Time Away not working
Summary: lewis447 shared a concern about the 'Time Away' feature not activating properly on their listings, despite attempting multiple resets. They are worried about its reliability since they have to leave town. r_lresale confirmed that the time away notice was visible, which lewis447 hadn't initially seen, leading to some relief. kensgiftshop and slippinjimmy also checked listings and shared their observations about the visibility of the feature and purchasing options. Ultimately, lewis447 appreciated the suggestions and insights, feeling more assured about using the feature.
For three years I've used Time Away once a month, sometimes twice, without an issue. The message on my listings would activate quickly. Ten days ago, I was put on standby with the potential of having to leave town. Time Away's message never activated. I reset it; nothing. I reset it again and waited four hours, and nothing. Then suddenly, after resetting it a couple more times, it worked. I assumed the issue was resolved, (I didn't have to leave town after all). Today, the same problem. I have to leave town Monday, (for sure this time). How can I trust waiting hours for the "Seller is on Time Away" to be activated in my store? This is what eBay says: "If you choose today's date, a message at the top of your listings letting buyers know you're on time away will display within minutes." ...for an edit: I forgot to mention I do use the 'pause sales for 30 days' option.
slippinjimmy
·5 days ago · EditedI just (1:00pm Eastern) put my accounts on time away. I also always check the listings to make sure it's actually on (using my buyer account).
I could not see the Time Away notice on my listings and the Buy It Now button was still available.
HOWEVER, when I click the Buy It Now button I get this.....Don't know if it's a change or a glitch. It's been about 6 hours and there is still no banner and the BIN button is still there
lewis447
OP5 days agoCool, thanks, my hopes are lifted back up. Nice idea, I'm gonna logout and click one of my 'buy it now' buttons. AI says it's possible by way of buying as a guest. I'm not quite clear on how it's done with a buyer account. But yeah, cool. All I need is for a buyer not to be able to buy, and I'm good. Thanks for showing that to me!
kensgiftshop
·5 days agoI checked 1 listing on FireFox and Chrome browser and neither one showed the Time Away message.
lewis447
OP5 days ago · EditedThanks! ...yeah, and I asked AI:
"If the banner "The seller is away until Mon, Oct 12, 2026. Expect a delay in delivery until they return" is shown on my profile page but there is no banner showing on my listings can ebay shoppers still buy my items?"
and AI replies:
"Yes, eBay shoppers can still buy your items."
It's been 3 hours now and there's still no banner on my listings. Thanks again!
kensgiftshop
·5 days agoUnless you hide your listings, buyers can still buy your items.
lewis447
OP5 days ago · EditedI thought the "hiding" part comes automatically when you use the option to "Pause sales for up to 30 days while you’re away"?
lewis447
OP5 days agoMy bad, ...I never did mention in my post I pause sales for 30 days. Let me go back and edit that. Thanks for the feedback!
r_lresale
·5 days agoYour store says you are away until October 12. Is that correct or were you trying to extend it?
lewis447
OP5 days agoReally? Yeah, Oct 12 is the date. I'm not seeing it though, ...while logged in. Ok, that puts a different light on things. Let me experiment some then. I'm gonna logout and go see what I can see in my store. Thank you much!
r_lresale
·5 days agoOk cool and here is the screenshot
lewis447
OP5 days agoOhhhh! ...I've always opened a listing to check for the 'seller is away' message. Oh boy. I never thought to look at the profile page. I'm still gonna feel a little uneasy until that banner also shows up on my listings, not yet with that ...but I'm gonna have to trust it. Thank you so much
r_lresale
·5 days agoYou are very welcome