Yet another way Ebay is creating problems between sellers and buyers

[gurlcat]

So apparently Ebay has started some new (?) pay-by-date thing that can contradict the date a seller has set in their site preferences, which is bound to create confusion and resentment.

I will give my own example for illustrative purposes, but I am not asking for help or criticism; this is information for anyone who may need it in the future.

In case you didn't know, on your seller page, Shortcuts > Site Preferences > Unpaid Item Assistant, here is where you can set the number of days before the buyer receives an unpaid item notice, for an auction win, offer from seller accepted, or offer to seller accepted. You can set it as low as 2 days, which I do, because the only reason I even make offers is because I'm trying to move stuff FAST. Honestly I see no reason why Ebay can't treat an offer sent by seller and accepted by buyer the same as 'immediate payment for BIN' since the buyer has to accept the offer in real time. But whatever.

Additionally, even when the buyer receives an unpaid item notification, they have FOUR MORE days to pay, and if they don't, basically nothing happens to them and the seller has to start all over, after those 6 days of waiting with their item held hostage from anyone else buying it.

And now apparently Ebay has made it even more confusing/contentious.

I sent a bunch of offers to watchers on Monday (the 19th) and most of the accepting buyers paid immediately, but one did not. Within a few hours I sent her an invoice, which is redundant but then the person can't say I didn't send an invoice (been there, done that).

So today rolls along, no payment, no message from this buyer, and I know she will receive an unpaid notice tonight. So just to see if she's a living human, I sent her a simple message this morning: "Hi, you accepted this offer on the 19th, when do you intend to pay?"

She quickly replies with this message (below). Truth be told she's right about me being unhappy, more about not getting the courtesy of a message to let me know when she would pay before I ask, than the $15 itself, but I don't know how she thought I "sounded" unhappy, because I didn't include smiley faces or apologize for bothering her or something? Anyway, according to her screenshot, Ebay told her to pay by the 23rd, which is 4 days after she accepted, and according to her this is some "new" thing. But she is still going to receive the unpaid notice tonight, two days before she thought the payment was "due", and probably assume that I'm manually sending the notice to be mean to her.

So I called Ebay, got a poor English-speaker, who just explained what I already knew about how the Unpaid Item Assistant thing works, didn't seem to understand what I was saying about this "new" thing the buyer is talking about. I don't know why I even tried, honestly.

Here's just another reason I'll hesitate to make offers again.

[buyselljack2016]

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@gurlcat wrote:

It's really a neutral and straightforward statement of fact, followed by a simple question.  Ask yourself this, would you accept a reduced-price offer from a seller and then not pay for 2 days or even write to them to tell them when you'll pay?  Would you really consider them impatient for simply trying to prompt communication that you had thus far neglected to do?  I wouldn't dream of letting 2 whole days pass like that.  I once won an auction that I forgot I bid on, it ended in the middle of the night, and I didn't see the notification that I won until the evening of the next night (so maybe 12 hours).  Ha, I felt like scum.   And from what this buyer said, she was going to wait 5 days because that's what Ebay told her she could do.  If a buyer is triggered by reminders that real human beings are waiting for them to treat them as such, I'm not going to pamper that, lol.  

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Would I not pay right away?     I would pay at my earliest opportunity.

[ittybitnot]

Would I not pay right away? 

@buyselljack2016 

In my case, I would be waiting to see if you accepted the 5 other offers I sent on your products so combined shipping could be employed.  

[gjs_16]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

I also think it's silly that an "accepted" offer doesn't turn into a BIN right then...
I mean, really...
Why not?

__________________________________________________________________

Buyer makes an offer at 11PM "east coast" time, watches the news, and off to sleep.

The seller on the "west coast" checks their account at 10 PM after getting home from wherever.  Considers the offer. Accepts the offer.

It's is now 1 AM "east coast" time. IPR?

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I see said the blind man.

[submelar-super]

useful post thank you

[somanypcs]

I realize the immediate payment is beneficial to some sellers.  However high volume, low cost sellers benefit from combined orders due to the $.30 transaction fee.  Buying 40 items from me and paying for each immediately results in $12.00 in transaction fees.  Buying 40 items from me and waiting to pay just once for a combined order results in a $.30 transaction fee, much simpler paper work, and greater efficiency.  Many low cost sellers ask that buyers wait to pay.  eBay always prompts for immediate payment as it is financially in their interest that buyers do so.

[jayjaspersgarage]

"At last count a buyer receives SEVEN emails for every purchase, more if it's an offer / auction / etc.
SEVEN unsolicited spams we can't turn off except by setting filters to DELETE all the "HEY LOOK YOU WON!" and "HEY YOU ACTUALLY PAID FOR THAT" and "Oh we're going to ship it!" and "WE DID, WE DID SHIPPED IT" and "You should see it SOON!" and on and on and on..."

I agree.  At one point if I didn't check my ebay email every few days it would have close to 2000 emails ranging from what you mentioned to the annoying and unnecessary "You have listed XYZ item.  It's live now."  I don't need to be told what I just did.  Through the mail settings I eliminated 75% of the superfluous time-wasting ebay automated emails.  I stopped shopping on ebay except for one or two items specifically because of the redundant reminder emails that still arrive even if you pay immediately as I always do.  I believe half the ebay employees are paid only if they "create" a new policy or procedure.  It's the reward culture the younger generation grew up in that is at fault here.  

[coolections]

@gurlcat 

People should not come to  discussion board and then not expect replies. Why waste their time ?   The OP has problems so the OP needs suggestions on how to prevent those problems.

[gurlcat]

I also think it's silly that an "accepted" offer doesn't turn into a BIN right then...
I mean, really...
Why not?

__________________________________________________________________

Buyer makes an offer at 11PM "east coast" time, watches the news, and off to sleep.

The seller on the "west coast" checks their account at 10 PM after getting home from wherever.  Considers the offer. Accepts the offer.

It's is now 1 AM "east coast" time. IPR?

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I don't know what IPR stands for, but what gjs-16 (and I ) were talking about is not this ^ scenario.  You are describing an offer made by the buyer and accepted by the seller.  We're talking about the opposite, when a seller sends out an offer (to however many watchers the item currently has) and one of those buyers accepts.  When they do this, it doesn't matter what time of day it is, just like when they decide to make a BIN purchase.  They can go ahead and immediately pay for it because obviously they are awake and on their internet device right then.  So Ebay should make them have to, either that or it should remain visible/buyable by those other watchers who received the offer, and everyone else on Ebay at the regular price, just like when someone holds an item in their shopping cart other people can still see it and buy it.    

[gurlcat]

Um actually most of the replies have been great, but you made the exact one that I predicted someone would make which is why I stated very early in the post that I was not asking for an answer or criticism, therefore letting YOU know you needn't waste your time reading any further.  And if it was a question I would have put it in the QUESTIONS forum.  And your "answer" was not even that, just pure snark and you know it. "No need to keep messaging and pestering your buyer." I didn't "keep" messaging her, I messaged ONCE, after TWO DAYS of hearing nothing from her.  Try reading more carefully.  Or just move onto a different post if this one is such a waste of your time.  

[finet]

Hello Brian at eBay...
I have been using eBay for over 23 years and watch a lot of "new ideas" degrade the process and make it much more difficult for eBay sellers.
Since this "new idea" rolled out I have more people who make offers and then do not pay than in the last 23 years I have used eBay.
It is a terrible idea to consider buyers and ignore sellers, but this seems to be what is happening more and more.
I would love to see more eBay sellers in management coming up with better ideas than this one to make the experience for sellers much better.
This is turning out to be a bad idea.