Question:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Did you not notice that I accept credit cards through PayPal? I specifically listed PayPal or certified funds as the available payment options on the auction listing. If you really prefer, I will accept a company check but I will hold the package for 10 business days to make sure everything has cleared. Not trying to create an argument here, but you sound as if you’re not prepared to do business with individuals rather than other companies. If that’s the case you should seriously reconsider your decision to use eBay as a purchasing vehicle. I’m just an individual selling off some personal spare goods. I don’t use invoices and I’m not set up to accept credit cards directly. I’m not going to send you the goods and then bill you. Trips to the bank are a major inconvenience for me too, but they’ve become a necessary evil when participating on eBay since many sellers only accept certified funds. It’s the bidders responsibility to read the payment terms and either accept them or decline to bid.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that reply what so ever. Also I would ask why he said in his first email he was a small business and required an invoice then later claimed to have multiple outlets and over 1000 employees. Something does not add up with this character, I would cover yourself whatever avenue you decide to follow. — Niel Humphreys
Response:
… It just seems a bit funny; they go out of their way to tell ya how respectable they are. Most businesses that ARE respectable dont feel its necessary to even bring up the topic.
Yup. Similar to person discussing biz who goes into the "I’m a good Christian" spiel right off the bat. I feel for my wallet, and if we shook hands, count my fingers. — Mac (doogle)
Response:
… It just seems a bit funny; they go out of their way to tell ya how respectable they are. Most businesses that ARE respectable dont feel its necessary to even bring up the topic. Yup. Similar to person discussing biz who goes into the "I’m a good Christian" spiel right off the bat. I feel for my wallet, and if we shook hands, count my fingers. — Mac (doogle)
Business checks are far more likely than personal checks to bounce. I know a few auctioneers in the Dallas area that will take personal checks from an individual, but unless they know the business, they won’t take business checks without a bank letter of guarantee. I’d take the check, but particularly on a large item I’d call his bank to make sure it cleared before I sent the merchandise. Usually this isn’t worth the time and effort, but on a over $500 check that you’re already worried about, thats a different matter. Richard Ward
Response:
[That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet.
IMO, you shouldn't send your drafted email. It doesn't sound like they are intentionally trying to cause you any difficulty. They are willing to use a credit card, so perhaps you should offer to speak with the person up who would normally handle a credit card transaction and help that person sign up for PayPal. Any reason you don't accept BillPoint? --Steve
Response:
be flexible.... you'll be surprised how much further you'll get!!!
- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - I recently completed an auction and the buyer is actually a business entity that appears to be unprepared for the idea of dealing with individuals on eBay. I specifically noted in the auction that I accept PayPal or certified funds. They only had 2 feedbacks so they must be just starting this move into the auction market. Here's the string of emails with the personal info stricken out..... [After receiving the eBay EOA notice I forwarded it with the following] —— Hello! You were the winning bidder for the Sun Ultra-5 workstation. Please forward your shipping address and I’ll get the shipping cost for you. —— [they're response was as follows] —— We are located at [address deleted]. We are a small business and require a detailed invoice to pay from. Please forward this as well along with a list of acceptable forms of payment. —— [well, I'm just an individual so invoices aren't something I really deal with. But I went ahead and downloaded an invoice template for Word and wrote one up anyway. Here's my response] —— The shipping cost is $22. My preference is PayPal. My id is [id snipped]. I also accept cashier’s checks or money orders. Those can be mailed to me at: [address snipped] I’ve attached an invoice for your records. Let me know if you have any trouble opening it. —— [Tonight I had this response waiting for me...] —— Mr. Alexander, I, [name deleted], represent the company [company name deleted] in this transaction. We are a division of [parent company name], a 1,000+ employee company with offices around the country. Please feel free to check us out at [web URL deleted]. I say this to say that we do not usually deal in money orders or cashier’s check. This is not to say that we can not, but that it is extremely inconvenient to make trips to the bank. We however would prefer to pay through credit card, company check or using Billpoint. Please notify me if any of these options are available. You are welcome to contact me directly on [phone number deleted] —— [That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. I really don't want to lose the sale because I don't want to go through another auction, but I do want to advise this person that I'm not thrilled with their attitude and perhaps eBay isn't the right place to expect to do business their way. Let me know if I'm going too far here.] —— Did you not notice that I accept credit cards through PayPal? I specifically listed PayPal or certified funds as the available payment options on the auction listing. If you really prefer, I will accept a company check but I will hold the package for 10 business days to make sure everything has cleared. Not trying to create an argument here, but you sound as if you’re not prepared to do business with individuals rather than other companies. If that’s the case you should seriously reconsider your decision to use eBay as a purchasing vehicle. I’m just an individual selling off some personal spare goods. I don’t use invoices and I’m not set up to accept credit cards directly. I’m not going to send you the goods and then bill you. Trips to the bank are a major inconvenience for me too, but they’ve become a necessary evil when participating on eBay since many sellers only accept certified funds. It’s the bidders responsibility to read the payment terms and either accept them or decline to bid.
Response:
Take the company check, but wait for it to clear… -Bob
Response:
I think they can send a flunky down to the bank to get a cashier’s check. There isn’t anything hard about that. I do think, tho, the best bet is for the seller to accept a business check and wait for the thing to clear and then send the item afterwards. Z
The only bad check I had last year came from a business in Texas. Same story, we are big time guys blah blah, so I sent the thing off, the check bounced. Calls to them yeilded a nasty secretary who had perhaps received several similar calls recently. But….turned out their parent company was about 10 miles from me, in my state! So a call to them and a mention of talking to the local police got me my money. But for that lucky coincidence I’d still be whistling for it. Moral: Company check is not magic, and its not a money order. Any business is expected to establish credit before it gets net 30 privilages or even gets its checks accepted. And businesses go out of business every day. This one may be buying on ebay because its credit is so bad its regular suppliers have cut them off. Or they could be 100% ok. It just seems a bit funny; they go out of their way to tell ya how respectable they are. Most businesses that ARE respectable dont feel its necessary to even bring up the topic.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. IMO, you shouldn't send your drafted email. It doesn't sound like they are intentionally trying to cause you any difficulty. They are willing to use a credit card, so perhaps you should offer to speak with the person up who would normally handle a credit card transaction and help that person sign up for PayPal. Any reason you don't accept BillPoint? Well, I did take a look at the Billpoint info and it appears that I'd be limited to $500 per transaction because I only qualify for the standard account. This particular transaction is more than that. I suppose we could try to pay it with multiple transactions. Still, I clearly listed the payment options in the auction listing. Why should I sign up for Billpoint to accommodate them, why don't they sign up for PayPal to accommodate the terms of the auction? BTW I agree, I won't be sending that email. I'll just keep it short and offer to accept a company check with a wait period if they don't want to sign up for PayPal. Thanks for the feedback.
I wouldn't ever accept payment in multiple parts, that causes no end of trouble with the payment services if something goes wrong. I take billpoint, and the limit goes way up if you use them for a few months, so you might think about signing up for future use, but it isn't a real option for this transaction. Billpoint is much better about upgrading users to a merchant account than paypal is. Richard Ward
Response:
My take on this is that you need to modify your payment strategy. Taking company checks is not as risky if they are from a large company. If you write your end of auction letter in the form of a receipt that outlines all costs and quantity you will have issued him an invoice. I know that it is very annoying to have someone modify the payment terms, but it generally works out if your merchandise is as it is described and the buyer is honorable. Then again, if you don't feel comfortable, tell them that they need to abide by your terms or you will file an NPB for not meeting terms. Good luck. PC
- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - I think your answer is perfect. : : I recently completed an auction and the buyer is actually a business : entity that appears to be unprepared for the idea of dealing with : individuals on eBay. I specifically noted in the auction that I : accept PayPal or certified funds. They only had 2 feedbacks so they : must be just starting this move into the auction market. Here's the : string of emails with the personal info stricken out.....
Response:
I think they can send a flunky down to the bank to get a cashier's check. There isn't anything hard about that. I do think, tho, the best bet is for the seller to accept a business check and wait for the thing to clear and then send the item afterwards. Z
Response:
I think your answer is perfect.
: : I recently completed an auction and the buyer is actually a business : entity that appears to be unprepared for the idea of dealing with : individuals on eBay. I specifically noted in the auction that I : accept PayPal or certified funds. They only had 2 feedbacks so they : must be just starting this move into the auction market. Here's the : string of emails with the personal info stricken out..... : : : [After receiving the eBay EOA notice I forwarded it with the : following] : —— : Hello! You were the winning bidder for the Sun Ultra-5 workstation. : Please forward your shipping address and I’ll get the shipping cost : for you. : —— : [they're response was as follows] : —— : We are located at [address deleted]. We are a small business and : require a detailed invoice to pay from. Please forward this as well : along with a list of acceptable forms of payment. : —— : [well, I'm just an individual so invoices aren't something I really : deal with. But I went ahead and downloaded an invoice template for : Word and wrote one up anyway. Here's my response] : —— : The shipping cost is $22. My preference is PayPal. My id is [id : snipped]. I also accept cashier’s checks or money orders. Those can : be mailed to me at: : [address snipped] : I’ve attached an invoice for your records. Let me know if you have : any trouble opening it. : —— : [Tonight I had this response waiting for me...] : —— : Mr. Alexander, : : I, [name deleted], represent the company [company name deleted] in : this transaction. We are a division of [parent company name], a : 1,000+ employee company with offices around the country. Please feel : free to check us out at [web URL deleted]. I say this to say that we : do not usually deal in money orders or cashier’s check. This is not : to say that we can not, but that it is extremely inconvenient to make : trips to the bank. We however would prefer to pay through credit : card, company check or using Billpoint. Please notify me if any of : these options are available. You are welcome to contact me directly : on [phone number deleted] : —— : [That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the : tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I : respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. : I really don't want to lose the sale because I don't want to go : through another auction, but I do want to advise this person that I'm : not thrilled with their attitude and perhaps eBay isn't the right : place to expect to do business their way. Let me know if I'm going : too far here.] : —— : Did you not notice that I accept credit cards through PayPal? I : specifically listed PayPal or certified funds as the available payment : options on the auction listing. : : If you really prefer, I will accept a company check but I will hold : the package for 10 business days to make sure everything has cleared. : : Not trying to create an argument here, but you sound as if you’re not : prepared to do business with individuals rather than other companies. : If that’s the case you should seriously reconsider your decision to : use eBay as a purchasing vehicle. I’m just an individual selling off : some personal spare goods. I don’t use invoices and I’m not set up to : accept credit cards directly. I’m not going to send you the goods and : then bill you. Trips to the bank are a major inconvenience for me : too, but they’ve become a necessary evil when participating on eBay : since many sellers only accept certified funds. It’s the bidders : responsibility to read the payment terms and either accept them or : decline to bid. :
Response:
[That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. IMO, you shouldn't send your drafted email. It doesn't sound like they are intentionally trying to cause you any difficulty. They are willing to use a credit card, so perhaps you should offer to speak with the person up who would normally handle a credit card transaction and help that person sign up for PayPal. Any reason you don't accept BillPoint?
Well, I did take a look at the Billpoint info and it appears that I'd be limited to $500 per transaction because I only qualify for the standard account. This particular transaction is more than that. I suppose we could try to pay it with multiple transactions. Still, I clearly listed the payment options in the auction listing. Why should I sign up for Billpoint to accommodate them, why don't they sign up for PayPal to accommodate the terms of the auction? BTW I agree, I won't be sending that email. I'll just keep it short and offer to accept a company check with a wait period if they don't want to sign up for PayPal. Thanks for the feedback.
Response:
I think you're probably right. Thanks for the confirmation. - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - If you want the sale tell him you will accept company cheque and release goods when it clears I would just keep it short and to the point no need to tell him about the way you trade on ebay or possibly the way others do, He will find that out himself in the end regards Mark I recently completed an auction and the buyer is actually a business entity that appears to be unprepared for the idea of dealing with individuals on eBay. I specifically noted in the auction that I accept PayPal or certified funds. They only had 2 feedbacks so they must be just starting this move into the auction market. Here's the string of emails with the personal info stricken out..... [After receiving the eBay EOA notice I forwarded it with the following] —— Hello! You were the winning bidder for the Sun Ultra-5 workstation. Please forward your shipping address and I’ll get the shipping cost for you. —— [they're response was as follows] —— We are located at [address deleted]. We are a small business and require a detailed invoice to pay from. Please forward this as well along with a list of acceptable forms of payment. —— [well, I'm just an individual so invoices aren't something I really deal with. But I went ahead and downloaded an invoice template for Word and wrote one up anyway. Here's my response] —— The shipping cost is $22. My preference is PayPal. My id is [id snipped]. I also accept cashier’s checks or money orders. Those can be mailed to me at: [address snipped] I’ve attached an invoice for your records. Let me know if you have any trouble opening it. —— [Tonight I had this response waiting for me...] —— Mr. Alexander, I, [name deleted], represent the company [company name deleted] in this transaction. We are a division of [parent company name], a 1,000+ employee company with offices around the country. Please feel free to check us out at [web URL deleted]. I say this to say that we do not usually deal in money orders or cashier’s check. This is not to say that we can not, but that it is extremely inconvenient to make trips to the bank. We however would prefer to pay through credit card, company check or using Billpoint. Please notify me if any of these options are available. You are welcome to contact me directly on [phone number deleted] —— [That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. I really don't want to lose the sale because I don't want to go through another auction, but I do want to advise this person that I'm not thrilled with their attitude and perhaps eBay isn't the right place to expect to do business their way. Let me know if I'm going too far here.] —— Did you not notice that I accept credit cards through PayPal? I specifically listed PayPal or certified funds as the available payment options on the auction listing. If you really prefer, I will accept a company check but I will hold the package for 10 business days to make sure everything has cleared. Not trying to create an argument here, but you sound as if you’re not prepared to do business with individuals rather than other companies. If that’s the case you should seriously reconsider your decision to use eBay as a purchasing vehicle. I’m just an individual selling off some personal spare goods. I don’t use invoices and I’m not set up to accept credit cards directly. I’m not going to send you the goods and then bill you. Trips to the bank are a major inconvenience for me too, but they’ve become a necessary evil when participating on eBay since many sellers only accept certified funds. It’s the bidders responsibility to read the payment terms and either accept them or decline to bid.
Response:
I recently completed an auction and the buyer is actually a business entity that appears to be unprepared for the idea of dealing with individuals on eBay. I specifically noted in the auction that I accept PayPal or certified funds. They only had 2 feedbacks so they must be just starting this move into the auction market. Here’s the string of emails with the personal info stricken out….. [After receiving the eBay EOA notice I forwarded it with the following] —— Hello! You were the winning bidder for the Sun Ultra-5 workstation. Please forward your shipping address and I’ll get the shipping cost for you. —— [they're response was as follows] —— We are located at [address deleted]. We are a small business and require a detailed invoice to pay from. Please forward this as well along with a list of acceptable forms of payment. —— [well, I'm just an individual so invoices aren't something I really deal with. But I went ahead and downloaded an invoice template for Word and wrote one up anyway. Here's my response] —— The shipping cost is $22. My preference is PayPal. My id is [id snipped]. I also accept cashier’s checks or money orders. Those can be mailed to me at: [address snipped] I’ve attached an invoice for your records. Let me know if you have any trouble opening it. —— [Tonight I had this response waiting for me...] —— Mr. Alexander, I, [name deleted], represent the company [company name deleted] in this transaction. We are a division of [parent company name], a 1,000+ employee company with offices around the country. Please feel free to check us out at [web URL deleted]. I say this to say that we do not usually deal in money orders or cashier’s check. This is not to say that we can not, but that it is extremely inconvenient to make trips to the bank. We however would prefer to pay through credit card, company check or using Billpoint. Please notify me if any of these options are available. You are welcome to contact me directly on [phone number deleted] —— [That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. I really don't want to lose the sale because I don't want to go through another auction, but I do want to advise this person that I'm not thrilled with their attitude and perhaps eBay isn't the right place to expect to do business their way. Let me know if I'm going too far here.] —— Did you not notice that I accept credit cards through PayPal? I specifically listed PayPal or certified funds as the available payment options on the auction listing. If you really prefer, I will accept a company check but I will hold the package for 10 business days to make sure everything has cleared. Not trying to create an argument here, but you sound as if you’re not prepared to do business with individuals rather than other companies. If that’s the case you should seriously reconsider your decision to use eBay as a purchasing vehicle. I’m just an individual selling off some personal spare goods. I don’t use invoices and I’m not set up to accept credit cards directly. I’m not going to send you the goods and then bill you. Trips to the bank are a major inconvenience for me too, but they’ve become a necessary evil when participating on eBay since many sellers only accept certified funds. It’s the bidders responsibility to read the payment terms and either accept them or decline to bid.
Response:
If you want the sale tell him you will accept company cheque and release goods when it clears I would just keep it short and to the point no need to tell him about the way you trade on ebay or possibly the way others do, He will find that out himself in the end regards Mark
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I recently completed an auction and the buyer is actually a business entity that appears to be unprepared for the idea of dealing with individuals on eBay. I specifically noted in the auction that I accept PayPal or certified funds. They only had 2 feedbacks so they must be just starting this move into the auction market. Here’s the string of emails with the personal info stricken out….. [After receiving the eBay EOA notice I forwarded it with the following] —— Hello! You were the winning bidder for the Sun Ultra-5 workstation. Please forward your shipping address and I’ll get the shipping cost for you. —— [they're response was as follows] —— We are located at [address deleted]. We are a small business and require a detailed invoice to pay from. Please forward this as well along with a list of acceptable forms of payment. —— [well, I'm just an individual so invoices aren't something I really deal with. But I went ahead and downloaded an invoice template for Word and wrote one up anyway. Here's my response] —— The shipping cost is $22. My preference is PayPal. My id is [id snipped]. I also accept cashier’s checks or money orders. Those can be mailed to me at: [address snipped] I’ve attached an invoice for your records. Let me know if you have any trouble opening it. —— [Tonight I had this response waiting for me...] —— Mr. Alexander, I, [name deleted], represent the company [company name deleted] in this transaction. We are a division of [parent company name], a 1,000+ employee company with offices around the country. Please feel free to check us out at [web URL deleted]. I say this to say that we do not usually deal in money orders or cashier’s check. This is not to say that we can not, but that it is extremely inconvenient to make trips to the bank. We however would prefer to pay through credit card, company check or using Billpoint. Please notify me if any of these options are available. You are welcome to contact me directly on [phone number deleted] —— [That note really aggravates me for some reason. Perhaps it's the tone. Perhaps I just need to wait a while and then re-read before I respond. Anyway, here's the response I wrote up but haven't sent yet. I really don't want to lose the sale because I don't want to go through another auction, but I do want to advise this person that I'm not thrilled with their attitude and perhaps eBay isn't the right place to expect to do business their way. Let me know if I'm going too far here.] —— Did you not notice that I accept credit cards through PayPal? I specifically listed PayPal or certified funds as the available payment options on the auction listing. If you really prefer, I will accept a company check but I will hold the package for 10 business days to make sure everything has cleared. Not trying to create an argument here, but you sound as if you’re not prepared to do business with individuals rather than other companies. If that’s the case you should seriously reconsider your decision to use eBay as a purchasing vehicle. I’m just an individual selling off some personal spare goods. I don’t use invoices and I’m not set up to accept credit cards directly. I’m not going to send you the goods and then bill you. Trips to the bank are a major inconvenience for me too, but they’ve become a necessary evil when participating on eBay since many sellers only accept certified funds. It’s the bidders responsibility to read the payment terms and either accept them or decline to bid.
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.