Experience with zero feedback bidders

clydecoolidge · September 24, 2009 3:14AM

I'm curious as to everyone's experience with zero feedback bidders. A short history:

Sold a '57 Unitas rookie, PSA 5 (but supreme eye appeal, printing defects make it a 5) about 2 weeks ago. High bidder had about 12 feedback, and after 7 days or so, hadn't paid me (but did pay for about 7 auctions after mine, low dollar stuff). So eventually the guy goes NRU, and I get my ebay fees back. So I list it again, auction just ended yesterday and high bidder has zero feedback.

Both of these high bidders had a company name instead of a person's name for their shipping addresses. After using google street view, I found both to be small residences, which isn't out of the ordinary I guess (a home based ebay business), but I'm curious if any of you have had similar things happen, and what the end result was. Am I gettin' paid this time? Haha.

stevek · September 24, 2009 3:24AM

I used to didn't mind 0 feedback buyers at all, but now I dread them...seems like ever since ebay changed their policy whereby ya can't leave negative feedback for buyers, stiff artist feedback buyers with 0 or low feedback have come out like cochroaches. My opinion is that they buy things at will, and they just hope perhaps some sellers are busy and may accidentally ship the product, so they would get it for free. After they finally get naru'd they just open another account and keep doing the same thing - used to be they got quickly called out on this with negative feedback, but now it takes awhile for them to be uncovered so in my view they have more incentive to do it.

All...compliments of ebay.

bziddy · September 24, 2009 3:32AM

Funny you should bring this up -- I currently have 2 buyers with 0 feedback sitting in my "waiting for payment" queue. I've never had an issue in the past, and in the event that someone wasn't going to pay, they usually notified me very quickly and I was able to deal with it. These ones aren't paying and aren't responding to emails.

joshua

MeteoriteGuy · September 24, 2009 3:32AM

I shipped a $3 item to a 0 feedback without payment a couple weeks ago...and of course have not been paid. Usually I would never due that, but was shipping 20-25 items that day and it was the only thing not paid for so went ahead and sent it...and it was only a $3 item, still....never again.

Edit to add: I am sure no one cares what it was, and I could care less about it, but it was a 2007 Topps (Football) #118 Gerald Alexander Rookie Card with no white print on the front of the card where the names and like are. The impression was still there so I guess they just ran out of ink. Card is pretty much worthless but I noted it only because it was an unusual card.

storm888 · September 24, 2009 3:54AM

I used to have ZERO feedback.

I seldom do auctions; BINs with Immediate Payment Required
make FB redundant.

I would never ship an item w/o payment being received.

............

If every seller blocked ZERO FB buyers, EBAY would eventually vanish.

"If You Have Less Than 10 Positive Feedbacks, Please Contact Me Before Bidding, Or Your Bid May Be Cancelled."

That listing lingo prolly deters lots of bad and good bidders. But, it might be worth a try.

clydecoolidge · September 24, 2009 4:52AM

Thanks for the info guys. And stevek, that's an interesting theory on why bidders don't respond to payment requests. I hate to harp on people for payment, but on this particular invoice I stated that I require payment within 7 business days, or contact me to arrange something different. I do understand the theory that everyone had zero feedback at some point, but you're right, with the no negative buyer feedback rule, buyer's can be jerk-offs in all sorts of new ways now.

I guess I'll hope for the best.

vladguerrero · September 24, 2009 5:00AM

i would be happy if bidding with feedback paid in a timely manner!

hammered · September 24, 2009 5:08AM

For me, there seems to be a difference between low and zero feedback buyers.
Most of my low-feedback sales are completed, these are usually people on their way toward building fb.
But I'd say 75% of my zero-feedback sales do not complete. I found once it was a kid using his dad's info and bidding on stuff. I think things like this happen often. They can do a lot of damage before they are NARU's.
I still give zero fb buyers a chance, but I shouldn't.

onebamafan · September 24, 2009 6:28AM

About 50% of my zero feedback buyers have been an issue. However, i have only had about 4 zero fb winners.

PowderedH2O · September 24, 2009 6:35AM

I've got one now that I am almost 100% sure I will never see the money (unless it happens to be Bill Gates). He won one of my auctions and has zero feedback. Then I checked his wins and he won 70 auctions between the 18th of September and now. Yet he still has no feedback, which means he hasn't paid anyone likely. His user ID is playoffbound09. But I can't leave him a negative. Yeah, this feedback system works really well....

nearmint · September 24, 2009 8:40AM

I've had a few 0 feedback buyers, but I don't recall having trouble with any of them. Some of them were players' relatives who just wanted a card of their uncle or whatever.

gameusedhoop · September 24, 2009 9:11AM

Had a zero FB guy about 2 weeks ago. A $249 BIN Mantle, 67 PSA 8 OC. Didn't make an offer although I had it set up for BO's. Paid the BIN price right away.

Did a little digging to make sure the addie was good, it was, and sent it with Sig. Conf.

No problems, delivered and signed for. His feedback is now 5. He had to start somewhere, glad it was with me.

Just be careful, doing a little homework is the seller's job if they are uneasy about a transaction.

Conversely, I've had 1000+ FB bidders take 7-10 days to send payment via Paypal, that is more irritating in my opinion. Especially when they are buying a BIN item with best offer, and that best offer is instantly accepted at the time of the offer. What happens then...you win an item for an offer you made 3 seconds ago, then you decide to get up and walk away from the computer and come back in a week to pay? I just don't get some people.

PowderedH2O · September 24, 2009 3:07PM

I had someone buy a 1959 football set from me a few weeks ago and take a week to pay. Then this past Sunday the same guy outbids people at the last second to win a 1974 and a 1976 baseball set and here it is Friday, and I am still waiting. But again, I can't do anything about the feedback. I set the auctions to end on the 20th so I would get my money in plenty of time before the 1st of the month when a lot of my bills are due. Now, it will be close. I think I'll wait a week or two to ship once I do get the money.

Experience with zero feedback bidders

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