very first sell on eBay

Good luck I hope it works out in your favor

Originally Posted by JustInTime

Just a tip on ensuring you should get positive feedback... Ship quickly once the buyers funds hit your paypal. One of the things I've made it a point of doing when selling on Ebay is to get the item out the door by next business day and I use either USPS Priority or Fedex. On nearly all my feedback, it is mentioned "Fast Shipping". There's few things more annoying than a seller who drags their feet on shipping an item.

Also, don't get offended by the non-payers. I've been noticing lately that there seems to be an influx of non-payers, at least with my auctions. Setup your account to automatically open a dispute when non-payment occurs and try not to get discouraged with it. It's annoying as hell but it comes with the territory.

I have my account marked to automatically bar any buyers that have 2 strikes against them, it'll weed most of them out.
I get maybe 1 every six months.

Originally Posted by JustInTime

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to use the Second Chance Offer for simply a slow payer. If you do, you'll likely get dinged by the original buyer with bad feedback and likely get dinged by Ebay also. If a buyer doesn't have instant pay setup, they have either 3 or 4 days to pay after you send the invoice(I forget which). After that, if you have it setup automatically, a dispute is opened through the resolution center. The buyer than has another 2-3 days to pay(again, I forget which) where afterwards the resolution is closed in your favor if they don't end up paying. You can then relist or do the Second Chance Offer.

Actually if they don't pay within 48 hours with most items you can open a case. Then if they don't pay within 4 days of opening the case you can escalate the case. If you don't escalate the case it takes 30 days to time out. If you escalate the case Ebay should mediate a response within 48 hours from when you escalate. You can also call Ebay once you escalate and many times the customer service rep will make a final decision on the phone with you.

I have used the second chance feature many times. It is a great way to sell more than one of the same item. It is NOT for slow payers. Like others have said, you have to go through the process with slow/non payers. It is a PITA but it is the only way to be sure you don't get bitten. Most often, slow payers will pay up once ebay starts the action against them. They don't want the bad rep. If they do not pay, it takes about a week for the process to work itself out and then you can relist. I have found that by that point the second chance offer does not work because other bidders have moved on to other things. However, if you have several of a single item (in similar condition) you can list one (listing multiples creates competition with yourself) and simply use the second chance to sell off the others at a slightly reduced price.

Originally Posted by JustInTime

I don't think you have to escalate after opening the cause. When the Unpaid Item Assistant opens a dispute(after non paying for two days), buyer has 4 more days to pay after which the case is automatically closed in favor of the buyer.

Maybe when you manually escalate it you also have to manually close it out? If that's the case, I don't know why anyone wouldn't use the Unpaid Item Assistant. It's all automatic.

When you escalate a case, ebay makes a decision and the case is then automatically closed by ebay. The value of escalating the case is simply to save time. Personally, I give everyone 4 days to pay because sometimes folks are on the road or have busy schedules and they need a few days to get it done. I am not impatient for my money, as long as I know it is coming. However, after 4 days, ebay will automatically open a case and I will escalates at the earliest possible moment so I can relist the item.

Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

Never, ever escalate a case if you are the seller, unless you are 100% positive you will win. Most of the time it is better to let the case run out. If they don't pay within 4 days of opening a non paying bidder case, you can close it manually.

The only time I would escalate is if the tracking shows delivered and the buyer opens a case for item not received. Even then I would call instead of going through the ebay resolution center.

This is a good point. Perhaps I should have been more clear. I was speaking of a non-paying bidder issue. If the bidder does not pay, then escalation is a simple matter and it will close in the seller's favor. If it is a shipment issue, then you should not do it until you have a delivery receipt. If it is a not as described issue and you are contesting it, I would try to wait it out rather than escalate at all. It is definitely necessary to think through all of your actions before you take them as ebay is not seller friendly and will side with the buyer in any ambiguous cases.

Originally Posted by JustInTime

I don't think you have to escalate after opening the cause. When the Unpaid Item Assistant opens a dispute(after non paying for two days), buyer has 4 more days to pay after which the case is automatically closed in favor of the buyer.

Maybe when you manually escalate it you also have to manually close it out? If that's the case, I don't know why anyone wouldn't use the Unpaid Item Assistant. It's all automatic.

I don't use the Unpaid Item Assistant because I have a few regular buyers who take 4-5 days to pay. All of my listings do state if I don't receive payment within 48 hours an unpaid item claim will be opened.

My above comments in this thread about opening cases were referring to unpaid items. And yes, if you manually open a case you have to manually escalate after 4 days. If you do nothing it will stay open for 36 days and Ebay will close it and you don't receive a final value credit.