Unpaid Items Buyers will have 4 days not 6, to pay

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

The new method of handling unpaid item situations was announced in the Spring Update, and is gradually rolling out to sellers. But as this new Announcement states, the time frame has been changed.

So, old method (which some sellers will still have, probably for a few more weeks at best): After 2 days of non-payment, seller can file an Unpaid Item Case, and buyer then has 4 more days to pay before the case is closed against him and the transaction cancelled. Total: 6 days

Spring Seller Update: No more Unpaid Item Cases. Instead, buyer has five days to pay...if unpaid after the fifth day, transaction can be cancelled (seller can choose to automate this or handle these situations manually). Total: 5 days

Latest Announcement: No more Unpaid Item Cases. Instead, buyer has FOUR days to pay...if unpaid after the 4th day, transaction can be cancelled (seller can choose to automate this or handle these situations manually). Total: 4 days.

Latest Announcement can be found here: 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/New-cancel-function-for-unpaid-items/ba-p/31848079

[mtgraves7984]

Latest Announcement: No more Unpaid Item Cases. Instead, buyer has FOUR days to pay...if unpaid after the 4th day, transaction can be cancelled (seller can choose to automate this or handle these situations manually). Total: 4 days.

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques 

Note this snippet from the Announcement:

Your buyers will have four calendar days to pay for an item after they’ve committed to buy. We’ll proactively remind them to pay. If they haven’t paid within that time frame, you can cancel the unpaid order starting on the 5th calendar day.  

So although buyers have only 4 days, sellers still have 5 to take action.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Yes, I think we're saying the same thing. In the Seller Update, it was five days, and THEN on the 6th day seller could cancel. Now it's four days, and ON the 5th day seller can cancel. If the seller automates this, it will basically mean: no need to open a case or send a reminder (ebay will send one), no need to do anything, just wait out the four days, and if no payment comes in, ebay will cancel it for you on the 5th day.

To me, a definite improvement on the old way.  And ebay has said that this is basically a bridge to the next step, which is to add Immediate payment to auctions and offers....hopefully before the end of the year.

[shado-x]

Now it's four days, and ON the 5th day seller can cancel.

I hope the 5th day = 4 days and 1 second.  Isn't that 1 second the start of the 5th day?

[chubby_octopus]

Do buyers get "account dings" for unpaid things?

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

I don't know if ebay counts the days as simple calendar days or if they count 24 hours from the moment the buyer "buys" as a "day".  Frankly, I'm going to just automate this and let ebay handle the timing....I don't get many Unpaid Item situations, so it's not a huge concern for me personally.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Yes, unpaid item strikes against the buyer will still be a "thing."

[mtgraves7984]

"... ebay will cancel it for you on the 5th day...."

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques 

Read the snippet again. It's not automated... you have to cancel. But it is an improvement!

[redlmc]

Will the buyers receive the "strike" with this new process, or only with the current process?  Or is the current process going to be eliminated?  I have read this several times and read the original announcement and still not clear on it.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

Read the original announcement in the Spring Seller Update. Especially the "Cancel Unpaid Item" FAQs section. I see nothing in this latest announcement that alters that part of the original announcement...

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2021-spring/business.html#m17-1-tb2

[katzrul15]

Latest Announcement: No more Unpaid Item Cases. Instead, buyer has FOUR days to pay...if unpaid after the 4th day, transaction can be cancelled (seller can choose to automate this or handle these situations manually). Total: 4 days.

Wonder why the change by e-Bay in such a short time frame?

Good for Sellers - any time you can shorten this process, get your monies back and get it relisted, is one day sooner it can sell to someone who might actually pay!

[mtgraves7984]

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques 

I understand it as it's written in the Help & Contact pages:

From May 2021, sellers will no longer need to open an unpaid item case if a buyer doesn't pay. Instead, sellers can simply cancel an order if payment hasn't been made starting on the 5th calendar day  from when the listing ended. This change is already available to some sellers – if it's available to you, you'll see Buyer hasn't paid as an option when cancelling an order in Seller Hub or My eBay Sold. If you can't see this option, don't worry – it'll be available to you in the coming weeks.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

From the FAQ section of the Spring Seller Update:

"Each cancellation with a “Buyer hasn't paid” reason will be recorded against that buyer. You can stop purchases from buyers with more than two unpaid item cancellations using your “Buyer management” preferences. Buyers with excessive cancellations for “Buyer hasn't paid” reason may be suspended...."

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

From the FAQs I mentioned above:

"Formerly known as Unpaid Item Assistant, “Preferences for items awaiting payment” can be customized to automatically cancel purchases where buyers haven’t paid.

If you would like to handle unpaid items manually, you can do so by changing your “Preferences for items awaiting payment” at any time. You can also manage unpaid items at the buyer level through “block buyer” preferences."

[mtgraves7984]

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques 

Well, I kind of think the FAQs are FUQd... but that's just me. 😬