Some explanation is needed...

[HelenAndGraham]

One online idiot means the shop doors are kept locked to everyone all the time with someone employed to control entry?

Imagine Sainsburys thinking the same way and I guarantee there's an idiot in every town they trade in. If I had to prove who I was every time I wanted to buy a loaf of bread in Sainsburys I think I'd shop at Tescos instead.

[0ctavias0fferings]

So don't count guest sales towards feedback or buddy points ... isn't that simple?

A little clarification.

I am not talking about altering the way that eBid deals with people who sign up to bid in auctions. I am ONLY talking about options for new buyers who, it certainly would appear, do not want to go through the full verification process in order to buy a few items now and then.

These are the buyers who are arriving and very quickly getting a strike through because, for whatever reason (emails to spam or just don't want to, it doesn't matter) do not complete the verification process and when (if) they come back for another purchase, find they have been struck through.

Those buyers are never coming back here.

It is the sellers who currently put in the effort to bring the buyers onboard, as we are all aware, eBid concentrates on bringing in new SELLERS.

It is therefore our efforts, as sellers, in bringing the buyers here which is being made a mockery of by the system's insistance that the buyer must completely verify themselves or be struck through.

Those buyers being struck through are NOT going to come back again and they will NOT recommend the site to friends, losing us even more potential customers.

I have suggested a solution.

No-one joining up as a guest buyer would be able to bid on an auction, only fully verified members could do so.

Guest buyers must pay for their purchases before the item actually comes up as sold - therefore there is no problem with wasting time reclaiming fees for unpaid items.

Guest buyers, not being full members, would not be able to leave feedback, no problem there then with negs just for the sake of it.

It doesn't require massive recoding of the site, in fact, it's a little side routine, an option offered so that the buyer can just pop in and purchase, using a shopping cart which probably would be best to accept payment through Paypal.

I don't see how anyone could possibly have a problem with that.

Is it really so difficult to understand and why do people want to put obstacles in the way of a simple solution which might actually mean that all the effort put in to bringing buyers here wouldn't be entirely wasted.

[emporiumdays]

I would just like a friendly, clear email sent to new buyers who end up with a strikethru. If they don't take the action needed to remove it, I'd like a further email similarly friendly and encouraging, to ask why.

Wouldn't this be the simplest way forward from here? It requires changing nothing other than the tone of the communication between eBid and the new buyer.

[0ctavias0fferings]

That would be fine, emporiumdays, if the emails actually got to the buyers. They don't!

[emporiumdays]

That would be fine, emporiumdays, if the emails actually got to the buyers. They don't!

Yes, valid point ...... bit of a catch that .......

[0ctavias0fferings]

The only real solution is to enable 'guest buyers'.

If the option to become fully registered and verified is offered (explaining the benefits of doing so) alongside the option to be a 'guest buyer', then those who choose full registration will know to look out for an email to complete the process.

Those choosing to be 'guest buyers' can just carry on and make their purchase without being struck through for not verifying themselves.

Win, win.

[adruml]

That would be fine, emporiumdays, if the emails actually got to the buyers. They don't!

This is true, just sold a guitar last week $750.00 woowho!!! Emailed the buyer through eBid system asking if he was happy with his purchase and if he had any concerns or questions let me know and then I asked if he could please leave feedback. I never recieved a response until I emailed him through (get this) ebay then I recieved a response. He was happy with his purchase and said he would leave feedback as soon as possible. I haven't checked yet but I certainly hope he doesn't have a strikethrough as I asked him to purchase the guitar here instead of ebay so this was his first visit and purchase here and I'm sure if he has a strikethrough there will be no way he's coming back. A shame to he made the purchase, paid through Pay Pal and stay's in touch...good buyer, hopefully not...good bye...er?

[emporiumdays]

The only real solution is to enable 'guest buyers'.

If the option to become fully registered and verified is offered (explaining the benefits of doing so) alongside the option to be a 'guest buyer', then those who choose full registration will know to look out for an email to complete the process.

Those choosing to be 'guest buyers' can just carry on and make their purchase without being struck through for not verifying themselves.

Win, win.

Can management be convinced to take up this idea?

[Tropical_Trish]

Hi Steve -
That is a question only management can answer -
(Seems a little quiet on that front - I would have thought that such a hot topic would have attracted some kind of response from HQ).

[bykimbo]

The only real solution is to enable 'guest buyers'.

If the option to become fully registered and verified is offered (explaining the benefits of doing so) alongside the option to be a 'guest buyer', then those who choose full registration will know to look out for an email to complete the process.

Those choosing to be 'guest buyers' can just carry on and make their purchase without being struck through for not verifying themselves.

Win, win.

It seems to me that enabling unchecked buyers onto the site, with or without depriving sellers of buddy points for valid sales, is a bit of a strange solution to the problem of some buyers having poor email habits, or poor email providers. I find it difficult to believe that it's the "only solution". Though I'm no longer sure exactly what the problem is, as every second post seems to be solving a different one!