According to eBay rules, buyers must pay for the item within 4 days of purchasing or winning an auction. However, sometimes when selling on eBay, payment might not be received immediately. For example, the buyer makes a Best Offer to the seller, gets consent, and then stops responding to messages. In these situations, you can remind them yourself by sending an invoice or you can cancel the order.
Sellers no longer need to open a dispute to remind the buyer to pay for the order. Cancellation of unpaid orders is now faster.
If you have open “Buyer hasn't paid” disputes, you can complete them within 36 days from the date of opening. If you do not close the dispute within 36 days, eBay will close it for you. In this case, you will not be able to receive a refund of the Final Value Fee, and the unpaid transaction will not appear in the buyer's account.
How to send an invoice to a buyer
If the user has not paid for the auction they won, eBay will remind them of the purchase after 4 days. You can also send an invoice to the buyer within 30 days of purchase.
- Find the item under Sold items in My eBay.
- Click on More actions.
- Select Send invoice.
To find the invoice, your buyer should either:
- open My eBay > Purchase history > Unpaid invoices.
or:
- at the item page, click View order details to see the revised invoice amounts.
How to cancel an unpaid order
If, after receiving the invoice, the buyer has still not paid, you can cancel the order after 4 calendar days and up to 30 days after the order is placed. You can also make an offer to the next highest bidder in the Auction.
Use the Cancel order button and select the Buyer hasn't paid option from the drop-down menu. Your listing will be posted automatically, and the buyer's review will be removed.
Do not cancel an order that has already been paid for. Otherwise, your account may be blocked.
How to set up automatic cancellation of unpaid orders
You can enable the setting in which orders not paid for 4 days in advance will be canceled automatically. Any reviews left by buyers of the unpaid item will also be removed.
In My eBay, select the Seller Account menu. Go to Selling Preferences and select Edit next to Preferences for items awaiting payment.
Turn on automatic cancellation of transactions with unpaid items. You can also set up listing republishing, if desired.
Here, if you wish, you can assign exceptions — enter the names of users whose orders will not be canceled automatically. These might be buyers you trust and are willing to provide deferred payments.
After completing the settings, click on the Save button.
You can also hide your listings from users who have already canceled unpaid purchases.