Requiring payment upfront when making offers

[alexcollegefund]

I make offers almost daily for items. Over the past week, eBay is requiring me to include my payment information with the offer, something that has never happened before. This is causing all kinds of problems. The first problem is, if I'm making offers on multiple items with the same seller, if accepted the payment is processed immediately so there is no opportunity to request an invoice with combined shipping and I'm being dramatically overcharged. The second is, the funds for each offer are held as pending, using up availability in whatever payment option I've chosen. I made a $660 offer to a seller which was turned down 5 days ago, yet the money is still being held as "pending" in my PayPal. I actually called to speak to an eBay representative and was lied to point blank, being told this was not an eBay policy and I needed to contact the sellers instead. Under this new policy, I will no longer be making offers and sellers need to be aware they are being harmed by this and losing opportunities for sales.

[ashie2223]

Have you recieved your money back yet? If so how longs it take?

[alexcollegefund]

It took them 15 days to release the held funds on my PayPal account, even though my offer was turned down immediately. Since that time, the "pending" holds haven't been that long, just a couple of days, but I don't know why funds are being held at all when the offer is turned down immediately. But the problem of making offers on more than one item of a seller hasn't been resolved and I doubt it ever will be. Now if I want to make multiple offers to a seller, I just contact them directly instead of using the Best Offer option.

[myangelandmyprincess]

While this is eBay policy that has been implementing as a default for sellers the seller can change it.  If you want to make offers on multiple items I'd contact the seller and ask them to remove the automatic payment on offers.  They need to go to their buyer requirements page.  

[mudshark61369]

@alexcollegefund,

As myangel..., wrote ebay implemented the policy recently, but did not tell sellers they added a new Buyer requirement that requires immediate payment if an offer is accepted, and they opted sellers into it without notice as well.  If you go to make an offer and are asked to enter payment info, it means the seller probably doesn't know about the requirement and that they have been opted in, which prevents them from sending combined shipping invoices.   You can message those sellers and tell them they have been opted into a new payment Buyer Requirement and to go to their buyer requirement list and opt out if they want to be able to accept multiple offers  and be able to offer combined shipping, without having to issue partial refunds on the shipping cost.

  " I made a $660 offer to a seller which was turned down 5 days ago, yet the money is still being held as "pending" in my PayPal. I actually called to speak to an eBay representative and was lied to point blank, being told this was not an eBay policy and I needed to contact the sellers instead".

eBay's phone reps are located in the Philippines, and have no clue about payment / refund issues, not given in the ebay playbook.   That is why they claim it is not an ebay issue. 

The delay issue is due to ebay's Managed Payment processor Adyen being located in Holland, and the "brain trust" not realizing how that would affect the held funds.

  Your payment source holds the payment, until it is accepted or cancelled.  It can take up to 4 days (if payments are transmitted past 6pm buyer's local time on Friday's, and payments are not transmitted on weekend days or bank holidays) That means it can take Adyen 4-5 days to receive a payment record the cancellation, then another two (business days) for the notice to reach your funding source, which may take another day or so to remove the hold.  If that sounds convoluted, it is because it is.  Try looking up (International ACH payment holds) online. 

[alexcollegefund]

Thank you for this. It's very helpful.

[retro-metro]

You mention the policy is Default but sellers can change it. I spoke to an eBay rep today and they said it is standard policy and we can't change it. Do they just not understand this policy yet or can we indeed change it somewhere in our settings? If so, please let us know how. Thanks

[ittybitnot · Accepted solution]

it somewhere in our settings? 

@retro-metro 

For sellers, it is the last item on this page:

Buyer Payment Requirements

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

When that was added to the buyer management page, the box was checked by default.  If you uncheck it, any buyer can no make an offer without first submitting a payment source even if the BUYER ID has been enrolled in the program. 

[bebe-1153]

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@retro-metro wrote:

I spoke to an eBay rep today and they said it is standard policy and we can't change it.

Do they just not understand this policy yet or can we indeed change it somewhere in our settings? 

---

eBay reps very often don't know how eBay works though they work for eBay but eBay does not work for them.

It's a setting on your buyer requirements page.

[ittybitnot]

Correction of my above post.  Should read:

  If you uncheck it, any buyer can NOW make an offer without first submitting a payment source even if the BUYER ID has been enrolled in the program. 

[retro-metro]

You’re a life saver! Thanks! I spoke to 2 eBay associates who didn’t know what they were talking about. I asked for a supervisor and a senior associate said the only time buyers will see the screen for entering their payment method when sending an offer is if they have their account flagged (too many unpaid item strikes) or if us as sellers have require immediate payment checked in our settings. He assured me these were the only times a buyer would see that screen to have to enter the payment method when making an offer. That made me feel better about it until your post. It seems he was incorrect. I found the buyer management page only by searching for it in help and contact as it is nowhere to be found in our account settings. Very sneaky. I will uncheck the box and see if that helps sales. I would rather have a few unpaid items and relist them than no offers coming through at all because of an extra step that, quite frankly, people might back out of because, well, it’s an extra added step. Buyers might think we have this set up when we don’t. Thanks again for the guidance. 

[sp8ctre]

How do you get your Buyer ID out of the program?

My account is requiring it, but my wife's account is not...very frustrating!

[buyselljack2016]

@sp8ctre 

does not seem that there is any option for that.

those buyers that are in that situation (test) were selected by eBay. there seems to be not set reason for which buyers are affected, and which buyers are not

[whimsyonthewinetrail]

i have yet to receive "immediate" payment when accepting an offer .... and yes the blurb that buyer has submitted payment information is there

[sp8ctre]

Well, it's a crap program! I've been on eBay since 1998 and have a perfect record as a buyer and seller. I will not be making any offers under this ridiculous program I was forced into. 

The sellers have no idea they are roped into it either. I went to my seller preferences and found how to turn it off to buyers making offers on my goods...