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Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

Later this year, buyers will be asked to pay when accepting a seller's Offer to buyer or a counter offer. We’ll also introduce a new feature that lets buyers request a bundled offer on multiple items. This multi-item offer to buyers can be completed in one transaction. Sellers will be able to issue an offer for multiple items that they sell and then conclude in one transaction. These changes will reduce operational costs and unpaid items, and you’ll have more control and confidence to make better business decisions. You can learn more here, feel free to review and post any questions you may have below! 

 

Please note that eBay experts will be present and engaging on the boards between 8 am and 4:00 pm PST on 4.13.

Message 1 of 27
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26 REPLIES 26

Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

I'm all for getting paid on a timely basis, but what about combined shipping on multiple items?  We already experience difficulty with buyers not being able to request a total for SO MANY DIFFERENT REASONS, and it appears to me that this process will only continue this difficulty.

Message 2 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

This is a miserable change from a buyer standpoint. I used to not be afraid to make an offer to sellers who have something way overpriced and half the time we would be able to reach an agreement. Now I don't even bother most of the time because going through the checkout process every time only to have an offer auto-rejected is cumbersome and painful. This directly impacts how much stuff I buy on the platform. At a minimum it should be disabled for any offers which are below an auto-reject threshold for a listing but preferably it should be removed altogether.

Message 3 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

I think think the combined offer option is a fantastic idea.  I so regularly run into this issue where I want to offer something where the majority discount comes from combined shipping.  I look forward to using it.  The only think I'm going to keep an eagle eye on is how well the calculated shipping engine works. It does seem like recent updates were made that have improved the shipping calculation algorithm when making offers.

Message 4 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

"We’ll also introduce a new feature that will let buyers request a bundled offer on multiple items. These multi-item offers can be completed in one transaction, saving you time and making it easier for buyers to purchase more of your items."

 

So, is this right now just a concept at ebay, or do you guys actually know how this will function?

 

This isn't a buyer initiated offer, right? It is actually a buyer initiated request for the seller to make an offer on multiple items (Presumably with combined shipping). Is that right?

 

Will the buyer's request be limited to ONLY items that have "Make An Offer" enabled by the seller?

 

Will the buyer be required to indicate an amount he's willing to pay? (I'm not going to want to put in a lot of time figuring out the best way to ship multiple items if there is a high likelihood that the buyer won't accept the offer, or will counter with a low ball offer.) 

 

Will the buyer be required to indicate his preferred shipping method? (And will this method be limited to those available from the seller?)

 

If the seller sends an offer in response to the request, will the buyer be able to counter offer, or is it "take it or leave it"?  

 

If the buyer accepts the offer, will it be immediate payment required? 

 

How long will the request be good for? I believe currently when a buyer makes an offer I usually have 24 hours to respond. I would prefer 48 for this, because I sell a large variety of stuff, and would likely need to pull items from inventory and maybe even prep them for shipping in order to figure out combined shipping cost...if I'm really busy (especially during the holidays), I might need 48 hours, not 24, to get the time to do that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Message 5 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

Unless I missed it, I see no mention of addressing this issue for auctions!  The change to payment terms basically took away any leverage we had to prompt payment and actually expanded the timeframe for payment.

 

Especially with the up front ad costs being pushed on us, the non-payment issue is now even more an expense for us. Somehow I don't see eBay refunding those fees when items are canceled for nonpayment.

 

Given that the price point doesn't appear to have a direct relationship to the cost, my margins are just not large enough to cover promoting an item a 2nd time when re-listing after it went unpaid. 

 

 

 

Message 6 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

@cinsational4sale brings up a good point. Are there any PLANS to address the issue of immediate payment for auction format listings before the end of the year? (Preferably before Q4?)  This is one of the longest standing paint points on ebay...it would be nice to see ebay  address it before I finally retire from selling here....

Message 7 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items


@cinsational4sale wrote:

Unless I missed it, I see no mention of addressing this issue for auctions!  The change to payment terms basically took away any leverage we had to prompt payment and actually expanded the timeframe for payment.

 

Especially with the up front ad costs being pushed on us, the non-payment issue is now even more an expense for us. Somehow I don't see eBay refunding those fees when items are canceled for nonpayment.

 

Given that the price point doesn't appear to have a direct relationship to the cost, my margins are just not large enough to cover promoting an item a 2nd time when re-listing after it went unpaid. 

 

 

 


Hi @cinsational4sale - there hasn't been any announcement to expand this to auctions yet, but when we develop new products like this we think through end-to-end, which includes looking at all listing formats from Fixed Price to Best Off to Auctions. Thanks!

Message 8 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

seller_update@ebay,

 

Please address the very serious flaw with requiring a preauthorization payment for best offers, which has been reported many times and ignored by eBay so far:

 

  • eBay does not release the preauthorization in a timely fashion when an offer is rejected.
  • Many buyers have reported that the preauthorization was never released at all, even when their offer was rejected immediately and automatically.
  • When eBay does not release the preauthorization, the payment will be held by their bank/PayPal for up to 30 days, and the buyer can't use the funds during that time.
  • Other buyers have reported that the preauthorization was not used when their offer was accepted. So they were charged a second time, but the preauthorized funds were still being held in their bank account for up to 30 days.

 

This is not the standard industry practice when a payment is preauthorized. For example, when I buy gas, the gas station preauthorizes a fairly large amount of funds ($60 - $100). However, when I complete the purchase for a lesser amount, the charged amount is updated almost immediately (before I get home to check it) and the preauthorization is released or updated to the correct amount.

 

The gas station is updating the purchase in a timely fashion, so that my funds are not held longer than necessary. eBay is not doing this, so eBay is holding the funds for an unreasonable length of time. This is clearly determined by the merchant, not the bank.

Message 9 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items

We’re excited to keep the momentum going by expanding these efforts to other Best Offer scenarios, including Offers to Buyers and counter offers. Later this year, buyers will also be able to request bundled offers on multiple items when they make a Best Offer.


What about Private Offers? Will they be included?

 

For those unfamiliar- when a buyer sends a message from a non-variation listing, the first time a seller replies they see a "Send Offer" button on the message page that can be used to send a private offer to that buyer.

Message 10 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items


@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

"We’ll also introduce a new feature that will let buyers request a bundled offer on multiple items. These multi-item offers can be completed in one transaction, saving you time and making it easier for buyers to purchase more of your items."

 

So, is this right now just a concept at ebay, or do you guys actually know how this will function?

 

This isn't a buyer initiated offer, right? It is actually a buyer initiated request for the seller to make an offer on multiple items (Presumably with combined shipping). Is that right?

 

Will the buyer's request be limited to ONLY items that have "Make An Offer" enabled by the seller?

 

Will the buyer be required to indicate an amount he's willing to pay? (I'm not going to want to put in a lot of time figuring out the best way to ship multiple items if there is a high likelihood that the buyer won't accept the offer, or will counter with a low ball offer.) 

 

Will the buyer be required to indicate his preferred shipping method? (And will this method be limited to those available from the seller?)

 

If the seller sends an offer in response to the request, will the buyer be able to counter offer, or is it "take it or leave it"?  

 

If the buyer accepts the offer, will it be immediate payment required? 

 

How long will the request be good for? I believe currently when a buyer makes an offer I usually have 24 hours to respond. I would prefer 48 for this, because I sell a large variety of stuff, and would likely need to pull items from inventory and maybe even prep them for shipping in order to figure out combined shipping cost...if I'm really busy (especially during the holidays), I might need 48 hours, not 24, to get the time to do that.

 


Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques - a lot of questions to unpack here, and we're still waiting on answers to all of them, but figured we could get started:

 

So, is this right now just a concept at ebay, or do you guys actually know how this will function?

We do know how it will work and have a full scale plan with designs in progress. As the scope of this project is (as you'd imagine) very, very broad with a lot of moving pieces, we do not have clearly defined timelines to announce other than what is provided in the Update.

 

This isn't a buyer initiated offer, right? It is actually a buyer initiated request for the seller to make an offer on multiple items (Presumably with combined shipping). Is that right?

Correct. This is a Buyer making a request to the seller on multiple items in a single 'lot'. Seller would then respond if they are interested in the offer. There is no commitment from Buyer or Seller to move forward with the request.

 

Will the buyer's request be limited to ONLY items that have "Make An Offer" enabled by the seller?

No, this will include any item that can be added to the cart (so Fixed Price and Best Offer items can be eligible).

 

Will the buyer be required to indicate an amount he's willing to pay?

Yes, a Buyer would indicate what discount they would like to receive. A Seller can then honor that discount or counter back with a different value.

 

Will the buyer be required to indicate his preferred shipping method? (And will this method be limited to those available from the seller?)

Yes. At the time of the request a Buyer will provide payment and shipping details (similar to the new Best Offer flow). If a Seller accepts the request, the Buyer would be automatically charged.

 

If the seller sends an offer in response to the request, will the buyer be able to counter offer, or is it "take it or leave it"?  

Similar to Best Offer, a buyer will have options to counter, accept and reject Bundled Offers

 

If the buyer accepts the offer, will it be immediate payment required? 

The current proposal is that payment information will be collected upfront when a Buyer submits a bundled offer, (similar to Best Offers), and charged when accepted by a Seller.

 

How long will the request be good for?

This is not yet decided, but will most likely be 24 or 48 hours.

Message 11 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items


seller_update@ebay wrote:
This isn't a buyer initiated offer, right? It is actually a buyer initiated request for the seller to make an offer on multiple items (Presumably with combined shipping). Is that right?

Correct. This is a Buyer making a request to the seller on multiple items in a single 'lot'. Seller would then respond if they are interested in the offer. There is no commitment from Buyer or Seller to move forward with the request.

 

Will the buyer's request be limited to ONLY items that have "Make An Offer" enabled by the seller?

No, this will include any item that can be added to the cart (so Fixed Price and Best Offer items can be eligible).


seller_update@ebay 

This is interesting. On the one hand- if Make Offer is not on my listing then I do not want buyers submitting unsolicited offers. This is why I run order discount promotions.

 

On the other hand- can buyers use this as a work-around to the lack of a "request total" button in the following situations?

 

- using the app where the button doesn't exist in the cart

- on the website when items are on sale and the cart prevents buyers from requesting a total?

 

IMO it would be much better if eBay stopped restricting the ability to request combined shipping instead of encouraging offers when sellers do not want them.

Message 12 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items


@coffeebean832 wrote:

seller_update@ebay wrote:
This isn't a buyer initiated offer, right? It is actually a buyer initiated request for the seller to make an offer on multiple items (Presumably with combined shipping). Is that right?

Correct. This is a Buyer making a request to the seller on multiple items in a single 'lot'. Seller would then respond if they are interested in the offer. There is no commitment from Buyer or Seller to move forward with the request.

 

Will the buyer's request be limited to ONLY items that have "Make An Offer" enabled by the seller?

No, this will include any item that can be added to the cart (so Fixed Price and Best Offer items can be eligible).


seller_update@ebay 

This is interesting. On the one hand- if Make Offer is not on my listing then I do not want buyers submitting unsolicited offers. This is why I run order discount promotions.

 

On the other hand- can buyers use this as a work-around to the lack of a "request total" button in the following situations?

 

- using the app where the button doesn't exist in the cart

- on the website when items are on sale and the cart prevents buyers from requesting a total?

 

IMO it would be much better if eBay stopped restricting the ability to request combined shipping instead of encouraging offers when sellers do not want them.


@coffeebean832 - 

 

Can buyers use this as a work-around to the lack of a "request total" button in the following situations?

- using the app where the button doesn't exist in the cart

- on the website when items are on sale and the cart prevents buyers from requesting a total?

Yes, exactly. This flow will replace the "Request total" flow and be applicable for more scenarios (including the ones you mention). It will be a great way for Buyers and Sellers to negotiate on multiple items in one bundle.

Message 13 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items


@coffeebean832 wrote:

We’re excited to keep the momentum going by expanding these efforts to other Best Offer scenarios, including Offers to Buyers and counter offers. Later this year, buyers will also be able to request bundled offers on multiple items when they make a Best Offer.


What about Private Offers? Will they be included?

 

For those unfamiliar- when a buyer sends a message from a non-variation listing, the first time a seller replies they see a "Send Offer" button on the message page that can be used to send a private offer to that buyer.


Hi @coffeebean832 - Yes, Private Offers will follow a similar process as Best Offer.

Message 14 of 27
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Re: Question thread: Expanding efforts to reduce unpaid items


@lacemaker3 wrote:

seller_update@ebay,

 

Please address the very serious flaw with requiring a preauthorization payment for best offers, which has been reported many times and ignored by eBay so far:

 

  • eBay does not release the preauthorization in a timely fashion when an offer is rejected.
  • Many buyers have reported that the preauthorization was never released at all, even when their offer was rejected immediately and automatically.
  • When eBay does not release the preauthorization, the payment will be held by their bank/PayPal for up to 30 days, and the buyer can't use the funds during that time.
  • Other buyers have reported that the preauthorization was not used when their offer was accepted. So they were charged a second time, but the preauthorized funds were still being held in their bank account for up to 30 days.

 

This is not the standard industry practice when a payment is preauthorized. For example, when I buy gas, the gas station preauthorizes a fairly large amount of funds ($60 - $100). However, when I complete the purchase for a lesser amount, the charged amount is updated almost immediately (before I get home to check it) and the preauthorization is released or updated to the correct amount.

 

The gas station is updating the purchase in a timely fashion, so that my funds are not held longer than necessary. eBay is not doing this, so eBay is holding the funds for an unreasonable length of time. This is clearly determined by the merchant, not the bank.


Hi @lacemaker3 - While there was an issue with that occurring several months ago, this should no longer be the case at all. We do not perform pre-authorization holds. A Buyer's card or PayPal account will be charged only if a Seller accepts. If a Buyer has chosen PayPal, there would be a "pending" order on their account but no money is held (regardless of if the funding source was via credit card or checking account).

Message 15 of 27
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