As a buyer, this new "Offer" process stinks. I recently was offered a price by the seller and made a counter offer, which was accepted. I received the email telling me so. Unaware that things had changed, I figured I could pay for it later when I sat down to make my payments. So when I went to locate the purchase, it was nowhere to be found. Not in bids or purchases. I had to click the link from the email to find it. Then I realized it was still an active listing somehow. When I scrolled through my entire Offers list, I found it by date way down in the list. Horrible! The email saying the offer was accepted did not specify that someone else could steal it from me. No policy change notice was sent to broadcast this FUNDAMENTAL change to how things have worked for eons. I am flabbergasted at this ridiculous change.
I gather that some buyers do not pay for their purchases and that this was the reason for the change. However, how is an accepted offer any different from an auction purchase? There is always a period for payment. This is simply a stupid decision IMHO.
How can you make an offer with confidence when someone else can simply steal it if you don't happen to be around or available to pay at the precise moment the offer is accepted? This makes the process essentially useless. There needs to be a period to pay given the buyer so that they can make good with the assurance no one else snipes it away.
I have encountered occasionally the requirement to enter payment information prior to making an offer so that it can be collected when accepted. While not a fan because I do not know exactly when the payment is made to keep my accounting straight, it at least preserves the intent of making an offer and having it accepted. Once an offer is accepted, it should mean just that. PERIOD. End of story. If payment failure is an issue, put a limited time frame of one day or something, then open it to other bidders again. It should be on HOLD until paid or released due to non-payment.
Once again, eBay continues to deteriorate in ways that would never have imagined possible.
