Non-Payment

eBay recently changed they way they resolve unpaid item issues. Under the old rules, a seller had to wait a minimum of 7 days before they could file an unpaid item report, and then another 7 days before it was resolved, assuming the buyer did not respond. eBay has shortened that time - now sellers can file their unpaid item claims in as little as 4 days after the sale, and the case is resolved 4 days later.

I generally give buyers 10 days. After 7 days or so I'll send out a friendly reminder, and after 10 days I open an unpaid item case. If there is no response, I claim my final value fee refund as soon as I'm eligible to.

Perhaps some buyers don't understand - eBay charges a fee based on the price an items sells, and collects it immediately. Or rather it adds it to the seller's monthly invoice charge immediately. Filing the unpaid item case enables the seller to get that money back. In addition, for whatever its worth, it will also place an unpaid item strike against the buyer's account. Eventually, if enough of those are accumulated, their ability to do business on eBay will be curtailed. I assume. I don't speak for eBay and have no idea how that mysterious entity, located in the nirvana that is California, works. I do know their ability to do future business with me is seriously curtailed, as I add them to my blocked bidders list.

More likely it's not so much they don't understand. I don't know what it is. I do know that this is only a problem with a very small percentage of my overall customers - literally 1% or less.

A long time ago I had everything marked "immediate payment" required. All that meant was that if a buyer didn't pay for an item immediately, someone else could come along and buy it - the item remained in inventory until it was paid for. When immediate payment is NOT required, an item is taken out of inventory immediately when it is bought, whether the buyer pays or not. I stopped requiring immediate payment because it made it difficult for buyers to buy multiple items. Now I only mark it on items that are expensive, and then only if I think about it.

So, anyway, that's my unpaid item policy. A friendly personal reminder after 7 days. After 10 days open an unpaid item case with eBay, after 14 days (if no response from buyer) close the case, get FVF refund, and block the bidder.