eBay Backtracks On Invoices Changes After Seller Pushback
eBay is reversing course on recent changes that limited sellers' ability to send invoices after major backlash.
eBay sends automated payment reminders to your buyers. We also understand that some sellers prefer the option to manually send invoices to their buyers as payment reminders.
As part of the ongoing work to reduce the number of unpaid items on eBay, we are evaluating these processes to ensure buyers are receiving appropriate and timely reminders. You may have noticed a recent change to the invoicing process.
Based on your feedback, we are removing that recent change to invoicing so that Sellers can continue to send invoices as payment reminders. The automated payment reminders also will be sent at 24 & 48 hours after the listing ends.
The changes were meant to cut down on sellers sending invoices in situations where eBay believes it is unnecessary because buyers already receive payments reminders automatically, but some sellers were upset that the option was removed with no warning or communication.
Had a sale this week, and for the first time Ebay will not allow me to send the buyer an invoice. Invoices are only allowed if there are changes to the shipping charges now. Why? This does not make any since.
Has anyone been getting the message " Send an invoice only if shipping adjustments are needed. We will send payment reminders to the buyer on your behalf. " when trying to send an invoice after a sale??
I would normally send an invoice after each sale but now seems like I can only send if I adjust shipping costs - so wondering if anyone else has noticed this.
Ebay now no longer trusts sellers to send invoices unless we need to make alterations in the shipping costs. I guess this is punishment for those of us who chose not to require immediate payment. To make this new policy even more laughable is the new message in red that appears when you try to send your own invoice:
Send an invoice only if shipping adjustments are needed. We will SPEND payment reminders to the buyer on your behalf.
The idiots who don't trust us to send our own invoices can't even be trusted themselves to use the correct English word when admonishing us! I suggest they try to SEND those payment reminders instead of SPENDing them! OR perhaps simply leave us alone in the first place!
However, other sellers sided with eBay on this issue, saying it may be annoying to buyers to receive too many reminders, especially if they aren't necessary when there are no adjustments being made.
I wonder if buyers were complaining of too much spam from eBay so they are trying to limit it. I don't really use eMail but I have looked into my account periodically and some sellers send an invoice, then a thank you note (or a beg for payment an hour after winning an auction), then a note when they ship, then a note that they have shipped. The thank you note is nice, but my gawd - is all of it really necessary.
It isn’t necessary to send an invoice if you’re not making adjustments like combining shipping. eBay already sends an initial invoice to buyers plus buyers already know what they need to pay by looking in their purchase history for orders waiting for payment. Sending additional invoices is redundant.
Sending invoices changes the date of sale, thus changing the amount of time the buyer is allowed to pay and for sellers to cancel for nonpayment.
Combining shipping is exactly the reason to send the invoice (or adding another ship method). That's the point. Sellers are blocked from sending invoices unless they are adjusting shipping. So those large sellers combining shipping that you mentioned won't be affected by this.
I think it's a good change, despite the embarrassing typo on the banner.
Avoids buyers being spammed with too many reminders to pay (because eBay already sends them, so no need for seller to send another reminder). Avoids sellers complaining that they can't file an unpaid item cancellation after 4 days because they unintentionally reset the clock when sending an invoice. Avoids sellers complaining buyers were undercharged for shipping because the buyer changed their address at checkout but the seller unintentionally locked in the ship cost when sending an invoice.
As with many issues on eBay, this may have gone a different way if they had communicated with sellers before making the change and allowed time to adjust business processes.
Unannounced changes that are disruptive to the existing workflow are unlikely to be received well even if they are well intentioned.
What do you think of these now reverted changes to invoicing on eBay? Is you're a buyer, do you find it annoying to receive invoices from sellers if there are now price adjustments needed? Let us know in the comments below!
As a result I have dramatically scaled back my sales from mid April. Aside from the above issues, I object to buyers being charged more for postage than they need to pay. Postage is around double with "simple" delivery for the items I sell. With the protection fee as well it is the buyers who are losing out big time... especially if the sellers drop out like I have done. Less choice and higher prices. Very sad.