Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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I wait about 2 weeks to invoice. Of course some delay payment for as long as 6 months but nothing much I can do about that. The books close and get deleted but such is life.
Greg
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"The question is how long should I wait to invoice them?"
Options:
- contact the buyer(s) and ask them if they are ready to pay for their purchases
- put your invoicing cycle in your terms and conditions so that the buyers know when to expect an invoice from you
"some delay payment for as long as 6 months"
From the Auction Rules (applies to approval book purchases as well:
B3. Buyers must pay for auction lots purchased within 5 business days of receipt of an invoice from the seller, unless other terms have been specifically stated by the seller in the item listing or invoice. Buyers must notify the seller regarding any delay in payment.
"nothing much I can do about that"
Sure there is:
- contact the buyer for payment
- contact the auctioneer for buyers who do not pay timely
Buyers expect timely shipments, so there is no reason why buyers cannot comply with timely payment for what they purchase. Non-payment and late payments show disrespect for the sellers and for the web site. Stamporama is supposed to contain a "club" atmosphere. Would a non-paying buyer do this when attending a club meeting? I doubt it. If they did, they would not be a member of the club for long.
Michael
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Michael I am sure that if every seller contacted you about every person that takes more than 5 days to pay, you would have hundreds of emails in your inbox. There are no fees for selling here so if a buyer chooses to not pay, so be it. We're not talking about a lot of money. I just have glassines on my desk with the persons name on it. Whether I can find them should the buyer pay, is a different story.
In my opinion its all about the postage costs. Of course if the envelope is too fat, then some PO's decide to make it into a parcel. I have had that happen to me. Its the price the buyer pays for accumulating too many stamps before paying. As you know, I will go the extra mile and make it into a parcel myself and pay the shipping, if the order is large dollar wise. However, 150 stamps at 5 cents each is a different story.
Greg
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I always try to pay my invoices the same day and usually within hours. Even with trades people I will pay the day I get the bill or will even write a cheque when they finish working, sometimes just a signed cheque in the firms name.
If my stamp purchases come to less than the postage, my problem, the seller should not have to wait.
It seems today that folks want credit forever, pity we are unable to go back to the days of hire purchase rather than lines of credit. Maybe debts would not be as prevalent as now.
Give them two to four weeks then send invoice.
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Greg, I don't think I'd get hundreds, but for a little while I would get many. Also, the many non-payment complaints would not be related (from my experiences here) to a large number of buyers, but just a few. Those buyers would either get the message to pay, and do so, or they won't be a problem on this site again.
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I agree with Sheepshanks - its your own responsibility to evaluate whether theres enough to buy to justify the postage. Clicking also ties up the item from someone else buying it. The effort it takes to put them up there for sale seems to me barely justify it from the sellers point of view so I'm grateful the option is there at all. It also seems all the sellers I have dealt with have been very flexible about invoicing within a reasonable time frame.
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When I buy on line either through an auction or a regular purchase I pay immediately through Pay-Pal. Some of you out there may not like using a service like Pay-Pal for one reason or another, but I find it easy and convenient. I also buy occasionally through auction houses on line. There are a few who do not take Pay-Pal so I usually send a cheque or money order, money orders are better because they are already cleared. The only appraisal service I use is really the dealer I use on a very regular basis ( every two weeks ) and he has my card number and takes out my payment every two weeks giving me two weeks to return the item(s) if I wish. I have been dealing with this person or his father since 1972, he has my want list and I trust him totally. I believe that when we buy from someone we should pay immediately - if it is an approval service he or she needs the stamps back immediately and we should pay when we return the stamps, even if it only comes to a dollar or two. ONLY MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION! I have never had a bad comment on E-Bay and have no interest in starting now - even as a seller, even though that is more difficult since some buyers are very unreasonable ( or strange )!
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Approvals
I know this has always been happening but just recently it has become quite more frequent. I find that a lot of buyers from approval books take a couple of stamps and that is all. I currently have 7 buyers that have selected between 1 and 7 stamps that total less than the cost of shipping. The question is how long should I wait to invoice them ? I always have given my buyers extra time before I invoice to give them the chance to select more. However, it has become more problematic. I sell stamps elsewhere and it always amazes me when someone buys a single 15 cent common stamp and pays me the $1.40 shipping charge and they pay immediately. How long is it reasonable to let the buyers here slide before I go ahead and invoice and close them out. On commercial sites they would have to pay right away if they want that one desired stamp. Thanks, Steve
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Auctions - Approvals
re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
I wait about 2 weeks to invoice. Of course some delay payment for as long as 6 months but nothing much I can do about that. The books close and get deleted but such is life.
Greg
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re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
"The question is how long should I wait to invoice them?"
Options:
- contact the buyer(s) and ask them if they are ready to pay for their purchases
- put your invoicing cycle in your terms and conditions so that the buyers know when to expect an invoice from you
"some delay payment for as long as 6 months"
From the Auction Rules (applies to approval book purchases as well:
B3. Buyers must pay for auction lots purchased within 5 business days of receipt of an invoice from the seller, unless other terms have been specifically stated by the seller in the item listing or invoice. Buyers must notify the seller regarding any delay in payment.
"nothing much I can do about that"
Sure there is:
- contact the buyer for payment
- contact the auctioneer for buyers who do not pay timely
Buyers expect timely shipments, so there is no reason why buyers cannot comply with timely payment for what they purchase. Non-payment and late payments show disrespect for the sellers and for the web site. Stamporama is supposed to contain a "club" atmosphere. Would a non-paying buyer do this when attending a club meeting? I doubt it. If they did, they would not be a member of the club for long.
Michael
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Auctions - Approvals
re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
Michael I am sure that if every seller contacted you about every person that takes more than 5 days to pay, you would have hundreds of emails in your inbox. There are no fees for selling here so if a buyer chooses to not pay, so be it. We're not talking about a lot of money. I just have glassines on my desk with the persons name on it. Whether I can find them should the buyer pay, is a different story.
In my opinion its all about the postage costs. Of course if the envelope is too fat, then some PO's decide to make it into a parcel. I have had that happen to me. Its the price the buyer pays for accumulating too many stamps before paying. As you know, I will go the extra mile and make it into a parcel myself and pay the shipping, if the order is large dollar wise. However, 150 stamps at 5 cents each is a different story.
Greg
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re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
I always try to pay my invoices the same day and usually within hours. Even with trades people I will pay the day I get the bill or will even write a cheque when they finish working, sometimes just a signed cheque in the firms name.
If my stamp purchases come to less than the postage, my problem, the seller should not have to wait.
It seems today that folks want credit forever, pity we are unable to go back to the days of hire purchase rather than lines of credit. Maybe debts would not be as prevalent as now.
Give them two to four weeks then send invoice.
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re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
Greg, I don't think I'd get hundreds, but for a little while I would get many. Also, the many non-payment complaints would not be related (from my experiences here) to a large number of buyers, but just a few. Those buyers would either get the message to pay, and do so, or they won't be a problem on this site again.
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09:04:17pm
re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
I agree with Sheepshanks - its your own responsibility to evaluate whether theres enough to buy to justify the postage. Clicking also ties up the item from someone else buying it. The effort it takes to put them up there for sale seems to me barely justify it from the sellers point of view so I'm grateful the option is there at all. It also seems all the sellers I have dealt with have been very flexible about invoicing within a reasonable time frame.
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07:57:21pm
re: Small Orders and When To Invoice ?
When I buy on line either through an auction or a regular purchase I pay immediately through Pay-Pal. Some of you out there may not like using a service like Pay-Pal for one reason or another, but I find it easy and convenient. I also buy occasionally through auction houses on line. There are a few who do not take Pay-Pal so I usually send a cheque or money order, money orders are better because they are already cleared. The only appraisal service I use is really the dealer I use on a very regular basis ( every two weeks ) and he has my card number and takes out my payment every two weeks giving me two weeks to return the item(s) if I wish. I have been dealing with this person or his father since 1972, he has my want list and I trust him totally. I believe that when we buy from someone we should pay immediately - if it is an approval service he or she needs the stamps back immediately and we should pay when we return the stamps, even if it only comes to a dollar or two. ONLY MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION! I have never had a bad comment on E-Bay and have no interest in starting now - even as a seller, even though that is more difficult since some buyers are very unreasonable ( or strange )!
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