eBay

mnester01 · ‎04-02-2023

Hi, wondering what other sellers think about (or if there is some sort of consensus) whether or not it's better to "Require Immediate Payment" when using "Buy it Now". I've always just required it, but now I'm wondering if perhaps it's better not to. Or better not to under certain circumstances, or with certain items.

What are the pros and cons?

Does Requiring Immediate Payment sometimes discourage sales?

Does NOT Requiring Immediate Payment lead to more problems?

I appreciate any thoughts or information on this. Thank you.

lonebuck-books · ‎04-03-2023

Absolutely you should do it. Name one other site on the internet that allows you to "buy" something and then hold off paying for 4 days or not pay at all. None allow it. Every single site requires you pay immediately (unless you have prior accommodations like a net 30 account) when you click the buy button.

Buyers expect to pay when they click the button. You won't scare buyers off by requiring immediate payment and the few that do move on are usually buyers you don't want. Personally I wish eBay would require prior payment authorization for any bid or accepted offer. If you want to buy, bid or make an offer you should be required to have your payment already in place and ready to go instead of the idiotic method they have now.

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caldreamer · ‎04-02-2023

Absolutely you should require immediate payment (otherwise you will be just waiting around and they may never pay).

chapeau-noir · ‎04-02-2023

I'm immediate payment/fixed price only and would not consider anything else. People who want to purchase multiples can purchase and pay, and I refund the shipping overage when I pack everything up. I have a brief explanation of this in my listings. So far people are fine with it.

A lot depends on your market, though - do people prefer to purchase multiples? If so, you could try going not having IPR and see how it goes. Nothing is ever written in stone.

When you dine with leopards, it is wise to check the menu lest you find yourself as the main course.

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2013grotz · ‎04-02-2023

@mnester01 wrote:

Does Requiring Immediate Payment sometimes discourage sales?
Does NOT Requiring Immediate Payment lead to more problems?

1. I think it discourages multiple sales if you got people that might get multiple items and then get slammed with a payment screen when they try to add an item to the cart. I know from my own experiences the extra hassle of pay-screening every item just makes hitting multiple items from a seller a no-go after I see it.

2. The reason IPR got initiated is the problems. Normally without IPR people get a few days to pay, which holds the item up that whole time from others that may pay you faithfully, and a large number of them can turn out to be no-pays. That then requires the item to be relisted with all the effort and fees and stuff behind it (potentially).

So basically the question is what you feel comfortable with, in terms of the pros and cons of doing it each way.

simba6 · ‎04-02-2023

Since the buyer is already on eBay they can pay at the same time. That "runs off " the non payers. Any real buyer want's it right away so they often pay right away.

The only down side is items where combined shipping might be offered.

mnester01 · ‎04-02-2023

Thanks, that's what I've always assumed.

mnester01 · ‎04-02-2023

Yes, I've always thought that too. I have started listing lots of different issues of certain magazines. I explain that I always and automatically combine shipping, but they may not want to trust that, despite me having 100% positive feedback. I might try not using IPR on just those listings. Thanks.

mnester01 · ‎04-02-2023

Thank you. My response to the answer before this one would be the same as here.

mnester01 · ‎04-02-2023

Yep. seems to be the consensus so far. Thank you.

slippinjimmy · ‎04-02-2023

I don't use it, never have used it, non-payments or even slow payments are a non-issue for me ever since I switched exclusively to Fixed Price listings more than 10 years ago.

Does IPR discourage sales? Maybe, possibly, perhaps! I have a reasonable amount of multiple item buyers, most use the cart but some don't, for the later clicking the buy button and being forced to go through checkout may mean the end of that shopping session.

Obviously some categories and some sellers seem to have never ending non-payment problems.

Why don't you just turn it off for a month and see what happens. of all the bad things a buyer can do to you not paying is the most meaningless.

rosachs · ‎04-02-2023

I both use it and don't use it. Two of my accounts sell inexpensive collectable items, and many buyers will purchase several at a time. Those accounts don't use IPR because it gets in the way of combined shipping. My third account sells PC parts and those are more just-need-the-one purchases, so I use IPR there to avoid the non-payer issue.

I don't worry about non-payors because I also use eBay's Unpaid Item Assistant. The Assistant will send the reminder message, the final warning, and then close the sale if still unpaid 4days after purchase. I don't have to do a thing but monitor the messages so that I can put the item back out with a quick relist.

I prefer to use automation for as many of these minor issues as possible - less for me to keep track of, less for me to forget to wrap up. I use eBay automation when it fits my needs, or SixBit when it's the best option. Either way, less worry for me, more focus on what I'm selling.

What you use will depend on what you sell, how you sell it, and your personal preferences. eBay offered IPR as a way to deal with non-paying bidders, and it does that. It should still be possible to put items in your cart and then purchase & pay for them all at one time -- IPR or not. I feel a lot of buyers aren't fully aware of the abilities of the cart and may not use it to their advantage. Doesn't work with auctions, but if there are a few Fixed Price items you want to pick up, just drop them in your cart and pay for them all at one time. Even if they come from different sellers!

There's a corollary feature that's new and that I personally find quite enjoyable -- putting payment method info on any Offer sent to a seller. If the seller accepts, the purchase and payment is immediate and automatic. And I get a notice that my Offer was accepted and paid for. For the seller, it's like IPR for accepted Offers!

There are features that can make selling easier, less stressful, and sometimes even more profitable. But it's up to the individual to determine which to use for their own listings. I think the comments left on this thread are exactly what sellers who are unsure need to hear, information they need to work out the best solution for them. And the great thing is you can try it one way, see what happens, and if you don't like the results, change again and try something else. You don't need to end the listing to add/remove IPR, so it's easier to experiment.

-Bob.

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joseh1445 · ‎04-02-2023

Buy It Now. If you don't have buy it now, people might pay in 1 day, or never pay. On top of not making the payment, this people will not even send you a message asking for you to cancel the sell. If you had 1 or several watchers for the item that you sold, and never got paid, the watchers will assume that you sold the item, and go some where else to buy it.

duncanvr · ‎04-03-2023

If no immediate pay on BIN they can simply not pay you for a week then you have to mess around block them and relist. My answer is immediate pay = absolutely!

slippinjimmy · ‎04-03-2023

@duncanvr wrote:
If no immediate pay on BIN they can simply not pay you for a week then you have to mess around block them and relist. My answer is immediate pay = absolutely!

They can.....but do they?

richard1rst · ‎04-03-2023

@slippinjimmy wrote:
@duncanvr wrote:
If no immediate pay on BIN they can simply not pay you for a week then you have to mess around block them and relist. My answer is immediate pay = absolutely!
They can.....but do they?

It has not been my experience. I have never required immediate payment and I can't remember the last time that I had a sale that was not paid for at the time of the sale except as noted below.

The ONLY time I have a delayed payment is on international multiple sales where the buyer requests an invoice so as to combine and discount the shipping. I actually encourage that and I do not see that as a problem. Once I send the combined invoice I typically get paid more or less right away.

I do not do auctions which seems to be one of the major areas of non-payment.

So I suppose the questions are:

Is the OP currently actually having problems with non-payment or is the thought based on what they see others have posted? A little Paranoia? Is it a problem within certain categories or do you see it across the board?

Is it that much of a problem with BINs or is it limited to back and forth best and counter offers?

Maybe a little research will narrow down where it is more likely to happen, then address that specific sector.