourage buyers to buy several items from you and so requiring immediate payment means they have to pay several lots of postage and then for it to be part refunded, which is just hassle.

[tommystrezures]

It doesn't or rarely happens at a proper auction house, any auction house using the saleroom, in their back end of the software there is a feature that shows if buyers have paid etc. Almost like a feedback section. General rule of thumb with auction houses, don't pay once, you get a lifetime ban, and that info is shared with every auction house using the saleroom. So when you go for pre authorisation of an auction, that is in part how they will determine if they want your custom or not.

[technthread]

I would recommend free postage with require immediate payment ticked. It takes the re-invoicing and fielding of messages about postage out of the equation.

To intice buyers to buy a few things at once you can still offer % discounts on multi buys and it will automatically total for them at checkout.

I have played around with different ways of doing it before, including buy X get X free and that can work well to boost sales on low value items. 

[laptopsparesrepairs]

How its not Require immediate payment on Offers yet is absolutly insanity, I have had 3 offers accepted in the last few weeks with one being the same ID, ended up having to block them but if Offers complied with the Require immediate payment option then this would never be an issue. I see it as a no brainer.