As I am not a Store, how can someone put my items in their cart?

[5kazam]

I received a message telling me that one of my items was in a buyers cart, they and wanted an invoice for postage (my option is set at freight).  

1st response was I needed a postcode to provide a postage cost.  Done.  

2nd response to 'I have committed to buy please send invoice' was there was nothing showing my end.  And they needed to remove from the cart and just BIN so I could do as requested and send an invoice.

How can they add my items to their 'cart' if I am not a store.  And if they can, why wouldn't I have received some notification that the buyer had 'commited to buy'.  I've been around here a long time, but this 'cart' situation is new to me.  Normally it is just bids at auction or someone does a BIN.

I would appreciate it if someone could give me a clear explanation of this.

[amber-eyed-girl · Accepted solution]

Items added to the cart, are not bought.

the cart is a form of save for later, like a combination watch list and buying utility.

items in the cart can then be bought, and there is meant to be automatic postage applied for the buyer to make payment.

including any combined postage for placing multiple items from one seller, in the cart.

my cart operates like this:

place item(s) in it

postage is shown, including any discounted total from one seller for multipurchase

which means, that it is unclear whether the buyer asked for postage from you, or the "cart" system did, automatically, on the item being placed in a cart, at first.

As at that point, there is no actual commitment to buy.

the cart is a general eBay feature, not a store feature, so anything can go into it.

[5kazam]

Thanks for that.  Because as said above my listings are set to 'freight' (never know where or how many will be going to wherever) so mostly likely a sytem thing.  

I've just not come across it before - and thought it was a Store only thing (the cart that is)

Much appreciated.

[amber-eyed-girl]

You're welcome 🙂

there are many issues with cart function at the moment, but I think it is meant to streamline the experience for the buyer...watch and buy, with the postage all ready to roll including combined discounts. So in theory, a set and forget for the seller, and a quick click and pay for the buyer.

long way to go on that yet. Some items placed in the cart for watching, are being processed as bought.

[5kazam]

H'mmm.  Guess I'd better ready for more of today's query.  For sellers like myself - freight option, the new cart system is obviously not going to be capable of making allowances where no postage has been provided.

The good news!!  Buyer finally removed it from the cart, did a BIN, and I've just sent an invoice with postage included on it.  Another bit of space around here (Yeah!!)

[thecatspjs]

The cart seems a bit demented to me at the moment.

On one of my buying IDs mine currently has three items I have already purchased  but have not paid for - as well as one that I added to cart that I am still thinking about and have not purchased.

I imagine that this may contribute to some buyers processing payment for goods that they had not 100% wanted to buy.

[lyndal1838]

I've had an item appear in my cart that I know nothing about.

It was a few weeks ago when the cart was just coming into use.  I was surprised to see that there was an item in there.  When I checked it out I found a piece of machinery sitting there.  I had no idea what it was used for and I had certainly not put it there.....and it was not even an item that had been brought to our attention on the boards.

I left it for a few days to see what would happen....ebay kept sending me reminders to pay for it but it was not even bought, just in the cart.

[i-love-my-sheep]

Only thing I've found the cart useful for is when you want to request combined postage when a US seller uses the GSP. I haven't found a positive use for it apart from that.