Chapter 24. Dealing with Non-Paying Buyers

IN THIS CHAPTER

• How to Handle Bum Buyers

• Contacting an Unresponsive Bidder

• Filing an Unpaid Item Dispute

• Asking eBay to Refund Your Fees

• Leaving Negative Feedback

• Giving Other Bidders a Second Chance

• Relisting Your Item

A non-paying buyersometimes called a deadbeat bidderis someone who wins an auction but never follows through with the transaction. Not only should you leave negative feedback about these unreliable buyers, but you also should request a credit from eBay for your final value fee.

What do you do when you have a non-paying buyer in one of your eBay transactions? Fortunately, you still have the merchandise, which you can relist and (hopefully) sell again. You are out some eBay fees, howeveralthough you can probably get them refunded when you report the non-paying buyer to eBay.

When eBay receives what it calls a Non-Paying Bidder Alert, the service automatically sends a warning to the user in question. If the buyer is found at fault, he receives an Unpaid Item strike against his account. After three such strikes, he's indefinitely suspended from the eBay service.

So there!