AW Daily - Tips & Tactics - Dealing with Deadbeats
<p class=default>
<u><b>After the Auction: Dealing With Deadbeats </b></u>
</p><p>
People have probably told you that deadbeat bidding
is a way of life on online auction
<br/>
sites. Well, in many respects, they're right. But
that doesn't mean that deadbeats won't
<br/>
waste your time and money. For instance, it's no
fun spending $99 on a front door
<br/>
featured auction listing, only to get burned and
not be able to have that money credited to
<br/>
your account. Here are suggestions on what to do
when you've been had by a deadbeat.
</p><p>
<b>Make It Clear</b>
: Deadbeat bidders are yet another rationale for clearly stating your
<br/>
payment policies and expectations at the bottom of
your auction's item description (see
<br/>
Writing Professional Descriptions) and for
maintaining email correspondence with high
<br/>
bidders. If deadbeat bidders see your policies
often enough, it's hard for them to plead
<br/>
ignorance and ignore your policies. Also, if
frequent deadbeats see that you have a
<br/>
clear-cut policy, they might move on before they
bid. Finally, in your end-of-auction
<br/>
emails, be sure to request the high bidder's name
and shipping address. Most of the time,
<br/>
this sparks some sort of response.
</p><p>
<b>Cutting to the Chase</b>
: Of course, it's better to find out sooner rather than later if you
<br/>
are dealing with a deadbeat. The most annoying type
of deadbeat is the bidder who
<br/>
strings you along by promising payment over an
extended period of time, which prevents
<br/>
you from relisting the item immediately or from
contacting the second highest bidder, who
<br/>
might still be interested. If too much time passes
while you deal with the hemming and
<br/>
hawing deadbeat, you'll be out of luck--and money.
</p><p>
Here is a
<b> strategy for quickly determining if a bidder intends to finish the transaction</b>
. The
<br/>
day the auction ends, send your end-of-auction
notice with your address for payment
<br/>
(policies included) and request for the bidder's
name and address. If there's no response
<br/>
after three days, send a second notification. If
you don't hear anything after another four
<br/>
days, send a third courtesy notice. If two more
days pass without word, notify the bidder
<br/>
that the sale will be nullified unless (1) you
receive payment by a specific date, or (2) you
<br/>
are sent a payment status update the following day.
In all, you'll wait only nine days.
</p><p>
<b>The Reminder</b>
: If you prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt, you might opt for a
<br/>
more gentle reminder system. You might state in
your initial notice that if there is no
<br/>
response after two weeks, the item is subject to
relist. After two weeks have passed,
<br/>
send out a reminder with the auction and payment
information. If another week passes
<br/>
without reply, send a follow-up message and lay it
on the line, explaining that you will
<br/>
relist and leave appropriate feedback if payment
does not arrive in another week. By
<br/>
then, it will be close to 30 days after the end of
the auction, at which point you can post
<br/>
negative feedback. The value of waiting this long
to leave feedback is that you'll minimize
<br/>
the chances of receiving a retaliatory negative
because the auction listing will soon be
<br/>
taken down.
</p><p>
<b>Don't Believe It</b>
: Some folks will reply to your end-of-auction notice in ways you
<br/>
wouldn't imagine. Take, for instance, the would-be
buyers who say their check or money
<br/>
order is in the mail and ask you to go ahead and
send the item. Don't do it. Some people
<br/>
have the nerve not only to ask you to send your
item before payment arrives, but also
<br/>
inform you that they will be unreachable for
several weeks! Obviously, this is plain old
<br/>
common sense, but don't compromise your payment
policies to cut someone a break if you
<br/>
don't really know them.
</p><p>
<b>Closing the No-Deal</b>
: If 30 days have passed and you haven't tried to contact the
<br/>
deadbeat repeatedly, here's how to get some
closure. Send in your final value fee credit
<br/>
request online. Then relist the item (which is free
the first time at most auction sites), and
<br/>
send your deadbeat bidder a note, informing him or
her that you have voided the
<br/>
transaction (also include the original auction
number for reference). Most importantly, tell
<br/>
the deadbeat bidder you are barring him or her from
your auctions and you will retract any
<br/>
future bids. With that in mind, keep a list of all
the deadbeats you encounter so that you
<br/>
can refer to it during future auctions. Finally,
forward your email to the auction site's
<br/>
customer service department and request that they
keep the information on file.
</p><p>
<b>The Neutral and Negative</b>
: Now comes the hard part--do you leave neutral or negative
<br/>
feedback for a deadbeat bidder? You'll be more
helpful to the community at large if you
<br/>
leave a negative, but this does expose you to a
possible retaliatory negative. One rule of
<br/>
thumb is to give a neutral to people who don't
acknowledge your notification from the
<br/>
get-go, and a negative to those who ask you to send
the merchandise before payment
<br/>
arrives or string you along for several emails. If
a deadbeat bidder's behavior wastes time
<br/>
or even borders on fraud, then he or she deserves a
negative.
</p><p>
<b>Credit My Account</b>
: If the second-highest bidder does not want to pay the high bid, or if
<br/>
you are not interested in relisting the item, be
sure to request a credit for your final value
<br/>
fee and listing fee. Typically, this can be
submitted online. Although it might take a while
<br/>
for the money to be credited to your account, it's
easy to do. Unfortunately, most sites do
<br/>
not refund the money spent on featured auction
plugs or listing enhancements.
</p><p>
<br/>
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</p>