Reduce unpaid items when sending offers to buyers

[seller_update@ebay]

In recent months, we’ve made improvements to reduce unpaid item cases for Buy It Now and Best Offer sales, which has led to an increase in successful payments. Based on your feedback, we’re extending these improvements to seller-initiated offers. When potential buyers are interested in your offer, they’ll be taken directly to checkout and, in order to accept the offer and secure the item, they’ll need to successfully complete payment. 

What you need to know

• This change to seller-initiated offers will help reduce unpaid item incidents by requiring buyers to pay for the item in order to accept your offer.
• If a buyer abandons the checkout page, the item will still be available to other potential buyers
  

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 24-72 hours to provide an answer to your question. 

[tacticalbox]

This is really bad for me. I'm always telling buyers to accept multiple offers without paying so the items will appear in their cart and ebay can automatically combine shipping. Now what? Am I supposed to send all kinds of refunds all the time? 

Ever since ebay made it so multiple buyers can accept offers It's been so glitched out. None of the orders show up on my sold page so I can't send invoices to buyers. 

I just got off the phone with the payments department and they can't disable it. Honestly I'm not even convinced they understood me anyway. I had to explain myself like 10 times using different words and they still couldn't repeat my issues back to me. 

I've never had problems with buyers not paying. The only problems I have are with ebays new updates. 

I can't even make a sale without having to contact ebay support, or make physical changes to my listings, or send refunds, or have to try and explain how ebay works to a customer. 

Ebay, please stop. 

[things-and-other-stuff]

What happens if you send buyers offers on multiple items and they accept all of them? For example, I send 5 offers to a buyer currently, they may accept all 5 and then checkout after they've accepted the offers, at which time shipping automatically combines in the eBay cart and I, as seller, am only charged one per-seller fee.

If I'm reading this right, in the case of my example the buyer will now have to complete 5 separate transactions; I'll have to take the time to provide them up to 4 shipping refunds to provide combined shipping, and I, as seller, will be charged five per-seller fees.

If this is the case, I'd have both significantly more work and more fees. This is a circumstance I encounter often multiple times per day as I actively send out offers to Watchers, and they often take several items. If my examples are correct, this change is not a benefit, but a harsh enough disincentive to stop me from sending offers going forward. It'll cost sales.

Can a seller opt out?

PS: An update that I would like would be to allow a buyer to send a Best Offer on their entire shopping cart.

[seller_update@ebay]

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@things-and-other-stuff wrote:

What happens if you send buyers offers on multiple items and they accept all of them? For example, I send 5 offers to a buyer currently, they may accept all 5 and then checkout after they've accepted the offers, at which time shipping automatically combines in the eBay cart and I, as seller, am only charged one per-seller fee.

If I'm reading this right, in the case of my example the buyer will now have to complete 5 separate transactions; I'll have to take the time to provide them up to 4 shipping refunds to provide combined shipping, and I, as seller, will be charged five per-seller fees.

If this is the case, I'd have both significantly more work and more fees. This is a circumstance I encounter often multiple times per day as I actively send out offers to Watchers, and they often take several items. If my examples are correct, this change is not a benefit, but a harsh enough disincentive to stop me from sending offers going forward. It'll cost sales.

Can a seller opt out?

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Hi @things-and-other-stuff! Thank you for the feedback on the new unpaid items update. As of now, sellers can not opt-out of the new feature but that is something that can be looked into by the appropriate team.

[things-and-other-stuff]

Thank you seller_update@ebay  At first glance, the only workaround I can think of is to only provide partial refunds to buyers on any excess shipping paid, but I would still have to manually go in and make multiple refunds whenever this happens (often) as well as combat the often glitchy combined orders in shipping to combine multiple orders for single shipments.

[shipscript]

seller_update@ebay  

One of the biggest complaints we see on the forums with Autopay is that it prevents combining items in the cart for a single checkout. This issue is shared by both buyers and sellers. Will eBay be addressing that concern?

With buyer initiated offers, we have seen that Autopay also prevented them from using some buying options, like "pay in four" as they were required to set up a payment method ahead of the offer.  The actual transaction was later performed by eBay, if the offer was accepted. 

For seller initiated offers, I would assume the buyer would see the standard checkout and could therefore refine the payment method, as the buyer would have full control of checkout —this would be identical to "immediate payment required".  Since a seller has control of IPR, it would seem logical to give the seller control of the seller initiated offer to turn off this new IPR.

[tacticalbox]

There is a setting you can turn off so buyers don't have to pre-select a payment method for offers on your listings. You should be far more concerned with the latest update as it will be the killing blow for many of us who allow offers and combine shipping. 

[seller_update@ebay]

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@shipscript wrote:

seller_update@ebay  

One of the biggest complaints we see on the forums with Autopay is that it prevents combining items in the cart for a single checkout. This issue is shared by both buyers and sellers. Will eBay be addressing that concern?

With buyer initiated offers, we have seen that Autopay also prevented them from using some buying options, like "pay in four" as they were required to set up a payment method ahead of the offer.  The actual transaction was later performed by eBay, if the offer was accepted. 

For seller initiated offers, I would assume the buyer would see the standard checkout and could therefore refine the payment method, as the buyer would have full control of checkout —this would be identical to "immediate payment required".  Since a seller has control of IPR, it would seem logical to give the seller control of the seller initiated offer to turn off this new IPR.

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@shipscript We are continuing to explore many scenarios when it comes to buyer initiated offer and combined shipping. We thank you for all of your insight on this!

[mam98031]

seller_update@ebay 

Then why is there an option in the Site Preferences for Buyer Requirements where we can turn it off?  If it doesn't work, why is it there?  That is confusing and misleading.

[somanypostcards]

As a high volume, low cost seller, combined orders is one of the major underpinnings of my business strategy.  With this new change to "reduce unpaid items when sending offers to buyers," eBay is essentially eliminating combined shipping when I send offers to buyers.  It means to maintain my high volume, low cost business model I probably will NOT send offers to buyers.  If I do send offers and a buyer accepts multiple offers, I would refund shipping on all but 1 sale.  Unfortunately eBay limits refunds to $1.00 minimum, and my shipping and handling cost per item is $.90 so I'm over refunding, plus eBay keeps the $.30/$.40 transaction fees on all these individual offer sales.

[ittybitnot]

Over the past few weeks, it seems more and more buyers that MAKE OFFERS to sellers (buyer generated offers) that are ACCEPTED by a seller, morph into YOU SENT AN OFFER on the seller's end.  The buyer does not get notice their offer was accepted and unless they happen to look never know that the process has been renamed into YOU HAVE AN OFFER on the buyer's end.     Members have repeatedly asked/tagged eBay reps on the forums for some clarification only to be repeatedly ignored. 

Will this practice continue for Buyer Generated Offers?  Will they all turn into YOU RECEIVED AN OFFER that will only have the Check Out or decline button?   Some have had an Accept button or decline button instead with random application of which one the buyer received.   So it has been decided that only the Check Out or Decline option will be presented?   That accepting multiple of these offers will result in paying full price for each item?   

eBay has been advertising and advocating for sellers to  provide  reduced shipping cost for buyers.  The most prolific way this has been accomplished has been by combining items for one shipping price.  It seems eBay has been doing its best to rid the site of this much desired aspect of shopping here that always made eBay a more desirable destination.  Now it seems to be discouraged by eBay at every turn... you are exploring options?  Mobile users have been waiting over three years for that button in their cart to request a total revised

invoice.  How long is it going to take for you to finish exploring and actually do something?  

[seller_update@ebay]

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@mam98031 wrote:

seller_update@ebay 

Then why is there an option in the Site Preferences for Buyer Requirements where we can turn it off?  If it doesn't work, why is it there?  That is confusing and misleading.

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Hi @mam98031 for clarification, in the buyer requirements page, the selection you are referring to is specifically for buyer initiated offers.  By contrast, the change in this update is referring specifically to seller initiated offers.  

[mam98031]

Thank you, that is an important distinction, one in which I did not catch.  

[somanypostcards]

eBay states:  "We're actively testing solutions that require buyers to provide payment information before they submit bids to reduce unpaid items in Auctions."

As a high volume, low cost seller, combined orders is one of the major underpinnings of my business strategy.  If buyers must provide payment information to submit auction bids, eBay is essentially eliminating combined shipping on auctions.  It means to maintain my high volume, low cost business model I probably will NOT use auctions  If I do use auctions and a buyer wins multiple auctions, I would refund shipping on all but 1 sale.  Unfortunately eBay limits refunds to $1.00 minimum, and my shipping and handling cost per item is $.90 so I'm over refunding, plus eBay keeps the $.30/$.40 transaction fees on all these individual auction sales. 

Some of my repeat customers win 40 auctions, which is fine with combined sales (shipping $.90 + $3.90 = $4.80 and transaction fee of $.30), but a nightmare if 40 individual sales (shipping 40 x $.90 = $36.00 and transaction fee of 40 x $.30 = $12.00).

[ittybitnot]

seller_update@ebay 

You will notice in the screen shot provided in your message #12 from the post by @mam98031  no longer includes the Buyer Payment Requirement:  Require buyers to provide a payment method before they place a bid.

Can you address that please, as to whether or not it will  be required for buyers at all?   Will there still be some interfering alternative to combining shipping on mutlple auction wins by the same buyer?  For example, if a seller selects to combine auction wins for five days, can that still be done?  for eight days? 

Thank you for your time.