Sending Invoices

[paytonrules2003]

Ebay now no longer trusts sellers to send invoices unless we need to make alterations in the shipping costs. I guess this is punishment for those of us who chose not to require immediate payment. To make this new policy even more laughable is the new message in red that appears when you try to send your own invoice:

Send an invoice only if shipping adjustments are needed. We will SPEND payment reminders to the buyer on your behalf.

The idiots who don't trust us to send our own invoices can't even be trusted themselves to use the correct English word when admonishing us! I suggest they try to SEND those payment reminders instead of SPENDing them! OR perhaps simply leave us alone in the first place!

[powell-memorabilia]

eBay is protecting sellers against themselves. It is extremely annoying to win an auction and then be sent an invoice Two minutes after winning telling me the total and asking when I’ll pay. 

[fern*wood]

That 4 day thing isn't automatic unless you set it up that way.  You can still wait longer if you don't make it automatic.  I can't imagine sending individual emails to buyers after each payment, especially at your level and number of sales.  

[starrynightrecords]

I agree with you 300%. You can tell by seller's messages in this thread who's been doing this business for a really long time and who hasn't. Long time older sellers with massive amounts of feedback and sales are really annoyed. Younger sellers with not much sales or feedback are fine with this change. Hmmm, seems like ebay is the only place this seems to be happening......

[starrynightrecords]

Absolutely agree with you 300% on this too, you've said it all exactly. The way we feel about this is a generational divide between sellers. The older original sellers like us feel this way. The newer not much sales young kids don't understand this at all. It's not so much about haters but older and younger generations being unable to understand each other whatsoever! 

[flukeman43]

Same thing I saw when trying to invoice someone. I just added an extra buck in the charge field so I could send an invoice myself. And yes thought the spelling error meant ebay was hacked and that this was bogus. This site is becoming a joke

[mam98031]

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@paytonrules2003 wrote:

You have to love the haters! 

A few facts for the people who have not been selling on eBay forever:

1. It was always the job of the seller to send an invoice.

2. The automatic 4 day window was not always there. For many years the seller would let the buyer know the time deadline in the item description itself and also in the invoice in case they had not read it.

3. I only send invoices right after I have accepted a best offer, as a courtesy since some newer customers don't realize the sales tax addition and might question it. I always put an explanation in my invoice explaining it. The idea of restarting the 4 day window is therefore BUNK.

4. I also send a message to my customers after they have paid thanking them and telling them exactly what day I am sending the item out to them.

5. Ebay has a way of implementing changes to processes that DO NOT NEED ANY and also NEVER LETS ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THEM. They have continually angered sellers by not communicating properly with them.

6. The fact that they couldn't even be bothered to proofread their own message admonishing sellers for simply doing what had been SOP for 20 years is what prompted me to get on their case about this one.

NOW BACK TO THE HATERS...

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@paytonrules2003 

1.  No it hasn't.  Sellers just use to do it as needed and they still can.  Ebay has always sent an invoice inside of the email they send the buyer notifying them of their purchase.  Sellers that send invoices it is just their personal preference, not a necessary thing as the buyer already has it.  Unless there is a discount you need to extend to the buyer, then invoicing them is necessary.

2. The 4 day non payment window is not "automatic" unless you have that set up in your site preferences to auto file cancellations for non payment.  The 4 day window or 96 hours isn't that old of a policy.

3.  IDK how much of a courtesy that is since the buyer already received and invoice from Ebay.  Now they don't present the same way as an invoice from the seller, but all the info is there as are the details.

4.  That is really great customer service!

5.  Ebay sending an invoice is NOT a new thing.  The designs of the emails have changed over the years, but Ebay has sent invoices to buyers for many years in that email the buyer gets notifying them of their purchase.

6.  While it was SOP for you, it isn't for many other sellers.  I only send an invoice if a correction / discount needs to be made.  I don't want the buyers feel like they are getting spammed with multiple emails with the same info.

Because some posters disagree with you or are trying to explain something to you doesn't make them "haters".  If you are only interested in your own point of view, why come here?

BTW, every time you send a buyer an invoice, the 96 hour clock for filing a Cancellation for non payment starts all over again.

[mam98031]

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@starrynightrecords wrote:

I agree with you 300%. You can tell by seller's messages in this thread who's been doing this business for a really long time and who hasn't. Long time older sellers with massive amounts of feedback and sales are really annoyed. Younger sellers with not much sales or feedback are fine with this change. Hmmm, seems like ebay is the only place this seems to be happening......

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It is NOT a change.  You may have just discovered it, but still not a change.  Whether you are a young seller or an older seller, neither matters.  Well other than to you, it seems you feel younger people know more than those with some mileage.  Which is nothing new.  Young people even when I was young, and I'm older than dirt, thought the same way.  The only way those opinions change will be as you get older and realize how much you missed out on by dismissing others simply due to age.

For the record, again not a change, but I do not nor have I in the past sent invoices to my buyer unless it was needed due to a discount or something.  

🤣  🙄

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

I'd bet many a seller just sends them out, day after day after day hounding for payment and that's not customer centric.  So, need limit it.

[mam98031]

I find it surprising that some seasoned sellers here didn't realize that Ebay has invoiced buyer for years.  

IMHO most buyers if buying a fixed price listing likely pays right after they purchase, so the seller never has a need to even think about sending an invoice.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

Well I send em' off now and again if I make offer to a watcher and they accept.  Bout' it unless I need adjust shippin's. 

[slippinjimmy]

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@mam98031 wrote:

I find it surprising that some seasoned sellers here didn't realize that Ebay has invoiced buyer for years.  

IMHO most buyers if buying a fixed price listing likely pays right after they purchase, so the seller never has a need to even think about sending an invoice.

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Yes, eBay introduced "eBay Checkout" around 2006(?) when they created the safe payments policy requiring at least one electronic payment method and then they eliminated any non-electronic payment methods (checks, MO's, cash), after that it was no longer necessary to send invoices unless there was an adjustment.

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

At least I know I'm not being referred to as one of the young, few sales, new seller haters

..because although I fit in that category no doubt, I spoke from my experience as a buyer 🤪 selling experience not required.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@paytonrules2003 wrote:

You have to love the haters! 

A few facts for the people who have not been selling on eBay forever:

1. It was always the job of the seller to send an invoice.

2. The automatic 4 day window was not always there. For many years the seller would let the buyer know the time deadline in the item description itself and also in the invoice in case they had not read it.

3. I only send invoices right after I have accepted a best offer, as a courtesy since some newer customers don't realize the sales tax addition and might question it. I always put an explanation in my invoice explaining it. The idea of restarting the 4 day window is therefore BUNK.

4. I also send a message to my customers after they have paid thanking them and telling them exactly what day I am sending the item out to them.

5. Ebay has a way of implementing changes to processes that DO NOT NEED ANY and also NEVER LETS ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THEM. They have continually angered sellers by not communicating properly with them.

6. The fact that they couldn't even be bothered to proofread their own message admonishing sellers for simply doing what had been SOP for 20 years is what prompted me to get on their case about this one.

NOW BACK TO THE HATERS...

---

@paytonrules2003 

1.  No it hasn't.  Sellers just use to do it as needed and they still can.  Ebay has always sent an invoice inside of the email they send the buyer notifying them of their purchase.  Sellers that send invoices it is just their personal preference, not a necessary thing as the buyer already has it.  Unless there is a discount you need to extend to the buyer, then invoicing them is necessary.

2. The 4 day non payment window is not "automatic" unless you have that set up in your site preferences to auto file cancellations for non payment.  The 4 day window or 96 hours isn't that old of a policy.

3.  IDK how much of a courtesy that is since the buyer already received and invoice from Ebay.  Now they don't present the same way as an invoice from the seller, but all the info is there as are the details.

4.  That is really great customer service!

5.  Ebay sending an invoice is NOT a new thing.  The designs of the emails have changed over the years, but Ebay has sent invoices to buyers for many years in that email the buyer gets notifying them of their purchase.

6.  While it was SOP for you, it isn't for many other sellers.  I only send an invoice if a correction / discount needs to be made.  I don't want the buyers feel like they are getting spammed with multiple emails with the same info.

Because some posters disagree with you or are trying to explain something to you doesn't make them "haters".  If you are only interested in your own point of view, why come here?

BTW, every time you send a buyer an invoice, the 96 hour clock for filing a Cancellation for non payment starts all over again.

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Why do people keep stating this when it's ONLY true if you don't have the auto cancel set up?

[chapeau-noir]

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@starrynightrecords wrote:

Absolutely agree with you 300% on this too, you've said it all exactly. The way we feel about this is a generational divide between sellers. The older original sellers like us feel this way. The newer not much sales young kids don't understand this at all. It's not so much about haters but older and younger generations being unable to understand each other whatsoever! 

---

A bit broad brush. This is purely an Operations issue and nothing more, however people feel about it, for or against.

[slippinjimmy]

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@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

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Why do people keep stating this when it's ONLY true if you don't have the auto cancel set up?

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Because frequently on this board sellers come here screaming that it's day 4 and the cancel for non-payment option is not available. Then they come up with a bunch of conspiracy theories about why eBay is picking on them.