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.

liveforvintage · ‎02-01-2023

I know that you said that Best Offer is already live for a significant number of buyers, however, as a seller, I have only seen one offer where immediate payment was used. What is the timeline for this initiative? We have been hearing about it for over a year now.

wastingtime101 · ‎02-01-2023

@liveforvintage wrote:
I know that you said that Best Offer is already live for a significant number of buyers, however, as a seller, I have only seen one offer where immediate payment was used. What is the timeline for this initiative? We have been hearing about it for over a year now.

I had similar questions for seller_update@ebay.

1. What percent of buyers have been switched over to auto-pay on offers so far?

2. What's the approximate timeline for this going site-wide? People ask about it here every day.

GLORIOUS!

bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems · ‎02-01-2023

*"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", Does this mean once buyer's or Seller's offer is accepted, the payment will be required immediately or in a lesser period of time, eliminating the four days to pay the seller? Thanks!

jaboncollc · ‎02-01-2023

I would honestly like it very much if eBay would omit offers from the site altogether. It's trashing the site if you ask me. For buyers that have caught on to the offer settings, now they put items on their watch list and wait for an offer, instead of just buying the item at the listed price. Of they send a lowball offer in an unsolicited message. The Buy it Now items should be "this is how much this item costs" like Amazon or Walmart prices are. Plus, in my experience, about 50% of the accepted offers go unpaid anyway. I only send offers because I'm quite certain it hurts my invisible metrics and listing placement if I don't send offers. Lots of extra steps for nothing. Just get rid of offers and all the problem associated with them are solved.

seller_update@ebay · ‎02-01-2023

@bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems wrote:

*"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", Does this mean once buyer's or Seller's offer is accepted, the payment will be required immediately or in a lesser period of time, eliminating the four days to pay the seller? Thanks!

Hello @bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems that is correct. Since the buyer will be required to provide payment info at the time of submitted the offer, it will speed up the payment significantly.

pancake*maker · ‎02-01-2023

It’s 2023. eBay needs to find out how Poshmark and Mercari are able to require immediate payment for BOTH offers from buyers and offers that sellers send. I remember eBay saying that immediate payment with offers would be finalized toward the end of 2022 and here we are…

-p*m

bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems · ‎02-01-2023

Great News! Could you check and see if my account is one that has this implemented already as one of the trial accounts? Thanks so much!

wastingtime101 · ‎02-01-2023

@bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems wrote:
*"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", Does this mean once buyer's or Seller's offer is accepted, the payment will be required immediately or in a lesser period of time, eliminating the four days to pay the seller? Thanks!

From my observation @bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems , it says "immediate payment" upon acceptance of an offer, but many sellers are taking that way too literally. Accepting the offer does trigger an automatic payment process, but since that process is not instantaneous it can take anywhere from 10 min or up to an hour for the payment to show on the seller's end.

Even with regular purchases, sometimes buyers message me that they bought something and it doesn't show up on my orders page until half an hour later. It's the nature of payment processing and the many steps involved that sometimes you don't see it right away (and other times you do).

So the answer to your question is yes, but don't take "immediate" to mean literally within seconds. Automatic is a more accurate word than immediate in this situation.

If you're the seller and the buyer makes an offer, you'll see on the offer screen a message that tells you if the buyer is opted in to auto-pay on offers.

Buyers with accounts opted in to auto-pay on offers have to provide a payment method before they submit their offer (buyer initiated) or before they accept an offer (seller initiated).

Sellers that rely on multi-item purchases and combining shipping through the shopping cart can turn off the auto-pay on offers requirement for any buyers that visit their shop. Setting is found at the bottom of this page: https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements

GLORIOUS!

wastingtime101 · ‎02-01-2023

@bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems wrote:
Great News! Could you check and see if my account is one that has this implemented already as one of the trial accounts? Thanks so much!

It's done at the buyer level, not the seller level @bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems . Some buyers viewing your listings will be opted in and others won't. But eventually it will be site wide where all buyers are opted in.

GLORIOUS!

bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems · ‎02-01-2023

Great! Clarification: Do buyers still have the option of four days to pay if they have not opted into the auto-pay on offers?

wastingtime101 · ‎02-01-2023

@bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems wrote:
Great! Clarification: Do buyers still have the option of four days to pay if they have not opted into the auto-pay on offers?

Buyers don't have the choice of opting in. eBay does that for them.

Sellers have the choice of not requiring auto-pay so if a seller decides to not require that from buyers, then yes, they get the standard 4 days or whatever the seller allows.

Sellers that do require auto-pay on offers (which is the default setting) means payment from buyers will come in automatically on acceptance of offers if that buyer's account has been opted in by eBay for this auto-pay offer update, and it means payment from buyers will have the standard 4+ days to pay if that buyer has not yet been opted in by eBay for auto-pay offers.

GLORIOUS!

bellablakeclothing-vintagebooksuniqueitems · ‎02-01-2023

Thanks for the information. Encouraged that eBay is working on getting this implemented for sellers. Hopefully, it won't be long until all offers accepted or auctions won, are required to pay immediately, the same as buy it now buyers are required to do. I had to turn off the option to make offers, during the Christmas holidays, due to non-payment on offers accepted.

postcardcountry · ‎02-01-2023

"There are eyes on your items" so I send an offer. Buyer accepts but does not pay.

Any plans to make it 'you accept, you pay now' just like best offer?

palpateenagewasteland · ‎02-01-2023

Right… The only part about asking for your payment info when sending an offer is combining shipping across multiple items. When you send an offer over and it makes you put in your payment info first and put a hold on your either PayPal or credit card for that amount pending the offer being approved. Which means if there’s a shipping charge there’s no way to combine shipping across multiple items. Plus if the offers need to be adjusted, lowered, countered, or resubmitted you then have multiple pending payments on your PayPal or credit card account. This is a nightmare trying to combine shipping or send an invoice. See you have $100 in your PayPal account and you send an offer over to someone for. 3 items for $25 each + $5 shipping. It would put a HOLD on all 3 offers of $25+$5 ($30 x 3 - $90) now if those need to be countered, adjusted or invoiced yoy cannt pay for everything cuz there is a hold. I DO understand this and would be great to eliminate unpaid items in full, however having to put in your payment info when sending an offer is not the way to do it. Not only is this frustrating to buyers, it completely eliminate combine shipping, options, or sending invoices. And say you’re buying like sports or magic or Star Wars cards sometimes up to 20 cars in one purchase of someone that’s a lot of pending payments and offers. It’s going to get really confusing and it’s just never going to work. Maybe you could put like a three strikes and you’re out for 30 days sort of thing instead? Do a say 3 unpaid items in 30 days or less and your locked out of buying for 30 days? That would be better then this nightmare. If it’s one LARGE item, the. Sure it would work (put in payment info first) MOST Purchases are not big items and over 50% of the time buyers buy more than one item at the same time off a seller. If you have all these pending payments, they would not be enough left on your card to pay for the invoice. Or reverse so your offer is not approved now you still have a pending payment on your card and you cannot pay for other things in your life. I think there’s a way to do things and it’s not a bad idea. I’m just saying this completely screws up, combine shipping, sending invoices or buying multiple items at once.

kimberlysclosetcarousel · ‎02-01-2023

When a buyer does not pay or reply to payment reminder messages, invoices and/or payment reminders; it is clear that they do not intend to pay. Rather than have my item tied up for 4+ days, I want to cancel and relist. Why it there no other way to report buyers that do not pay? Waiting more than 2 days inconveniences the seller by not relisting the item. Also, when the order is cancelled, should a seller give feedback that says "buyer did not pay"?