Explains most of my problems very well and I thank you for your help
@countessalmirena wrote:
You should regard this button as a commitment button.
SpoilereBay explains Buy It Now in this way: ❝Buy It Now is the simplest way to purchase an item on eBay. When you select Buy It Now, you agree to pay the seller's asking price, and can go straight to the checkout page to complete your purchase.❞ eBay gives you four days in which to make payment: ❝When you buy an item on eBay, whether you won an auction or used Buy It Now, you'll need to pay the seller. You need to pay for purchases within 4 days.❞
CAVEATS:
Just a note, though: if the seller has specified "Immediate payment required", then after you click onto Buy It Now, you must actually make your payment in order to finalise the transaction. eBay says: ❝When immediate payment is required, the item's still available until the buyer has completed payment.❞. (Click the postage and payments tab on the listing; under Payment details you will see something like this:
PayPal preferred
Immediate payment required for this item
Immediate payment of AU $xx.xx is required.
If you don't make payment, then it's not a sale - another buyer can come along and click Buy It Now after you (because the item is still available until payment is made), and if they make payment before you do, that buyer is the purchaser, not you. In other words, you're not committed as the buyer until you have paid.
Also - when accessing eBay on a computer (rather than on a smart device using an app or using a mobile version of eBay), I do confirm that as I speak, the buyer is presented with a Checkout page that includes a Confirm and pay button. I was able to hit the back button on a test item where I'd clicked Buy It Now, without being committed to pay. (It was an item I was willing to purchase if that had not been the case.)
CAUTION:
BUT... (capitalised, bolded, and rubricated, to make sure the "but" is noted) ... you should not depend upon this Checkout page being there. I have seen many anecdotes on these boards about buyers finding themselves committed to pay for an item when they swore blind that they'd never had a confirmation page, hadn't intended to purchase, etc., etc. Do not complacently click this button thinking that you'll have a chance to wait, or change your mind. You should get used to thinking of the Buy It Now button as an agreement to purchase, like signing a contract. (Don't rely on there being an intervening step, even though there may be an intervening step, in particular if the seller requires immediate payment.)
The Add to cart button is a safe button to use if you're not sure about buying - or not ready to buy.
SpoilerIf you click Add to cart, the item goes into your cart. It doesn't reserve the item for you, but it makes it possible for you to check all of the details before you actually commit to the purchase, combine purchases to take advantage of any automatic combined purchase discounts, remind yourself of wanted items until you're ready to buy, and apply any discount code/voucher. It also makes it possible for you to pay for multiple items (all added to your cart) at once.
eBay explains the shopping cart in this way: ❝To add an item to your shopping cart, simply select Add to cart beneath the Buy It Now button on any fixed-price listing. To view the items you've previously placed in your cart, select the cart icon at the top of the eBay screen. You can then proceed to checkout, or continue shopping.
Until you pay, items in your cart can still be bought by other members. Listings for vehicles, auction-style listings without a Buy It Now option, and Classified Ad listings can't be added to the shopping cart.❞
When you have items in your cart, you haven't yet purchased them. You can still remove the item or items if you want, or an item may be removed automatically because it's no longer available.
When you're ready to go ahead and buy, you will go to your shopping cart, click onto the Go to checkout button, apply any discount code, check that your delivery address is correct (edit if not), choose your payment method, e.g.,⭘ PayPal or
⭘ Credit or debit card
,
and finally press the Confirm and pay button.
You should regard this button as a commitment button.
SpoilerIf you place a bid on an item that is listed for auction, you are agreeing to purchase if any of your bids end up as the winning bid. eBay says: ❝Remember, a bid is considered a binding contract. That means that when you bid on an item, you're committing to buy it if you win.❞
Also remember that, even if you're outbid, you could potentially still be the winner if for some reason any higher bid is retracted. eBay reminds you that ❝A bid is a binding contract. All bids are active until the auction ends.❞
With that in mind, only bid if you are prepared to pay.
CAVEAT:
You can retract your bid in some circumstances, but the circumstances are limited. If you misuse the bid retraction process, you could very well end up having your eBay account sanctioned by eBay. eBay says:
❝Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
- [...]
- Limits on account privileges
- Account suspension❞
You should regard this button as a commitment button.
SpoilerIf a listing offers you the opportunity to make an offer on the item, the seller may be willing to negotiate. (Don't make ridiculous offers. You may run the risk of the seller regarding you as a timewaster if the offer is considered by them to be outrageously low, and you may find yourself blocked from making any further offers or purchasing from that seller.) If you make an offer, it is an agreement to purchase if the seller accepts your offer.
If the seller does not accept your offer, then there's no agreement and you are not committed to a purchase. (Generally speaking, you will have three (3) chances to make an offer on an item. If after 3 offers the seller has not accepted any offers, you will be locked out of making any additional offers. You can still buy the item at its Buy It Now price.)
The seller may not be prepared to accept your offer, but they may respond by giving you a counter-offer. If you accept the counter-offer, it is an agreement to purchase. If you don't accept the counter-offer, then again there is no agreement and you're not committed.
BOTTOM LINE:
You should only make an offer if you're prepared to follow through with purchasing. If you make an offer that is accepted by the seller, it works as though you have clicked a Buy It Now button with the offer price. You'll have 4 days to pay.
FIXED PRICE LISTINGS
Spoiler
On fixed price listings (when the listing is not an auction), you will often see these two buttons as the available options. You can either Buy It Now (which means that you're entering into a contract to buy as soon as you click the Buy It Now button), or you can Add to cart (which means that you will only have entered into a contract to buy when you have pressed the Confirm and pay button on the Checkout page).
In brief:
- If you click Buy It Now, you are committed to buy - unless the seller of that item has specified Immediate Payment Required.
- If you click Add to cart, you are not committed to buy until you have pressed the Confirm and pay button on the checkout page (accessible from your shopping cart page).
If you see these three buttons on a fixed price listing, it means that you can Buy It Now (contract entered into as soon as you click the button), Add to Cart (contract not yet entered into), or Make Offer (you agree to buy / contract entered into - if the seller accepts your offer).
AUCTION-STYLE LISTINGS
Spoiler
WHEN HAS A BUYER ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT?
SpoilerTo be on the safe side, you should assume that clicking the following buttons will commit you to buy. If there are any additional steps involved in finalising your purchase, you'll see that after clicking.
WHEN HAS A BUYER NOT YET ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT?
SpoilerAgain being on the safe side, you can assume that clicking the following button does not commit you to buy and is not the entering into of a contract:.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A BUYER DOESN'T PAY AFTER COMMITTING TO BUY?
SpoilerThe seller will either agree to cancel the transaction or (increasingly the case) open an unpaid item case against the buyer. The seller must take this sort of action in order to receive an eBay credit for the Final Value Fees. There are additional stock costs and eBay-associated costs which the seller cannot recover if the buyer doesn't pay, and in addition to those are the non-recoverable PayPal fees if the buyer pays but afterwards demands/expacts a cancellation and refund, which is one reason why buyers should be careful before committing to buy by clicking Buy It Now, Place Bid, or Make Offer.
The buyer may suffer any or all of the following consequences:
- being placed on a Blocked Bidder List by the seller whose item hasn't been paid for;
- being given an invisible non-payment strike by eBay;
- being automatically blocked by a great many sellers who have their Buyer Blocks in place to prevent buyers with non-payment strikes from being able to place bids, make purchases, or contact them;
- being known (by seller groups - because sellers do talk) as a buyer to be avoided (and thus added to many and many a Blocked Bidder List); and/or
- having his/her eBay account restricted or - in the worst cases - suspended by eBay.
I hope that explains it.
