Auction. How long to wait before "non paying buyer"?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Orion8472

Member
Joined
May 8, 2008
Messages
3,634
If you have an auction and someone won it, how long do you wait before declaring "non paying buyer", if you haven't received anything, nor had any replies back from messages?
 
Depends. A week or so unless they have been in contact saying they are out of town or something that seems valid. Also, depends on their feedback some.

I had a guy get really mad at me even though I was in daily contact with him and sent the MO out the day after I won the auction. USPS let me down and it took a while to get from the east coast to Iowa. He was having a kitten and getting a bit rude when it wasn't there in a few days. It made it there (he didn't apologize after pretty much calling me a liar) and he could see the post mark on it.

So, it really depends. No feedback and no commo, I would cut them off after a week and move on.
 
Typically, I follow the rules of the auction host for such things.
Personally, about 10 business days with no communications is my Point of No Return.

Bad things happen to good people, and some leeway is warranted. Like, if I'd sold something to a person in Baton Rouge or Lake Charles, they would have only gotten power back last week. Now, that's worth some leniency. Or a car wreck that puts them in a hospital. Either of those are like to interrupt communications.

But, the waiting in silence is tough sledding. It's worse if the sold item shipped already.
 
People expect electronic transfer after a sale with no hesitation. Using any other manual form of funds transfer should be openly discussed up front so that the other party has a clue "its in the mail." Sending the funds that way with no warning and being subject to the whims of the USPS is creating a vulnerability and point of friction nobody wants.

Having delivered rural mail for a year, and having vets standing at the mail box waiting for a prescription a week late, nope, I'm not mailing anything. I might have to take it that way but I'm not making poor USPS service my standard. I cannot refuse one Rx coming in that way, I keep my ebay etc purchases limited to US only, and Paypal will take your Credit Card - look harder. I only CC my purchases and with that there are protections against not shipping etc that do not exist with a debit or MO - which is the instrument which scammers prefer.

If a transaction isn't complete with a shipping number in 72 hours then somebody is dragging their heels. Won't be in town for a week? Won't buy from them.
 
Filled out the "Non Paying Buyer" this morning. Two weeks without any payment or replies to messages.
At two weeks you went way beyond any sense of fairness or giving benefit of doubt, regardless of the auction site rules. I wouldn't have given the buyer any more than five business days to at least make contact. When I'm a buyer on Gunbroker I send a message to the seller before the end of the same day the auction closes acknowledging my purchase and outlining my intents and plans to pay and take delivery.
 
I had a guy get really mad at me even though I was in daily contact with him and sent the MO out the day after I won the auction. USPS let me down and it took a while to get from the east coast to Iowa. He was having a kitten and getting a bit rude when it wasn't there in a few days. It made it there (he didn't apologize after pretty much calling me a liar) and he could see the post mark on it.

In the FWIW category, if I do a buy on a forum or eBay, etc. I typically use USPS money orders. I take a picture of the completed money order along with the tracking number and email it immediately. There is zero ambiguity about payment
 
Thanks guys. I'll give updates on this as they happen. So far, no word on the "non paying buyer" I filed. Not sure how long it will take.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top