Best Offer 48 hour rule

Sometimes I've waited close to 48 hours to hear from sellers to accept or decline the best offer I've made on their item. I was wondering if an offer "time limit" can be included in the conditions of the best offer (i.e. "this offer is only valid for 6 hours.") Is this allowed? Thanks, Paul|||Many sellers hold offers so they can select the best one. Others accept or decline automatically, so you would have your answer immediately. And then there are all sorts of other options in between. Don't bid on another similar item until your BO has expired or been declined, as if it is accepted you have purchased the item.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||All it says in help is ... Link Click the “Add additional terms” link to add additional terms to your offer. Note: Any message you include as a part of your Best Offer request to the seller is treated as a part of your buying contract, and can be reviewed by eBay to make sure that it follows our policies and meets our requirements.... which is open to interpretation, so I wouldn't risk it.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||Ridiculous Do you really think every seller is sitting in front of their computer 24 hours a day???????|||If the seller accepts you offer after your "deadline" you would still be responsible for paying so I'm going with...no.|||I'm sorry, but I often sleep for more than 6 hours. Sometimes my job likes me to show up as well.|||" I was wondering if an offer "time limit" can be included in the conditions of the best offer (i.e. "this offer is only valid for 6 hours.") Is this allowed? Thanks," NO Read how Best Offer works here Link Link " The fine print Best Offers are good for 48 hours, or until the listing ends, whichever comes first. You can make up to three Best Offers for any item. Expired offers, declined offers, and retracted offers all count towards the limit of three Best Offers. The minimum amount for which an item can be listed is determined by eBay and varies by country. If the Make Offer button does not appear in the listing, the seller is not interested in receiving offers and you should not try to contact this seller through other means to negotiate price or terms. Doing so violates our Offers to Buy or Sell Outside eBay policy."|||You are way too impatient. You made my blocked bidder list.|||BTW, if you make a Best Offer on a listing that has say, just one day to run, and you don't hear back from the seller within that time frame till listing "ends". Do NOT assume you are released from the BO, first check to see if the listing is a "good 'till cancelled", because if it is, and the listing rolled over and is still "live", your BO is still open until the 48 hours expire.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||This isn't really an unreasonable question, but the answer is still no. Because the 48 hour period for response is also reasonable. As noted, you may not be the seller's only going concern in that time frame. Plus - When you make an offer under B.O., it is implied that you do so knowing the eBay policies governing the offer. Also, sellers sometimes are engaged in multipe negotiations with other offerers for the same listing, and await earlier offer resonses to counters before responding to yours. Or, they may elect to let yours 'sit' (as long as allowed) to see of other better one's come in in the mean time. The theory there is that an item with an 'offer pending' can serve to attract more attention than one with none. That said, there's no reason you also can't 'request' the shorter time frame. But there's no way to 'enforce' it if your offer is 'accepted' after that and prior to the eBay designated 48 hour response time. Of course, there's no way to 'enforce' your subsequent payment in kind, either. Finally, you might consider the other side of this question: "Yes, we accept your offer, but you only have 6 hours to contact us and provide payment, or we withdraw our acceptance." That wouldn't fly either, right?--------------------------------- Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it. - - Mark Twain

Do you look at VARIATION listings?

Hi! I have been a seller here on ebay for over 12 years and I just discovered these new variation listings. I sell craft supplies and have paper in different styles ( and colors) that I would like to list. It was suggested to me to use variation listings and put them all in the same listing to save listing fees. I did that for a few papers, but I have had no sales on those. I was just wondering that, as buyers, do you guys look at variation listings? Or do you think that most buyers still do not know what they are? Am I better off just listing them separately? THANKS! Debbie|||Is that where there are drop down lists to choose from? I just bought something that way. I guess the problem would be if the buyers are searching keywords that may not come up because they're buried in the dropdown boxes.|||I don't think there is any way to screen out the variation listings from search, so I don't think that would be an issue. My concern would be that a buyer who does not read the listing carefully then complains they didn't receive all the styles and colors shown.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||I don't know what a variation listing is.|||Neither do I.|||Susan, I think we may have answered her question!||||||I have shopped listings with variations, mostly clothing items though. I think variations are great for size and basic color but not so good for patterns, etc.|||Lucy, Thank you for explaining that in a way that is SO easy to understand. *hiding my blonde roots*|||Thank you all for your answers. You definitely helped me.. I think I will stick with the individual listings for a just a bit more! Debbie||||||I like the variation listings - they do make easier reading than multiple listings. They also avoid one of my pet peaves - repeat listings that don't get updated. It's perfectly understandable how a seller could miss a few when relisting tons of listings, but when you find 2 very similar items from the same seller with drastically different TOS, it can look a little fishy. That said, some sellers are taking the options a bit too far. I found some fabric I was mildly interested in, but the listing had 20 different patterns, two different widths, two lengths, and several price and shipping options. I couldn't figure out what I was buying for how much. I probably could have parsed it, but my mild interest faded too fast. Good luck with it. - cheers

What's with the sudden "reminder to pay" emails all of a sudden?

I won an item yesterday and I'm getting payment reminder notices. I typically wait for the end of the weekend and make all my payments together so i don't end up with half a dozen or more emails. I tried to contact Ebay, but all I got was automated "popular questions" with no option to actually send an email. Have times gotten so bad they've cut their staff and want their cut of the sales immediately?|||well if you had paid for it friday it could have shipped saturday !! what is so wrong with paying the seller when you buy ? when you buy from a web site you pay when you buy . when you buy at a store you pay when you buy ebay sellers also prefer you pay when you buy , some like me do Saturday shipping and we are waiting and watching so we can get your item out the door and earn good DSRS I had 3 customers buy and pay late Friday night /Saturday morning and was able to get them all out with the half day Saturday post office hours. customers that do not want a payment reminder should pay when they buy , or make arrangements with the seller prior to bidding . Sue we are happy if you email and say I have more items I am bidding on from you I will pay when they close . but that is really the only reason to make us hang around wondering if you will pay . ebay is not a cart when you choose to buy it prevents other purchasers that may have paid right away from buying . I really am pretty flexible with it because I have so many repeat customers and multi item customers but many sellers find it incredibly rude for you to hold an item hostage ( it can not sell to another interested buyer unless we cancel your sale )|||I absolutely understand what you're saying, and you make very valid points, but most sellers give you 7 days to pay. The emails I'm getting aren't from the sellers, they're from Ebay, letting me know I haven't made the payment. It might be different if I was new to Ebay, or had a history of not paying for things, but I'm nearly at 1400 with perfect FB. It's Ebay's push, not the sellers.|||the ebay notes are auto send , Please don't sweat those, the sellers have no control most do not even know they are going out . but feel free to complain to ebay as they do not listen to us sellers. and we give seven days to pay but we really all prefer you to pay promptly. But we know stuff happens and the 7 days is how long we will give till we file NPB for our fees back ebay charges the seller fees as soon as you hit that buy button . ebay - pay pal also allows the sellers 7 days to ship after being paid but how many buyers want the seller to actually take that long ? I have 5 days in my TOS ( just in case there is a family emergency my dad is 86 so things happen !) but still I mostly ship with in 24 hours to keep happy customers . so think about how long do you want the seller to wait after your payment clears to ship and try to pay at least that fast . Sue|||Sellers may now file the UID in 4 days. Ebay, not the seller auto sends the payment reminders.|||I dug around for a while last night, might've just missed it, but where do I complain to Ebay about this? I kept getting their prefab question boxes that prompted me with questions they deemed "close" to mine, but weren't.|||You can set your preferences to stop the notifications.From beasts we scorn as soulless, In forest, field and den, The cry goes up to witness The soullessness of men. ~M. Frida Hartley|||Most sellers now give only 4 days to pay. eBay sends out those notices 48 hours after you make your purchase. You can ignore them, but after 4 days you might get an automatic Unpaid Item Dispute. Many sellers are now set up to file those automatically on the 4th day.|||...and thanks everybody for the suggestion...|||Something else the critics here may not understand, sometimes I'm waiting for additional auctions from one seller to end to save on shipping. I do that a lot with DVD's, music and automotive parts.|||"Something else the critics here may not understand, sometimes I'm waiting for additional auctions from one seller to end to save on shipping. I do that a lot with DVD's, music and automotive parts." Exactly why, you can disregard post 7.|||I have a comment or two to the sellers who want to be paid as soon as the item is won /BIN'ed I used to work in retail and anyone who has worked in retail knows the clerk who lets the customer shop the store for a while & suggests add ons to what they already have in their hands is an gem for the shop and a money maker. The clerk who goes up to the buyer noticing they have items in their hands and states 'are you ready to check out now?' is cutting sales and allowing that customer to walk away having bought on a part of what they could have purchased. Those sales people are one step away from being a burden to the shop. Sellers - email your customers who don't pay right away - ASK they if there was anything else they were looking for. Many sellers list often - you may not have listed an item that buyer was interested in. Be friendly to your customers - make them want to come back. I had a seller 'scream' at me to pay for my item - I was still shopping! Guess what? I stopped shopping, checked out and noted who she was so I would not shop her ebay again. Remember, shipping is very expensive - many buyers what to save on shipping with a combined if possible. Then there is the issue of wanting the item paid for right away...therefore....put yourself in the buyer's shoes - SHIP it RIGHT AWAY...I mean within hours of the sale. Ya, sellers don't do that. So give your buyers a few days to pay also. Be nice...who knows, you may make them into a customer/friend and get a lot more sales from them I have one lady I buy from that I have a running tab with. It's to her benefit I do this. She gets another bidder - thus her items don't sell so cheaply. I get combined shipping and I'm always looking at her new listings. WIN - WIN Yes, there are deadbeat buyers out there and deadbeat sellers. Many buyers like the shopping 'experience' give them that and your sales will increase.|||Still shopping? Message the seller and let them know. If they have opted in to the Unpaid item Assistant they can turn it off on your item, otherwise the UID will file automatically. Also, if they usually file manually at four days, they know your intention and will hold off on filing, when asked, I am sure.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||It is not up to the buyer to tell the seller they are still shopping. Many sellers state how many days they give the buyer to pay. If the seller politely emails the buyer during that time then yes, it is polite to respond back in kind. Remember as a seller you are profiting off of your buyers. The buyer has no obligation to do anything but buy and pay within the time stated. If you want your buyer to pay right away then set your BIN's to be as such and don't run auctions. Just be warned a BIN with a pay it now has to have a quick ship or else you may get a buyer who feels took by the process. Just stating what I know about sales|||It's not up to the seller how soon the payment is due within the time frame permitted by eBay. Seller can state item will be re-listed if there's no payment in 24 hours, blah blah blah. You pay on day 3, and if the item is gone, that seller bought himself a non-performing seller claim.

am I being too harsh?

Won the item on Wednesday 6/30. Paid that night. I get an IM from the seller on Thursday 7/8 that she was sending the item out that day. The reasons she gave me for the shippment delay was that she forgot all about it because of the holiday weekend and that she was moving and that she was selling her car and that she was buying a new car. I am of the mind of giving her a Neutral feedback. It's not my problem all the things happening in her life. In the hospital or being sick I understand; these others I could care less about.|||Well, it seems like one excuse would've been enough! I'd be willing to forgive if someone just said they honestly forgot, without throwing the holiday, moving and car excuses in. Geez, overkill. Don't think too hard about feedback until you receive the item. Hospital excuses are frequently thrown around lightly too, though I do have a neg from a time I was in the hospital.~James~|||Her terms are delivery within 7-14 business days. She is still within those terms. Why not wait until you receive the item and the good deal you get may put you in a more forgiving frame of mind?|||Terms? We don't read no stinkin' terms...!!! Actually they say "Will usually ship within 5 business days of receiving cleared payment." so they are a little behind unless you interpret "usually" loosely. Did you have to prod the seller into telling you the ship date or did she volunteer the late shipping info on her own?~James~||||||James, I luvs you but I think you're looking at the wrong item. It's the laptop without the picture ending on 6/30.|||Are you being too harsh? YES. It's buyers like you that give the rest of us a bad name.|||||||||I'm a buyer only. I just think that if people would be more patient, they'd be happier here. If I need or want something tomorrow, I shop at the River.||||||No, I rarely buy from third party sellers at the River. I like the free two day, or $3.99 one day UPS shipping. It only applies to items that are eligible for prime shipping.|||Actually they say "Will usually ship within 5 business days of receiving cleared payment." so they are a little behind unless you interpret "usually" loosely. Unless my math is off, they are not behind. The 8th was the 5th business day. Monday was a holiday for the USPS. The seller shipped within her stated handling time. If everything else is good, she deserves a positive and 5 stars.|||Duh, business days, of course! Sorry! I stepped into that common hole! ~James~|||Not remembering to ship is telling your customer that you don't care about them It could actually mean "didn't remember" as opposed to "didn't care neener neener". --

Why are there suddenly so many sellers with very low transaction numbers?

I have noticed over the past few months (being a fairly regular ebay browser) that nearly all the items i search on bring up a seller with transaction numbers under 500? What the heck is going on? Is there a way to search for sellers with high transaction numbers? I guess i mean something like top sellers "lite" thanks! Mars|||A lot of top sellers have left. It's not a great environment for sellers anymore.Need a website fast?|||I suspect there may be even more after March 30th ...... with gazillions of 99 cent items. I don't know of any way to not show low feedback sellers ..... but do remember we all started somewhere, and as a buyer you have great protection from eBay and PayPal if you perceive something went wrong with your purchase.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||Why would any buyer complain about new blood in the seller community??????|||perhaps the high number of low-feedback sellers is due to seasoned sellers getting restrictions put on them or their search visibility was too low due to some bad apples dinging their DSRs, so new IDs are sprouting like weeds? Or they are establishing secondary IDs in case the upcoming changes hurt any existing selling IDs?|||Or could it be that, miracle of miracles, ebay is attracting more new sellers than before?|||200 transactions in one year, or 20K in sales, and the IRS gets involved. That might cause some to start new IDs. Some are preventative in case of Ebay sanctions for DSR slams.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I did not sell you my opinion|||||||||I didn't know 499 FB was a low number. MyBoard, I have 2 PayPal accounts.|||I can only speal for myself. My feedback numbers are low because the first couple of years I held an eBay account, I only sold the odd book here & there, and bought a couple of things when I was unable to find them locally. When I began selling on other venues, and realized while looking for books to sell that there were lots of other items that could be resold,I ramped things up a bit. The economy likely is motivating many people to list things they no longer use for a little extra cash.|||What the heck is going on? Nothing.|||Sellers can only have one Paypal account, no matter how many IDs are started, and the sales report from Paypal is based on that one account. Therefore I doubt that the reporting issue is the reason Sorry MYBOARD, but that's not true...I have two selling accounts and two separate pay pal accounts..|||You may have more than one Premier/Business but you are breaking the rules..... 2.2 Personal, Premier and Business Accounts. We offer three different types of Accounts: Personal, Premier and Business Accounts. You may only hold one Personal Account and either one Premier or one Business Account. By opening a Premier or Business Account and accepting the terms as outlined in this Agreement, you attest that you are not establishing the Account primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Link.|||What if someone operated two legally separate business entities though? I don't personally, but I can see how someone else might. And technically if they were Inc. they would be no different than two different people opening accounts, right?

Asian sellers no-combined-shipping policies.

I recently decided to buy some of those CREE A20 LED flashlights that put out a reasonably bright light while using only a single AA battery. I noticed that three different sellers were offering these flashlights for the same price ($9.18, including shipping). But none of them had a policy of combining shipping on multiple item purchases. All of them wanted to charge me full shipping for each item. So, of course, I bought only ONE flashlight from EACH of the three Asian vendors. Why should I save them any money on shipping, when they won't share the savings with me? If I need more flashlights after these arrive, I'll just do it again. If they won't combine shipping, they won't ever be sending me more than one item per mailed package.|||Makes perfect sense to me. Well, everything but what their location/ethnicity had to do with it. I typically do the same thing when a seller won't offer combined shipping. Even if I buy from the same seller I'll do so with separate PayPal payments (and on separate days if time permits). People seem to learn better business practices more easily once they're bottom line is affected.|||These items have had more than their share of issues from China You do realize, if the item is not as described, arrives damaged or not working, you will have to pay VERY expensive return shipping with the required tracking back to China. in order to get a refund of item price and the original shipping paid.|||eexspect what you bought to be junk . they won't perform as exspected or last . they are cheaply made knockoffs in most cases. even in china they make knockoff of items made in their country. and in many cases they make their $ on shipping. and eBay won't do anything as different rules in their country.||||||itswickedfun: I'm sure that I don't know what their ethnicity/location has to do with the no-combined-shipping policy either. But such is evidently the case, whether or not I know why. salez4u: Oh, I would not pay the return shipping. Because of relatively low cost, I would just trash a non-functional item and charge the seller with nasty feedback. redbudfarm and blue_eyes_james: No. Definitely not. These flashlights are well-made and perform as described. I bought ONE at first and waited for it to arrive. Very solid construction. Very bright LED. The optics are good, too. You get a good deal for your money. The lack of combined shipping is my only complaint with these sellers. You'd think they'd figure out, sooner or later, that it slows down their rate of sales to other countries.|||What exactly are you doing in the dark with all those flashlights...? If you're reading under the covers again your Mom told you not to! In other news: Watch out, these sellers threaten - "We will report unpaid item to eBay and leave negative feedback if no payment arrive in 7 days after item ended." At least two of your different sellers are the same person it looks like.~James~|||Chinese sellers do this all the time: * not offer combined shipping since the item is so low priced anyway * have multiple selling ID's all selling the same items I bet the OP unknowingly PayPal'd $9.18 three times all to the same person! Remember that eBay does not collect fees on shipping, so this is how most Chinese sellers will make thier profits. And I for one have no problem whatsoever that they do not combine shipping. I buy mostly sports jerseys and ALL of the items that come from China are of excellent quality (usually better than 'real' jerseys sold in USA.) They have incredible tailors there!|||They don't have to have a policy of combined shipping! Neither does the USA! Don't like it? Don't bid!|||"They don't have to have a policy of combined shipping! Neither does the USA! Don't like it? Don't bid!" Have to agree, sellers are NOT obligated to combine shipping, no matter how many items you purchase. If combined S&H is not stated clearly in the listing and or you did not inquire PRIOR to bidding and get a firm quote for combined shipping you are out of luck. Assume nothing.|||Combined shipping is more of a courtesy to the customer but not a requirement of eBay.||||||Ms. Crazy... Methinks that "truly realize the lesson" and "stew on that for awhile" isn't going to happen with these sellers from China, or even some from the USA! I buy from a dvd seller that doesn't discount shipping on BINs and they always come in individual packages. I get the strategy, but it only might work on "Jane" selling scrapbooking stuff cheap and trying to pad her low sales with shipping charges. Or she'll just block you! ~James~|||Combined shipping is not the same as discounted shipping. Be aware of the difference when you ASQ a seller that question.Colleen __________________________ Happiness is a decision, not an emotion.|||You probably could have gotten the same thing here in the states at a discount store for no shipping...foolish purchase.

canadian scammer

I want to know if I am in the wrong. I sold and item, in my listing I stated that the shipping listed was for continental United States only. I also informed that international needs should contact me first to make arrangements. I had a canadian buyer purchase the item, I shipped using UPS and the buyer refused the item at customs. Now the buyer opened a case stating that the item "not as described" so now paypal refunded the money and the item has not been sent back to me. Paypal has stopped answering my calls and email. What to do?|||Never ship ground service to Canada via UPS..... they have a huge broker fee..... Use USPS. Your buyer was entitled to a full refund, he didn't receive his item. Your package will likely eventually come back to you, and UPS may want their fees from you ..... their point will be they provided the service. Sorry there is no good news, but do learn from this, and if you say you only ship to the US, stick to your Terms of Sale AND set your preferences so folk cannot bid on your listings unless they have a US shipping address on their PP account.~ Lucy ~ Guide to eBay Board AcronymsClick on for links to Help Pages for a new eBayer|||As pointed out, Don't use UPS Ground or FedEx Ground to Canada. BIG Brokerage fees. The correct claim your Buyer should have filed was INR, Item Not Received. If you don't want to ship International, You need to set your Blocks correctly. This information is a cut and paste from a dewskis_dewings post that can be found at this LINK You need to set your Buyer Requirements and then you need to invoke them on the listing form. You need to do both for it to work. How to set ---and invoke--- your Buyer Requirements Above is a linkDelivery Confirmation is confirmation of delivery, not tracking.|||The buyer did receive the item. The buyer did not specify that USPS was the shipping process they wanted. So your saying that this situation is my fault.|||"refused the item at customs" This means they DID NOT receive the item. And yes, by not setting your buyer requirements, you created the problem. You also could have refused to ship.|||Not to mention that the title of this thread is more than a little offensive. If I were you, I'd self report it and ask to have it removed. Clueless ((shaking head))||||||I don't understand what is offensive. The buyer duped me. I have many emails from this buyer and not one email states the use of USPS to ship the item. If this situation is so know by canadians, why not mention this in an email.|||If the buyer received the item and flied a snad they are required to return it with dc befor pp will release the funds to them(they are just being held right now). I must say I am confused-on what grounds is the snad complaint filed?What does the dispute say is the reason-how is the item snad? We have no idea what went on between you and the buyer but I am guessing since most sellers ship usps he made the mistake of assuming you were also.Or did you say in your emails or invoice that you are using ups not the postal service?It may not be your fault but it is your responsibility Silver rule "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"|||I posted in my auction that USPS is used for continental UNITED STATES only. International buyers need to contact me. I received the email from the buyer and quoted a price for shipping. I received email back stating they agreed to the cost. I emailed back asking if any special request were needed. IE.. insurance, special packing anything. I received email that normal shipping methods were fine. I shipped using ups. I had no idea that the pack would be refused because of customs. I received items from canda before and they were shipped ups.|||now I am really confused you said in the listing you ship usps(post office)? Which listing is it? Canada assesses customs fee and taxes on any item valued over $20.US limit is $200. UPS charges an additional brokerage fee when used internationally Just a guess but buyer got sticker shock when presented a bill for not only customs fee/taxes but brokerage fee.Refused to pay and ups is shipping back to you.Have you tracked it? Link Btw you are not allowed to offer insurance as a seperate cost since it protects you the shipper.If you feel insurance is needed you have to incoporate it in the start price or ship price.Ebay/pp buyer protect protect the buyerIt may not be your fault but it is your responsibility Silver rule "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"|||You are in charge od getting the item to the buyer. Not the other way around. yes calling the buyer a scammer was way off base. He did nothing wrong. Use this as a lesson learned. Why in the world would you ship USPS then go to UPS for an international shipment?????????????????????? That speaks of something not on the level to me. There were four or five tihngs you could have done to prevent any of this. 1. Have the blocks set up. 2. File for an bidder that is not allowed to bid on oyur auctions, I forgot the name of that. 3. KNOW YOUR SHIPPERS AND WHAT THEY CHARGE 4. Ship like you mentioned in the auction. USPS is never more to ship international than UPS, unless the item is something super special .5.Call Canadian customs and ask where the package is and have them send it back. 6. Do not call a buyer a scammer, unless he stole from you, in this case you dropped the ball. You are not a scammer, but he has more reason to call you one that you do him. 7. Now you can use this as a learning curve. When you get the item back and UPS charges you the brokerage fees, you will learn the best way.|||4. Ship like you mentioned in the auction. USPS is never more to ship international than UPS, unless the item is something super special Up front UPS Ground to Canada is most times cheaper then USPS, BUT When you tack on the HIGH brokerage fees for the UPS Ground, Makes USPS MUCH CheaperDelivery Confirmation is confirmation of delivery, not tracking.||||||