08-20-2018 02:50 PM - edited 08-20-2018 02:51 PM
This is a first. On one of my four selling accounts, I just got an email titled "KEEP YOUR ACCOUNT IN GOOD STANDING - PAYMENT NEEDED".
First line:
Please pay your eBay Seller fees
My fees were, and have always been, paid in full through paypal every month. The account in question had its fees paid on 8/15/18, right on schedule.
And before you ask, no, I don't think it's a spoof. The email came from collections_us@ebay.com
Yet another "improvement" apparently designed to confound the heck out of us?
08-20-2018 11:26 PM
I just got the same message and came to the 'boards to see if it was a scam.
According to My Ebay>My Account, the required fees were already posted on August 15th. I have autopay set up.
Another "improvement?"
08-20-2018 11:45 PM
@otaku.com wrote:Probably not an error. But done intentionally.
I was thinking it is a way for ebay to raise this mothns revenues,
given this summer has been especially bad.
And then I read this on ecommerebytes, which confirms my thinking
"historically when sellers overpay their accounts, eBay keeps the money and applies it to the next month's invoice rather than refunding it. "Can you imagine the potential investment income on all this overpaid fees if even 25% of the sellers send in the money a second time," he asked."
Well, I see what you are saying, but I hope not because that would be fraud and likely garner the attention of the SEC being that eBay is publicly traded.
Honestly, I think it's a poorly handled IT screw up.
Having worked in IT, its actually not that big of a deal to reverse an ACH payment. If I had made a duplicate payment to a company I would expect them to reverse it or I would not be doing any other business with that company.
08-20-2018 11:59 PM
08-21-2018 12:02 AM
@otaku.com wrote:Probably not an error. But done intentionally.
I was thinking it is a way for ebay to raise this mothns revenues,
given this summer has been especially bad.
And then I read this on ecommerebytes, which confirms my thinking
"historically when sellers overpay their accounts, eBay keeps the money and applies it to the next month's invoice rather than refunding it. "Can you imagine the potential investment income on all this overpaid fees if even 25% of the sellers send in the money a second time," he asked."
Well it in your must make's since's
08-21-2018 12:06 AM
I meant to say ,your most makes a lot since ebay gaming the billing system to get upload money asap. . Because in the 17 + myears with this ID, I never had any issue of paying seller fee's off 1 day before they are due and clear with no issue until now .
08-21-2018 12:33 AM
The plain fact is that eBay will have benefited
from this "glitch" by possibly millions of dollars.
Many sellers will have paid the demand
without checking.
No way will eBay refund automatically.
Sellers who paid twice will be requested
to login and request a refund,
which I'm guessing will take 28 days to process
due to "technical issues"
08-21-2018 01:03 AM
@otaku.com wrote:The plain fact is that eBay will have benefited
from this "glitch" by possibly millions of dollars.
Many sellers will have paid the demand
without checking.
No way will eBay refund automatically.
Sellers who paid twice will be requested
to login and request a refund,
which I'm guessing will take 28 days to process
due to "technical issues"
One other aspect that another poster brought up that I had not noticed, that unpaid invoices will be charged 1.5% late fee per month. That means that now I need to make sure that Ebay does not just happen to invoice me the 1.5% penalty somewhere in my next months invoice or maybe even the month after that. Now I get to spend more time reviewing my Ebay invoice which takes time away from sourcing or listing inventory for sale duye to needing to make sure tht thisaspect of the glitch doesn't automatically become invoiced the next month after the notice is sent to the seller. Even if ebay says not to worry about it, can anybody else tell me that its now not in the back of their mind and that they won't be checking for the accidental 1.5% charge somewhere in the couple of months invoices?
Not that they would do it intentionally but lets say they invoiced sellers the 1.5% late fee that this email says they are entitled to, that would suddenly add about $13 million to the bottom line for doing absolutely nothing but accidentally having a glitch appear. I know that sounds like small potatoes overall, and in reality it is, but if nobody catches it, that increases gross revenue by 1.5% for the month of July when in reality revenues should have gone down. If the Seller catches it and complains, Ebay, I am sure would refund it, but how much would they automatically refund to the sellers that do not catch it and most Sellers will not be looking for such a small number and may even say its not worth calling and wasting their time on the phone with Ebay about. I mean 1.5% of a $1000 invoice is only $15 and i am sure that the majority of sellers invoices are under $250 so that amount would only be $3.75. How many Sellers are going to sit on the phone with Ebay for however long it takes to get back $3.75, and you better believe that EBay knows it and plans on that !!!
08-21-2018 01:07 AM
08-21-2018 01:26 AM
08-21-2018 01:28 AM
08-21-2018 01:31 AM
Got the same email, as all of you, I’m just ignoring the mail,
and it so hard to reach customer service, cause they don’t give an email contact option,
stupid ebay
08-21-2018 02:27 AM
Got this email on 8/20, 5 days after paying invoice. Good to hear ebay is working on the issue.
08-21-2018 03:12 AM
I didn't receive that email about collections, I did receive on 8/19 my invoice for July/Aug with the normal automticaly deducted between Aug 23-25..neither of which have happened yet? However even though automatic pay is set up those fees are not actually due until Sept 15? I received a straight forward message my acount was on hold....I don't put money in the account for the automatic payment till necessary, or as many people in this thread are saying, ebay will take it, and maybe take it twice? So I'm paid up, and now have my current invoice, received this message through the eBay system MC999 EBI NOTICE: eBay Registration On Hold: Non Payment...when I go to my account it shows exactly what I was invoiced, with new fees from the 19th on, but no other information.....I called, 4 chars of account, zip code and was immediately forwarded or put in que rather and was put on hold for 2 hours and 44 min till the music stopped playing, sat there to silence for another 15 min, hung up....called back an same thing except no music after 15 seconds? Called back, gave a made up 4 chars...ABCE, asked me what i needed, said accounts, restrictions, seller, and it put me in the que and 15 seconds no music again....called back ABCD, same thing.....grabbed my girlfriends phone, she sells....gave the automated system her account, zip, accounts restrictions, seller and it rattled off her limits, the asked is there anything else, so I asked for agent...couple seconds of music then silence.....still restricted this morning at 6AM my time, had 61 items end yesterday evening that I can't relist, can't list new items, I am getting Best Offers, so I'm still in business, but when I try to list and I use InkFrog as my listing inventory tool, their back end says.....A hold has been placed on your eBay account. Our records indicate that your credit card has twice declined for payment, and/or your account is at least 60 days past due.<br />USER_ON_HOLD<br />1012 Problem is new invoice for last month just came out the 19th....that invoice says......You have set up automatic payments using a credit card. Your invoice amount will be charged to your credit card automatically between August 23, 2018 and August 25, 2018....I don't care where you are on the planet....both those dates are still 2 days away in the future? And it's not truely due or limitations do not occur, not that I have ever had them but I've found others who don't pay until the last minute on threads with messages stating they receive message about limitations on the 13-15th of the next month with reminders to pay before limitations.....I guess I'll be calling here at 8:01 AM my time to see if I can actually get someone....
Sorry this is long, but also want to note, I called with a made up ABCE 4chars of an account and asked for Report A Buyer, just to see if I could get someone, same thing music played, never heard the, please stay on the line for the next rep, just music played through the loop maybe 3 times then nothing.....I should have tried returns as well, but I'm assuming all of eBay CS phone lines were down.
08-21-2018 03:30 AM - edited 08-21-2018 03:32 AM
@otaku.com wrote:The plain fact is that eBay will have benefited
from this "glitch" by possibly millions of dollars.
Many sellers will have paid the demand
without checking.
No way will eBay refund automatically.
Sellers who paid twice will be requested
to login and request a refund,
which I'm guessing will take 28 days to process
due to "technical issues"
After dealing with EBay/PayPal for 20+ years now that was my first thought too. Just a way to scam more money out of us. Like you said, anybody that paid twice will be out the money for at least one billing cycle. And EBay gets to use that money as an interest-free loan. My GF thinks I'm just being cynical. What do you think?
08-21-2018 04:28 AM
I believe its real because it had the right amount due. But it had been paid. Bad idea on Ebay's part, "Collection Department" is usually the department that deals with unpaid debts. They're going to get hammered with emails. There's been a lot of "improvements" to ebay lately. If it ain't broke don't fix it!