Any thoughts on what I should do with this knucklehead?

fsjeter

The winning bidder for my 1998-99 SPx Finite Spectrum Michael Jordan FE #201 sent me this email (my original email is included):

hi there Scott,
we just did a thorough research on this card, we realised it usually went
for $350-$400 ungraded.
therefore our max budget for this card was $500 ... could u do that ? sorry
for all the troubles.
let me know if we can do that and we will pay by paypal.
besides we just won an MJ auto/25 for $500 and we just paid for it if you
check our feedback.
=( broke now ..... but still can do $500 and not more.
even an auto is much cheaper. sorry to do the research after we bid. should
have done it before.
if u cant do 500, you can file the fees back from ebay by mutually agreeing
on not to complete transaction from both sides. and we can just leave the
matter peacefully by not leaving each other any feedback. let me know. sorry
for inconvenience caused.

sincerely, MJ fan & dealer,
William


>From: Fsjeter1@aol.com
>To: hendri1960@hotmail.com
>Subject: Item #5116341462, 1998-99 UD SPx Finite Spectrum Michael Jordan FE
>BGS 9
>Date: 8/29/2004 10:36:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>
>Dear hendri1960,
>
>Thank you again for your winning bid! It is not our desire to institute
>the
>Non-Paying Buyer program. Ebay rules dictate reporting users as Non-Paying
>Buyers if there is no contact or response from the buyer within 7 days, but
>not
>more than 45 days, after the auction close. You were sent invoices on
>8/22/04
>(thru Paypal) and 8/25/04 (thru eBay) and have not responded to either of
>them. Your refusal to contact us regarding payment for Item #5116341462 is
>not
>leaving us any other alternative.
>
>Your total (including s/h) is $708.99 for domestic shipping (please contact
>us for international shipping). We urge you to contact us as soon as
>possible
>to resolve this.

To me, this is not an option. You bid, you pay. Am I wrong or right? I'm not sure what kind of research he did but I don't remember when this card came up for bid last (there's only 25 of them). I relisted after it didn't sell the first time (had a high bid of $1,000.05 but didn't reach the reserve I had). I'm not so sure his offer isn't against eBay policy. Not only that, all I am going to get back is the final value fee credit not the listing fees. Should I neg him on principal and move on (I can already see he is going to hit me with a retaliatory neg).

Thanks,
Scott

ChrisStufflestreet

Here's what I would write:

"Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I do realize that sometimes we get overextended and things certainly pop up from time to time that make our obligations difficult. I understand.

However, when you bid on eBay, it is a contract and the final bid is therefore non-negotiable. Since you were the only person to bid on the card, there was no crazy bidding war that might have gotten out of hand. You knew when you placed your bid (which might have been higher, but I don't know) that you'd be paying $699 plus an extra $9 for shipping. It's spelled out in the auction description, as is the fact that I expect the payment in 10 days. The fact that you did some homework after you bid does not alleviate your obligation to pay.

Since you seem to be overextended and are making the effort to let me know, I'll be happy to work with you on the bid price. I'll accept your $500 via PayPal, and when your next payday comes around (within two weeks), I expect the rest. Once I have gotten the full amount, I'll be happy to send your card. If this is not agreeable, thanks for letting me know now and letting me list this item again."

WinPitcher

neg him

what id like to know is y he compares this card to an ungraded one.
that is like comparing apples to oranges

hodges14

I'd like to say I'm surprised by this, but the lack of ethics this buyer is displaying is becoming all too common on eBay these days.

eBay is no longer "policing" themselves with any consistency, or effectiveness, and people are beginning to adjust their behaviors accordingly. It's sad.

Basically, the situation is this: The guy won, and now he wants to see if he can bully you into settling for less. Disgusting. His "excuse" that it's all he can afford is as transparent as it is offensive.....

Here's what I would do:

1. Call his bluff. Pull the card out from under him, and e-mail him this:

"As per your ebay user agreement, payment in full is due in x days. Since you leave me no other alternative, I will no longer send invoices or request payment. Instead, I will pursue this in a court of law, and any further contact MUST go through my attourney, Mr. John Smith at Smith, Smith and Smith of NYC, NY at emailaddy@provider.com. We have also contacted the district attourney in your state and county, pursuant to fraud charges against you. Please DO NOT contact me any longer. I expect full and total payment via PayPal within 12 hours. If not received, legal action will be in motion. Additionally, we will do everything possible to see that you are suspended from eBay, so that you may not operate in such a shady, unethical, immoral way. Send payment immediately, save yourself a legal battle I will certainly win, and don't dare ever darken our doorway again."

Drop the hammer. This "wild west" mentality on eBay has to stop somewhere.

Now go get your money!

metsfan

Let the buyer know this is not an option. He bid $699, so he owes $699. Maybe he doesn't realize how much more graded cards sell for? Let him know he got a good bargain,maybe he'll "find" some money when you tell him this. Give him one more chance before negging him.

carew4me

email this text to him which is right under the BID button:


"Your bid is a contract - Place a bid only if you're serious about buying the item. If you are the winning bidder, you will enter into a legally binding contract to purchase the item from the seller. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding. "

jrdolan

His only acceptable reason for not paying is if you misrepresented the card either in the title or the description. Realizing the card is not as valuable as he first thought is not good enough. How many times have we done a BIN based on SMR, then upon further study found to our dismay that actual auction prices are much lower? Do the homework BEFORE bidding.

On the other hand, you can't make him pay. Since you got a bid of $1,001 another time, maybe you'll even make out better than $708 if you relist. I've had a card sell for $110 one week and $225 the next. Planetary alignment and barometric pressure (and the day of the week when the auction ends) can have enormous impact on the hammer price.

Is negging him worth the retaliatory neg? Up to you.

shouldabeena10

I'd send him an e-mail from a different e-mail address saying "OK send the 5"
Then after he pays, e-mail him again asking "where's the rest?

Kind of turn the balance of power over to your side

Mike

pandrews

Wow, what a presumptuous boob..

i once sold a painting for my mother, and i of course, know nothing about art.. but it was great painting by a fairly popular artist, in a beautiful frame, and it was signed & #'d by the artist, so i put it up on eBay with a starting bid of $750.00.. just to see if anybody would bite..

i fully expected that the painting might not sell, but with 3 minutes to go on a 10 day auction, somebody bid.. they paid within 30 minutes.. i shipped the next day.. i get an email a fe days later from the buyer letting me know she had since found a place where she could buy the same painting for $399.. she wanted me to refund her money!

anyway, i didnt even respond to her email, and i never heard from her again..

yours is a different case, since the buyer hasnt paid yet.. sucks.. good luck, though.. people like this idiot make eBay not very fun at times..

i've NEVER bid on something that i didnt follow through with prompt payment..

onegaucho

Looking at the bid and end times, it looks like this guy placed a snipe on the auction.

I would not only ask to get a refund of the fees that eBay charge on the backend, but get him to pay for the fees that you had to incur on the front end to post the auction in the first place.

If he agrees to that, then there's really no harm done. You just have to relist it again.

Knopfler

Send the following E-Mail:

hi there William,
we just did a thorough research on this card, we realised it usually went
for $799-$999 graded.
therefore our minimum price for this card was $899 ... could u do that ? sorry
for all the troubles.
let me know if we can do that and you can pay by paypal.
besides we just sold an MJ auto/25 for $1000 and we just got paid for it if you
check our feedback.
=( broke now ..... so need the $899 and not less.
You won't even get an auto much cheaper. sorry to do the research after we bid. should
have done it before.
if u cant do 899, you can just send the 500 and I'll send you two thirds of the car and we can then just leave the
matter peacefully by not leaving each other any feedback. let me know. sorry
for inconvenience caused.

sincerely, MJ fan & dealer,
Scott

Axtell

I'd tell him he has 2 options...cough up the money he entered into contract to pay, or leave him a negative feedback. Looking from his history, it looks like he probably did bids on both yours and the auto....counting on only winning one, but wound up winning both. It may sound harsh, but I'd definitely hold him up to pay for the card, or I'd absolutely hit him with a negative feedback.

funlover1974

Neg him, but only after filing for your fees back with Ebay.. Do not use the mutually agreed option though. You have not agreed to anything. He bid he should pay.

fsjeter

What burns me the most is he waited until he sniped the MJ Auto auction (which ended four days after mine BTW) to decide he didn't want to pay. He also stated his budget was $500 yet he bid $699 anyway. He's definately getting a neg and I don't care if he hits me with one in return. Jacka$$!!! Thank's for all the ideas!



Scott

Golfcollector

Step 1 - send email that he owes you the amount he bid it is a binding contract.
Step 2 - You get paid - (end here) - or he does not pay, move to step 3
Step 3- Leave Negative feedback, get refund from ebay, add him to block bidder listing

This is what can happen at times selling high $$$ cards on ebay, it is part of the game, but I have no patience for those that overextend their financial means. If you have enough piece of mind to bid, you better have enough pieces of coin in the wallet.

Dave

onegaucho

Gotta love Scott's (Knopler) response. I'll have to remember to contact you to write my emails to non-paying bidders! Too funny!

Keep us posted on what you eventually decide on doing and how this "MJ fan and dealer" responds.

fsjeter

How's this for a response?

Dear Hendri1960,

First, let me thank you for taking the time to email me to let me know your situation. Let me also thank you for bringing a few other things to my attention, all of which I would like to address:

1) Please provide me with the details of your “research” for the sales of the 22 remaining examples that sold for “$350 - $400 ungraded” and I will “consider” your proposal.
2) If your “max budget for this card was $500.00” why did you still bid $699.00. Furthermore, when did it become my responsibility to make sure that you stay within your budget? You had the available funds before you waited four days to snipe another auction.
3) I commend you on your prompt payment for the MJ Auto but what does that have to do with this auction? I’m only concerned with you bidding and winning this auction.
4) I sympathize with your current financial situation and I would like to offer to accept a $500.00 down payment and extend the payment deadline from ten days (as stated in the auction details) to 25 days for the balance of $209.00. After all payments have been received, your card will be shipped. If you can’t do this than I will be happy to institute ebay’s Non-Paying Buyer policy.

If you have any further questions, please refer to your eBay user agreement. Please note the bid disclaimer that is present before you submit your bid: Your bid is a contract - Place a bid only if you're serious about buying the item. If you are the winning bidder, you will enter into a legally binding contract to purchase the item from the seller. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding.