eBay

seller_update@ebay · ‎01-26-2023

We understand the frustration of not getting paid after you’ve done everything right. You’ve created a great listing, waited for the right offer, and quickly accepted the Best Offer—only to have the buyer fail to return and pay.

You’ve heard us talk about our commitment to eliminating unpaid items. We’ve been testing different ways to solve this problem, starting with Best Offer listings in the US. The first phase of changes to Best Offer is already live for a significant number of buyers, who now have to provide a payment method up front before submitting an offer.

We’re continuing to fine-tune and expand how we protect you from unpaid items. Our goal is to extend the new experience to all buyers who submit Best Offers, first in the US and later across more eBay markets.

Edit: Please ensure that all questions and comments remain on topic. Any off topic posts will be moved to the appropriate board, so they can be answered by Community Members.

Please allow us 24-48 hours to provide an answer to your question.

kountrykreations2017 · ‎02-02-2023

This update is way over due.. Buyers should be required to have payment method on file before being allowed to use Buy it now, best offer, Auction, and accept an offer a seller sends on a watched item. Most all other platforms do this. Putting it in your cart should not take it from available until they click "Buy",. Payment should be immediate and the rest of the process to shipping started. Way to many people accept and offer then never pay, sometimes our fellow sellers trying to eliminate competition. I understand that eBay has worked hard to drive buyers to the platform.. But eBay also needs to remember that with out us sellers YOU do not have a platform at all. We are your customers not the buyers, since all money you make is commission from items we list. Thank you for the efforts to correct this system flaw and look forward to it being platform wide very soon.

mike2001 · ‎02-02-2023

I hate this policy as both a seller and a buyer.

It discourages multiple purchase.

Makes it impossible to combine purchases.

I will not be making any more best offers as a buyer.

This is just as bad as the forces IPR (instant payment required)

All of these policies discourage multiple purchases (giving customers time to browse my store), and being able to wait to combine purchases.

I have never had a problem with non payment.

Sellers used to have the option quite a while back if they wanted IPR or not, .

Then Ebay force IPR on everybody, and it hurt multiple sales and made it much more difficult/expensive/wasteful to ship items.

techknowledge2day · ‎02-02-2023

I agree that changes are long overdue. When a buyer wins an auction, their account should be immediately debited for the winning auction and shipping.

Additionally, there should be some repercussions for failing to pay for an item. I had 3 unpaid auctions in the past couple of weeks. You win the auction...you pay for the item. No reason to give someone 4 days to pay for an item. The buyers should know how they are going to pay BEFORE the enter a bid.

kountrykreations2017 · ‎02-02-2023

Thank you for being a payer ever time.. But as a seller you are a rare find. I mean no disrespect to you but we sellers are not a lay away program. If the item sells to someone else before you are able to pay, that is just the luck of the draw. Please understand that as small business people every sale matters, and most of us can only absorb just so many lost sales. Say you are one of the non payers... Our item is now marked as sold awaiting payment for 4 business days. Not available to a paying customer, meaning lost potential sale of the item. Then we have to spend the time dealing with the non payed item when ebay releases it back to us. To take the time to relist it, when we could have spent that time listing a new item. Again I mean no disrespect to you or others that do pay, but eBay has enabled the bad actors and jaded many of us sellers to this point. Have a great day.

revenue-collector · ‎02-02-2023

I agree. This is a solution in search of a problem IMO.

As long as this prepayment in order to make offers remains OPTIONAL so we as sellers can opt out of it for our listings, I'm ok with that, as much as I loathe the system as a buyer.

If this becomes mandated and it is forced upon everyone, it will kill certain types of sales.

ladyleiaknight · ‎02-02-2023

Ye I miss the times when you could leave negative feedback for a buyer.

nancytngirl · ‎02-02-2023

Every week, including this week, for the past 4 weeks I've had a unpaid buyer. But its auction listings. Not Buy it now. I hate having to send invoices or trying to email them politely asking if they still want the item and if they intend to pay. I list weekends only, 7 day listings. If I can't get a payment by Fridays, I cancel and relist that Saturday. It's been much more frequent than ever lately. Will ALL listings be updated someday to reduce upaid buying?

seller_update@ebay · ‎02-02-2023

@nancytngirl wrote:

Every week, including this week, for the past 4 weeks I've had a unpaid buyer. But its auction listings. Not Buy it now. I hate having to send invoices or trying to email them politely asking if they still want the item and if they intend to pay. I list weekends only, 7 day listings. If I can't get a payment by Fridays, I cancel and relist that Saturday. It's been much more frequent than ever lately. Will ALL listings be updated someday to reduce upaid buying?

Hi @nancytngirl. This is in our future plans.

carlmarxx · ‎02-02-2023

Sorry but forcing buyer to pay upfront make's it imposable to do combined shipping when buyer buys 5 to 12 items . It doesn't make since for seller to be charged process fee for every signal item . and having to waste shipping supply's and print out 10 shipping labels for 1 buyer.

carlmarxx · ‎02-02-2023

You may hate sending invoices and sending Payment reminder's ! When I was selling I had no issues doing that. I also setup when the payment is due and when UPI process start's up . Ebay has the tools for you to use . Ask the Mod's for help and walk through !They will be happy to help you .

vintagecraze50 · ‎02-02-2023

MERCARI has been doing that for awhile. You cannot submit an offer without first committing with a payment source to be auto used once the seller accepts the offer. Good job in doing this finally for people here.

vintagecraze50 · ‎02-02-2023

I mentioned upthread that Mercari makes you commit to the payment by entering the payment source and actually approving it like with PP and then you can submit the offer. If the seller accepts then you have already paid ahead of time. I guess that is what ebay is going to do. Correct me if I am wrong.

vintagecraze50 · ‎02-02-2023

Well, if for some reason you do not want the item after it has been pre authorized for payment you can always tell the seller to cancel the sale. Then you get refunded. Sellers can cancel the sale if the item has not been shipped yet. I do see your point though if the seller ships promptly and then the buyer says, I want a refund. Wasted shipping costs.

vintagecraze50 · ‎02-02-2023

It IS the solution, for sure. Anyone not completely interested in buying will be eliminated.

guildbrosantiques · ‎02-02-2023

I'm in the same boat as you dmvintageauto009. I rub 100% auctions. My blocked bidder list is getting huge! If someone doesn't pay they get blocked. A majority of the time the non payer has 0 feedback or at least very low feedback. I try to remember to check a bidders feedback during the auction. If I find some recent negative buying feedback I block the bidder near the end of the auction. Sometimes it doesn't work though if they have put in a high bid. I have always used auction format though and will never change that. It has worked really well for the type of "junk" I deal in. lol! Be well!

Bob