How long do you wait for a payment?

[lynnsunny]

I am new to selling on ebay and up until now, have had very good buyers. I now have 2 items sold, and have sent 3 invoices to each person (separate transactions) as well as messages here on ebay. How long do I wait until I open a dispute?

[pocomocomputing]

Your listings with sales ended yesterday Feb 4. It is only one day!

Relax, give the buyers 3-4 days to pay. Do not send messages needlessly. eBay send a notice when the buyers win and after 48 hours if they have not paid.

If you seem to harass your buyers, they may give you negative feedback or low Detailed Seller Ratings.

I also took a look at your listings that sold and you mentioned no insurance. Insurance is for your protection, not the buyer. If the buyer does not receive the item, you will have to refund no matter what the reason. Do not mention insurance in your listing. It is meaningless for potential buyers and may encourage scammers.

[lynnsunny]

Thank you very much--I was worried that my emails may not be getting to the buyers, that is why I sent a few emails. I wasn't aware that ebay also sent information.

I didn't realize the insurance was for my purposes. thank you for your help!

[femmefan1946]

EBay sometimes does not automatically send an invoice, but in those cases you will be prompted to do so. I've never paid enough attention to understand why the automatic invoice did not go out.

On Day Three,if I haven't been paid or if I haven't had communication from the buyer, I send a polite reminder asking if the buyer needs help with her Paypal payment. About half then apologize for being slow,send money and leave positive feedback.

The others disappear forever, Those get an Unpaid Item Dispute opened on Day Four and I get my selling fees back.

You know that when your customer does pay, the payment will be held by Paypal for 21 days against your good performance, right? Don't get nervous about this, just ship when PP tells you to. The money will appear in your account...eventually. Good luck and ask the busybodies here for advice any time.