mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Hi eBay Community!
Join The Community Team here for our weekly chat here from 1-2 pm Pacific Time. We will be discussing general topics so please bring any buying or selling questions you have 
Chat soon. 💬
Recently there was a thread discussing a buyer that received an non payment strike on a listing they did not pay for. The OP had some of life’s more challenging issues get in the way of paying for the item when they should have. The buyer acknowledged that it was their fault and that the seller just did what they needed to do. However the OP was wondering how much damage one non payment strike would do to their account.
Most assured them that they would be fine and one is not anything to cause their account any harm. I suggested to the OP if it was of real concern to them to call Ebay and ask them to remove it. It has been my experience that when a buyer does this and their account shows no signs that this is something normal for them to do, Ebay will easily remove the first unpaid strike.
Another poster stated that actually Ebay auto removes the first unpaid strike on a buyer’s account whether they request the removal or not.
I’m just seeking a little clarification on this please.
Where is everyone??? Is everyone out there doing their Holiday Shopping??? LOL
@Anonymous wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:Recently there was a thread discussing a buyer that received an non payment strike on a listing they did not pay for. The OP had some of life’s more challenging issues get in the way of paying for the item when they should have. The buyer acknowledged that it was their fault and that the seller just did what they needed to do. However the OP was wondering how much damage one non payment strike would do to their account.
Most assured them that they would be fine and one is not anything to cause their account any harm. I suggested to the OP if it was of real concern to them to call Ebay and ask them to remove it. It has been my experience that when a buyer does this and their account shows no signs that this is something normal for them to do, Ebay will easily remove the first unpaid strike.
Another poster stated that actually Ebay auto removes the first unpaid strike on a buyer’s account whether they request the removal or not.
I’m just seeking a little clarification on this please.
Hi @mam98031, happy to elaborate on the Unpaid Item strike appeal process. A buyer can actually appeal the strike from the resolution center or by using the Unpaid Item Appeal Form. Additional details are found in our Help Page on this topic, linked previously. Though I cannot comment on the frequency or criteria involved for us to remove a strike as a courtesy to a buyer, we do reserve the right to remove strikes in situations that are not outlined in the aforementioned Help Page.
Ultimately, we understand that there are valid reasons why a buyer would not pay for an item, mistakes happen, and sometimes life simply gets in the way. A negative impact (such as an account restriction) will only occur on the buyer's account when a pattern of bad behavior is identified.
Thank you Trinton. I thought that was the way it goes. I too understand that sometimes life just gets in the way and a responsible person may find themselves in a position that is not normal for them as happened to the OP on the thread I was referring to. Unfortunately bad things happen to good people sometimes and we need to remember that.
However I'm very glad to hear that there isn't an auto removal of an unpaid strike for simply because it is the first one a buyer may have received. That to me could be problematic. But calling in or the appeal process is certainly reasonable for all.
Thank you again.
You can slow down this process if you go to your Site Preferences then to your Return Preferences and require that you issue a RMA number for all returns.
While the auto process would still happen, it would slow down a bit to notify you and allow you time to issue the RMA number before the return label is issued. That gives you a window of opportunity to contact your buyer and extend your concern or any other information you deem fit. Just remember you still need to issue the RMA number, but you can communicate first and then assign the RMA. Once you assign the RMA, the return label will be issued by Ebay.
I do this so that I have a window in which I can do much as you previously described. It works well for me.
@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:
A "best practices" question. I don't get a lot of returns (knock wood) but just had a return request, which was automatically approved (I have 30 day, free return shipping). I've got no problem with that. But, before the auto approve, I would generally respond to the buyer, approving the return and apologizing for any problems, etc.
But now, the return is automatically approved, so there's no real need for me to contact the buyer.
Does eBay consider it good seller practice for the seller to contact the buyer anyway, or should I just let ebay handle it?
Hi @my-cottage-books-and-antiques - I don't think there's anything wrong with contacting a buyer to let them know that you saw their request and are expecting their return, so sorry it didn't work out for you (etc, etc). However, it's not something we would require, and our automated messaging should give the buyer all the information they need to know when it comest to the return. From my perspective I think it's a nice touch that would set you apart. 🙂
