Ok, what do you do with a zero feedback bidder?

SirAnthonyAC · June 21, 2008 1:37PM

Hi,

Okay, what do you do if a zero feedback bidder is suddenly the top bidder on all your auctions?

I have 5 ending tomorrow and 10 more ending next Sunday and out of nowhere comes one guy with zero feedback and he’s the top bidder on all my auctions.

Should I be flattered and concede that everyone has to start somewhere or panic and cancel all his bids based solely on his zero feedback?

My auctions

Bidder with zero feedback

I took the middle ground and wrote to him asking to introduce himself today at 4PM EST, no reponse yet.

Opinions?

Thanks in advance!
Anthony

EDIT: he now has one positive.

Placid · June 21, 2008 1:42PM

I cant see who the buyer is but if the one positive seems to be for a honest sale I would let them bid.

dac076 · June 21, 2008 1:47PM

He's at "1" now, so I wouldn't sweat it!

harvey85422458 · June 21, 2008 1:55PM

He has had 1 $50 positive transaction I wouldn't sweat it

FishyOne · June 21, 2008 2:05PM

Interesting - Says he's been a Member since Jun-21-08 and he's already got a positive. Must have won one today and paid immediately.

I'd give him a chance. The current bids on your auctions are not that high and he may be outbid anyway.

bigmansam88 · June 21, 2008 2:13PM

Nowadays everyone is so paranoid about zero feedback bidders.

They should just be treated like everyone else, and in the case that they fail to complete a transaction,
you can take action against them as you would against a person with more feedback.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: everyone starts off at zero,
and the only way to increase their number is by completing more
and more transactions with various sellers on ebay.

notwilight · June 21, 2008 2:16PM

I was gonna say "Thanks the lord for new blood" but I see the price is still close to melt so there is a good chance he's just lowballing some silver and will get outbid. Not only would I not worry, I wouldn't have noticed. --Jerry

PQMorgans · June 21, 2008 2:27PM

Just a thought.....Could be a dealer that just opened a new account so his customers will not see how much he is paying. I recently saw a well known dealer start buying on ebay and he started at zero. I have no problem with this but I would rather not know that a dealer I was buying from actually sniped me on a few coins....It happened about a year ago to me. And I stopped buying from him after I saw he was also buying a few "details" coins. Don't you have a different buy and a sell ebay accounts?

Coxe · June 21, 2008 2:39PM

Leave him some feedback?

garsmith · June 21, 2008 2:46PM

Either he likes your stuff or he's got a grudge against you. Have you made any enemies lately? If not I wouldn't worry about it until the auctions end. Than make sure you get good payment before you ship.

robkool · June 21, 2008 3:03PM

No worries here...

Swampboy · June 21, 2008 3:11PM

It seems to me this question should be asked before the item is listed.

Bochiman · June 21, 2008 3:14PM

<< It seems to me this question should be asked before the item is listed. >>

BEST post I have ever seen regarding this type of thread!!!

BECOKA · June 21, 2008 3:17PM

I have had dozens of 0 FB bidders over the years. Even items upto about $1800. All of the transactions went smoothly.

Bullish · June 21, 2008 3:23PM

I get 0 Feedback buyers, all the time. I treat them the same, as everyone else. Don't sweat it. Unless, they give you a reason to

Texast · June 21, 2008 3:54PM

I have also encountered zero feedback buyers on silver scrap, never had a minutes problem, buyer paid within 5 minutes of auction ending by PayPal. It could be a "buyers account" for a seller that plans to resell the coins and does not want it displayed in his feedback.

Besides, we all started with Zero, and I can remember my first lowball bidding spree after I joined, (it was addictive) if it was gold or silver or platinum I would bid 50% of spot, at one point I had racked up a quarter million in lowball bids (Amazingly I did win a few things and was happy to buy at the lowball price)

grote15 · June 21, 2008 3:59PM

Never would worry about this issue before the new ebay FB format, though if he's at 1 now, you shouldn't have to worry.

TavernTreasures · June 21, 2008 6:39PM

<< 

EDIT: he now has one positive. >>

With the new Ebay feedback system. All he can get are positives.

UtahCoin · June 21, 2008 9:41PM

Do an "Advanced Search" and see what he's bidding on currently. If he's bidding 100K worth of stuff, then you can worry.

cinman14 · June 21, 2008 9:57PM

Am I the only one on here who finds your shipping charges outrageous. Do you really need to ship
4 Morgans by UPS ground

I understand the price reflects your cost from shipping UPS ground. I guess the real question would be
why are you shipping circulated silver in such low quantity by UPS ground. You could save the buyer 3 bucks
by using USPS priority mail........JMO for what it's worth..

TorinoCobra71 · June 21, 2008 10:48PM

everyone has to start somewhere. Just make sure they pay for all the auctions that they win before you ship.

JohnMaben · June 21, 2008 11:28PM

hmmm..... I find this thread really surprising.

There are two schools of thought on this.

One is everyone has to start somewhere, give the guy a chance.

Two is here comes this guy out of no where,
doesn't even give you the courtesy of an introduction before bidding on all of your items, and puts you at risk
of ruining all of your current sales by winning and not paying.

I subscribe to the second school of thought, and that's why we have set up a policy that applies to bidders with a less than 10 score.

It amazes me how often I see members on this forum talk about their numerous flawless transactions with new ebay bidders.
I can tell you that almost every non payment, fraudulent bid, hi jacked account, unjustified negative, and just general
problem transaction, have come from low feedback bidders.

Take it for what it's worth.

If he did not respond to my emails, (and by the way, I would insist this guy CALL me not email because he is bidding on multiple auctions and I would want to know for sure he was for real,) I would cancel all of his bids and block him.

However, if you have no policy in your terms of sale that you include in every listing that addresses this, you leave yourself open to legitimate
complaints from the bidder.

John

dac076 · June 22, 2008 12:02AM

I subscribe to the second school of thought, and that's why we have set up a policy that applies to bidders with a less than 10 score.

Unfortunately, Ebay doesn't allow for that to be done automatically in seller preferences. A buyer would have to have a feedback score of -1 or less (give me a break). That forces the seller to monitor all bidders on all auctions, and that's not always practical.

JohnMaben · June 22, 2008 12:09AM

That is correct they do not have a mechanism to do it automatically because if they did it would result in less sales, thus less revenue.
However, they do not prohibit a seller from having a policy and stating that policy in your terms and conditions. I have seen some sellers that
require a minumum of a 25 feedback score.....

John

coffeyce · June 22, 2008 12:13AM

worst case if he wins and doesnt pay you can give to the last highest bidder.

chris

Leiascards · June 22, 2008 12:15AM

Most of my zero bidders have been among my fastest payers. I file more UPIs on veteran Ebayer than those with less than 10 feedback.

I generally hit the back button when I see a seller trying to block low FB members even though I have nearly 1000FB. To me it shows the seller has wayyy too much drama for me to want to bid on their items.

TwoSides2aCoin · June 22, 2008 12:17AM

I signed up for a new account to boost your auctions, sorry. I'll withdraw them all.

cinman14 · June 22, 2008 12:23AM

<< I signed up for a new account to boost your auctions, sorry. I'll withdraw them all. >>

JohnMaben · June 22, 2008 12:53AM

<< worst case if he wins and doesnt pay you can give to the last highest bidder.

chris >>

No, here is the worst case, and I've had it happen:

1) Bidder buys multiple lots and doesn't pay.
2) You offer the lot (s) to the underbidder but no luck because either
a) they are set up to block second chances
b) they changed their mind and don't want it or want to pay even less than their bid
c) they don't check their mail until days later and bought one somewhere else
3) You are forced to file UPI's
4) They stall you and delay the process by responding with bogus replies
5) Finally you can close them out and get your fees

....but

6) Now, you must relist the item and the original allure is gone and excitement for the item
is less. I don't think I have ever had a relisted item (exluding maybe bullion if it went up or a hot item if it went up)
bring the same or more as the original auction

Maybe my perspective would be a little different if this wasn't my livelihood, but it is. I can't pay people (and nearly
all of my employees make more than the typical small coin shop owner) to waste time dealing with deadbeats
if it can in any way be prevented..... there are far too many good customers that deserve our full time and attention
as well as newbie's that are willing to step up and make an introduction, volanteer references etc,
that we simply don't want the people that aren't willing to do this.

If you are a hobbyist or even a part time dealer, just realize your perspective becomes more that of a business
decision when you are running a full time business. That said, even if I were a non dealing collector, I would still
require a new ebayer to contact me before bidding.

John

SirAnthonyAC · June 22, 2008 12:59AM

Hi,

Thanks for the input and opinions… even the jokes were helpful!

I did take the middle road and didn’t panic but, it was surprising to suddenly see the same one bidder as the top bidder on all my auctions and with zero feedback, I never saw that before.

As for the UPS shipping, yup… there’s a UPS store where I work and I do use it. We get both a discount and unlike the Post Office, I don’t have to wait on line, I don’t have write out the address on the package and then two times for the tracking, and I don’t have to fill out another form for the insurance, it’s fast and easy and the coins get to the winners superfast, sometimes the next day, as you can see in my feedback.

As for spot, it’s been harder to get more for coins even with Silver going up then I thought it would be. Last year I used to sell common Morgans in Fine/Very Fine condition for $15, today, even with silver going up to over $17.00, they still seem to go for about $15. Coins don’t seem to have kept pace with the price of silver and the prices haven’t moved parallel with the spot price increases.

Oh, thanks for the boost Yogi!

Thanks again,
Anthony

TwoSides2aCoin · June 22, 2008 1:03AM

P.S.
I find that John Maben's posts here are sound in judgement and wise in business practice.
So, after the laughs, I'd go with his advice.

cinman14 · June 22, 2008 2:07AM

<< As for spot, it’s been harder to get more for coins even with Silver going up then I thought it would be. Last year I used to sell common Morgans in Fine/Very Fine condition for $15, today, even with silver going up to over $17.00, they still seem to go for about $15. Coins don’t seem to have kept pace with the price of silver and the prices haven’t moved parallel with the spot price increases. >>

Your 7.99 shipping could be the reason your not getting more. Most buyers like myself add the shipping charges into my high bid.

You can print shipping labels off your computer tape them to a bubble envelope and drop them at the post
office without standing in line. I am not a ebay seller just offering you a suggestion as to why your not getting more for your coins.

Buyers and Ebay are getting sick of the high shipping charges. Yes your shipping charges may be justified because of the way you ship. But
in the minds of seasoned buyers UPS ground shipping is overkill for a few low dollar coins.

ksteelheader · June 22, 2008 2:25AM

<< unlike the Post Office, I don’t have to wait on line, I don’t have write out the address on the package and then two times for the tracking, and I don’t have to fill out another form for the insurance, >>

I use the USPS and don't wait in line or fill out multiple forms. I do it online. And, the USPS picks up.

RunnersDad · June 22, 2008 2:26AM

Everybody has to start somewhere...and on Ebay that means "0". All of us were at that point when we started and we were given the opportunity to improve on our feedback by purchasing items from sellers. With as corrupt as Ebay is sometimes I still believe that there are more good people than bad. Give him/her a chance, you really don't have anything to lose.

yevrah · June 22, 2008 3:29AM

I have sold only a small number of items on eBay and I have had several 0 FB bidders. I never had a problem with them.

Shamika · June 22, 2008 3:30AM

As long as the bidder's check clears, I wouldn't have any more issues than a buyer with 1,000 feedback.

WinPitcher · June 22, 2008 3:34AM

Some under bidders could think the 0 (now 1) feedback guy is a shill.

And if he doesn't pay (I have no reason to think he won't) 2nd chance offers rarely
are accepted.

Steve

Casman · June 22, 2008 3:59AM

So with UPS say the coins get lost then what, they will sell you insurance for coins but if lost do not cover it, am I wrong?

mrpotatoheadd · June 22, 2008 4:15AM

<< As for the UPS shipping, yup… there’s a UPS store where I work and I do use it. >>

I looked into UPS shipping once, but I didn't see any good way to deal with post office boxes. What do you do when your buyer's shipping address is a PO box? About a third of mine seem to be.

JohnMaben · June 22, 2008 4:35AM

<< Everybody has to start somewhere...and on Ebay that means "0". All of us were at that point when we started and we were given the opportunity to improve on our feedback by purchasing items from sellers. With as corrupt as Ebay is sometimes I still believe that there are more good people than bad. Give him/her a chance, you really don't have anything to lose. >>

Agreed on both counts, but not on the "you don't have anything to lose" part.

My point isn't don't do business with them, it is know who they are. You have this right as the seller.
You are not obligated to have blind trust in an unknown person or entity.

If they are not willing to tell you a little bit about themselves, then you could be inviting trouble if you choose to proceed.

Clearly this is each individual seller's choice to make.

John

wondercoin · June 22, 2008 4:45AM

John M. should write a short book on "ebay selling" in his spare time as there is some great stuff in those last handful of posts.

Wondercoin

jmski52 · June 22, 2008 4:55AM

I agree with John Maben on all counts.

And further, if this guy decides that you haven't lived up to whatever his expectations are, 5 negs is basically a live nuke on anybody's feedback.

That such a situation is even allowed by ebay is truly a mockery of their own system. A zero feedback bidder is in a position to instantly ruin someone's business and/or reputation.

Nice goin' ebay.

JohnMaben · June 22, 2008 4:58AM

Thank you Mitch.

I know it might seem like I take a hardline stance on this to some, but it's really just about what is fair to BOTH buyer and seller.

We have all learned a great deal from and about eBay. It was eBay that inspired me to sell online away from ebay, and this was one of the
best decisions I ever made.

I also had two (now former) employees that worked at eBay, one of which was a senior account representative
and gained perspective there as well.

John

CertifiedGoldCoins · June 22, 2008 5:13AM

<< I looked into UPS shipping once, but I didn't see any good way to deal with post office boxes. What do you do when your buyer's shipping address is a PO box? About a third of mine seem to be. >>

FWIW, I would never bid for anything a seller lists, if UPS is the only option. UPS drops packages on my front steps, only a few feet from the sidewalk, whether I'm home or not, and regardless of the weather. Everything goes to my PO Box.

ricko · June 22, 2008 5:23AM

Okay, what do you do if a zero feedback bidder is suddenly the top bidder on all your auctions?
Sell him the coin... we all had zero feedback at one time.... People have to start somewhere.... Cheers, RickO

dac076 · June 22, 2008 7:30AM

<< Everybody has to start somewhere...and on Ebay that means "0".

We're all focusing on the buyer with "0" feedback, but what about a seller? If I open a new account with zero feedback and immediately list thousands of dollars in coins, I'll draw very few bidders. I probably will have to (and did) build my reputation with some small dollar stuff. Yet anyone can register tonight and bid on thousands of dollars in coins if they want to. That really doesn't make sense. There should be a probationary period with at least some limitations. But again, I doubt that Ebay will ever do anything to limit buyers.

nationaltreasureshop · June 22, 2008 7:52AM

At one time, everybody had a (0) - welcome him to eBay!

JohnMaben · June 22, 2008 9:10AM

<< << Everybody has to start somewhere...and on Ebay that means "0".

We're all focusing on the buyer with "0" feedback, but what about a seller? If I open a new account with zero feedback and immediately list thousands of dollars in coins, I'll draw very few bidders. I probably will have to (and did) build my reputation with some small dollar stuff. Yet anyone can register tonight and bid on thousands of dollars in coins if they want to. That really doesn't make sense. There should be a probationary period with at least some limitations. But again, I doubt that Ebay will ever do anything to limit buyers. >>

AMEN!

I think one's opinion on this is going to be directly related to how they use eBay themselves.

If you sell low value items you are probably going to be less likely to care.

If you sell high ticket items as we often do, it is more likely to raise your brow when someone pops up with a zero or low feedback, just registered a week ago, and is bidding on thousands of dollars worth of your stuff. Equally as disturbing is an account that has been inactive for a year or more, as these are the accounts that tend to get stolen...

John

SirAnthonyAC · June 22, 2008 9:54AM

Hi,

Thanks again for all the opinions.

BTW: I honestly never said UPS was the only option, it's just the quickest option and best for me. If someone writes and says that UPS can't deliver to their address, such as a serviceman, I then use the post office... which is how I know about standing on line, then filling out the tracking number forms and the other form for insurance.

If I can print USPS labels, and get the insurance and tracking online for cheaper, that would definitely be an option but, it seems that once I add the insurance and tracking, it works out to be about the same price.

If the package is lost (happened only once with an order of Mercury dimes) the items are insured, I got back money within one week from UPS

Also, I think so of you didn't quite understand my original concern, I was worried that some kid created an account and was just bidding for fun.

Anyways, my zero feedback guy didn't win, the 5 auctions ended at $924.00 so, all in all, a pleasent Sunday!

Thanks again!
Anthony

mrpotatoheadd · June 22, 2008 10:00AM

<< If the package is lost (happened only once with an order of Mercury dimes) the items are insured, I got back money within one week from UPS. >>

UPS's Terms of Service specifically prohibit coins from being accepted:

F. Definition of Articles of Unusual Value Which Are Not Accepted By UPS For
Transportation

1. Shippers are prohibited from shipping articles of unusual value via UPS.
Articles of unusual value shall be deemed to include, but are not limited to:
a. Any package with an actual value of more than $50,000;
b. Coins, currency, postage stamps, negotiable instruments (except
checks), money orders, unset precious stones, and industrial diamonds;
c. Any article that contains more than 50 percent by weight of gold or
platinum, or any combination thereof in raw form, including, but not
limited to, bullion, bars or scraps of these metals.
2. UPS will not be liable for any loss of or damage to articles of unusual value.
UPS reserves the right, but is not required, to return to the shipper any package
containing an article of unusual value. Such return will be made solely at the
shipper’s risk and expense.

How did you get them to pay off on an insurance claim?

SirAnthonyAC · June 22, 2008 10:03AM

<< How did you get them to pay off on an insurance claim? >>

I think that's is for items of unusual value, $50,000, or Unless that is something new, I insured and received a check back from UPS, I did tell them it was silver mercury dimes, they paid my $199.99 claim.

Ok, what do you do with a zero feedback bidder?

Comments

Leave a Comment