UNACCEPTABLE FOR EBAY TO HOLD ONTO MY MONEY FOR A PERIOD OF 3 WEEKS

[isabelpires]

i have been a loyal member of ebay for over 15 years  and have recently sold 5 items in the last 4 weeks with 100% positive feedback. Ebay has regularly transferred funds into my account within 1-2 business days as stated in their policy of t&c, as it should be the case.  BUT without any justification or even valid legal  rights they are holding my money for a period of 3 weeks..... outrageous and unacceptable !!! even customer service Leadership Team Jean (irish lady) could NOT justify this action based on the conditions written on " TRANSACTION ON HOLD" page.  She could not find on their website  anything that fitted their action ..... yet the money has not  been released and is still with ebay  for their own benefit!. (as a buyer I pay fees which I don't object as they are clearly explained in their T&C's).  RELEASE MY MONEY NOW!   if you are experiencing this same unfair treatment then shout and make it public 

[colic2bullsgirlore]

I will wager on this quote from the OP....that they were on amnaged payments 4 sales ago

 "Ebay has regularly transferred funds into my account within 1-2 business days as stated in their policy of t&c, as it should be the case."

so strange, the answers on this forum compared to the answers to the same question on FB ebay forums... are completely different..... very strange

[imastawka]

Stop wagering.    It'll get you in trouble.

OP probably was on Managed Payments 4 sales ago, and those  last 4 sales are the ones they are complaining about.

Previous to the current sales, they were paid via Paypal, and that's what they can't understand,  why there is a hold now.

We won't know unless the OP comes back.

Anyhoo, I'm slowly losing the will to live.

Have at it.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

Not if I'm winning.....If that was the case the OP would have whinging weeks ago...what's the 25 October plus 3 weeks?

[tisjusme]

I have been told that as a result of eBay having an increase of 400% in fraudulent transactions is the reason I am being treated as one of these criminals. Absolutely unjustifiable considering I have sold items in the past with no issues, have verified my bank account (yet again) and have items even delivered that I still need to wait for the funding to be transferred to my bank account.

There is no reason to withhold my funds if the items have been delivered and yet eBay is still holding those funds and I need to wait at least 7 more days to get the money.
As someone who has lost their job due to COVID and trying to survive by selling items, I am doing all I can to send to items as fast as I can and yet there will be likely bad feedback to my account as a result.

There was NO WARNING to me as a seller that this would happen. It should not be the responsibility of the seller to research why their funds are being withheld and yet eBay offers no explanation without contacting support. There is another option to print out labels and use the withheld funds to pay for postage but that does not help if you do not own a printer.

I have contacted the customers for sales (that were $1400+ in total) about the delay in my payment and I have since had 3 customers request cancellation of the sales reducing this amount to $1200 in sales.

Please be aware as a potential seller that eBay has little or no care for its sellers and even less it seems for the buyer.

[jellybirddesigns]

There was NO WARNING to me as a seller that this would happen. It should not be the responsibility of the seller to research why their funds are being withheld and yet eBay offers no explanation without contacting support. There is another option to print out labels and use the withheld funds to pay for postage but that does not help if you do not own a printer.

Really? It's black and white in the Ebay guidelines. It has applied to ALL new sellers as well as ALL sellers who sell infrequently for a long time now, and has nothing to do with how long ago you registered on the platform, or how much feedback you have. There are about 20 threads in the last few weeks on these boards and in every single one of them the seller has not stayed up to date on all the requirements. 

Why would you need to contact the customers about the delay in payments to you? The buyer paid, you need to send with tracking within your handling time otherwise you incur a defect. That's the guideline.

You then need to wait until the items are delivered as well as for a period after delivery to ensure no disputes or chargebacks. Now you've lost sales altogether because for some reason you chose to share information with the buyer and tell them that you're not sending until you get the funds. On top of which, if you use any reason other than "problem with buyers address" as your cancellation reason, you will incur another defect.

Infrequent sellers need to rebuild both Ebay's and buyer trust over a period of time.

Maybe Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree might be better options, but there are lots of time wasters.

[davewil1964]

Buy a printer. They cost about $40. I can't believe that people want to sell online and can't even purchase the basics.

[tisjusme]

If I could buy a printer, I could afford to send items

[tisjusme]

Thats really good information except I didnt find these forums until today.

Secondly, the help pages are something you read when an issue occurs, not before.

Thirdly, the information contained within the help pages on ebay has no explanation as to why the funds would be held once the customer has the item and is satisfied. 

Lastly, yes, I opted to inform my customers in an attempt to avoid negative feedback for sending the items late which is something eBay should send to the buyer of a restricted account but instead the customer knows no different and will expect the item to be sent within 3 days. The eBay site is now telling me my items are overdue to be sent.  What do you suggest is a better outcome ?

[tisjusme]

Show me where on eBay website it recommends I have a printer before selling items!

[jellybirddesigns]

Telling your customer about your payments dilemma to avoid negative feedback is utterly irrelevant since you have now incurred defects anyway for not sending within your handling time. 

Seriously, if you cannot afford the $10 bucks in postage, you should not be selling here. Incur a couple more defects and you'll soon find yourself unable to sell here anyway.

I agree you don't need a printer - I hand write all my addresses, so that's no biggie. It does help to have a printer to print the packing slip for the customer and to make sure everything is ticked off, though.