Seller and buyer responsibilities are simple and almost always the same regardless of the online shopping platform.
Sellers are expected to provide honest and complete information about the items they’re listing and ship them on time in their advertised condition. Buyers are expected to pay for the item within a certain timeframe.
On eBay, the timeframe is four calendar days. If the buyer fails to accomplish the payment checkout beyond Day 4, the seller can send an invoice to the buyer. The invoice (Find it under “Sold Items” in either Seller Hub or My eBay) will reinforce the automated email reminders sent by eBay to the buyer within the given period.
If the payment remains unsettled, the seller can proceed to order cancellation. You must do this within 30 calendar days from the date the buyer was supposed to pay for the item. A successful order cancellation benefits the seller in 3 ways:
- Automatic relisting of the item (if it’s a “Buy It Now” listing); or the chance to award the item to the next highest bidder (if it’s an auction-style listing).
- Eligibility to receive credits for applicable eBay fees.
- Removal of feedback from the buyer who failed to pay for the items, if any.
How do I cancel orders as a seller?
Sellers may cancel an order for unpaid items either manually or automatically by enabling the feature called “Preferences for items awaiting payment.”
For manual cancellation, simply opt for the “Buyer hasn’t paid” reason in the Cancel Order button located under “Orders” (if using the Seller Hub) or “Sold” (if using My eBay).
For automatic cancellation, locate this feature under “Selling Preferences.” Enabling it will cancel any unpaid order after four calendar days or more. However, if you have trusted buyers you’d like to exclude from this rule, you may do so, and their orders won’t automatically be canceled after the deadline.
Also, note that “Preferences for items awaiting payment” are available only for sellers who do not offer cash on delivery or check as a payment method. The order has to undergo the standard eBay checkout process online to be valid for automatic cancellation.
Once an item is canceled, eBay may send you fee credits for the full or partial amount of fee/s (usually the Final Value Fee) already deducted from your account.
What is eBay’s Unpaid Item Policy?
In keeping with eBay’s commitment to protecting sellers against abusive buyers, the platform records all cancellations done because the buyer failed to pay.
The Unpaid Item Policy allows eBay to limit the errant buyers or even suspend their accounts because repeated failure to pay orders falls under what eBay considers abusive buyer behavior.
On the other hand, eBay protects buyers from abusive sellers as well. That’s why they also remind sellers not to misuse the “Buyer hasn’t paid” reason only to get free credits. There are consequences, too, for sellers found guilty of this practice.
As one of the pioneers and largest online marketplaces, eBay has laid solid groundwork for protecting sellers and buyers using their site.
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FAQs
In My eBay, select the Seller Account menu. Go to Selling Preferences and select Edit next to Preferences for items awaiting payment. Turn on automatic cancellation of transactions with unpaid items. You can also set up listing republishing, if desired.
Does eBay do anything to buyers who don't pay? ›
Typically, orders that aren't paid for will be canceled automatically after 4 or more calendar days. For combined invoices, the time frame is based on when the most recent item on the invoice was purchased. You can also customize your settings to relist unpaid single quantity, Buy It Now items straight away.
Does eBay still punish non paying bidders? ›
Failure to pay for items is a violation of our abusive buyer policy. When a seller cancels an order because the buyer hasn't paid, the unpaid cancellation is recorded on the buyer's account. Buyers who have excessive unpaid cancellations may have limits imposed by a seller or by eBay, or lose their buying privileges.
How many unpaid items strike eBay? ›
Other sellers may have their buyer requirements set to block bidders with 2 or more strikes on their account. If you have received 2 or more Unpaid Item Strikes on your account (which are tracked automatically by Ebay, not by one person or persons), your account will be restricted (not banned) for 12 months.
What happens if you have unpaid items on eBay? ›
If you don't pay, 96 hours from the end of the auction the seller can cancel the transaction citing buyer didn't pay. You will get an unpaid item strike placed against your account. 2 of those in a 12 month period will get you blocked from bidding and buying from hundreds if not thousands of sellers on eBay.
What to say to an eBay buyer who hasn't paid? ›
In these situations, you can remind them yourself by sending an invoice or you can cancel the order. Sellers no longer need to open a dispute to remind the buyer to pay for the order. Cancellation of unpaid orders is now faster.
Can you sue someone for not paying on eBay? ›
If you need help to resolve a dispute, eBay will step in and help. You can also try their online dispute resolution service or get your full refund from PayPal or your credit or debit card company. If you are unsuccessful, you can try to sue the seller in small claims court for breach of contract.
What happens if I refuse to pay for an eBay item? ›
What will happen if I don't pay for an item someone accepted an offer for? If you don't pay the seller can cancel the transaction after 96 hours citing buyer didn't pay. The seller gets to relist the item and you will get an unpaid item strike against your account.
What to do if eBayer doesn't pay? ›
If the buyer still hasn't paid 4 calendar days after the listing ended, you can cancel the order by selecting the Cancel order button below and choosing Buyer hasn't paid in the drop down menu.
Can a seller refuse to sell on eBay if you win a bid? ›
There is no rule making a seller honor a winning bid. If a buyer wins an auction for a price LOWER than you are willing to accept, you have several options. The first and simplest option is to just refund the money.
Buyers must pay for the items they purchase on eBay within 4 calendar days. If the buyer doesn't pay within this timeframe, the seller can cancel the order and an unpaid cancellation will be recorded on the buyer's account.
Do unpaid strikes go away on eBay? ›
Unpaid item strikes (or "cancellations" as they call them now) can only be removed by winning an appeal.
Do eBay violations go away? ›
No matter what you're told, no matter if you appeal and the violation is "removed" they all stay on your account and will never fall off.
Does eBay punish buyers for not paying? ›
If you don't have it set up to be automatic, 4 days (96 hours) after the auction ends, you can go in and cancel it. If it is cancelled and you make sure it's because you weren't paid, the buyer gets a strike.
How long can you leave an unpaid item on eBay? ›
Transactions are voided after 30 days if no further action is taken. They no longer exist to be cancelled. Prior to Managed Payments … you would have been charged eBay fees AND would forfeit those fees if you didn't cancel within 30 days.
How long before you can relist an unpaid item on eBay? ›
If you choose to cancel your unpaid transactions manually (after four full calendar days; i.e., day five), your item will be relisted automatically. If you set up your preferences to have eBay cancel the transaction automatically, you can also choose whether to have it relisted at that time.
What do I do if my buyer doesn't pay on eBay? ›
You don't have to contact the buyer if they haven't paid – we'll send them reminders to pay. If you don't receive payment, you can cancel the order after 4 calendar days.
How to block non-paying buyers on eBay? ›
Blocking a buyer on eBay
- Go to the Block buyers from your listings page.
- Enter the buyer's username in the text box (you can add up to 5,000 usernames).
- Select Submit.
- Go to the Block buyers from your listings page.
- Delete the username of the member from the text box.
- Select Submit.
When you owe eBay money. If your Available and Processing funds are insufficient to cover a cost or a fee, and you still owe eBay money, we'll combine these costs into a single charge and attempt to charge this to your on-file payment method.
How to leave feedback on eBay for non-payment? ›
Sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers. The way to report them is to cancel the transaction after 4 days of non-payment have passed, specifying that "buyer didn't pay". That will alert Ebay and it will be recorded on the buyer's record. All unpaid items are recorded on a buyer's account.
