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If you buy or sell items on eBay, you will find tips and advice on this forum.

Rogue buyers - Is there some reason for this I dont know about?

8 replies

iwaly · 24/03/2015 15:01

Wondering if those with more experience can advise me about this.

My DD had a gadget she was given for Christmas - it retails for about £120. She decided that she has hardly used it and when I looked on ebay there were some new ones on there being sold by proper business retailers and also about 3 or 4 used ones on there. They were popular and selling for a good price - up to £100 including postage and seemed similar to DDs one. So we talked about it and decided it was best to sell it now rather than let it get older and probably lose more value if a new model comes out etc.

I waited until the Sunday and put her one on for sale. A couple of days later I noticed that some used ones that had previously "sold" were back up for sale again. They said they were being relisted as sales had fallen through or referred to "timewasters" bidding on them. So it seems that for some reason people are bidding on these items with no intention of buying them.

Now on Sunday night after 7 days, our one sold for a similar price and guess what the buyer hasn't paid or messaged us. Now I know it is only Tuesday but I just have that gut feeling that we are getting the same timewasting treatment as the other sellers got. I even had a look at who is bidding on them and it seems to be people who are "new" to ebay and I suspect it is the same people. Our buyer joined ebay in February so again a totally new buyer.

I guess there is not much I can do except wait and process the sale as unpaid after a certain number of days and then start again. But I cant stop it happening again which is frustrating. I was wondering why people do this? Is there some reason I don't know about??

Sorry this is a very long question - thanks to those who have read it all!

OP posts:
Cherryapple1 · 24/03/2015 15:05

Just open the unpaid case now, tighten your settings to stop buyers with strikes bidding and block that buyer. You could do buy it now with immediate payment required. And please send fully insured and tracked - courier. Standard signed for is inadequate. Do not relist until unpaid case is closed in 4 days time btw.

glammanana · 24/03/2015 18:01

I would do what Cherry suggests and put it on BIN make sure you untick the "best offer" option and immediate payment I do that with most of my sales now.

glammanana · 24/03/2015 18:02

sorry, meant to say insist on immediate payment,still a bit dizzy after a day at work lol.

iwaly · 24/03/2015 18:13

Thanks for the advice and I will be doing what you suggest about the BIN etc as I don't really mind if it goes for a bit less just to save the hassle. But I just wondered if this was a common thing and why these people do this. I do think in the case of this particular item they are targeting it and doing it repeatedly and I wondered if there was some reason behind it. I can block this bidder but they seem to be able to set up new ebay accounts just to bid on this item and ebay doesn't seem to mind that all these new users then fail to pay for things they bid on.

OP posts:
Cherryapple1 · 24/03/2015 18:27

They do it because they can. Which is why you need to report them as non payers after 48 hours, and file an unpaid case, and change your settings to stop buyers with too many unpaid cases from being able to bid.

iwaly · 24/03/2015 19:02

Yes I already had my settings as tight as possible but that doesn't help if they just set up new buyer identities so guess I just have to go with the BIN for this one. Have to wait 4 days now. Have sold other things no problem but these folk seem to target certain things - I guess newish electronics attract them somehow. Oh well, it certainly puts me off using ebay if that is what they wanted!!

OP posts:
SilverDragonfly1 · 25/03/2015 12:38

It's quite possible that they are selling similar items and want yours off the site for as long as possible so theirs sell instead.

iwaly · 25/03/2015 22:18

I wondered if they were trying to sell their own products. They are definitely systematically targeting this particular thing and it is still going on - I am in the process of waiting 4 days before I can relist. There are a few others relisted now as BIN as it is pretty obvious that an auction is a waste of time - so we shall have to see how it goes.

On the plus side my DD is amazed that two other things we listed just as a bit of a clear out of some unwanted stuff in her room have both been snapped up today for about £10 each plus postage (and paid for straight away more importantly) when we nearly threw them out! So I guess it is swings and roundabouts when it comes to ebay.

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