Traditional Payment Methods Gone Way Of The Dodo

[imbuzzy]

Customer asks me if I accept money orders.

I say yes.

Customer hits a BLOCK WALL and complains to me that checkout can't be completed - being forced to pay electronically via Paypal or credit card.

Since all of my listings are (and always have been) set up with the "Require immediate payment when buyer uses Buy It Now" option NOT checked, I decided to dig a little deeper into the convoluted spaghetti logic of eBay selling options and hit a BLOCK WALL.

Seeing that all my affairs are in order,  I shudder and call CSR...

CSR #1 was a complete waste of time and sent me on a goose chase.

CSR #2 delved into it and stated that such traditional methods of payment are temporarily not allowed and techs are working on "fixing" the issue and that buyers will again be allowed to pay by cheque or money order sometime later in the year.

Forced to tell the buyer that it ain't happening.

Lost/missed transactions are all part of selling - I get it...

I also get why people need to fix what's not broken - it's blatant job justification.

What I don't get is why they need to break things in the first place,  although I am guessing it has something to do with the upcoming Managed Payments.

[reallynicestamps]

Cash cheques and money orders were a boon for sellers.

No fees and if the buyer had a problem he had no way to force a refund.

[momcqueen]

“ Also, there normally has to be more than one item from the same seller in a cart before a buyer can ask for an invoice.”

No. This isn’t about the buyer asking for anything. Send Invoice. It’s a seller initiated action. Drop-down menu. Are you using Seller Hub?

[recped]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

Cash cheques and money orders were a boon for sellers.

No fees and if the buyer had a problem he had no way to force a refund.

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Which is why cash and money orders were banned, Also why they will remain banned and why they should be banned FOREVER.......they are a scammers paradise and by that I mean scamming sellers preying on innocent buyers.

[imbuzzy]

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@momcqueen wrote:
“ Also, there normally has to be more than one item from the same seller in a cart before a buyer can ask for an invoice.”

No. This isn’t about the buyer asking for anything. Send Invoice. It’s a seller initiated action. Drop-down menu. Are you using Seller Hub?

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Totally wrong!

It has everything about the buyer asking for something.

That buyer can't get past the checkout stage, thus the items are still live and available to others.

There is NO possible way to send an invoice for live listings!

The only way that the buyer can get out of the checkout stage of the transaction is to pay electronically as shown in the screenshots that were posted as previously requested.

Your idea of best offer is a good one and I passed it along to the buyer.  Just waiting for a response...

Should I receive offers, I will be able to accept and send an invoice,  allowing me to take control of this dilemma.

I know that I have never had a problem invoicing best offer transactions in the past.

[momcqueen]

Send Invoice is to be used for Local Pickup. Revise your listing to allow pickup as a payment option. If you cannot, provide screenshots to show the reason and the rest of us will be able to use that to troubleshoot.

[momcqueen]

Are you using the short listing form? Switch to advance. Your flow is not the same as mine. Also, don’t use your third-party software for this.

[imbuzzy]

When I revise a listing, this screen capture shows my payment options:

I already showed you the screen capture of when I click on the payment policy which allows me to choose immediate payment.

This is the ONLY place that I can make changes to payment methods when editing AND creating listings.

[imbuzzy]

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@momcqueen wrote:
Are you using the short listing form? Switch to advance. Your flow is not the same as mine. Also, don’t use your third-party software for this.

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IF I use SYI (very, very rarely), I use the advanced form.  Screen capture above is from that form.

I use File Exchange, which is NOT a 3rd party software.  It is an eBay portal which allows me to upload multiple listings in one spreadsheet file.  It is as much of eBay as SYI is or what TurboLister was.  There is no way that I would revert back to SYI for creating listings, when File Exchange can handle thousands at once,  with all listings and their individual nuances neatly arranged for easy viewing in a spreadsheet file.

Even if file exchange was at fault, this dilemma is so rare that it does not warrant me reverting back to using SYI and dropping my listing production easily tenfold.

[momcqueen]

The problem is your payment policy.

[momcqueen]

Had you mentioned Business Policies and/or File Exchange at the onset, this thread would be about a dozen messages shorter. I’ll know to ask for next time a problem such as this erupts. Create a new policy that doesn’t force PayPal on buyers; I can’t help you with how to do that. Someone else who uses Policies will have to do so. I’ve always heard Policies are a hot mess (since inception) so I’ve entirely avoided them.

Recped? Do you use Policies? If so, here’s your moment to shine. Femme? Anyone?

[imbuzzy]

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@momcqueen wrote:
Had you mentioned Business Policies and/or File Exchange at the onset, this thread would be about a dozen messages shorter. I’ll know to ask for next time a problem such as this erupts. Create a new policy that doesn’t force PayPal on buyers; I can’t help you with how to do that. Someone else who uses Policies will have to do so. I’ve always heard Policies are a hot mess (since inception) so I’ve entirely avoided them.

Recped? Do you use Policies? If so, here’s your moment to shine. Femme? Anyone?

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I mentioned about file exchange in the second line of my first reply.

Didn't know that not mentioning about business policies would send you on a verbose goose chase.

Me bad...

[momcqueen]

I’ve grown weary of your displaced hostility in this thread.

I understand you must be frustrated with this problem but you must remember it’s your problem we’re trying to fix.

Or rather, I was trying to fix.

I hope someone else has the patience and perseverance to assist here now because I’m finished with this.

Good luck and goodbye.

[imbuzzy]

Getting the buyer to throw in offers at my asking price worked.

I was able to gain control at the point of sale and provide a combined invoice to the buyer with my payment address included.

Thank you for your input.

[momcqueen]

You are welcome.

As to the issue with your payment Policy preventing Cash on Pickup, another member who comes to the boards such as @retroman_studios who has used ebay's Business Policies comprehensively, may be able to provide advice as to how to circumvent the 'no-local-pickup allowed with PayPal as your payment policy' situation. 

I honestly cannot hazard a guess as to whether you'd need to create a new Cash on Pickup policy for the listing(s) in question, and revise the listing to adhere to that policy, or what.

Drummond might be able to help with that. I'm certain there are other sellers here with experience in utilizing Business Policies to their fullest extent but unless they attend the thread and self-disclose, I don't know who else to call for help with this except perhaps Tyler at ebay himself.

In the meantime, it's good to hear the Best Offer suggestion worked.

[femmefan1946]

Now we just wait to see if the money order actually arrives and is cashable* in Canada.

USPS domestic money orders are much cheaper than International Money Orders but are not cashable at the PO or even accepted by Canadian banks.

When MOs were a normal way of paying, banks treated them as personal cheques and sent them to the USA for clearance.

In addition, then, to the problem of scammy sellers, it could take two or three weeks after purchase before the seller was actually paid and the purchase shipped.

[marnotom!]

Did I miss where it was mentioned that the buyer is located in the US?

[imbuzzy]

It's an assumption.
Buyer is in PEI.
I'm anticipating shipping the items within a week since domestic mail is quite efficient.

[retroman_studios]

https://www.ebay.ca/pages/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html

This lists accepted forms of payment. In regards to Bank Transfers, MO etc. only in these categories are they allowed.

• Motors > Boats

• Motors > Cars & Trucks

• Motors > Cars & Trucks > Collector Cars

• Motors > Motorcycles

• Motors > Powersports

• Motors > Other Vehicles & Trailers

• Motors > Automotive Tools & Supplies > Air Compressors

• Motors > Automotive Tools & Supplies > Shop Equipment & Supplies > Brake Lathes

• Motors > Automotive Tools & Supplies > Shop Equipment & Supplies > Frame Machines

• Motors > Automotive Tools & Supplies > Shop Equipment & Supplies > Lifts / Hoists / Jacks

• Motors > Automotive Tools & Supplies > Shop Equipment & Supplies > Paint Booths

• Motors > Automotive Tools & Supplies > Shop Equipment & Supplies > Tire Changers / Wheel Balancers

• Motors > Parts & Accessories > Aviation Parts > Engines

• Motors > Parts & Accessories > Car & Truck Parts > Engines & Components

• Motors > Parts & Accessories > Motorcycle Parts > Engines & Components

• Motors > Parts & Accessories > Performance & Racing Parts > Auto Performance Parts > Engine & Components

• Motors > Parts & Accessories > Salvage Parts Cars

• Motors > Parts & Accessories > Vintage Car & Truck Parts > Engines & Components

• Business & Industrial > Construction > Buildings, Modular & Pre-Fab

• Business & Industrial > Healthcare, Lab & Life Science > Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment

• Business & Industrial > Heavy Equipment (all subcategories)

• Business & Industrial > Heavy Equipment Parts & Accessories (all subcategories)

• Business & Industrial > Manufacturing & Metalworking > Woodworking > Equipment & Machinery

• Business & Industrial > Industrial Supply & MRO > Cleaning Equipment & Supplies > Sweepers & Scrubbers

• Business & Industrial > Industrial Supply& MRO > Fork Lifts & Other Lifts

• Business & Industrial > MRO & Industrial Supply > HVAC > HVAC Units

• Business & Industrial > Printing & Graphic Arts > Bindery & Finishing Equipment

• Business & Industrial > Printing & Graphic Arts > Commercial Printing Presses

• Business & Industrial > Printing & Graphic Arts > Plotters, Wide Format Printing

• Business & Industrial > Restaurant & Catering > Commercial Kitchen Equipment > Cooking & Warming Equipment > Ovens & Ranges

• Business & Industrial > Restaurant & Catering > Concession Trailers & Carts > Concession Trailers

• Business & Industrial > Restaurant & Catering > Refrigeration & Ice Machines

• Real Estate

• Everything Else > Adult Only

  Any other categories are not allowed to have 

  • Bank-to-bank transfers (also known as bank wire transfers and bank cash transfers)

  • Cheques

  • Money orders

  • Online payment services: Allpay.net, CertaPay, Fiserv, Nochex.com, XOOM

    So sadly, I can't recommend you do this as it may lead to a policy violation unless you are selling in one of the categories above.

[momcqueen]

Very interesting, thank you.