e-check

[warren689]

I'm relatively new to ebay selling and am not familiar with e-check. It says it can take up to 5 days for payment to clear and that I shouldn't ship until payment clears but ebay says I have to send it sooner. What's up with that?? And what exactly is an e-check anyway? Why wouldn't the buyer just send the funds regular paypal deposit or credit card processed through paypal? Please advise me on this. thanks!

[mam98031]

Those of us giving advice to this new seller don't want to be confusing to the new seller.  

According to the OP, the echeck is showing UNCLEARED.  That does NOT mean it is on a 21 day hold, it means the check has NOT cleared yet.  Until that check reads CLEARED and Eligible for Seller Protection, the OP does NOT want to ship.

The 21 day hold is a completely different thing.  OP if you aren't versed on what the 21 day hold for new sellers is, just ask and I and others would be happy to give you additional details.

[mam98031]

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@odditiesandantiquities1 wrote:

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@warren689 wrote:

Thanks. Regarding the e-check ebay lists it as funds pending. It says funds will be available 11/19! Does that mean I can't ship until the middle of November? That's crazy. Assist me please!

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Hi Warren, as a new seller, even after the e-check clears paypal will not release your funds until 11/19 or the shipment is marked as delivered. 

The e-check will clear and paypal will have a message that's it's ok to ship.  At that time you have to ship within your handling time.  However you will still see a pending message on the funds because of your new seller status.  

Also, be careful using any type of phone or tablet as the eBay app will frequently state that the item is paid even though the e-check has not cleared.  ALWAYS check directly in your paypal account.

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This has made me realize how dangerous eChecks can be to a new seller. It's a payment method I'd block under the circumstances, if that's possible?

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@odditiesandantiquities1

OMG, you want to see real danger for new sellers, go look at the Ebay help page for new sellers.  It actually tells them to ship BEFORE they receive payment.  Many of us have tried to get Ebay to change it and/or explain themselves better, but at this point they do not see the need.  While new sellers have been on these threads concerned when they have shipped something prior to payment and they can't get their buyer to pay.

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

"Funds pending" refers to the Paypal hold on YOUR funds for up to 21 days after the transaction occurs. That is, even when a payment clears, Paypal does not allow you to spend the money or transfer it to a bank account until a few days after the order is delivered.

This procedure protects buyers from scammy sellers who take the money and run. They can't do that any more because Paypal won't release the money until tracking shows "delivered."

In your case, the e-check is like a paper check except it is not physically written on paper and mailed. Both banks have to "clear" the check. Some e-checks clear in as little as 24 hours; others take a few days -- depending on the banks involved, the dollar amount and the history of the bank account.

So just pay attention to when Paypal indicates the check has cleared, then mail the order. About 3 days after the status shows "delivered," Paypal will allow you to spend the money or move it to a bank account if you wish. Once you establish a great selling record -- generally over about 3 months and 25 or more successful sales -- Paypal will let you manage your money.

~~C~~

[dtexley3]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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On an echeck, the date state for the expected clear date is not a firm date.  It is an estimate.  With that long of a lead time it could be an error on PPs part, an international buyer or some other unknown reason.  Calling PP isn't a bad idea at all as it could shed some light on why the date is so far out.  But with that said, it is more likely than not that the check will be cleared before the end of the week [unless it is international].

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@mam98031  On the last 4 e-checks I've received the "estimated clearing date" was blank.  One took so long to clear I contacted Paypal and was told that they were aware of the issue and they were "currently not displaying the date on most transactions."   So eBay's not the only one with software problems.  I wonder if they share development teams... now THERE'S a scarey Halloween image!

[mam98031]

The following has NOTHING to do with the process for an Echeck.  It is for sellers that have a payment hold on their accounts, in the case of this thread, for being a new seller.

How to Get Your Funds Faster  

What can I do to get my funds more quickly?
The most important thing you can do to help get your funds more quickly is ship the same day your buyer pays and follow good shipping practices. Based on your shipping method and the shipping information you provide, here's when your funds should be available:

• 3 days after we can confirm the order was delivered, if you pay for shipping and print labels on eBay. The eBay label printing service is free, your tracking information uploads automatically, and you'll get funds to help cover shipping.

• 3 days after we can confirm the order was delivered, if you ship directly using USPS, UPS or FedEx and manually enter your tracking information to My eBay.

• 7 days after your latest estimated delivery date if you don't upload tracking information but you mark the item as shipped in My eBay.

• 21 days after the buyer pays, if you don't provide tracking information, mark the item as shipped, or the estimated delivery date can't be calculated.

  Please keep in mind that it may take longer to get funds if your buyer reports a problem with the transaction.

[warren689]

Geez, isn't there some way to verify it's real?  Ebay says "Awaiting payment" in the notifications but when I click on my seller board it says "Paid funds will be availble 11/19" What the heck? Way to confuse the heck out of sellers.  So did they pay or not? I can't figure it out.

[missjen831]

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@warren689 wrote:

Geez, isn't there some way to verify it's real?  Ebay says "Awaiting payment" in the notifications but when I click on my seller board it says "Paid funds will be availble 11/19" What the heck? Way to confuse the heck out of sellers.  So did they pay or not? I can't figure it out.

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It says awaiting payment because you haven't received a cleared payment. Once the e-check clears, then you have officially been paid. The best way to tell if a buyer has paid is to log into paypal and check your account......forget ebay. Go straight to paypal.

[mam98031]

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@warren689 wrote:

Geez, isn't there some way to verify it's real?  Ebay says "Awaiting payment" in the notifications but when I click on my seller board it says "Paid funds will be availble 11/19" What the heck? Way to confuse the heck out of sellers.  So did they pay or not? I can't figure it out.

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As several of us suggested to you, you need to go to your PayPal account.  Look at the transaction there.

I think you are just getting overwhelmed by the amount of info many of us have provided you.  Try to separate the issues.  Your Echeck is one issue.  New sellers having money held by PP is a different issue.

Your Echeck is what you want to verify if you actually have received the money.  Log into your PP acct and check the transation there.  If it is still showing as pending, then check it daily until the payment has cleared.  Once it has cleared, you should ship it.  But be sure to check daily.  PP does NOT send a notification to you when the echeck is cleared.

Do NOT just depend on your Ebay screens for information on this.  You need to verify through your PP account to be safe.

[thatsallfolks]

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@odditiesandantiquities1 wrote:

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@warren689 wrote:

Thanks. Regarding the e-check ebay lists it as funds pending. It says funds will be available 11/19! Does that mean I can't ship until the middle of November? That's crazy. Assist me please!

---

Hi Warren, as a new seller, even after the e-check clears paypal will not release your funds until 11/19 or the shipment is marked as delivered. 

The e-check will clear and paypal will have a message that's it's ok to ship.  At that time you have to ship within your handling time.  However you will still see a pending message on the funds because of your new seller status.  

Also, be careful using any type of phone or tablet as the eBay app will frequently state that the item is paid even though the e-check has not cleared.  ALWAYS check directly in your paypal account.

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This has made me realize how dangerous eChecks can be to a new seller. It's a payment method I'd block under the circumstances, if that's possible?

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The only way to block echecks is to sell Fixed Price, with the Immediate Payment Required option. No auctions, no offers.

[warren689]

Yes, as a new seller it's totally confusing. I didn't even know such a thing a e-check existed. I thought people either pay by regular paypal or credit card processed by paypal. I'm starting to understand why oldtime sellers post all these stipulations about what they accept and don't. It would be helpful if ebay offered some kind of tutorial for new sellers on all the possibilities of paypal so one is prepared for these things. Thanks again for all the advice.

[dtexley3]

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@thatsallfolks wrote:

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The only way to block echecks is to sell Fixed Price, with the Immediate Payment Required option. No auctions, no offers.

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IPR does not block e-checks.

[mam98031]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@thatsallfolks wrote:

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The only way to block echecks is to sell Fixed Price, with the Immediate Payment Required option. No auctions, no offers.

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IPR does not block e-checks.

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Yes it does.  An echeck is NOT an immediate payment.  That form of payment can't be used on any listing that requires IPR.

[mam98031]

@warren689

There are all kinds of tutorials and policy pages on Ebay and PP.  Did you ever go looking for any?  Most new sellers don't, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.  Here are some things that you should read through.  It is a lot, but then selling here is far more complex that most inexperienced sellers think it is.  We have rules on rules on rules.  

But just to help you get started, here are some key things to know.

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full#11

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-protection/index.html

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/new-to-ebay/learn-to-sell-online.html

There are more I could give you, but those three will keep you busy for awhile.

Here are a couple links you should save somewhere as they will come in handy from time to time.  This first one is long, the selling resources are towards the bottom of the page.

http://pages.ebay.com/sitemap.html?_trksid=m37

This one comes in handy when you are trying to figure out how Ebay defines a word.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/glossary.html

[thatsallfolks]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@thatsallfolks wrote:

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The only way to block echecks is to sell Fixed Price, with the Immediate Payment Required option. No auctions, no offers.

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IPR does not block e-checks.

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@dtexley3

eBay/PayPal do not allow funding of a purchase of a BIN/IPR listing with an echeck, because payment is not immediate. 

[dtexley3]

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@thatsallfolks wrote:

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@dtexley3 wrote:

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@thatsallfolks wrote:

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The only way to block echecks is to sell Fixed Price, with the Immediate Payment Required option. No auctions, no offers.

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IPR does not block e-checks.

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@dtexley3

eBay/PayPal do not allow funding of a purchase of a BIN/IPR listing with an echeck, because payment is not immediate. 

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Can you supply a source that supports that? 

My understanding is the IPR requires that the buyer immediately proceed through the paypal checkout (or CC checkout) process before being allowed to purchase more items.  It does not require that the buyers paypal account be fully funded for the transaction, and if it is not paypal will issue a fund transfer from the buyers prefered funding source.  If that funding source is a bank account, it's an e-check.  The "payment" is immediate, the funding of the payment is delayed.