I don’t get many unpaid items so I’ve only just noticed the new icons in My eBay regarding payments and feedback in My eBay. There’s a new symbol – an equals sign and hovering your mouse over the symbol reveals the buyer is blocked from either making payment and/or leaving feedback.
In the changes recently rolled out to the unpaid item process eBay removed most options and now send unpaid item emails on your behalf. As well as removing direct buyer/seller communications they’ve also removed the ability to remove unpaid item strikes as well blocking a buyer from paying once the unpaid item has been closed in the resolution center.
You need to be aware that if you close an unpaid item in the shortest possible timespan the buyer will then be blocked from paying you through normal eBay channels. Also if they then do pay you off-eBay you’ll be unable to remove any unpaid item strike or notify eBay that they have subsequently paid. That’s the end of buyers begging “If I pay your fees will you remove the strike”, because from now on seller can’t remove strikes no matter how much they may wish to. The only option you’ll now be presented with is the ability to close an open case or to relist the item.
So is this a good move? Have you ever accepted payment from a buyer and removed an unpaid item strike? (I know I have). Sometimes a buyer is simply late to pay, or what about the few who still send cheques or postal orders in the mail? On the plus side it does mean you can get on and relist unpaid items within just eight days of the sale in confidence that the non-paying buyer can’t leave poor feedback and can’t pay just as you’ve resold the product to another faster paying buyer.
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