File nonpaying bidder alerts and credit requests in the event of a failed transaction.
Although sellers are responsible for paying all fees associated with an auction, eBay is not unreasonable about refunding those fees when it comes to returns, deadbeat bidders, and other extenuating circumstances.
Regardless of the terms of a failed transaction, every seller can complete the following two-step process to recover any final-value fees associated with an listing. Unfortunately, insertion fees [Hack #43] are nonrefundable, but they are rarely substantial.
If a bidder never pays, if a buyer returns an item, or if you and the customer settle a transaction for less than the final bid price, the first (and sometimes only) step is to report an "Unpaid Item." You can initiate this process no sooner than 7 days after the listing has closed, and no later than 45 days after.
Start by going to My eBay → Dispute Console, and choose Unpaid Items from the Choose a Dispute Type box at the top of the page. (Alternatively, you can go to feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewDisputeConsole.) Here, you'll see any previous unpaid item disputes you've filed (or other sellers have filed against you).
Click Report an Unpaid Item to start a new claim. When prompted, enter the eBay item number of the disputed transaction, and click Continue.
On the next page, you'll be presented with two questions. The choice you make here will affect the way eBay handles the rest of the process, so make sure to proceed carefully. If you're confused as to how to proceed, forget all the different scenarios listed on the page, and just decide how you feel:
The buyer is a deadbeat, and I want revenge!
The buyer is okay; we've resolved things amicably.
Once you've decided, choose the appropriate option:
The buyer has not paid for the item. Choose this if the buyer hasn't responded, if the buyer hasn't sent payment, or if the buyer is no longer a registered user (possibly as a result of other unpaid items). eBay then sends an email to the bidder reminding him of his obligation to pay.
This selection also puts the wheels in motion should you need to return to this page and apply for a refund of your final-value fees, discussed in the next section. But you won't be able to do this right away; eBay requires that you wait seven days before escalating the dispute and giving the bidder an unpaid item strike. (The exception is if the buyer is no longer registered, in which case you'll get your refund immediately.)
The result, should the buyer not complete the transaction, is that his or her account will receive an unpaid item strike (thus eBay insists on some time for the buyer to respond). Once a buyer receives two such strikes, sellers can block his or her bids [Hack #64] ; after three strikes, the bidder is kicked off eBay.
We have mutually agreed not to complete the transaction. If you choose this selection, the buyer won't be penalized for not paying. This may be the appropriate choice if:
The buyer returned the item, and you issued a refund.
You gave the buyer a partial refund, and the buyer kept the item.
The buyer never paid, but you want to let him off the hook.
The buyer never paid, and has no intention of doing so.
The buyer can't abide by your shipping or payment terms [Hack #54] .
The advantage with this second option is that you'll get your final value refund right away.
Regardless of the choice you make here, however, eBay will notify the bidder, and your report will appear in the bidder's Dispute Console (even if the dispute was amicable). This affords some degree of self-policing, so that buyers can notify eBay if a seller abuses the Dispute Console using the Unpaid Item Bidder Appeal form.
If you file a dispute and then later discover, for instance, that the buyer was in the hospital or simply never got your emails [Hack #9] , you can withdraw the unpaid item strike for the buyer. Return to the Dispute Console, click the View Dispute link next to the transaction in question, and then click "remove the Unpaid Item strike for this dispute."
The Dispute Console can also be used to report nonshipping sellers [Hack #41] or dispute items received that were significantly different than advertised.
Whether you use it as a buyer or a seller, a dispute will never directly affect your feedback score, nor will it affect your ability (or the other party's ability) to leave feedback.
For this reason, always check to see whether or not the bidder has left feedback for you (search your profile [Hack #1] look for the bubble icon [Hack #83] in My eBay) before you file a dispute or escalate a case. Although you should never let someone off the hook for fear of feedback retaliation, you may want to think twice before penalizing someone for what may be a marginal violation.
If you chose option #2 when filing your dispute, indicating that you and the buyer resolved things peacefully, eBay will refund your final-value fees immediately in most cases.
But if you chose option #1, indicating that the buyer is essentially a deadbeat, you'll have to return to the Dispute Console at least a week after filing your original report. Click the View Dispute link next to the transaction in question, and then choose one of these three options at the top of the page:
Select this option if you want to close the dispute, but you don't want your final value fees refunded, and you don't want to give the buyer an unpaid item strike.
Select this option if you want to close the dispute and get your final value fees refunded. The bidder won't get an Unpaid Item Strike, and you'll be eligible for a relist credit [Hack #90] .
Select this option to get your final value fees refunded and give the bidder an unpaid item strike. You'll also be eligible for a relist credit.
Click Continue when you've made your choice.
There's a time limit on all open disputes; if, after 60 days from the close of the listing (not the filing of the dispute), the dispute is still open, eBay unceremoniously closes the dispute. (Disputes for items not received have more generous expiration dates.) If this happens, you won't be eligible for a refund of your final value fees, you won't get a relist credit, and you'll have missed your chance to give the bidder an unpaid item strike. To help you keep track of the timing of your open disputes, you may wish to add a note [Hack #83] to the listing in My eBay.
Your credit will take effect immediately. To see how much money has been credited, go to My eBay → My Account → View invoice.