status-monitor Suggestion: High Bidder Should Not Be Given 7 Days to Pay

[sbweb]

This is like the 3rd time this has happened to me at NP. The highest bidder on your auction does not reply. You report the bidder to the moderators and they tell you the bidder has 7 days to pay.

I have a couple problems with this policy:

1. If the bidder does not even reply to your PM's, chances are they are not going to pay you for the domain.

2. This is a big waste of time for the seller. An auction might last 2 weeks for the final bid. So, if you tack on another 7 days, that's a total of 3 weeks that it might take to complete the deal. And, again, all this waiting for a non-responsive bidder might be for nothing. Sellers need cash flow. To waste 3 weeks on an auction, is a huge time-suck.

Here is my proposal:

Give the highest bidder 2 days to respond, and an additional 2 days to pay (total 4 days). At least have the decency to reply to a PM, so the seller knows what is going on. Chances are if the bidder doesn't pay right away, they won't have money to pay for the domain 7 days later.

Another suggestion: Create an official NP bidder blacklist.

Your opinions?

 

[Haris]

I think if the seller needs payment fast. Then he should mention it like some of the sellers do.

"Pay in 24 hrs after auction closed"

 

[sbweb]

I think if the seller needs payment fast. Then he should mention it like some of the sellers do.

"Pay in 24 hrs after auction closed"

The issue here is not about fast payments. The real issue here is that the buyer isn't responding at all, and will mostlikely not pay. Another issue is that I've wasted 3 weeks on auction because of a bad apple.

 

[Eric Lyon]

That is the default when the seller does not specify the payment period.

Sellers are free to use @Haris100's suggestion or craft their own, which must be done beforehand.

Hope that helps.

 

[sbweb]

Eric, with all due respect, policies need to make sense. You don't hold onto policies simply because they've been in place for a long time. Why does a bidder need 7 days? And chances are, if the bidder does not reply to your PM within a day or two, they are 99% bogus.

What will happen to this bidder? Probably nothing. New member, so you'll close his account, and he'll just open a new account with a different email and keep doing the same thing to others.

 

[Eric Lyon]

We change our policies as soon as we see they need to be changed. I hope we've proven that from all the changes we've made this year.

This policy exists because we've found it to be the best compromise in situations where the buyers need that amount of time for various reasons (not everyone does this full time). We deal with a lot of disputes and issues, so I think we have a good grasp on the middle ground. Either way, we're always open to hearing counter arguments. This rule and time frame is what we currently believe is the best default (aka fallback aka fail over) when sellers don't specify it themselves.

If the default isn't ideal for you, please keep in mind that you're able to set your auctions up in a way that doesn't require the transaction to use the default. Is there a reason that you don't want to do that?

 

[sbweb]

I understand when buyers need a little extra time to make the purchase, but at least reply and say you need a few extra days. In any case, I will begin to put a payment time frame going forward. I've never done that because I put trust in the NP marketplace. I assume that bidders here will honor their part of the deal.

 

[Eric Lyon]

Some members only login to NamePros once a week. Some monthly. Some daily. Some hourly. With a group this diverse in backgrounds and availability, it all comes down to compromise.

I assume that bidders here will honor their part of the deal.

It's our top priority to make sure that they do.

 

[cmdomains]

Hi, just quickly reading and would like to suggest : maybe a Namepros feature can be added, that which tracks a user's login pattern/frequency and from which seller can decide if they will accept users' bids on top of trade rating. And just send them a pre-set message why they are not accepted.

 

[james haw]

Give the highest bidder 2 days to respond, and an additional 2 days to pay (total 4 days).

Many reasons a buyer could be away from the site for a few days, so 2 days to PM is too short. 3 days to PM is too short, and 4 days to PM would mean only 2 or 3 days to pay after that which is too short, and we're heading back to the total current 7 day period and nothing changed.


This approach also adds extra complications, with one period to PM and another period to pay, which would bring more disputes from confusion and less time. So ironically this would actually cause you more problems as those who failed to PM/pay in 2 or 3 days as it is too short may well have PMd/paid within 7 days


I think the 7 days single period to PM and pay is enough time, especially considering the site freely allows us to change this.

The issue here is not about fast payments. The real issue here is that the buyer isn't responding at all

So your core issue is 'people who do not pay', and not the 7 day period they currently have.

In which case we shouldn't change the 7 day period, as it's not related to non-paying bidders, and even you confirmed yourself this is fine It would just move the problem from 'time taken to resolve a non-paying bidder' to 'time to PM/pay is too short/complex'.


As per Haris100 stated, set a payment timescale. This resolves your issues entirely just as implementing it as a site based rule would. However, your doing this manually retains the option for everyone else to choose their preferred period.

Put something like:
"Payment within XX hours, or PM within YY hours to discuss a later payment date if you are busy/away etc".

 

[james haw]

And chances are, if the bidder does not reply to your PM within a day or two, they are 99% bogus.

I have no idea if this is true or not and is currently speculative. Perhaps 90% of bidders who reply after 5 or 6 days go on to pay? We'd need data to make this a viable reason

Another suggestion: Create an official NP bidder blacklist.

I don't disagree with 'name and shame' in some scenarios, but isn't this just an extension of the current feedback system? Seems like more work managing a new list and having to check that list when selling, and for little or no gain beyond the current system

 

[iowadawg]

One thing I have noticed on NP and other forums and sites?
There is no pleasing domainers!
Give in to one domainer or group of domainers?
And other domains or groups of domains will whine it is wrong.

Catch 22 when it comes to domainers for sure!