Wait for e-Check to clear?

[worldwandering]

You received an eCheck payment. Like a regular paper check, an eCheck may take 6-8 days to clear. That's why you'll see the transaction status set as "Pending". Your buyer has sent the payment, but if you're shipping a physical item, we suggest you wait to send it out until the eCheck clears. We'll email you as soon as the money is in your PayPal account.

What to do, what to do? In the past I've just sent out the item anyway, I could see the buyer becoming pretty irate saying "Where is my stuff!?" before that even clears!

What do you guys do?

[novascotia_canada]

I always wait for them to clear before sending.

[msmaggie060]

Send your buyer an email and let them know when they can expect their e-cheque to clear, quote what Paypal says about waiting until it clears, and promise to mail as soon as you are notified by Paypal that it has cleared.

[msmaggie060]

Forgot to say: if it is just an inexpensive item, and a repeat buyer then I often do ship right away. Or sometimes I will offer to ship  right away if it is inexpensive or has tracking and they need it quickly.

[recped]

Would you send out an order if the buyer promised they would pay you later? An echeck is nothing more than a promise with no downside to the buyer if they fail to make good on said promise.

Forward a copy of the PayPal notice to your buyer.

Dear buyer:

Your order will ship as soon as your echeck payment clears.

Regards

Your seller

Then send another email when you have actually shipped, you can forward the "echeck cleared" message from PayPal.

[canuckerie]

Wait for it to clear. I had one "bounce" so I always wait. If the buyer chooses to pay that way they should be willing to wait for it to clear.

[asyahijab]

Yes wait it is clear. I have 3 times boucing.

[Anonymous]

I had one buyer telling me excitedly that his eCheck has been cleared at his bank and that I should ship the item.  I told him, excuse me it is not cleared on end as PayPal hasn't nofitifed me of its being clear and he insisted that it has been cleared at his bank.

I told him fine but I have to wait for PayPal to notify me first.  It seems that the process to clear any eCheck is becoming more longer than usual.  One took 3 weeks and the just recent like this above cleared in 2 weeks.  Both are USA, not making senses at all as to why it is starting to become more longer than usual.

I hope that they will not start to whine "where is my item?" by counting the day they bid and won, hope they start the counting on the day it is cleared on my end not the other end as one did counted form the day he bid and won and opened a dispute against me with PayPal.  So I had to give PayPal a lengthy full details from the beginning to the end and this buyer ended up closing the case apologzing for opening it in the first place when he realized that he counted the day he bid and won not from the day the eCheck has been cleared like 3 weeks later.

Why PayPal allows this idiot to open the dispute in the first place?  They could have look into the PayPal invoice and see that or PayPal just love the disputes for some reasons?

[pjcdn2005]

Why PayPal allows this idiot to open the dispute in the first place?  They could have look into the PayPal invoice and see that or PayPal just love the disputes for some reasons?

And you just love to put down ebay and Paypal.:-)

There was no dispute filed. The Op was asking others what they normally do.

[gotwhatchuneed]

Yes you should wait for it to clear but if it's processing it should be considered as good as cash IMO because the fees from paypal and the bank are very high for insufficient funds.

the buyer would have to be in a very bad spot financially to risk a returned E-cheque.

My bank charges 40 dollars for insufficient funds and paypal probably charges atleast 20. (i'm too lazy to look)

[twocraftywomen]

I send a note saying that I have received notification of their ec-heck payment and that Papyal says this should clear on X date and that as soon as this clears I will send their item.  I then send a message on the date that I ship saying that their e-check has cleared and I am sending their item and that, according to the post office, it should arrive within x days.

I will not send an item until the e-check has cleared.

[Anonymous]

Good reliable answers from the majority of respondents to your post.  As a seller I leave positive feedback when the payment has cleared, then mail the item, then click "item shipped", then email the buyer to express my thanks stating item is in the mail.