Unpaid item Sold Date keeps moving up

[gippcards]

I sold 3 items via best offer on Friday, buyer didn't pay right away, so I sent invoice and didn't think anything of it.  Next day, I see that the buyer has not paid so I go to send another invoice and notice the sold date had moved from Friday to Staturday.  Fast forward to Monday morning(today) and the buyer has not paid and when I went to send the invoice, it showed that the sold date was Sunday????  Somehow the date keeps moving forward keeping me from ultimately canceling and relisting if the buyer does not pay.  Anyone else run into this?  Thanks in advance.

[klhmdg]

Its not technically Sold until paid.

Stop sending invoices.

eBay sends them multiple times to the buyer for payment. 

I have been informed that when a seller sends an invoice it resets the date, so the seller has to wait longer.

Set up you auto cancel and relist. 1 or 2 less things for you to do.

[gippcards]

Thanks for the advice.  However,

1. Best offer is binding agreement according to ebay.  Item was SOLD via best offer, and is now awaiting payment.  The clock starts the moment you accept an offer.  This is why you can cancel the order for non payment after the time has elapsed.

2.  There are several other sold items awaiting payment from different buyers where the date has remained constant even after I sent an invoice.  If what you said is accurate, best offer buyers would never have to pay because the goal post will keep moving everytime they receive and invoice?

3. Auto cancel and relist are active.

I have never seen this before which is why I posted.  

[fab_finds4u]

For several years some sellers have been saying sending an invoice reset the sell date.

Maybe it doesn't  capture all listings. Who knows how eBay's  think tank works? Sporadically is normal on eBay.

There's no need to send them a gentle reminder. They know how long they have to pay after getting an invoice from eBay. If they don't  pay within the rules let's get rid of buyers like that by canceling with the reason unpaid.  Block them.

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Hey @gippcards. I generally advise sellers to never send invoices unless they have make a cost adjustment such as combined shipping.

Sending an invoice is an unnecessary process because eBay already sends automatic payment reminders. You're duplicating efforts.

If your have your unpaid item process set to automatic then sending an invoice won't affect the date the order is automatically cancelled, but when your unpaid item process is handled manually, sending an invoice will keep resetting the clock and pushing out the time before you can cancel (link).

"If you've sent a combined invoice, you'll be able to cancel the order 4 or more days after the date the invoice was sent to the buyer."

While not a big deal for trading cards, for any listings using calculated shipping, especially heavy items, sending an invoice can cost the seller a bundle more in the end. Invoices lock in the shipping cost. When a buyer pays they have the ability to change their shipping address. With no invoice in the way, any listing using calculated shipping will adjust based on the buyer's shipping address entered when they pay. When an invoice is sent in advance of payment, that locks the shipping cost even if the buyer changes their address at checkout.