Stopping Automatic Payments

[xkot]

I recently bid on some individual books from a high volume used book seller I've bought from before. In the past, he has combined shipping, and invoiced after buyers have had three weeks to make purchases from him to cut down on his shipping work. Great seller. I was forced to sign up for automatic payments by eBay before I could even bid on this latest round of book auctions. Of course I was charged $5 shipping for each book by eBay. The seller had to refund me the overpayment on the postage. It looks like eBay won't allow me to stop automatic payments. I've been a customer of eBay's (both buyer and seller) since 1998, and have never NOT made a payment for something I've won. This seems like a poor, punitive policy, and a hassle for both buyers and sellers. Any advice? Any chance of getting this policy ended or made better? How about eBay automatically charges you only after the seller sends an invoice for the total purchase? What am I missing?

[buyselljack2016]

@xkot 

The seller would have to "opt out" of the "preauthorize" in "buyer requirements." (word is, all sellers were opted in by eBay)

The "test program" is a bit flawed as there is no rhyme nor reason as to which buyer ID's are added to the "test".

[buyselljack2016]

The seller would have to "opt out" of the "preauthorize" in "buyer requirements." (word is, all sellers were opted in by eBay)

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Some sellers may be reluctant to do that because it is an "all or none" thing. They can not exempt on an individual basis.  What would be an improvement is if eBay would code things so that the "buyer exemption" list would include it.

[khetzel]

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@xkot wrote:

This seems like a poor, punitive policy, and a hassle for both buyers and sellers. Any advice?

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Like buyselljack said, only on an individual basis with each seller.  A seller can turn it off if he knows about it and doesn't like it. 

It is quite possible your seller doesn't know why things have changed and would prefer to go back the way it was for all his customers.   Or maybe he likes the change and doesn't mind issuing partial refunds.  It doesn't hurt to ask him.

But now that you are in it, it looks like you are stuck having the same conversation with every seller who hasn't turned it off.  And a few of those might actually know about it, actually like it, and get angry if you ask about turning it off.  Like you said, bad situation all around.

[varebelrose]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:... They can not exempt on an individual basis. ..

I do not know on a first-hand basis, but each time this topic comes up, several people state that buyers can be exempted individually by a seller. Perhaps someone can verify this?

[ittybitnot · Accepted solution]

@varebelrose 

Adding the buyer's name to a seller's exemption list does not work for this.  Once a buyer is forcibly enrolled, they stay that way.  In the case of @xkot, our OP, their seller did not likely know the buyer requirements were placed on their account.  All seller's got them, and they were set to a default of YES.  EBay says if you turn it off you MAY get non-paying buyers... They don't say you might not get ANY buyers once they figure out that combined orders are no longer allowed. 

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements

Buyer Payment Requirements

*Require buyers to provide a payment method before they place a bid.

*Require buyers to provide a payment method before they make an offer.

You can view them here, even if you don't sell, you got them anyway in case you change your mind...

Those requirements don't work until eBay sticks the BUYER ID in the program and they must put up a default  funding source in order proceed.  It is presented as "New Smoother Checkout"....not the facts that you are going to be billed separately for each auction you win, your payment options will be limited, no more combined invoice, and you are in this until we change our mind, and we don't care if you are having a bad buyer experience....it is the seller's fault along with bad buyers. 

The best way it seems for a BUYER to be sure if they will not be paying $60 in shipping for ten postcard auction wins is to REMOVE their funding source each time.  Then, if they meet up with a seller that still requires this, then they will be prompted for the payment source and they can back out at that point if they don't choose to play this game. 

@xkot  is not the first buyer surprised by what happens here with the supposedly 'new improvement'.  Some buyers say that once that they are required to set a default for each offer or bid, others say that they don't get the pop-up anymore and all auctions wins are billed separately.  Their seller is not the first to wonder what is causing their buyers to pay for each auction when combines shipping is offered, why they don't get offers anymore, or why their number of bids are at an all time low or non-existent. 

Instead of simply getting rid of non-payers, eBay has chosen this simply because it makes them more money.  Sellers pay more, buyers pay more, and eBay gets a raise.  Sellers that don't use auctions, or best offer, and DO NOT want to offer multiple items for a combined shipment are thrilled with this.  Some sellers think getting paid faster is great, even though they might have gotten paid MORE had they not used the blocks.  eBay is suddenly uninterested in a good buyer experience, and says it is the seller causing this and because of NPBs everyone has to suffer.  

[byto253]

Unfortunately there are too many buyers who are not as scrupulous as you are, and many do not pay for auction wins.   

Many sellers have given up on auctions because of this.  The auto payment reflects the standard in most auctions and is a response to the high number of no payers.

Multiple purchases does make it trickier, and a more elegant solution would be a positive.   

Many years ago sellers did not pay fees on shipping costs but to many abused this by lowering prices and jacking up shipping costs to avoid fees.  As with auction payments the abusers spoil things.

[khetzel]

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@byto253 wrote:

Many years ago sellers did not pay fees on shipping costs but to many abused this by lowering prices and jacking up shipping costs to avoid fees.  

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And now buyers are  stuck paying sales tax on shipping & handling which is completely wrong and unjust to the buyer. 

But you know if eBay fixed that we would soon be back to $.99 items with $99 shipping instead of $100 "free" shipping.  And the tax collectors would be screaming again.

[ittybitnot]

Many years ago sellers did not pay fees on shipping costs but to many abused this by lowering prices and jacking up shipping costs to avoid fees.  As with auction payments the abusers spoil things.

@byto253 

That is a good point.  However, INSTEAD OF GETTING RID OF THE BAD SELLERS, eBay gave themselves another raise making everyone pay instead.   Perhaps getting rid of those sellers that did that would have been a better plan, however the one they chose (making everyone pay more) was monetarily more beneficial to eBay.  I see this as a similar undertaking by eBay, blaming/excusing their new revenue stream on those that they refuse to get rid of in the first place.   So everybody has to pay more once again. 

So, ask yourself why eBay won't get rid of the non-payers?  They have the technology to prevent them simply getting a new ID.  

As always, 
Follow the money.

[stacy_1971]

Sellers are stuck paying Final Value Fees percentage and Promoted Listing fees percentage on shipping and handling... I'd trade you just paying sales tax on shipping and handling any day....  Most Final Value fees are at about 15%, and promoted listing is usually around 12%.... That's 27% fees versus sales tax (which in my state is only 7%)!   I'd say buyers are getting an unfair advantage 😛

As a buyer and a seller, I can tell you the reason I wanted the "immediate payment required" for selling was because even with "best offer" buyers were making best offers and I was accepting them, and they weren't paying them.  I'd have to wait 4 days until ebay would let me relist the item.  So that's 4 days that my item is off of the marketplace.  I could have resold it to someone else that would have paid maybe in that 4 days?!   

So while a lot of people are upset about it, I'm glad because maybe at some point, I can start accepting offers again, without having to investigate every buyer to see if they are a good risk to accept an offer from... that they will actually pay for the item.  I had a lot of unpaid items early on, and I started requiring a feedback of at least 10 to make an offer.... Any offers from people with a less than 10 feedback I would just decline the offer...  Every once in awhile, I would accept an offer from someone with less than 10 feedback and 90% of the time they did not pay....  I also have my Buy It Now set to Immediate Payment Required.  

It's not sunny on either side of the fence, but I gotta say I prefer being a buyer, than being a seller.  

[xkot]

I can certainly understand your point of view. It is much better being a buyer than a seller on eBay -- you're right. In 25 years of using eBay, I've been very, very lucky. Never dealt with deadbeat buyers, nor any unscrupulous sellers (a few careless ones who could have packaged up items more securely). I've never received negative feedback, nor given any. I'm small time, though. It's a crying shame that deadbeats ruin things for those of us out here trying to do the right thing. And yes, eBay's fee greed is beyond reason. It discourages small time sellers like me from even bothering.

[ittybitnot]

with "best offer" buyers were making best offers and I was accepting them, and they weren't paying them

@stacy_1971 

 I understand this.  You can require it. But at the same time you may be discouraging buyers that actually do pay.  For example, I buy jewelry.  You have some very nice pieces.  However,  my ID is in buyer punishment camp, which disallows combined shipping for offers or bids on auctions wins.  

So I look at your items, and know I am not willing to spend $31.95 in shipping for three pieces of jewelry $10.65 x 3), so I make offers on NOTHING.  You don't get my money, but you just might get a buyer that is forced, who goes for it, and has offers that are considerably less.  Yes, they will be a "payer" for sure, the one who was going to offer more won't bother.  Oftentimes, before my Buyer ID was forcibly enrolled, I would make offers on multiple items just a dollar or two under your asking price, simply for the combined shipping option.   

On auctions, I would bid accordingly, knowing that shipping would be combined.  When I get the pop-up advertising that NEW Smoother Checkout, the back button is employed.  I know this FROM READING HERE.  eBay does not tell me I will be paying full shipping on each item as a result. 

It is a trade-off, deal with non-payers and discourages those who pay at the same time, or just take less????

If non-payers are truly a problem, why not leave this "offer" listings "live" until they are paid for when you accept an offer?  Why not get rid of the buyers that don't pay?  

Follow the money. 

[dsalesco]

Pure ebay greed, I will have removed my cards and will stop buying on ebay. There are plenty of other options for buying.