# Ebay Sellers - a question



## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Two different sellers. First one, mostly just a comment from me. I sent a question about a listing, she has not answered in 4 days now, so I will not bid on her auctions. She has the same items listed in many auctions. But I thought it was odd she did not bother to answer.

The second, different seller. am I being over reactive? 3 days ago I bought an item from a "buy it now". Waited to pay because I wanted to bid on another listing. Yesterday, bid and won that auction. New seller - 0 feedback - and no communication like usual for an auction win. Usually, I get the automatic message from Ebay that I won within minutes. And then awhile later the same message with more info from the seller. Nothing on the first listing. I decided I wanted to know there is a live person out there before I pay the money, so asked for an invoice for both listings. That was yesterday morning, nothing from the seller, but got the automatic one from Ebay on the first listing. I want to get it paid so they can send it soon, but this is just different enough that I am nervous about it for some reason. So, am I being overreactive with this being a new seller?


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## mypatriotsupply (Jan 21, 2009)

I don't think you're over-reacting, you have a right to be a bit nervous when the person you're about to send money can't respond to emails. I would suggest sending another one, though. Explain that you're really anxious to pay and are just waiting on a combined invoice.

The first message you sent could have been accidentally deleted to caught in spam filters or whatever. Wouldn't hurt to try again.


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## Justin Thyme (Jun 3, 2011)

I don't think you are being overly cautious either. We never know what might be happening in a seller's (or a buyer's) life at the moment that may be preventing them from responding to you.

In general: Even though as a buyer you are well protected (if you use Paypal) there is no reason to send money to someone who won't even invoice you. Check their feedback. Are they mass sellers (thousands & thousands of feedbacks) or just a few? How has their feedback run? As sellers they are vulnerable to negative feedback. 
If you do not get a reasonable response I believe at the four day mark (at least that is what it is for sellers) you can file a 'case' with eBay, indicating that you cannot contact the seller. Four days later (at least for a seller) you can cancel the purchase.
I cannot imagine why a seller would not be responding to you. But I would also be wary as you are.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Thanks for the responses. I sent another message, now wait and see if they reply. I was wondering if and how to cancel the purchases if it should come to that. I will do some more checking on that. It sounds like ebay has provided for that if necessary.

The seller is new with (0) feedback. I could not find any other listings, open or closed besides the three that included the two I bid on. I would think they would be excited and watching as the listings closed to see how they did, but there could be many reasons they are not online. Hope they are not having serious problems in life.


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## Justin Thyme (Jun 3, 2011)

Don't forget that the seller may have a life apart from eBay. They may be gone for the day, or the weekend. Their computer may have crashed and have no backup. Their electricity may be out. They may have had a tornado, flood or death in the family. (I've had buyers die.) You just never know so think the best and know that yes, eBay does have a way to cancel the purchase(s). Just don't pay without an invoice and prior contact of some sort by the seller.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

OK, how hard is it to be an Ebay seller? Never sold anything so I don't know what is involved. This is soo frustrating.....

I finally got an invoice but it looked more like the ones that Ebay generate. Nothing "from the seller" on it like I usually get. I did decide to go ahead and pay it through the provided link. Just got a notice from Paypal that it was unclaimed and the address was not registered with Paypal and I could cancel the payment which I did. I sent another message to the seller recapping it all. If I don't get satisfactory communication from THE SELLER in a couple of days, I will see if I can cancel the purchase through Ebay. I don't know anything else I can do.

If this had been my first purchase on Ebay it would be my last. And even new sellers must be able to figure out how to complete a transaction because there are a lot of sellers on Ebay.


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## Justin Thyme (Jun 3, 2011)

It sounds as if you are just bound and determined, hell bent come high water to make this purchase with a "seller" who has a phony Paypal account, won't "talk" to you and apparently may not even be on eBay anymore, .


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Not "hell bent", but I do want the items or I would not have bid. I make so many mistakes when I am learning something new that I wanted to give the seller a chance to correct any mistake they might have made. Give them a chance to make it right. But, like I said, if no response comes from this last message with clearly defined information it is coming from a person with good intent, I will go through Ebay to officially get out of any dealing with them. And will not bid on any other auction with limited feedback.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

If it's a new seller, it's entirely possible they haven't personalized the invoice yet. It would indeed be the generic ebay-generated one. 

However, the fact that they had you send payment to an address that wasn't registered with PayPal is REALLY strange. That means either they haven't set up their PP account (not very professional, if nothing else), OR that their PP account has been suspended.

Personally, I'd cancel via ebay.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

sunflower-n-ks said:


> Two different sellers. First one, mostly just a comment from me. I sent a question about a listing, she has not answered in 4 days now, so I will not bid on her auctions. She has the same items listed in many auctions. But I thought it was odd she did not bother to answer.
> 
> The second, different seller. am I being over reactive? 3 days ago I bought an item from a "buy it now". Waited to pay because I wanted to bid on another listing. Yesterday, bid and won that auction. New seller - 0 feedback - and no communication like usual for an auction win. Usually, I get the automatic message from Ebay that I won within minutes. And then awhile later the same message with more info from the seller. Nothing on the first listing. I decided I wanted to know there is a live person out there before I pay the money, so asked for an invoice for both listings. That was yesterday morning, nothing from the seller, but got the automatic one from Ebay on the first listing. I want to get it paid so they can send it soon, but this is just different enough that I am nervous about it for some reason. So, am I being overreactive with this being a new seller?



Check your email to see if an invoice came there instead of through the ebay messages. It might simply be that because you are a new ebayer, you just haven't mastered all the different clicks needed to get to the invoice or to a message?


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

mekasmom said:


> Check your email to see if an invoice came there instead of through the ebay messages. It might simply be that because you are a new ebayer, you just haven't mastered all the different clicks needed to get to the invoice or to a message?


I generally just get messages in my email. With this, I did also check my messages in my Ebay account to make sure I didn't miss one.

I have never sold anything on Ebay so do not know what is like from that side of the fence, (which is why I asked the question) but I have bought things for several years and have never had trouble communicating with sellers or paying for auctions. My feedback reflects that. I have actually been amazed at how fast most sellers respond and how friendly they are. My feedback for them reflects that also.


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## Justin Thyme (Jun 3, 2011)

ebay messages come to your email address as well as to your eBay message center on site. 
We all bid on things that we want. Or we wouldn't bid on them at all... right?
I have to give kudzu for your tenaciousness in sticking with this seller who, apparently, has not yet bothered him- (or her-) self to contact you yet, nearly a week after you began this thread, much less "won" the item. 

Here is the email I send out to buyers who haven't contacted me or paid on day two, post auction:
"EBay recommends that auctions be completed, invoiced, paid for and sent out within three days of the end of closing. We are nearing that point in time and I have neither received payment nor been contacted by you regarding this transaction. Quite often the eBay electronic invoice fragments into its constituent electrons before reaching the intended destination... in this case, you. If this is in fact what has happened and you have not received the invoice please let me know and the invoice will be resent. If there is some other problem please let me know so we can solve it together. 
I look forward to hearing from you, "

I have never had a seller not get in touch and I've been doing eBay for seven years.


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## nadja (May 22, 2011)

sunflower-n-ks said:


> Thanks for the responses. I sent another message, now wait and see if they reply. I was wondering if and how to cancel the purchases if it should come to that. I will do some more checking on that. It sounds like ebay has provided for that if necessary.
> 
> The seller is new with (0) feedback. I could not find any other listings, open or closed besides the three that included the two I bid on. I would think they would be excited and watching as the listings closed to see how they did, but there could be many reasons they are not online. Hope they are not having serious problems in life.


Well, you may look at it like this. Sometimes a first time seller , really gets lost on ebay. They are not familiar with the system, and ebay tends to get a bit confusing at times to say the least.


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## Justin Thyme (Jun 3, 2011)

As a seller I have actually had buyers get heart attacks and even die shortly after winning something. 

Perhaps that is what happened to this seller. They got so excited at selling (at least) 2 out of 3 items they keeled over.


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## Bandit (Oct 5, 2008)

Justin Thyme said:


> As a seller I have actually had buyers get heart attacks and even die shortly after winning something.
> 
> Perhaps that is what happened to this seller. They got so excited at selling (at least) 2 out of 3 items they keeled over.


 Justin
At the rate items are selling on Fee-Bay now , that might be happening more often .


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