How long should I wait for a buyer to pay before canceling the order, & blocking them from future sa

[midnightxmime]

Someone bought something from me 2 days ago and they have one feedback (100% from being a buyer) but they haven't paid. How long should I wait before I cancel their order & block them? The waiting to pay thing I think is ridiculous honestly and every single listing should require immediate payment. They turned mine off for this specific listing.

[kensgiftshop · Accepted solution]

@midnightxmime 

On the 5th day, cancel the order and pick nonpayment as the reason.

[drvsway2fast]

The minimum wait period is 4 days, required by eBay. Send them the canned “I can’t ship until this is paid” message on the 3rd day, and on the 4th send a warning that if the item is not paid or you have not heard from them then you are canceling by that next day. And whatever you decide (if you hear from them or not), then cancel and relist. And the buyer has no control over immediately paying, that is a toggle on the listing YOU control. Unless they made an offer, and then the immediate payment does not apply.

[ckimodog]

Wait 4 days.  If not payment is received cancel the order on day 5 citing buyer didn't pay.  Then block them.  

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/BuyerBlock

Buy it now with immediate payment required and omit the best offer option is the only way you will ward off non paying bidders/buyers. Looks like you're already doing it.  I stopped doing auctions years ago and have had very few problems since.  

Good luck. 

PS Don't forget to accept returns.  Ebay has a money back guarantee.  No returns doesn't mean no refunds. 

[midnightxmime]

Thanks! I'll do that! 

[luckythewinner]

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@midnightxmime wrote:

How long should I wait before I cancel their order & block them? 

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eBay policy gives buyers four full days before the seller can cancel for nonpayment. If you cancel before that, you will not be able to choose "nonpayment" as the cancellation reason - so  you will need to either violate policy ( by lying) or incur a very damaging "out of stock" defect in order to cancel. 

After that time period passes, you can wait as long as you like. I give buyers two weeks to pay and I haven't had to do a nonpayment cancellation in years. 

[soh.maryl]

You, the seller, could have listed fixed price, immediate payment required.

[jaknewport1008]

Why is a slight wait period for a buyer to pay ridiculous? Not everyone checks their messages constantly to even know immediately that a seller has accepted a bid . There could also be other circumstances for the buyer, such as a busy week at work, illness, travel, a holiday where he/she is not glued to their phone. Giving people four days to send payment is entirely reasonable.

[janet9988]

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@drvsway2fast wrote:

The minimum wait period is 4 days, required by eBay. Send them the canned “I can’t ship until this is paid” message on the 3rd day, and on the 4th send a warning that if the item is not paid or you have not heard from them then you are canceling by that next day. And whatever you decide (if you hear from them or not), then cancel and relist. And the buyer has no control over immediately paying, that is a toggle on the listing YOU control. Unless they made an offer, and then the immediate payment does not apply.

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DO NOT send them a warning., That extends the unpaid item and the seller will have to wait even longer to cancel as unpaid.  

[simply-the-best-for-you]

@midnightxmime  There is NO NEED to communicate with them any further.  Ebay sends reminder notices, you don't have to & frankly, it can be annoying, since eBay has already sent them.  Just wait the 4 days & if they haven't paid, cancel, don't make more work for yourself sending messages.  Honestly, they either plan to pay or they don't.   

Ebay is testing having a CC on file, that gets automatically charged when they win.  Don't know if it will ever roll out to everyone though.   ITA there is no reason to wait for payment.  @jaknewport1008  I'm not OP, but I find it ridiculous too, though it's rarely an issue for me since my buyers tend to pay immediately.  Reason is simple, when you buy something anywhere else in the world, you have to pay for it.   Try telling WM or Starbucks you'll pay in 4 days.  It also takes items off the market for so long & some people have no intention of buying.   Regardless, it is the rule.   

To avoid having to wait, list Fixed Price, Immediate Payment Required.  Be aware though that if you frequently get sales of multiple items, that is more difficult for your buyers if you use IPR. 

[jaknewport1008]

While I understand your point, ebay is a very different model than Starbucks or Walmart where customers are paying for something they are receiving immediately. On ebay, particularly in offer and bidding situations, a buyer may not know the same day, or even for a period of days whether an offer has been accepted or a bid has been won.

It is perhaps worth mentioning that it is mainly sellers who are continuously engaging with the ebay platform. Buyers may be very casual users of ebay and not attuned to constantly checking communications from sellers. It is, moreover, exceedingly annoying for buyers to have sellers hounding them for payment constantly when the buyer is completely within the timeframe established by ebay for sending payment.  A friendly reminder a day prior to the payment deadline is probably sufficient. Perhaps having credit cards on file, as you mentioned, is a solution to this issue, but many buyers may be unwilling to have their card information stored.

[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.