So you finally won the item and now nothing is going right?!

So the item finally sold but payment is nowhere in sight?!

(Did that rhyme?)

Some years ago, I did a little buying and selling on eBay, even before they had worked out most of the kinks in the online payment process. I found it quite enjoyable but I stopped because of the large percentage of, shall I say, "bad experiences" I suffered in relation to those that went off without a hitch.

Hello Sellers!

It is an exciting feeling, being the bidder and finally winning that item you've long searched for. What a great gift/surprise/collection addition it will make! Much anticipation for an item that just never arrives..........

WAIT A MINUTE --- what do you mean, NEVER ARRIVES?!

Well, I found a signed hockey puck on eBay a few Christmases ago. It was signed by the winning coach of my and my best friend's favorite team. It also happened to be from a Stanley Cup winning year. Talk about a stroke of luck! I bid immediately.

A few days later, I discovered that I'd won the item. After marking my Christmas list, I paid for it within a few hours of receiving the emailed invoice and anxiously awaited its arrival. Two weeks past. Then another, then another. I emailed a few times asking for a tracking number for the shipment, only to receive silence in return. Finally after 6 weeks, I sent a less than ladylike (without being rude or profane, mind you) email to the seller. What I got back was a horrible tirade of accusations and condescending remarks that would have had anyone cringe! Things like, "Who do you think you are, you Canadian hick?!" (Wow, I'm still not over that one.) I asked for a refund if he wasn't going to send the item. He swore that he had but couldn't offer me any kind of backup. "What, you think we should be out the money AND the item?!" (I didn't see any real problem with that. After all, I was the customer and he seemed to think it was perfectly fine that I was out both.) "Do you really think we need your $49.95 that badly?!" (Apparently so, as he didn't offer any kind of compensation other than his vile note.) I suggested that I would be forced to leave negative feedback if he refused to try and do right by the transaction. "Go ahead, you do what you @##^&! think you should do!" Oh, my.

This actually stopped me from buying for quite some time. It was basically a once bitten, twice shy syndrome. Why would I invite that sort of thing again? Now that eBay has grown and there are many paths one can take to resolve issues, I'm considering doing a little more buying/selling than I've done for a while. But, SELLERS, please remember the following:

1. Buyers don't want to have a difficult transaction. They want all to go smoothly, just like you do.
2. PLEASE respond to emails so we don't feel that we're shooting in the dark.
3. Rude and unseemly language is completely unnecessary. You can get your point across just fine without it. Don't poison the waters for other buyers out there; what good will that do you or any other seller?
4. Be sure to remember the way you would like to be treated face to face and approach all your communication in this manner. Buyers will love you for it.
5. If the transaction/shipment/communication goes a bit sideways and you're frustrated, do your best to leave things between you and the buyer on a positive note. Burning bridges has never served anyone well in the eBay community.

Hello Buyers! 

I had a collection of decorative plates my mother-in-law asked me to sell for her. I happily obliged. All went well until I tried to contact one winning buyer about a payment that seemed late (it had been about 2 weeks and nothing). I received an email a few days later, stating that she'd been very sick and was unable to make the payment until the end of the month (I received this note on the 11th). Not wanting to kick someone while down, I relented until the end of the month when I said that I hoped she would make every effort to get the payment to me as quickly as possible. She agreed.

Three weeks went by and nothing. I contacted her again. She said that she'd had an emergency and was short of funds to pay for the item, at least for another few weeks. So, now what? Do I wait and hope for the best? Do I file a non-payment alert with eBay? Do I simply say, no thanks, and put the item back up for sale? I opted for the first one --- one week was my compromise, at which time I'd relist the item. She agreed. The next time I was contacted  was by eBay, saying that this person's eBay status had been denied and that I should file a claim for non-payment. It turns out, she'd been giving this story to many others just like me and most weren't as patient. Well, I hadn't yet sent the item; it wasn't a problem relisting it and eventually selling it in a smooth transaction. But what a waste of time! 

Buyers, the sellers on eBay would like nothing better than to have you happy and willing to spend. But please ............

1. Don't bid on anything you think there may be a possibility of you not being able to afford. Nothing is more frustrating to a seller than an incomplete transaction.
2. If you truly aren't able to pay, for whatever reason, BE HONEST about it. Don't string the seller along with sob stories and excuses. The end result is the same so you might as well 'fess up and save everyone valuable time.
3. Non-payment and bad excuses are the reasons why some sellers have such long, complicated lists of conditions on their auction sites. Most of this is borne from bad experiences or from the horror stories of fellow sellers.
4. Be sure to pay quickly for your item(s). Don't have the seller hunting you down, looking for the payment. You should have the funds available to you WHEN YOU BID, not later when the auction will end.
5. Put yourself in the seller's shoes; how would you feel if you'd gone to all the trouble of listing, etc only to get stiffed?

In the end, if everyone is honest and reads the fine print, transactions should work out every time. At least this way, when the odd one goes sideways due to personal emergencies, snail mail, payment miscommunication, etc., you'll be okay giving it the benefit of the doubt and move on to resolve the situation. Being constantly suspicious doesn't make anyone comfortable.

A good way to thank your buyers/sellers for great transactions is to visit and read some of the reviews/guides they may have listed as well. There is an enormous amount of free personal expertise just waiting for you. (I have several if you'd care to take a look!) eBay is a great business but it should be fun, too. Let's all work towards keeping it that way! 

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Thank you so much !!!