eBay Requires Buyers to Pay Now for Best Offers

by: LDWCallsOut

I closed my eBay store at the start of the pandemic, so haven't used the venue for a while.  But at the end, there were a couple of female buyers who cancelled their purchases after I accepted their offers (on different vintage items).  They gave bogus reasons for backing out (like not realizing I wasn't including free shipping, which would essentially mean I was paying THEM for taking the item).  

I've used eBay to sell vintage both at fixed price and at auction on and off for about 15 years, and this was, for me, a recent issue.  Reminds me of the Etsygirls who want an item ''reserved'' for them at a lower price, and then disappear.  

I think it's a good idea to make shoppers take the Make An Offer process seriously.  

by: rizzlet

I'm so happy to hear this. I would not have Best Offer on my listings for this very reason. I've required immediate payment for years now, and I find having to wait for someone to pay intolerable. Poshmark and Mercari have had this system set up for a long time; I often wondered why eBay didn't do the same.

by: steveylang

Just as immediate payment with 'Buy-It-Now' is a seller option, so should this.

I would be more likely to accept best offers if payment could go through immediately, but I think it can be for sellers to decide on a listing by listing basis.

by: I Must be Crazy

This is good news. It has been a problem forever and frankly I can't understand why this has not been corrected years ago. It is the reason that I do not offer best offer on my listings. Once this is fully implemented, I would be fine with offering best offer.

by: 1st Armored Div. 1971-1973

I rarely have a customer who fails to pay. Maybe 1 in 100 sales.

It might be a problem for some but not really here and will only cause headaches and sending refunds for excess shipping over and over again.

by: Snapped

“… I can't understand why this has not been corrected years ago.”

“Years ago”, eBay had no financial incentive to enact this too easy to have taken a decade to fix procedure.  As s noted, it could be off-putting to some buyers, and we all know how eBay puts buyer’s ‘concerns’ foremost.  Besides, seller’s problem, so meh.

Unless of course there’s some money to be made from, say, grabbing some funds a few days ‘sooner’ to do with what can be done to increase ‘revenue’ that much sooner.  Then, all the reasons previously cited for being ‘unable’ to do this suddenly seem ‘surmountable’.  Now ‘grace’ costs.  

Another problem created by eBay (inaction), solved by eBay (heroically, just ask ‘em), and monetized by eBay along the way (imagine that).  Break out the Champagne at W.West!  

by: HappyOne

I like the change. I have used OBO sparingly in the past; always checking out “potential” buyer before accepting. The new buyers with 0 to 10 FB always seemed to be the problem. Maybe Ebay bombarding them with “better” listings after acceptance prior to payment may have been part of the problem. I just revised 200 listings to add “required specifics” - sell similar. I added a little extra $ for my time and I added OBO. I wonder how my counter offers will work if accepted by buyer?  

by: Mazdaman

"Snapped" said it best; eBay only did this because they're losing money by NOT doing it, as Snapped and others no longer create sales, thus eBay thinks this will stimulate their own revenue.

Honestly, we stopped running most sales years ago for the same reason; though the issue was rare, it just wasn't worth the hassle of dealing with it, especially refunding small amounts for shipping.

Hey, we're dealing with enough false return claims and fraud on eBay (and eBay is, as usual, overlooking these buyers) that our reasons (plural) for leaving will be myriad.  But we recognize eBay's decline and have no intention of funding them when they can't seem to listen to what the community is telling them.

Having another fraudulent claim by a buyer who actually staged a photo to misrepresent the product he received from us is rare, but buyers like this dig in and even if you DO get an intelligent person at eBay, they're so fixed on applying a policy that they claim will allow them to take care of everything "in our favor" and then lie through their teeth to us to take MORE money from us.

Ebay at one time was a valuable venue, but the mismanagement and deliberate actions to defraud selling members has grown all out of proportion to the value they had at one time.

by: Carl

Bad idea.
What if the buyer wants to send offers on more than one item?
Many sellers combine postage for a multiple item sale (like me).
This could lead to less sales for me, as many buy multiple items.
Could lead to negs if they are forced to pay postage on every purchase from that buyer.  

by: Carl

*on every purchase from that SELLER.

by: DevilishlySarky

Lets hope after they pay . ebay don't send 64 adverts for similar items .leading to a cancellation .......costing me fees for ebays bungling .

That . to me. is a bigger PITA  than the once in a Blue moon ;;unpaid item  

by: elcheapoposters

Everything eBay has done in the past 15 years is a day late and a dollar short. Shopify destroyed ebay stores by simply doing things an online store owner expects. Good for them.

by: pace306

Its not "eBays biggest issue", but one that should never have even existed.

You buy something, you pay for it.

Need time? Use your cc - they give you 30 days credit. Sellers arent the first bank of England.

Of course Snapped is correct - Iaonne saw that it was a low hanging fruit he could fix and take credit for - it makes a few thousand sales "complete", and these days when your numbers are "not so god" (Im looking at you eBay) - ANY easy fix to prop up the numbers for Wall Street gets immediate attention.

He didnt do this to help sellers - but its "at least something".

by: Goodfella2016

Won’t this just increase refunds and  the risk that you’ll never get the item returned, which means the seller loses out twice? It depends on what category you’re selling in, but for me I’d rather have someone not pay, than have to refund an antique painting which I’ll never see again.  

by: Rexford

Bravo!  

How about putting a reasonable acceptance window (within a few days after receipt) for clothing buyers to either acknowledge that they are happy or not.   Poshmark is the role model for how this should be done and if eBay haven't noticed that sellers are flocking there they are blind.  

I just had a return opened for a Halloween item.   Get it?

by: Truk

We have thousands of best offer listings almost all of our listings are in Business & Industrial about 50% of our  buyers are not the one who makes payment for purchased items so it may be several hours to a day before an item gets paid for
Someone at eBay once again does not understand or know how buyer or sellers use eBay

by: tniel

The problem for buyers (and ultimately sellers) is that if a buyer has multiple offers accepted in a single session from a single seller and have to pay immediately then the opportunity for combined shipping goes out the window.  

by: 4yourinfo

When you send an offer you are definitely not as committed to purchase the item as there's a big chance the seller won't accept etc. Which will undoubtedly lead to cancellations loss of .30.. Also I think it'll lead to less offers as it's a purchase - many times you'll give a had hearted offer but if the seller accepts you'll just go through with it.. that you'll be missing out on. On the other hand it could be since the transaction was completed the buyer may just end up not canceling as opposed if the transaction is waiting for a payment the buyer may feel it's fine to just cancel

by: AddyUp

I had to laugh. On the ebay boards there was a buyer expressing outrage at this. Of course the general consensus was you pay as you should.

The problem is I expect some buyers make numerous offers then just end up picking one. Just as they have been doing for years with auctions. Bid on several but just pay for one.

by: epuise

I caution Sellers to NOT accept B/O until you are able to view the offer on a laptop, so you can be certain 'my offer is $50 w/ free shipping' isn't buried in the text on the offer, not always visible on a phone, as that will result in possibly Seller having to cancel/refund.