Ebay puts hold on thousands in payouts AGAIN! Top rated seller!

[miamigotsoul]

Once again ebay has put a 5 day hold on my payout for no reason. After a great auction I was AGAIN greeted by this message..

Hello miamigotsoul,

Your payouts have been temporarily placed on hold while we review some details. Please allow up to 5 days for this review to take place.

You'll be notified if we need further information. If there are no further concerns, your payouts will be unblocked.

This temporary block will not impact your regular operations (listings/selling).
Thanks,
eBay

1. I am a top rated seller

2. I had 100% feedback... Ok now 99.9% as of today. I began typing this yesterday and have since gotten a negative from buyer who can't take the time to check the tracking and see their package (shipped on time) is actually out for delivery.. wow

3. I have shipped tens of  thousands of items on time with no problem... over 99% of items have shipped on time.

4. No unresolved disputes.

5. My banking info has remained the same since joining.

6. Had my account well over a year now. Never had 1 problem!

I just sold over 30,000$ worth of goods and 22,000$ (including shipping costs) are being held. I will have to pay 4,000$ out of my own pocket to ship these items! This has happened to be I believe 5 times before already and it send my business into chaos every time.

1. I cannot pay my employee

2. I cannot pay bills

3. I cannot pay rent/storage

4. I cannot buy goods

5. I HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING COSTS OUT OF MY POCKET!

6. I'm completely frazzled and stressed tf out.. once again! No warning... No reason..

I was finally able to speak with a higher up and was told this is likely a precautionary security measure due to high sales..

1. How is this a security measure when I have NO NEGATIVE MARKS ON MY ACCOUNT! There are NO RED FLAGS!

2. High sales? I have regularly sold this amount. My last auction a few weeks ago totaled more than this and no holds were placed! I shipped all items from my this auction within 48 hours of payment and have 100% feedback from all those transactions. What the hell are you trying to SECURE?? I am a good ebayer!

3. I am NOT shipping these items until the money buyers sent me for shipping is released.. So now after shipping everything on time ever since I have become an ebayer.. NOTHING BUT EBAY ITSELF WILL CAUSE ME TO SHIP LATE! I have fronted the shipping cost (thousands of dollars) from my own personal money 5 times when ebay has previously done this and I'm NOT doing it again.

Its unreasonable and unfair to ask for a seller to pay out of pocket for shipping costs while you hold the money a buyer paid for shipping!

I will be forwarding my buyers this post, if your item is shipped late this is why!

4. The only issue I'm having selling on ebay.. IS EBAY!!  I have certainly paid tens of thousands of dollars in fees this year.. For what? For ebay to hold my money hostage whenever they choose?????

5. How can you want sellers to deliver a smooth transaction for customers when you create chaos for them? Holding money for 5 business days (really a week) is 1 thing, but why would you not release the money a buyer paid for shipping? Especially seeing that shipping is done in house/electronically, and ebay managed payment system controls all finances. It's not like I could take that money and use for something else!

Absolutely furious and flustered about this once AGAIN. Was not more than a month or 2 ago they did this exact same thing. I believe this is now the 6th time they have done this!

Can somebody at ebay please address this policy or help? Will I get my money randomly seized as long as I'm a seller?! Will I have to always have always have an extra 4000$ on hand so I can ensure  I can ship items on time? Will I always have to tell employee.. storage facilty.. cable, phone company to wait for payment because once again ebay is holding my payout?

HELP!!!

[miamigotsoul]

**crickets**

[kensgiftshop]

@miamigotsoul 

Could it be all the orders on the same day that's causing the holds?

[hurryagain]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

@miamigotsoul 

Could it be all the orders on the same day that's causing the holds?

---

Wow...that could be it.

OP sold well over 1,000 items on Oct. 31.

Congrats @miamigotsoul for such awesome sales!  Sorry that you are having an issue with the hold.

[dryophelia]

@miamigotsoul 

You can use pending funds to pay for shipping. 

[mam98031]

There is a reason.  You may not like the reason or agree with it, but there is a reason.  What EXACTLY did the email say?  

From what I see that you posted above it is likely a security reason.  If you suddenly sold more thing than is normal for your account, that is FANTASTIC, but it can flag a security hold for a few days while Ebay makes sure everything is legit.  That is an important safety mechanism on Ebay so we don't have fly by night sellers stealing buyer's money.

You should NOT have to pay out of pocket for your shipping if you do your shipping labels in Ebay.  You can have the funds taken from your MP account.  But if you aren't using Ebay label system for your shipping, then yes, it will be out of your pocket.

Keep in mind if you do not ship the items that buyers have paid for within your stated handling time, you will get hit with late shipment defects.  And with that many sales, you would surely end up having to pay penalty fees of 5% on top of regular fees, or worse because there are so many sales.

I sure understand and respect your frustrations.  I'd feel the same way if it were happening to me.  I am so sorry you are having to deal with this.

Can any of you help this seller.

velvet@ebay 

tyler@ebay 

jasmen@ebay 

[justafemster]

Even when payment is on hold, you can use pending payment to pay for shipping labels.  I know this, because I've been in the same situation.

You can't wait a couple of days for payment?  That sounds like a personal problem, poor management and poor planning.  If that's the situation, ebay has every right to be concerned about your business practices.  

I ALWAYS have back-up money.  I get that not all have that luxury, But I WANT to keep selling.  

Just like when I do local shows.  I bring enough to pay my space and my employee.  Something could happen and I don't sell anything.  Should the venue suffer because I made a poor decision?  Should my employee suffer for that same poor decision?  

Yeah, it sucks that you aren't getting paid for another week. It's going to put you behind.  Eventually *if you are on the up and up*, the money will come in, in a huge chunk.  Put back that reserve.  It doesn't exist until a situation like this happens (again).  

This is a business, stop getting emotional. 

[tyler@ebay]

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@mam98031 wrote:

There is a reason.  You may not like the reason or agree with it, but there is a reason.  What EXACTLY did the email say?  

From what I see that you posted above it is likely a security reason.  If you suddenly sold more thing than is normal for your account, that is FANTASTIC, but it can flag a security hold for a few days while Ebay makes sure everything is legit.  That is an important safety mechanism on Ebay so we don't have fly by night sellers stealing buyer's money.

You should NOT have to pay out of pocket for your shipping if you do your shipping labels in Ebay.  You can have the funds taken from your MP account.  But if you aren't using Ebay label system for your shipping, then yes, it will be out of your pocket.

Keep in mind if you do not ship the items that buyers have paid for within your stated handling time, you will get hit with late shipment defects.  And with that many sales, you would surely end up having to pay penalty fees of 5% on top of regular fees, or worse because there are so many sales.

I sure understand and respect your frustrations.  I'd feel the same way if it were happening to me.  I am so sorry you are having to deal with this.

Can any of you help this seller.

velvet@ebay 

tyler@ebay 

jasmen@ebay 

---

Thanks for the tag @mam98031 - I think you did a great job of summarizing the best options and the most likely reasons for holds that could exist. 

One clarification: missing tracking won't result in 'penalty' fees, though it could impact a member's Top Rated status (which in turn could mean losing the discount). It also won't cause a member's account to be Below Standard. 

Thanks!

[smarch]

I am a new seller on ebay. I was only selling a few things from my sports card collection so I could get by until my first social security check came in next month.  I got the same message. Unlike you I  only sold about 40 items. They owe me only about $500. Now I still don't have the money for my mortgage payment and I have nothing left to sell, because I already  sold it and shipped it on ebay.  Thanks ebay, I thank you and my wife thanks you.  Happy Holidays.

[smarch]

Nope .... I only sold 37 items over a week and a half.  Not a lot of money either. All together only about $650 $ worth. 

[smarch]

Timing .... sometimes cash flow is about timing.  So maybe waiting a couple of days makes a huge difference, especially if folks are just getting by.  Being late by a few days may mean big late fees.  There could be a thousand different reasons why waiting a couple of days is critical.  Not everyone selling on ebay does it for a business, some of us are selling our favorite things just to get by.  

[mam98031]

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@smarch wrote:

Nope .... I only sold 37 items over a week and a half.  Not a lot of money either. All together only about $650 $ worth. 

---

It grew since your post just a few minutes ago.  LOL

$650 is a lot of money to me.  I know for some it isn't but to me it is.

Ebay hasn't done anything to you.  When you are a new seller it is important that you Do your Homework.  Holding funds on new sellers is a long standing rule that Ebay has.  It has been around for years.  I'm sorry you didn't know about it, but it is out there and available for everyone to see.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/service-and-payments/funds-availability.html

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/pending-payments?id=415...

You can likely get Ebay to shake loose some of your money a bit earlier.  When your item gets delivered per the tracking and if your buyer leaves you Feedback.  Contact Ebay and see if you can get them to let it go.  Be kind as they don't have to do it, but if you play your cards right and you make them want to work for you, you just might get them to release the funds.

https://twitter.com/askebay?lang=en

https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851

[mam98031]

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@smarch wrote:

Timing .... sometimes cash flow is about timing.  So maybe waiting a couple of days makes a huge difference, especially if folks are just getting by.  Being late by a few days may mean big late fees.  There could be a thousand different reasons why waiting a couple of days is critical.  Not everyone selling on ebay does it for a business, some of us are selling our favorite things just to get by.  Don't be such a Jack A@%.

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Ebay isn't responsible for anyone's cash flow or lack of cash flow.  We all have to do better planning since we are now using MP.  

Every single transaction on Ebay is a business transaction.  There are absolutely NO personal transactions on Ebay.  That doesn't mean you have to be a formally set up company, it just means you are functioning as a little business.  So make sure you keep GOOD records of everything.  

[smarch]

You are wrong I did know about the standard withholding of funds until they receive word that the item was delivered. "It grew since your post just a few minutes ago. LOL ."  No it did not grow,  ebay  had already paid me $150 for the first sales. Also, I had set the payments to be paid out on Tuesday and that $500 was already scheduled to be paid.  So ebay has most definitely has done something to me. They put the payment of money that was scheduled to be paid for items that were delivered on hold for no apparent reason. 

[smarch]

**bleep** are you talking about ... what you are saying has absolutely nothing to do with what is being discussed.