new members who don't pay for their items? neg fb or no?
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Original Post
so i had to cancel 3 sales this morning :-( it sucks. these sales were from 2 new members (signed up the day they bought the items) who went through the check out process and completed all steps but payment. i sent numerous convos offering help (link to etsy's directions on how to pay, offering to send a paypal invoice) and never heard back from these people.
My policies clearly state that i expect payment at the time of purchase because, to be honest, i don't want situations such as this to happen! but i guess i'm starting to wonder if i should stick to my guns and give these people negative feedback or just chalk it up to the learning curve. they are brand new members who may not know the ropes of online buying or answering convos and there is DEFINITELY a learning curve when it comes to the checkout process on etsy. first timers have a hard time with it and judging by the 5 sales i have had to cancel this month (all brand new members), this is a fact. so what would you do in these situations? would you give these newbies negative feedback or just tell them "i canceled your sale and come back to purchase these items when you have a better understanding of the checkout process and we'll start over"?
Posted at 12:09pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
Responses
With nonpaying customers, I convo them a couple of times & then I just report the items & let them get deleted. I don't leave negatives.
What's the point? With new buyers, they can just make another account & ditch the one with the negatives. It's done all the time.
Posted at 12:13pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
Feedback is there for a reason. If people don't leave it, what use is it? There's always the chance that they'll contact you when the see the negative feedback and go through with the transaction, after which you can leave them positive feedback instead :)
Posted at 12:15pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
AlwaysAmy makes a good point. But also, I'm new and I can say that convo-ing isn't rocket science. If they bought something from you and truly want it, they'd convo you to let you know they were having trouble figuring out how to pay. The feedback I suppose is up to you.
Sorry that happened to you :(
Posted at 12:16pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
I'm with AlwaysAmy - I just cancel and move on. Negative feedback is reserved (actually I have never had to leave any) for truly negative transactions. Why turn off a new buyer who maybe confused such that they never return due to the negative feedback.
Posted at 12:18pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
good point Amy. i guess there would be some newbies that would have the forethought to do that. well, at this point i'm just trying not to get worked up about it. i have never really had a problem with non payment (save 2 or 3 sales scattered here and there) until this month so this is pretty much new territory for me!
Posted at 12:18pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
I used to not leave negatives for NPB but now I do. (Of course, I send emails, Paypal invoices and convos first!) I offer help on the checkout process and also tell them to let me know if they've decided they don't want the item. But if they can't bother to reply, I feel like I should leave neg feedback so other sellers know. I hate doing it, though.
The checkout process IS a problem -- lots of buyers get confused. I also think it would help if we could generate payment reminders that come from etsy itself. If I were a buyer who assumed that I had already paid for the item with my CC on file with etsy, I might very well assume that a seller who contacted me separately asking for payment was trying to scam me.
What's baffling to me are the buyers with great feedback who obviously understand the etsy system and still take a week or more to pay. I'm hesitant to cancel the sale because they have great feedback, but it's frustrating waiting.
The checkout process definitely needs to be re-thought!
Posted at 12:20pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
Here's my way of dealing with NPBs (new or not):
1. I send an email AND a convo AND a PayPal invoice when I notice that payment was not completed (and my message to buyer message does state that payment is expected at checkout.)
Usually I receive payment within 24 hours. If not:
2. I wait about 2 days, 3 for a weekend, and forward my original email saying that I had not heard back yet nor received payment, that I am ready to ship their purchases and that I will send the same forwarded message as a convo in Etsy and then hit the "Remind" link in PayPal on their invoice.
Often at this point I will receive payment. If not:
3. Wait 12-24 hours, then send an email AND a copy convo that I am going to cancel the sale at X time on X date unless I hear back, which will mean that I am going to report the transaction to Etsy in order to recoup my fees associated with their incomplete purchase.
Last chance! And buyers do respond to these emails and convos if they have not previously almost every time. If not:
4. I leave neutral feedback, stating how many emails, convos and PayPal invoices I sent without receiving payment or any communication back at all. I end it with "I'm sorry that this didn't work out." And leave it at that.
I feel like the person was given every chance to pay, that I was fair and that appropriate feedback is left (and that is important.)
I'm totally facing tow NPBs right now, one is at the 3rd step and the other is at the 1st step. I'm really hoping that they come through because it is such a bummer and sooooo frustrating to have made a sale but not be paid. It's unfair to everyone.
Ahhh well. Cheers!
Posted at 12:27pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT
Good thoughts all. This just reminded me to zip over to my othr shop and send out a third convo:( But it is a good point to send a PayPal invoice as well, which I'll do right now too. It's just such a time consuming and frustrating process at times.
Posted at 12:32pm Jun 30, 2008 EDT