What to do about zero feedback bidder after auction ended

roey

O.G.
Mar 1, 2006
12,058
19
The listing for my expensive Chanel bag just ended with a zero feedback bidder who bid w/in the last 17 seconds of the auction. I had no time to cancel the bid (my auction clearly states that 0 feedback bidders must contact me prior to bidding). This person has been a member of ebay for 2 years with no feedback so I am definitely not going to send him or her a $2K bag (price it ended at)! I sent an email telling them not to pay as I will not honor the bid. Will ebay reimburse fees since the winning bidder did not adhere to the terms of the auction? Even if they pay, I won't take the risk of sending it in the event of being frauded out of the bag due to a hijacked account, stolen credit card, or chargeback with paypal.
 
Wow, I'm dealing with a winner! Just got this reply to my email asking them not to pay:

I'm Sorry I don't understand what you mean by zero feedback bidders?
 
If they have responded to your email, and are willing to pay through paypal with a confirmed address I don't see why you wouldn't send it to them. If you are still worried ask them to send a money order.

Will ebay reimburse fees since the winning bidder did not adhere to the terms of the auction? Even if they pay, I won't take the risk of sending it in the event of being frauded out of the bag due to a hijacked account, stolen credit card, or chargeback with paypal.

No, ebay will not refund your fees. If you file a NPB and the buyer AGREES to withdraw from the transaction, you will get your FVF's back.
 
My fear is if I send it to the confirmed address they may file a chargeback with their bank later on down the road, which often happens with high value items. Buyers claim it was an unauthorized charge or arrived damaged, etc. Banks almost always rule in favor of the buyer versus the merchant. Other sellers may feel comfortable entrusting a zero feedback bidder with a high value item but my gut feeling on this one says no. Don't you find it odd that this person has been a member of ebay for two years with no history of either buying or selling? I do. There have been hundreds and thousands of designer bags listed during that time, and all of a sudden my bag is the bag du jour? I just cannot imagine being a member for 2 years with no activity.

Money orders can be faked. I have less trust in a m/o than paypal.
 
There are several buyers who have been members for more than a year and then make their first purchase. If you don't feel comfortable then don't do it, but I would expect to receive a neg and a NPS from the buyer.
 
go with your instincts. if something tells you no good will come of the transaction then don't do it. file for a mutual cancellation with ebay so you can get your fees back and avoid the negative.
 
go with your instincts. if something tells you no good will come of the transaction then don't do it. file for a mutual cancellation with ebay so you can get your fees back and avoid the negative.

Just be aware that if they respond to the mutual withdrawal, they can leave feedback, and you will on receive fvf's, no listing fees will be refunded.
 
roey, I don't blame you at all. I always say no 0 feedback bidders, must email before bidding in my listings too. I would not feel comfortable as well, but I did have one successful 0 feedback winner. I was upset at first because they did not email me first, but we emailed enough to where I felt comfortable. They were brand new and it was their first transaction. I was sweating until the very end though. lol

If I were you, I would contact ebay and ask about your fees. I would fight for them as you stated in your listing your conditions and the buyer did not comply.

I don't know if you do this, but has been working great for me on my high dollar items. I always do immediate payment....because really, anyone who will be buying will pay thru paypal which is only what I accept to be protected probably using a CC. It seems to be working for me as knock on wood, I have not had any of these headaches, yet. Good luck.
 
Honestly, I would just mail it and hope for the best. I've had my share of eBay headaches but I've also sold 2 expensive bags to 0 feedback buyers and it went well. One was even international (although knowing what I do now I don't know if I would do that again). Newbies often do not know how to "play" eBay yet so they are nicer to deal with.
 
roey, I don't blame you at all. I always say no 0 feedback bidders, must email before bidding in my listings too. I would not feel comfortable as well, but I did have one successful 0 feedback winner. I was upset at first because they did not email me first, but we emailed enough to where I felt comfortable. They were brand new and it was their first transaction. I was sweating until the very end though. lol

If I were you, I would contact ebay and ask about your fees. I would fight for them as you stated in your listing your conditions and the buyer did not comply.

I don't know if you do this, but has been working great for me on my high dollar items. I always do immediate payment....because really, anyone who will be buying will pay thru paypal which is only what I accept to be protected probably using a CC. It seems to be working for me as knock on wood, I have not had any of these headaches, yet. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips Bella! The red flag for me was the 2 years registered and no history of buying or selling. This type of account would be perfect for a scammer to hack into since there is a good chance the owner of the account is inactive (doesn't log in a lot) and therefore wouldn't notice her password doesn't work. Couple that with the email stating she doesn't understand what I mean about zero feedback bidders... bright red flag. If a person is smart enough to set up an ebay account and navigate the site, how can they not know what zero feedback means when the entire ebay premise is based on feedback?

I emailed her through ebay asking if she would agree to mutually withdraw the transaction and she said yes so I filed the unpaid item dispute stating we mutually agreed to w/draw and the buyer purchased the item in error. I'm waiting for her to respond and hoping all goes well.

All of my other high end buyers have been wonderful to deal with but I had a feeling this particular bag was going to attract the difficult people. The number of emails alone I had about the bag prior to the end of the auction was headache enough!
 
^^^TOTAL red flags, I agree......

So, I'm curious....does the buyer know anything? The account was hacked?

I've been getting so many phishing ebay emails lately and questions from 0 fb bidders....we sure have to be on gaurd with ebay these days, don't we. I always have my fingers and toes crossed when listing these days. LOL!