Auto-Pay should cut down on Scammers

[mr_lincoln]

The more I read about Auto-Pay the more I like the fact that it will cut down on scammers who bid on items or send / accept offers with no intention of paying AND try to scam Sellers. 

While some Buyers have posted that they do not like it I think in the long run it will be more beneficial for the venue.  For myself I would have no issue supplying payment information on eBay before placing a bid on an Auction (which I already do all the time on other venues) or as part of the Offer process.

[ensus2015]

I don't like that I can't pay from the cash balance in my Paypal acct.  And I only use Paypal credit when it's zero or very low interest for a few months, so I can't have that chosen as the default payment method.  

  I don't necessarily want other payment methods/cards registered as default method either.  🤷‍♀️

Still trying to figure it out.

[mr_lincoln]

@ensus2015   For myself I have that requirement turned off as a Seller but then I do not sell high risk items.  You can always message a Seller and ask them to either add you to their Exemption list or turn the Auto-pay off on their account.  When eBay rolled this feature out they set the default for Sellers to be ON ... and newer Sellers may have no clue on where to find the setting.  

[ensus2015]

All true.  🙂  I also have it turned off as a seller - often have buyers who want items combined for shipping.

[wastingtime101]

For sure @mr_lincoln it will cut down on scammers, sport bidders, buyers who bid on or make offers on multiples of the same item then only pay for the lowest priced one, and more.

I posted this on another discussion earlier today, but I think it's worth repeating here so please forgive the copy/paste if you saw that other discussion.

Generally speaking I think auto-pay is a great change, but there are flaws (one major, one minor) in the way it currently works.

I'm generally (strongly) against auto opt-ins, but in this case I don't disagree with automatically opting all sellers in on their settings page. Those that don't want to use it will be far fewer in number than those that do want to use it.

For those that don't want to use it, eBay did alert sellers to the setting on the buyer requirements page and how to turn it on/off. It's right there in the Seller Update FAQs.

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2023-summer/financials

It would have been better to give sellers the buyer requirement opt in/out info in the Winter 2023 update when more buyers were being added and the setting already existed, but at least it was included in the most recent update.

Major flaw in operation: inability to combine shipping. eBay said that option was in the works, but we haven't heard anything on it since it was first announced:

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2022-spring/business

If that's eventually released I hope it takes into account sellers that have combined shipping settings already in place and won't rely exclusively on a manual process.

Minor flaw in operation: does not include all payment methods. I list this as minor not because the problem is insignificant, but because I think the percentage of overall buyers affected by this is probably very small.

[wastingtime101]

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@ensus2015 wrote:

I don't like that I can't pay from the cash balance in my Paypal acct.  And I only use Paypal credit when it's zero or very low interest for a few months, so I can't have that chosen as the default payment method.  

  I don't necessarily want other payment methods/cards registered as default method either.  🤷‍♀️

Still trying to figure it out.

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Not sure if this will help @ensus2015, but if it's about not wanting CC info stored on eBay as opposed to not wanting payments to go through your CC ...

If security is your concern there is a solution if your credit card offers it. My credit card has a feature where you can log in to your online account and generate a Virtual Account Number. My CC even allows me to set an expiration date for that number. I can use that number in place of my actual CC number for any online transactions. It's a security feature - check with your CC to see if they offer something similar.

[mr_lincoln]

@wastingtime101   My sincere thanks for posting that here ... no issues at all.  It's a discussion and all posts are welcome.  As far as opting all Sellers in as the default it would put a sudden stop to scammers as we have mentioned.  Good deterrence ... shoplifting at B&M stores might go on the rise because of it ... 

[luckythewinner]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

You can always message a Seller and ask them to either add you to their Exemption list or turn the Auto-pay off on their account.  

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If it is a fixed price item, you can also just ask the seller to just lower the price of the listing to what he is really willing to sell it for. 

[rugerskick]

It may reduce a certain subset of scammers posing as buyers, yes.  But they can still file inads and chargebacks.

[mr_lincoln]

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@rugerskick wrote:

It may reduce a certain subset of scammers posing as buyers, yes.  But they can still file inads and chargebacks.

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@rugerskick   But for INADs and other post purchase scams they have to pay first and I think a lot of them prefer not putting money out to cheat someone ... 

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@wastingtime101     Good deterrence ... shoplifting at B&M stores might go on the rise because of it ... 

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There is a company that is manufacturing smart tags for B&M stores and their stock is rising up. I personally would like tags that would blow off red dye when these looters and thieves try running out the door with high end items! Yes it will ruin the items but it will only take 1 time before crooks get the message. Now back to my coffee!

[evry1nositswindy]

I utilize free shipping, so no need to ask about combined shipping.  I think it is a great addition and is aimed at helping the seller.  I read a thread where the buyer was complaining about it because he  like to make offers and then see which one to accept.  That person is part of the problem.  Making offers is not a game.  It is intent to buy.

[lakefor94]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

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@rugerskick wrote:

It may reduce a certain subset of scammers posing as buyers, yes.  But they can still file inads and chargebacks.

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@rugerskick   But for INADs and other post purchase scams they have to pay first and I think a lot of them prefer not putting money out to cheat someone ... 

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A lot of those types have already burned their Credit options/chargeback privileges.  They are down to fake emails etc to try to get a novice seller to ship. 

The prepayment info will take them out of the their game.

I have it turned off on my seller account. I have only had one non-payer in the last couple of years.  My buyers get one invoice from me and that is it with a note thanking them and informing of when I can ship.

They normally pay within 48 hours. My buyers need convenience, not hoops to jump thru.

[solidguitar1961]

It works great other than when trying to do combined shipping

[tapi-szem]

IF the credit card is valid and IF Ebay actually charges it.

I have one unpaid item right now - buyer made an offer and Ebay stated if I accept, the buyer's card will be charged automatically. Well, it was not. I have no idea why, this is the first time it happened.