Paying For Offers In Advance

[twoneside]

 I asked a seller if I win a bid on a listing could another listing price be lowered. The reason being is that I have to pay for the item plus shipping if I make an offer when it's accepted automatically. I do not see a way to request a combined shipping cost while making and offer. I cannot see whether or not the offer will be an automatic payment or not. It will either be sent, or I'll have to pay after I click send before the seller decides.

I haven't sold in a while. Over the past couple of months I've had to pay in advance when sending an offer to a seller via Make offer. I never had to pay for offers in the past. Do sellers now have the option to make buyers pay for offers in advance?

Help would be greatly appreciated because I do not want to have to contact  sellers ahead of time for every offer to know whether the payment will be automatic or not. 

I also want to know how to handle and automatic payment for a offer to possibly lower the shipping fee by bundling other items. . .  again, without contacting the seller to work something out.

What am I missing. . .

Thank you

[eburtonlab]

eBay has recently begun requiring some buyers to provide a payment method when making an offer, so that the payment can be charged as soon as the offer is accepted. Not all buyers are currently required to provide a payment method, though.

Sellers can choose to opt out of requiring a payment method for an offer in their Buyer Requirements, but not all sellers may know about that setting. Even if the seller requires a payment method to make an offer, that setting only affects the buyers that eBay has selected as part of the program; other buyers may still be able to submit offers without providing a payment method, and unless things have changed, there is no way for sellers to tell the difference in advance.

[twoneside]

I can't follow who is eligible or not. . . nor is that the issue of concern atm. What is, and why I posted in technical, is that buyers must be informed when making an offer it will require the commitment in the form of a payment.

I should not have to inconvenience sellers each time by requesting they alter their listings to accommodate me because I or the seller are unsure of how to deal with an unexpected transaction.

Such communications causes confusion, frustration, delays and a host of negative outcomes that interfere with the buying experience on both sides.

A seller again today was absolutely confused when I indicated I have to pay the offer in advance.

Things like this lead to seller caution as to who they're dealing with. . . possibly even being blocked.

Ebay needs to change the parameters of making offers to help benefit both seller any buyer.

I used to be able to fill my cart with items I won, made an offer for or bought outright from a seller in a single buying session and simply request a total without saying a word. There may be sellers I do not wish to communicate with unless necessary.

Thank you.

[twoneside]

Make offer automatic payments should apply to free shipping listings only.

I have to initiate Make offer, then enter a offer and finally send before It's known if the offer with be an automatic payment or not.  The shipping fee is included with the automatic payment.  I would  have to contact the seller to work out  shipping costs to combine items. This action potentially complicates the transaction.

Thank you

[ms.rodriguez*]

I would contact the seller and tell them that you plan on making an offer on X.   Ask them if they buy item Y, will they combine shipping for both items?  Ask them how much it will be and make sure that you give him your zipcode.

[twoneside]

That's all fine and good. . . Then what's the purpose of the Make offer option?

There are times when less communication results in a smoother transaction. There are sellers of all experiences  here.

I can see how a some sellers combine shipping costs prior to purchasing for won bids and buy now purchases. Those items go to my cart. Make offer automatic payments do not.

Here's a situation I find myself in.

I can't determine if a seller combines shipping or am I getting a response from the seller. If I make multiple offers, via Make offer automatic pay, will the seller combine the shipping fees and refund me? Some seller do not combine shipping.

Make offer attracts buyers. . .  hesitation can be a loss if I can't determine what the total cost will be waiting...

Unlike automatic payments, the seller decides the total cost. The seller would have to refund me for multiple automatic payments. This just complicates things.

[speratic]

Ebay has been the only online company to allow customers to essentially pay whenever they want, as a seller, this is amazing to read that they are finally implementing this, so that customers HAVE to pay if they make an offer and cannot take our listings down for fun any longer.

[renownguy]

I just made an offer on an item, and for the first time it was asking me to link a payment method. Requiring the customer to have a linked PayPal or bank card is a potential disaster. I used to have a linked PayPal account and someone hacked my eBay account overnight and purchased a paperclip for $10 - I got away easy, could easily have been a $2000 purchase. 

If eBay insists on other purchases that don't require me to enter PayPal credentials I'll quit the site.

[terrycece62]

If you contact the seller and you get no ebay messaging response from the seller then plan on seller 'does not' combine shipping and determine your offer  for item planning on paying shipping amount  as  stated in listing

[ir-us05]

 Good point,I have never heard of this! It explains a lot. I agree that the automatic payment option should only be on FREE SHIPPING transactions only. (Although, this would be exploited eventually by dishonest buyers and criminal types)  The customer should not have to worry about shipping costs at all (IMO).  The seller should estimate the costs before listing the item, and make it as simple as possible. Most likely (seller) , if a buyer wants to create an issue over a few dollars or cents concerning an online purchase, chances are you don't want to work with them anyways. Most buyers don't realize the extra work and worry that goes into shipping some types of items and changing shipping parameters can potentially create a situation where the seller has to add worry, resources, and work to a transaction (combining unusual shaped or fragile items in boxes requires extra resources and accommodations that can be difficult to meet especially on a schedule.. and especially when dealing with other "life" Children's soccer practice, New born babies, Dysfunctional relationships etc... etc plus lots more stuff.... (American life in 2023) ETC  .... LOL  (Most people are less crazy than you think they are, and are simply responding to something that has made their lives "seem" more difficult at the time...etc)

 Many E-bay sellers in 2023 are, Stay at home Moms, and Retired Skateboarders, Foster Parents, Failed College Degree Earners... etc.. Ex Porn Stars... etc   These are the types of people "behind the counter" at E-bay these days. LOL

(Just my opinion only, I could be completely wrong. 🙂

[kh-stanley1]

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.