eBay

sin-n-dex · ‎04-05-2022

So a buyer bought 44 things. I tried to send an invoice (which will be for 40 things, which is their maximum). The invoice has timed out 4 times and won't send, it keeps resetting itself with the original insane shipping x the number of items and trying to get me to send it again. When I go to my eBay, the items are combined on one invoice, 40 items, with the shipping I specified. But the buyer isn't getting any invoice and can't seem to pay.

I tried to invoice the last four items, but it keeps pulling up the same invoice with $54 in shipping on it, and trying to get me to send that over and over again. There was a workaround where you "contact buyer" and a link for "send invoice" appears above the dialogue box. Well eBay broke that and it just goes to their main page. That link hasn't worked for over a year.

I don't get this, I've been complaining about this problem for 5 years and no one is doing anything to fix it, and they break the workaround that we can use to deal with the fact that their invoice system doesn't work. Not only does it not invoice more than 40 items, but trying to invoice 40 items, their maximum, isn't working either.

I feel really angry, but it's not the buyer's fault that eBay isn't anticipating a good customer might actually want more than 40 things. What am I supposed to do and how am I supposed to get paid?

Maybe because buyers can't pay for stuff if they like shopping here they will shop elsewhere on a platform that does web programming that actually works. (And I did web pages 20 years ago... it's not hard to point a link to the right place).

C.

fern*wood · ‎04-05-2022

I had the same frustrating experience last month and was only trying to combine fourteen items. Tried for two days & finally eBay rep said it looked like the invoice adjustment went through, even though my buyer never received it. They told me the buyer should be able to pay anyway and eventually they did and the amount was correct. The buyer was disgusted with me and the process by then, so stopped communicating. I don’t really know how it worked on their end. Sending an invoice shouldn’t be this difficult.

sin-n-dex · ‎04-05-2022

@fern*wood wrote:
I had the same frustrating experience last month and was only trying to combine fourteen items. Tried for two days & finally eBay rep said it looked like the invoice adjustment went through, even though my buyer never received it. They told me the buyer should be able to pay anyway and eventually they did and the amount was correct. The buyer was disgusted with me and the process by then, so stopped communicating. I don’t really know how it worked on their end. Sending an invoice shouldn’t be this difficult.

Fortunately my buyer finds me to be a great seller, so I think they know this isn't my fault (which helps in the customer relations side of things). He's purchased 3 or 4 times in the past few months, buying more items each time. There's another buyer that is buying these items (they all came from a single collection) and I think that's what sparked the sale of 44 items today (the other buyer took 32 this morning, but he's in the US with promo shipping and just went and paid after he was done adding to his cart). My current buyer is in Canada, so I have to manually calculate postage.

I'm with you on that one though, it should not be this difficult for sellers to send invoices or for buyers to make payments. I did send my buyer directions to go to purchase history to see if my combined 40 items (that didn't send an invoice) show up there, and from your note, it looks like they will be there, so I do thank you for sharing your experience.

C.

d.amber · ‎04-05-2022

I'm not sure, but you could try to see your shipping settings. You should be able to set a global discount for combined shipping there if you set to combine items. The flat shipping can be discounted. You have already did this in your seller settings, and I won't help you now, but if you haven't made the changes it might help you in the future.

sin-n-dex · ‎04-05-2022

@d.amber wrote:
I'm not sure, but you could try to see your shipping settings. You should be able to set a global discount for combined shipping there if you set to combine items. The flat shipping can be discounted. You have already did this in your seller settings, and I won't help you now, but if you haven't made the changes it might help you in the future.

I don't do combined shipping internationally because it varies so widely. USA combined shipping is set up so the promo applies to the categories (single stamp lots, postcards, or all coins/tokens/banknotes/large stamp lots), then I do it based on typical costs to ship to the US, with a bit of a discount to encourage people to buy more things as shipping doesn't increase.

I'm going to post about this on the chat tomorrow.

C.

dhbookds · ‎04-06-2022

@sin-n-dex

I don't know anything about invoicing........but you might look at the transcript on the last pod cast.........they were discussing sending invoices and a "new" feature......went above my head.......but you might understand it.......

sin-n-dex · ‎04-06-2022

@dhbookds wrote:
@sin-n-dex

I don't know anything about invoicing........but you might look at the transcript on the last pod cast.........they were discussing sending invoices and a "new" feature......went above my head.......but you might understand it.......

Can you provide a link? I've never checked out the podcast. I was thinking of writing something on the chat (if it happens today) to see what the blues think.

I got my payment for both the 40 items (which did combine and he was able to pay based on what I put as the invoice), and he paid for the extra items with the shipping eBay calculated (that I refunded this morning).

But you wouldn't believe the tirade of bleeped cursing that came with the payment... apparently my buyer is also upset with eBay and things not working well. He was quite upset he couldn't do a "request total" on his 44 items and sent me a message at dinner yesterday telling me he tried to do this, but wasn't sure if I got it. I didn't. Seems the system is even more confused when buyers buy more than 40 things... it's not just the sellers who have issues.

C.

dhbookds · ‎04-07-2022

@sin-n-dex

here's the link to the transcript for the podcast:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/eBay-for-Business-Podcast/Ep-185-Announcing-the-Launch-of-eBay-Academy...

Need to skim thru it to find the discussion.......

snowflakeglass · ‎01-12-2024

why is this still a thing? I've run into this problem twice recently. Buyer wants 95 items....working on a phone. SO not only can the person not request an invoice - because, mobile - but once they get on a computer and request an invoice & I send it to them, eBay truncates the order and WTH? are the other items. Went through hell getting this order placed, had to cancel the whole thing - each item that had been invoiced for had to be individually cancelled and I had to create one special listing for the total of everything the person wanted + actual shipping I was going to charge. Good thing my customer understood this was eBay being pissy. Why in 2024 can't mobile request an invoice and why is the 40 item invoice limit imposed without any way for it to work properly. Get on the stick eBay.

kh-gary · ‎01-12-2024

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.