managed payments fiasco

[mben8427]

I recently sold some cups and saucers on Ebay. It was a small transaction. My ad stated pickup only. My buyer who lives in another town got in touch to say she had paid and would come to pick up the goods when I had received the funds. I went to PayPal looking for the funds and found none but a message that the funds were on  hold on Ebay's instructions. I contacted Ebay and was told they didn't use Paypal any more and to be paid I would have to register and provide banking details to have the funds paid in there. I did this. No funds appeared in the nominated bank account. I checked back in Paypal -- the same situation as before but a message saying I should provide tracking advice to Ebay that the goods had been sent to the buyer's address (my ad clearly said pickup only). I contacted Ebay through chat (I have the transcript).

I quote from this transcript:

As a new seller, we'll hold your funds for 90 days from your first successful sale, your first 25 transactions and your first A$250 in sales. You must meet all qualifications for your funds to stop being held.

- I am 80 years old. I rarely use EBay so have absolutely no hope of raking up 25 transactions in what remains of my lifetime and , to boot, making $250 in sales.
- Nowhere was this possibility mentioned when I was forced to give my banking details (and licence number and birthdate).
- The sale has always been through pickup yet the requirement is that tracking information be sent to verify delivery!
- I am not a new seller. I have sold a few items before without problems. It seems I am new only because EBay's system is new.

I doubt that I am the only person trapped in this mess created by EBay's change of payment system. As it stands, the buyer has paid, she will pick up the goods and I will have no payment, possibly ever, given these three requirements stated above, all of which I must meet and am very unlikely to be able to do so.

Has the world gone mad?

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

I’ll help you get some sales.

If you list a “Used $1.10 stamp attached to an addressed envelope” for $1.62 Buy It-Now with free postage and I will buy one.  Stamp cost is $1.10, eBay fees will be [($1.62 x 13.4%) + 30c] = 52c so you will not make any money on the sale and it will only cost you the price of an envelope.

You then put a $1.10 stamp on an envelope and put my mailing address on it and pop it into the post.  You get a sale, I get a used stamp on an envelope, I leave feedback . . . just 24 more feedbacks needed.

List the same again next week and I’ll buy another.  Then only 23 more feedbacks needed.  What can I say . . . I like to help people . . . I’m a fixer . . . I can fix things (it would cost me less than buying a takeaway coffee).

When your ‘pickup’ buyer picks up the cup and saucer ask them to leave feedback.  Explain to them that you need feedback to get your funds.  A reasonable person would oblige.

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I do not work for eBay.  Do not send me any more Private Message asking me such a silly question.  Do not send a message like the one you sent me to any other member.  You are lucky I am such a happy go lucky person who likes to help people . . . or else you may have gotten a totally different response to the PM you sent me (a response that truly lets you know what I think about people that ask that question).  

[mben8427]

I do not understand why you are reacting like this.  You seemed very knowledgeable about EBay systems and my question simply asked if you worked for EBAy.  It was aimed at finding out if your advice was actually from an EBay employee.  Many community forums have someone attached to the firm to step in to clarify issues --a role you seemed to be undertaking.  That was my intention and i am sorry if you took it another way.  I am pretty shocked at you response. 

[davewil1964]

eBay employees have to identify themselves as such. eBay Australia has no employees who post on the boards.

eBay members are extremely knowledgeable about how eBay works. PMing a member accusing them of being a surreptitious employee would get most people's backs up.

FYI - cash on pickup is the best option for pickup items. No Paypal, no MP, no waiting for funds to be released.

[mben8427]

There was no accusation about it.  It was an innocent question, the answer to which would have allowed me to assess the value of the advice.  I didn't know eBay has no employees who post on boards.  How is one to know that?  Thank you for letting me know.

In the case of this transaction when my buyer decided to buy, the funds were taken out of her linked account immediately by eBay.  She did actually want to pay cash on pickup as she usually does.  Now those funds are mysteriously stuck in Paypal even though from my end I was told that eBay wasn't using Paypal any more and that to access my funds i would have to register and give my banking details along with a whole heap of personal details.

Are you saying that cash transactions are still possible?  I would like to go that way if possible.

[gutterpunkz05 · Accepted solution]

Tried to answer this last night, but got an error,  anyway will try again.

If the sale was made before you signed up for managed payments, then payment would havebeen made by paypal.  As you do not have any recent sales, you will be deemed a new seller, nothing to do with the managed payments sign up, and as a new seller your funds will be on hold for 21 days in paypal.

Re your last post,  yes, cash on pickup is still available and would have eliminated the extra paypal fees.

[k1ooo-slr-sales · Accepted solution]

nope, just a member like everyone else.  Not as knowledgeable as some, but I do have experience buying and selling across 4 IDs since 2009.

Recently had to register for MP on all 4 IDs so I am very familiar with the registration process . . . AND, as all members should, I read eBay updates, new policies and eBay messages . . . especially when they contain links to further explain changes such as Managed Payments.  I try to post from a position of being informed rather than outraged.

On these boards I read more than I post.

“Do you work for eBay?” or “You must work for eBay” is normally posted here by members having a go at others because they are perceived as posting in support of eBay.  To ask that question in a Private Message without any explanation of why you would be asking is not good board posting etiquette (that’s why I advised you to not ask others the same question via PM).

My mocking reply to your PM was just treating the question how I normally treat it.  The question came out of the blue with no indication of context.  Had you explained why you were asking you would have got a different reply.  Still, my reply was not abusive or derogatory . . . maybe a bit dismissive, but certainly not intended to offend.

[katistrophik · Accepted solution]

As to the paypal reference - buyers can still use paypal to pay, but this is processed by Adyen (for eBay) and then sent to your linked account once any clearance time has passed, sellers no longer get funds from PP.

[mben8427 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for explaining where you are coming from.  I had assumed that my question was appropriate on PM and, as I have said before, was an innocent enquiry to clarify.  However, to self-describe your reply (which contained more emoticons than words) as a bit dismissive and certainly not intended to offend  is a big stretch.  Heaven help anyone whom you do intend to offend.  It has been a long time since I have experienced rudeness of this order. 

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

just to be clear, for all the members who don't have the benefit of seeing my reply to the question regarding my employment status . . . I don't believe it was rude.  It had some smiley/laughing faces, a little bit of text, and some more smiley/laughing faces (don't post it on the boards . . . it will get moderated! ).

Something to consider . . . the question caught me by surprise as we hadn't exchanged any posts and you didn't provide any context as to why you would even ask such a question.

My reply was an appropriate dismissive response intended to convey my feelings about being asked.

I don't do rude.  I have been known to ridicule . . . but only when it is

an appropriate retaliation.