Payments blocked for 30 days: serious unfairness
Summary: The discussion concerns an issue of payments being blocked for 30 days, described as a serious unfair practice. Several participants, including antoniob4253, sika700, and heavenwelkin, chime in on the topic, but no specific details of the debate or the proposed solutions are present in the conversation messages. The extended post history suggests sustained interest and broad involvement among users.
I’ll start by saying that eBay is an exceptional platform for selling and buying
I’m more of a buyer than a seller, but I do sell items of a certain value, and for the second time I’ve found my funds from the sale of an item blocked for 30 days, even though the buyer has already left positive feedback, so there’s no dispute
I contacted customer service and, when I asked, I was told that the reason the funds are held for 30 days is that “it’s a high-value item”, so what does that mean? : ….
…. So, basically, eBay holds on to the funds from all high-value items for a month. The bottom line: the amount that eBay “wrongly withholds”, in addition to its own commissions, which are of course perfectly fair, is an enormous sum that eBay accumulates with this nasty, unacceptable trick, playing with the money for a month
it would be much more fair to increase the fees by one percentage point and release the funds as soon as the buyer leaves positive feedback
I consulted a lawyer to see whether there are grounds to sue eBay for misappropriation
patrumatte
·9 months agoyou can try
abbefed
·1 year agoDear Antonio,
I completely agree; I’m more of a buyer than a seller too, but in fact I’m an occasional seller.
I think eBay’s sales service is losing a good share of customers and an important part of its credibility.
It’s true that the automatic replies mention the delay in crediting the proceeds from significant sales, but they do not at all provide an explanation for the one-month hold in the "PENDING PAYMENTS" section, and instead they reassure you that payment will be made by February 18; today is March 5!
Holding sellers’ funds for a month on all sales of higher amounts certainly brings a great benefit to the platform. And that explains the real reason behind an apparent "security" measure.
I think that for future sales I will certainly turn to another system.
Goodbye eBay, you served me well as a buyer, but as a seller I am deeply disappointed!
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoDear abbefed
Antonio has not been active on the forum since July 2023, and since this is a public forum I feel free to reply to your post.
The fund hold is applied as a precautionary measure to prevent fraud by new users and/or older users who have only recently started selling or who have not sold for a long time (infrequent sellers).
If ebay has adopted these measures, evidently the statistics show that many users do not respect the agreements entered into with the platform and debt collection is not a sufficient measure to act as a deterrent and/or contain the problem.
The hold on funds for 14 or more days is a temporary measure that will be removed as soon as the seller has made a certain number of sales on an ongoing basis.
Since you are not a trader and have old items you want to get rid of, I don't see the problem with waiting 14 or 30 days before receiving the payments.
An active seller receives the payments after 1 or 2 days even if they have not yet shipped.
Something that does not happen, for example, on subito where they receive the funds always and only when the buyer confirms receipt of the item and/or 3 days after receipt of the item.
You are free to list the same items you sell here on ebay, on subito or elsewhere and you will see that this type of item sells better and at a better price on ebay than in other places.
That said, you are completely free to sell wherever suits you best.
Kind regards.
sena1951
·2 years agoI don't know if there are grounds to report rbay, but they are withholding money from me after the delivery was certified. They say that after 24 hours from delivery the amount due should be available, but after 6 days none of that has happened. Poor service or something else?
heavenwelkin
·2 years agoYou signed up with this account in 2008, with 34 sales in total.
Your feedback as a seller dates back more than 1 year.
Recent feedback as a seller is relatively few for you to be considered an ACTIVE seller.
You must therefore refer to the current regulations regarding funds that are blocked for a certain number of days regardless of whether the package has been delivered and the positive feedback has been received.
Kind regards.
leonser-2837
·1 year agoDo you remember that IBM commercial where the old Tuscan country woman was selling tomatoes in Germany? Well, all of this has failed.
We’ll go back to the old handshake face to face... with one hand I give you the product and with the other I take the money. Seen and approved. Time to stop lending things for free just to let the tinkerer play around.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoOkay, but it seems to me that with this account you have sold 2 items of a somewhat significant amount remotely (with shipping).
Sales with local exchange have always existed and will continue to exist.
The problem is that if you sell the nail gun P370 with an ad only in your area and maybe you live in a small provincial town, it’s easy that you either won’t sell that nail gun or you’ll sell it at a much lower price.
And if it’s even more niche items, maybe you can only sell the item outside Italy.
Remote sales are full of risks of every kind, but sometimes they are the only way to be able to sell certain items, so all things considered, you’re willing to risk a remote sale rather than no sale at all.
Then if you have an iPhone 15 to sell (a particularly sought-after item) in my opinion it’s not worth taking the risk of selling it remotely with a credit card when you can sell it quite easily with a local exchange.
But the RISKS with a hand-to-hand exchange without guarantees and without intermediaries in the sale are there.
The version that eBay coined for the buyer I would gladly use because it PROTECTS the buyer from possible defects or post-sale problems.
If I buy a notebook (as unfortunately happened to me) with a hand-to-hand exchange and I test it as best I can but then when I get home I realize that I can’t insert the USB stick and install Windows because the BIOS is locked by a supervisor password that the seller doesn’t know because they themselves got it already like that, which limits my use in certain circumstances, in the case of a direct exchange I get scammed, in the case of eBay I’m protected.
Even in these cases with a direct hand-to-hand exchange without intermediaries, you have to carefully weigh the pros and cons.
If you find a seller near your house who is selling an item you’re interested in, you certainly won’t convince them to make an eBay account with all the bureaucratic process, micro-payments and limitations just to sell you the item.
Obviously you organize things and try to check the item in person as best as you can.
Best regards.
timelux2
·3 years agoHi Antonio, I’m in the same situation too. I sold an item worth a little over 1,000 euros and eBay immediately blocked the money for 30 days. !!! Even after the buyer left positive feedback on the item received and on my fast shipping, the money stayed blocked. I contacted customer service and got the same answer: the funds can’t be released until 30 days have passed, because according to their statistics during those 30 days the buyer can file a claim. A claim???? and what if, during those 30 days, the buyer uses the item and destroys it through carelessness or mishandling? In my case it’s a photographic lens. My buyer, as soon as he received it, checked and tested it and, satisfied, left more than positive feedback. If in 15 days he opens a claim because he destroyed it and instead blames the malfunction on it already being faulty at the time of sale ????? how is that proven ???? We sellers are absolutely not protected. I’ll wait 30 days to receive my, I repeat MY money and BYEEE E-BAY. Never again!
actar80
·3 years agoGood evening, eBay probably blocks such amounts for 30 days on amounts of a certain significance, and even more so for infrequent sellers, in order to cover the warranty period offered to buyers, even if the buyer has already left positive feedback.
Even if eBay were to credit the sale amount within 3-4 days, little would change: if the buyer opens a claim within 30 days because they destroyed the item and, dishonestly, wants to pin the blame on the seller and the latter loses the dispute, they must refund the buyer. If in the meantime the seller has spent or moved the funds from their IBAN linked to the eBay account and does not have sufficient funds, it proceeds through debt collection.
Then one can agree or disagree with these new procedures, which in any case are implicitly accepted when using the platform. Paypal on eBay worked differently, it credited the amounts to sellers right away, it was more convenient because it acted as a real e-money account that could also be used outside eBay, but at the same time it perhaps used debt collection in an even faster way if it could not find available funds to refund the buyer.
In any case, after the 30 days on eBay, the buyer would have 180 days to act via Paypal (if they used their payment service) and as a last resort the chargeback.
It is undeniable that the seller has far fewer protections than the buyer, but eBay, Vinted and other platforms tend to be skewed in favor of buyers who invest their money, because without buyers there could be millions of sellers, but every platform would shut down immediately. The only alternative is in-person pickup sales and if you do not live in a big city the chances of selling are close to or equal to 0!
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoRather than complaining to eBay for accepting the new selling terms without having read them, try to understand why eBay has adopted this kind of policy for new sellers or sellers who have started selling again after years of inactivity.
The 30 days are an excellent deterrent for all those fake sellers who, once they’ve cashed in, empty the account and disappear without shipping anything.
If, instead, I hold your funds for 30 days, what do you tell the buyer who still hasn’t received their item?
This is essentially meant to keep the platform free of fake sellers and for eBay to protect itself from attempts to defraud it.
Your last sales date back years, so for eBay you count as a NEW seller; after a certain number of successfully completed sales, eBay will unlock your funds and the credits will be processed in 2 working days.
Let’s skip the discussion about the buyer possibly taking advantage of these marketplace benefits/concessions, because this happens with all electronic transactions, whether a marketplace is involved or not.
You can also receive disputes if you post an ad on Facebook and the buyer pays you with PayPal.
You can also have disputes if you create a website and accept payment by credit card.
If you want to be exempt from any post-sale responsibility, you need to find a buyer who pays you by bank transfer, postal money order, or Postepay, but I guarantee it’s pretty hard for someone far away to send you all that money blindly and without any guarantee.
The alternative is an in-person exchange nearby, but it’s generally much harder to get the same sale prices you get on eBay.
Anyway, you can always try, and if you see that you can’t sell at market price, you can always go back to selling on eBay.
Kind regards.
81elvi
·10 months agoOf all the bullshit I've read in this chat, the only truth is yours. If someone receives the item and doesn't make a MOTIVATED complaint immediately, why the hell should you keep my money.... BYE E-BAY!!!!! never again!!!!
heavenwelkin
·10 months agoWhy did you accept and sign the sales terms (which you evidently didn't read).
And that alone should make you understand that distance selling is anything but easy, pleasant, and safe.
Selling at a distance IS NOT A GAME or a nice HOBBY, but an activity where you can also lose a lot of money.
And since when you sign the contract with ebay you have to authorize them to withdraw funds (if needed) directly from your account, ebay can also decide to hold that money for 30 days because maybe it is afraid that in the meantime you will empty the account and leave it blank.
If you don't like risking losing money when you sell something and if you don't like feeling so tied down when you sell something, try advertising your items in places that allow in-person handoff without any payment intermediary.
Good luck.
vonbalden
·3 years agoLet’s say that the sale of high-priced products has to be a calculated risk on the part of the seller, who is expected to know and respect the rules imposed by the platform. The threat of dissatisfaction is always there, even if the buyer has immediately left a positive review. A practical example is the vintage Brionvega rr126 radio-phonograph that you are offering for over 5000 euros. This stereo set is a piece of modern design put into production in the sixties by the famous company. In your very brief description there is no technical reference, no measurements and no clarification about how this original design object works. Suppose the buyer, who is assumed to be an expert but not necessarily so, buys it and is happy with the piece. But then later on he discovers a whole series of limitations or small defects that were not mentioned at all. Or he disputes the year, saying that it is the current reissue made by the manufacturer, not the original vintage one. You are hanging by a thread. You don’t sleep at night. You break out in a cold sweat. In cases like this, the private seller in possession of the beautiful object should make the sale as safe as possible. Know and describe every detail to minimize the chance of second thoughts. Especially if there is the payment hold described above. Best wishes from von.
actar80
·3 years agoIn addition to the risks of selling the aforementioned high-value items, it should be taken into consideration that it has already exceeded 1 of the limits set by DAC07 regulations for the reporting of data to the Revenue Agency.
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoImagine that I spend hours making descriptions for objects worth 10 euros, sometimes even videos on YouTube about how the object works, I provide any technical explanations in a sheet attached to the package or in electronic form if necessary.
For me it is inconceivable that for an item worth 5900 euros you would include only one photo (when eBay offers you 24 for free), it is inconceivable not to describe its working condition in more than detail and to provide a description as exhaustive as possible.
Even if it is an item with in-person pickup only, where the buyer on eBay CANNOT make all the necessary assessments because EVEN with the in-person purchase mode they still take on a binding commitment to buy and must pay in advance before being able to inspect the item. Payment that takes place with the usual electronic currency, so there is always a risk of a case being opened for non-compliance.
In fact, on the 6700-euro watch, which also has the shipping option, there are more photos of the item.
Kind regards.
aracnotto
·3 years agoHi, as already written to you: these are the rules, nothing improper! And they apply to occasional sellers (so not to everyone) to limit the risks of possible scams!
antoniob4253
OP3 years agoI am attaching the rules :
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoDear Antoniob4253
As an alternative, eBay could have PREVENTED the listing of expensive items, or it could have applied restrictions on the number of items or on the total amount.
Let’s imagine a user who is prevented from selling more than 20 euros’ worth of items per auction for about fifteen items before getting the next unlock?
Being unable to sell a certain item is certainly a more frustrating situation than having your funds held for 30 days.
Now, I’m not here to say whether that’s right or wrong; I’m just saying that if these restrictions exist it’s because STATISTICAL RISKS have been found that users may try to scam the platform.
A simple example to understand is this: User John Doe lists a 3000-euro MacBook Pro 16, sells it, and eBay wires him the money after 2 days. The seller said he would ship after 7 days, so he takes all the time he needs to empty and close his bank account. He ships nothing and eBay has to reimburse the buyer but cannot recover this money from the seller. They will try debt collection action, but the seller was a straw man with no assets.
Unfortunately, the world is full of users who are less than honest and eBay is not a charity; if they detect POTENTIAL STATISTICAL RISKS from new members or members who are not very active, it’s only right that they want to protect themselves.
I wouldn’t take it personally because these statistics are processed by artificial intelligences, so the feedback left is just one piece of the myriad of data needed by the algorithms to process these statistics and eventually remove certain restrictions from an eBay account.
I hope this was helpful.
Kind regards.
antoniob4253
OP3 years agoI take note of your point referring to a possible dishonest seller; now I’ll make another hypothesis: the seller is instead honest, but then comes across a dishonest buyer who buys, for example, an original "rolex", then files a claim and sends back a counterfeit "cipollone" while keeping the original rolex, which meanwhile the seller is forced to refund. Could you kindly answer the following question?:
What protection does the seller have?
Thank you
aracnotto
·3 years agoWhat protection does the seller have?
None!
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoThe eBay problem is related to the payment system, which is not directly MANAGED / CONTROLLED by the platform; otherwise, in my opinion, there would have been fairer and more balanced rules for sellers.
The policies of the electronic payment system visa/mastercard and related sub-services (see paypal) almost always protect the buyer who files a complaint with their bank (see chargeback) or a paypal complaint, so eBay adapts to these policies.
Any marketplace that uses credit card or paypal payments is subject (conditioned) to that type of policy in the event of disputes.
Taking into account the fact that electronic payments work this way and there is no way to break free from them, one marketplace could differ from another marketplace in the work done by the online sales platform to make its marketplace a safe place.
It is beyond any doubt that eBay users (thanks to the massive use of artificial intelligence) are particularly selected compared to other marketplaces that rely on a much more simplified management with fewer regulations.
My final answer is this: If, in a distance sale (on any marketplace that uses electronic payments), you come across a rather dishonest buyer who knows how to play the system, there is little hope of salvation for the seller.
But this is something a seller should know and should accept before venturing into listing items for sale.
Kind regards.
sika700
·3 years agoGood morning,
when you registered on eBay back in 2004 you accepted all the agreements in force and the rules governing the marketplace.
Obviously over the years changes have been made which, if you did nothing, you accepted.
So I don’t understand the reason for the complaint: you are a new or infrequent seller and as such you are subject to a hold for "inexperience" (according to support you become "experienced" only after at least 15 sales over the course of a year!)... the fact that the item is of significant value then increases your risk... as you can clearly read here:
https://www.ebay.it/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816&st=3&pos=1&query=Pagamenti%20in%20sospeso&intent=sospes&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1450#section2
So I also find it absurd to try to file a lawsuit against eBay when the rules are clear and you obviously accepted them by continuing to use the site...
Have a good day.
antoniob4253
OP3 years agoWhat are the "possible scams" when the buyer has declared themselves satisfied with the purchase?
We will look at the legal interpretation of the rules
In my opinion, this is just behavior unbecoming of a famous and well-known platform like eBay
marioelegio
·3 years agoYour responsibilities as a seller do not end with the delivery of the item.
Regardless of the feedback left, the buyer has 30 days to test the product and verify whether it matches the description or not.
If a defect shows up within the 30 days, they can return it at your expense and eBay will force you to refund it. (After that, there will only be the guarantees offered by the payment methods used).
hi
mario
alessrob-63
·9 months agoAnd if the buyer uses the item badly, therefore breaks it, scratches it, wears it out, etc.? Keep in mind that phones are also sold, or TVs, or any household appliance or technological product or anything else, which does not always have a warranty but can malfunction at any time. Who protects the sellers?? There may be dishonest sellers but also dishonest buyers, and protection is needed for the seller too.
marioelegio
·9 months agoFor professional sellers, the rules of the consumer code apply.
For private sellers, the rules of the civil code apply. So the item must match the listing and must not have defects that were not accurately described by the seller and that could compromise or limit the normal use for which the item was purchased. In the event of this lack of conformity, the code states that the contract is considered canceled at no cost to the buyer (who therefore has the right to return the item at the seller's expense and to be fully refunded). Since we are talking about legal rules, it is obvious that they apply to any distance sale and on any platform. But while with an in-person exchange the buyer can immediately verify the conformity of what they buy, in distance sales this can only be verified after receiving, unpacking, installing, etc...
For used items (sometimes even for new ones), it can never be proven that the damage was done by the buyer and not that it already existed or was due to transport.
hello
mario
heavenwelkin
·9 months agoWhen you sell an item remotely via credit card payments and their derivatives, you must always take into account that you could run into post-sale issues at any time.
MISCELLANEOUS issues that could lead to a partial or total financial loss as well as a loss of time.
Remote sales involve a certain level of risk.
If you're not willing to risk losing money, then the ideal thing would be to sell via in-person exchange and relative cash payment.
Best regards
sika700
·3 years agoThe possible second thoughts... the possible return requests... which may have a "fraudulent" undertone...
In my opinion, however, it is an indication of your failure to accept the rules when "the rules" feel too tight for you!
rentbee
·1 year agoit's bad behavior, I agree with you; once the buyer is satisfied, they can't keep the amount, it should be the buyer who unlocks the amount automatically with the feedback. I'm angry too about this behavior, even toward the buyer it's wrong.
marioelegio
·1 year agoThe seller's responsibility does not end at all with delivery.
For this reason, new or infrequent sellers have a 15-day hold on payments.
Anyway, to start selling, you declare that you have understood and accepted the terms and conditions of eBay.
hi
mario
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoHi rentbee
Did you read the whole discussion carefully?
Did you notice the link about pending payments?
Here it is: https://www.ebay.it/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816
Everything is clearly specified, you just need to do a little research.
Kind regards
cizeta1964
·1 year agoI'm pissed off about this behavior too, even towards the buyer it's wrong.
The only reason you can be pissed off is not having read the eBay rules carefully before putting items up for sale.
fniccoli
·3 years agoBut what does that even mean?! E-bay is not just for professional sellers. I sold one thing and probably won’t sell again. Item delivered, feedback received ... okay, waiting 20 / 30 days is fine (which is still an eternity anyway), but there are cases of months and months
sika700
·3 years agoIt means exactly what I wrote... the fact that you’re a private seller does not exempt you from following the rules... the same for everyone!
Every case is therefore if... whether you’re private or professional, the rules must be read and followed:
https://www.ebay.it/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816&st=3&pos=1&query=Pagamenti%20in%20sospeso&intent=sospes&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1450#section2:~:text=I%20venditori%20nuovi,essere%20pi%C3%B9%20lunghi
Have a good evening.
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoFrom your sales statistics I can see that you sold that amplifier + CD player.
Now if the deal goes through and you get the feedback, you should have the payment unlocked within 15 ~ 30 days.
Keep in mind that with this account you have never received feedback on sales and the item you sold is of a rather significant amount.
These are currently the platform's sales rules, you may like them or not but bear in mind that this Italy is no longer the one from 10 years ago when the economy was still holding up well and money was circulating for everyone.
Ebay is just trying to create conditions to act as a DETERRENT for possible users who have bad intentions in mind.
IN FACT when a user becomes RELIABLE ebay removes the payment block and the credits arrive within 2 working days.
If you want, let us know after how many days you will receive the payment.
Keep in mind that after a certain number of successful sales you too will be unblocked and you will have the credits in 2 working days in your account.
Best regards.