I got charged immediately for a "make an offer" that was declined?

[the_grille_badge_guy]

Experienced 20 year eBayer here.

I made an offer on eBay for an item on my mobile app and strangely, it made me go through putting my payment info in BEFORE I made the offer, this is not normal behavior. Normally when you make an offer once the offer is accepted then you have to pay.

Anyway, the offer was IMMEDIATELY declined (eBay should have known my offer was too low right before asking for my payment info). ANYWAY, I got a notification from Paypal that I made a payment to eBay for that amount right after. 

What gives? Even the website says I will not be charged unless the offer is accepted.  This sucks as my Paypal balance was immediately reduced and now this sits there pending. This transaction did not happen, it is not in my purchase history or anything, like I said the offer was declined.
https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/buy-now/making-best-offer?id=4019

[downunder-61]

The pending will go away, it takes time for the system to catch up.

Just check your paypal periodically and call them if it hasn't cleared within the week.

As to "eBay should have known my offer was too low right before asking for my payment info"

How could eBay possibly know your seller would think the offer was unacceptable, this is reaching to blame eBay.

[dede394]

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@the_grille_badge_guy wrote:

Experienced 20 year eBayer here.

I got a notification from Paypal that I made a payment to eBay for that amount right after. 

This sucks as my Paypal balance was immediately reduced 

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You will never be able to open an Item Not Received case on eBay since there's no purchase. And because it was paid with your PayPal balance @the_grille_badge_guy you're left with a single option since it's not a card payment. Plus, your seller can't voluntarily refund as it's not a transaction.

See if you can file an Item Not Received dispute here (it's allowed 1 second after payment) and if you can, that means it's an actual payment, and not pending.

[the_grille_badge_guy]

eBay would know quite easily. I do make an offer settings all the time. I list the item for $99 and set a threshold to auto decline offers lower than $80 and to auto accept offers at $90. This item was AUTO declined the minute I submitted the offer in .5 seconds. So eBay KNEW my offer was below the sellers threshold to even consider the offer. Hence it makes matters even dumber that eBay is putting (even if it's temporary) authorizations against people's (let's say) checking accounts for an item they KNEW was an auto decline the minute the buyer typed in the amount. It's just bad AI and business practices on eBay here. Provide buyers with the illusion of hope for what? Just for their disappointment and funds being tied up. Just terrible really. 

When eBay could just say (as your type your amount in and I swear I've seen it before) something like... "Buyer, you should increase your offer as this one is too low". 

They are protecting sellers image I guess, but risking buyers bank accounts. The fact is some people list for $100 with make an offer with a auto decline set at $98, it's so dumb when you see seller's who do that small of a window.

Anyway, that is how eBay knew before I hit submit in this one. The offer didn't go through for the buyers "consideration" to be declined hours later.

[mudshark61369]

@the_grille_badge_guy,

 {the offer was IMMEDIATELY declined (eBay should have known my offer was too low right before asking for my payment info)".

You seem to think that ebay stores auto accept/decline offer prices.  They do not or in the Offer box it would say make an offer of X$ or more. It has been that way since ebay started the auto accept/decline feature.

  "I made an offer on eBay for an item on my mobile app and strangely, it made me go through putting my payment info in BEFORE I made the offer, this is not normal behavior. Normally when you make an offer once the offer is accepted then you have to pay".

eBay recently made a change, that seems to have enabled immediate payment required to best offers, and enabled it without sellers knowing.  That is why some offers require your payment information when making an offer. It is in the link below under the How to accept a best offer header. It is near the bottom of that section and has a link that takes a seller to their Buyer Requirements, now called Buyer management, just to confuse people.

   You may want to ask sellers whose offers you have to add payment info to, before making an offer, if they know about the change.  It stops sellers from being able to combine shipping if multiple offers are made.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/selling-buy-now/adding-best-offer-listing?id=4144

The Buyer management/requirements page link is below.  FYI you can tighten your unpaid item buyer requirement from 2 in 12 months to  1 in 1-6-12 months.

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements

  " This sucks as my Paypal balance was immediately reduced and now this sits there pending".

Since there seems to be another change to Best Offers that says they are good for 24 hours. Since the offer was declined, the PayPal Pending notice should go away, in the next day, and your balance returned to what it was before you made the offer.

[the_grille_badge_guy]

All of your suggestions and links are helpful, thanks for the info. And yes, 200% you said...

"You seem to think that ebay stores auto accept/decline offer prices"

We see eBay implement and tweak things all the time and collect and save dozens of preferences. I would have no reason not believe eBay has something as elementary as knowledge of thresholds for "make an offer" stored in the code on each listing and would (especially if implementing this new "imediate" payment method). 

I appreciate your info and perspective none the less. I guess it feels like a dog and pony show to allow people to think something may go through when they could easily just pop up a warning that says "offer to low" "stop don't pass go" and not waste the time.

Thanks all

[pburn]

@dede394 

Wow! You resurrected a really old one this time! LOL!

[mudshark61369]

@the_grille_badge_guy,

  "We see eBay implement and tweak things all the time and collect and save dozens of preferences".

I cringe when I know the tweakers have or announce they have come up with something "new/improved".

[divwido]

Pending is pending.  They show it gone, but it isn't really.  Tomorrow it will show back right where it was.

[ittybitnot]

 Even the website says I will not be charged unless the offer is accepted.  This sucks as my Paypal balance was immediately reduced and now this sits there pending. This transaction did not happen, it is not in my purchase history or anything, like I said the offer was declined.

@the_grille_badge_guy 

This seems to be an interesting unfortunate consequence of this new program for the buyer. Could you please come back and let us know HOW LONG PayPal holds the funds before returning the  authorization money balance to you?   Seems like it is a "too bad to be you" situation,  since the offer was declined and you wanted to make an offer on something else with that money.  

[the_grille_badge_guy]

Well today is tomorrow because this was yesterday & it's still pending, so we'll see tomorrow which is day 3 if it is gone. 

I'm just glad this wasn't a $2000 offer and my checking account. Cause I know pending last forever on checking. 

[the_grille_badge_guy]

I will update when it falls off.

[ittybitnot]

I will update when it falls off.

@the_grille_badge_guy 

Thank you!   I am just wondering if it is a function of PayPal, or the merchant (which may be eBay or Adyen?)

Gas stations used to do this if you paid at the pump with a card.  They would put an authorization hold for $100, even if your purchase was $12.  It took a few days to drop off.  

Once a few years back I paid for a hotel room, cash in advance since I was leaving early the next morning. But they wanted a 'card' as well that they said they would not charge.  The one I happened to proffer was my PayPal debit card.  The hotel placed an authorization for $500 that lasted a few weeks.  Of course everyone claimed "there was nothing they could do".  It was not a good time. 

[the_grille_badge_guy]

Just an FYI, the charge is still sitting Pending on my Paypal account today Feb 8th.

[ittybitnot]

@the_grille_badge_guy 

Thank you for the update.