Multiple International Orders Stuck In Awaiting Payment AUGUST 2025
US Seller here. Three of my last four international orders in the last week or so have gone straight to Awaiting Payment, where they remain for the required four days before I can cancel the order.
Because they are international orders, I have no ability to Send Invoice to encourage payment. I message the buyers directly to remind them to pay, but get no response at all.
What is going on?
25 comments
schludershots
·1 year agoWhy do you even bother selling internationally?
impossible_objects
OP6 months agoBecause I like money
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI would not send invoices to encourage anything - all that does is set the payment deadline out further. With any non-payment issue I just wait for it to time out and don't bother with any communication. Either they pay or they don't.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoWouldn't you just treat these like any other nonpayer?
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoThe issue isn't how to "treat" them. The issue is the string of multiple ones all in a row that made me think something funny was going on. Why did you get the impression I don't know how to "treat" them?
To "treat" them you just do nothing until the window closes and you can cancel the order.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoAs others have suggested, your buyers have probably when confronted with the total costs including duties and VAT decided that they did not want to complete the transaction.
Being unable to invoice is not a problem, it is a help to resolving this problem quickly. You do not want to invoice because it resets the 4 day clock.
I have noted fewer EIS orders recently, which is not surprising given the tariff issues. But I view international sales as an extra, not a key to my strategy.
Brazil would certainly be on my list of countries I would not ship to without EIS, and if there is a duty issue there, that is OK with me.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoSometimes non-payment can be an advantage to the seller.
I would not ship anything to Brazil at this time. That country is having a lot of problems with anything getting there.
powell-collectibles
·1 year agoBuyers might have sticker shock about how much those eBay fees are – which include any tariffs.
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoThis is what I'm wondering. What are they encountering at checkout which might be causing this? My shipping to the hub in Illinois is super cheap, I am one of the lower priced shippers in my niche (without being free).
It's frustrating that we can't see the fees they are being charged, which may include tariffs?
It would certainly explain why I've seen a spike in these type of ghosted sales this year overall. Thanks Trump
stuff4divas
·1 year ago@impossible_objects just so u can see an example of a sale i could have made to Australia but did not bc the buyer wanted me to share the expenses
 
powell-collectibles
·1 year agoOn occasion, I see the extra fees, in a roundabout way. I don't see them on any order history screens, but I'll sometimes get a mobile notification. It will be something like "buyer has paid $65..." If the item was $45 delivered to the hub, I know that eBay is adding on an extra $20 for shipping, import fees, program administration, etc.. I haven't noticed it for a while. Seems to me that it was more prevalent with GSP, but I might be fooling myself.
Again, long time ago, but I have compared eBay fees with what it cost me for direct delivery to Europe. The GSP fees were usually a dollar or two less than it would for me to ship on my own. I think that EIS is more expensive, as they are baking in tariffs from the start (I believe). I have far fewer EIS sales and I had on GSP, that is for sure.
Regardless, no way I want to ship on my own to EU. I love having a program that is relatively hassle free. Love that I don't have to fill out an export form, love that I don't have to even think about int'l return shipping fees. Awesome program, even if it isn't perfect.
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoI agree with you 100%
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoIt's frustrating that we can't see the fees they are being charged, which may include tariffs?
Change your location to their country and look at their purchase that way.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoeBay fees are – which include any tariffs.
Tariffs are paid by the importer.
The Trump Tariffs are paid by Americans who import from overseas.
Shipments from the USA are not subject to US tariffs.
Exporters overseas do not pay US tariffs.
Americans pay US tariffs.
Overseas buyers may be surprised at the cost of tracked international shipping, or their own VAT (sales tax) or duty.
But not Trump's Tariff.
powell-collectibles
·1 year agoI understand the US import tariffs don't affect shipments to Europe. BUT, there are tariffs, and EU has a relatively low de minimis level. AND (correct me if I'm wrong), but EIS rolls all fees including any duties/tariffs into the price to the buyer. With GSP, tariffs weren't included, so buyer might have to tackle those on his own before delivery (or billed later). That was one of the complaints when EIS hit - it was much more expensive. Some were complaining that even small value items (under de minimis level) were getting hit.
Understood, it isn't a trump thing. But, as much as people are freaking out over the new U.S. tariffs for EU goods, they really just put us closer to parity with what the EU imposes on imports from the U.S.. Do people really think that the EU doesn't have tariffs in place for goods from the U.S., China, etc.?
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoYou think there's no reciprocal tariffs going on? That would be nice.
dhbookds
·1 year agoI think the streak he meant was the # of buyers at the same time........
Just not much you can do......ebay sends notices so don't think an invoice would help. Best just to move on.......and if don't have it already, add the block buyers who have unpaid items in site preferences:
https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements
heckofagame
·1 year agoProbably just a bad luck streak.
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoLol. No.
But thanks for your helpful reply.
The fact that none of the buyers replies to messages is not a "bad luck streak"
stuff4divas
·1 year ago@impossible_objects
what country are they based in and is the product they purchased restricted in their country?
what does their feedback left for sellers look like?
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoIt's been all over the place. Australia, Netherlands, Brazil...
Feedback is completely generic, no red flags.
lacemaker3
·1 year agoI took a look at one of your active listings. This is a designer bag, similar to one of your recent sales (different designer, similar price).
Depending on how your international buyers were searching, they may have been seeing the USA shipping costs only.
USA shipping, this would be similar or the same as the cost to ship to the hub, $11.75:
Shipping to Australia:
Total cost to Australia, paying the import costs at checkout:
Shipping to Netherlands:
Total cost to Netherlands, choosing to pay import charges now:
impossible_objects
OP1 year agoThanks for the detailed answer! You really put in a lot of work there. Yeah that's really signfiicant for such a high priced item - however, none of my recent sales were that substantial. The things selling to the nonpayment international folks were all pre-owned clothing items under $50. Funny to me you chose that random most expensive luxury bag I just posted as an example haha.
It is pretty wild that a buyer would click buy to trigger an actual sale before they get access to the total they will be charged? I don't get that exactly. Why can't they see that before making a purchase?
lacemaker3
·1 year agoIt wasn't a random choice. I looked at your recent sales, and the designer bag looked like the most likely item that an international buyer would get sticker shock, because of the import costs. These include VAT (always high in Europe, 20-25%), and reciprocal tariffs in response to the punitive tariffs on items being imported into the US. Then I found a similar item in your active listings, so I could see what the import charges actually were.
Buyers can see what the import charges will be, if they know how, as I do. Many buyers will not be aware of how to do this.