eBay Requires Buyers to Pay Now for Best Offers

by: frankie

The technical reason why they haven't done it before was simply because there was no way to verify all types of incoming payments across all platforms without Managed Payments. In Germany, for example, some users preferred bank transfers as they are fast and free. So only buyers and sellers, not eBay, knew when a payment was actually issued and received.

I also remember the old eBay days: You sometimes would collect multiple BIN or auction items from the same seller and then have your invoice shipping charges adjusted by them which helped you save money. This might have been another reason.

by: spooky

Best Offer is not anything I would ever use. It reminds me of auctions with secret reserve prices. When you list an item best offer you are essentially saying I know it is not worth what I listed it at but are you will to ask me to get lucky and hit my secret minimum price. Why not simply list the item at what you want to sell it for

by: The End

Ya , I had one shoved down my throat.
I'm done with that.

by: BargainzBabylon

If eBay has a bundle option it'll make immediate pay on offers a lot smoother. Beyond that, I'm glad to hear it.  

by: smallstuff

I don't like it.  More rules just sour the transaction.  There are all kinds of buyers and some just like to take a few days to pay.  Almost all of my customers pay promptly but a few dawdle for a few days to see if they want to buy a second item.  One customer sometimes changes his mind.  It's ok because he has made some big purchases with me.  eBay should remember that they are just a selling platform and the customers are ours.  

by: Snapped

“ Why not simply list the item at what you want to sell it for”

True.  Essentially, that is an ‘offer’.  It just happens to be non-negotiable as a BIN.  But the point is, it would be the seller’s offer.

For ‘Best Offer’ to be effective in the ‘other direction’ however: A - either there is an understanding - albeit ‘illogical’ regarding any “secret minimum” as exampled - that the seller’s listing price ‘offer’ IS actually negotiable, or B - better, the listing needs to lead with what is effectively an open ended question to the buyer.

Want to buy this?  What are you willing to pay?  Commence haggling. Think of it as the rule of first reveal, reversed.

Don’t see eBay able to wrap their algorithms around how to ‘rank’ initial non price-point listings though.  So, option A is all there be.  

Meanwhile, there are folks out there who hate to barter.  Nothing wrong with giving them a (reasonable) no-hassle option, is there?  Even if the chance it will hit is …infinitesimal….astronomical…(same thing?!).  

Maybe even think of the secret-to-visible ‘delta’ as a ‘convenience fee’?  

At least that gives customers a choice.  More than eBay is doing by forcing the payment issue to collect THEIR ‘convenience fee’.  

by: Bob

would this situation occur as recently happened to me?  An experienced Seller, Buyer with over 16 years experience, while scrolling on eBay on my iphone, my finger must have landed on buy it now, and I "bought a $3,000 bracelet that I did not want or intend to by.  Fortunately the Seller agreed to cancel the sale for me.
This never happened to me before.  This situation should not be able to happen.

by: Snapped

It would be inexcusably stupid for any online purchase app not to include at least one ‘confirmation step’ committing the selected intent to purchase.  Unimaginable browsing ‘accident’ chaos otherwise.

Unless of course such might be intentional, so to reap a harvest of cash to ‘use’, however temporary, not to mention the windfall from otherwise unintended ‘transaction fees’ the sellers forfeit.  

Even back before buyer’s fiscal fickleness forgiveness became effectively compulsory, sellers would routinely get cancel requests like ‘my cat accidentally bid’.  Ok, did your cat also confirm their bid, as the process (at least before mobile) requires?  Crickets.

So, they get a ‘strike’.  Three, and some kind of super secret probation amounting to a wrist slap with $5 off coupon for next purchase ensued.  Worse case, they were shown the (revolving) door.

So, mobile is missing this critical stopgap?  If so, inept ignorance, or unethical purpose?  It’s eBay. Your call.

Meanwhile, BOIP (sounds about right) is still a good idea though (duh), long overdue.

BUT - it should not be compelled, rather, offered as a toggle OPTION because NOT ALL MARKETS ARE IDENTICAL.  Different needs.  Different tolerances.  Different expectations.

As for ANY ensuing UPI, eBay needs to actually enforce just two words of their own policy tenants chiseled into their foundation stone.  “Binding Contract”.  Like they do for sellers, even when sellers comply.

No need to ‘change’ anything in the system though.  Well, except the current lack of enforcement for not consummating that virtual handshake made under eBay’s banner, including correcting any ‘accidentally’ caused by eBay’s dysfunctional software, such as the OPs example.

Now that would be an ‘enhancement’ worthy of headlines.