Unpaid items update

What you need to know

  • Reducing unpaid items for accepted offers

Reducing unpaid items with offers

We’re continuing work we started in 2021 to reduce unpaid items on eBay, which we know has been a long-standing challenge for many of you. 

In October 2021, we piloted a new process for collecting payment from a buyer automatically following acceptance of their offer. To do this we asked the buyer for payment and shipping details in the Best Offer flows. Starting in April, we plan to expand our coverage and include more buyers, which should further reduce unpaid items from buyer offers.

By mid-year we will also start collecting payment details in other Best Offer scenarios, including counter offers and Offers to buyers. These changes will be applied automatically for buyers, so you don't need to update or make changes to your listings.

We're listening to our seller community, and we're on a journey to make things better for you. Managing payments for our users places eBay in a better position to collect payment for buyer commitments.

FAQ

What is an unpaid item?

After an offer is accepted, it’s usually a smooth process to complete the transaction with the buyer, but sometimes the buyer may not pay for the item they offered to buy. These are called unpaid items

Does this programme mean I won’t have any more unpaid items for offers?

This is the goal. We’re trying to tackle unpaid items wherever possible and prevent the challenges they bring. You may expect fewer unpaid items from offers as we scale this programme; however, they may continue to happen from time to time in some specific scenarios, such as offers with very high offer price. Please note these changes do not apply to auction listings. 

Do I still need to cancel unpaid items if they happen?

If an item is unpaid, you should continue to cancel the order just as you do today. We recently streamlined our unpaid item process and moved it to the cancel flow, where you can specify your preference and whether you want unpaid items to be cancelled after four days.

Can I control whether eligible buyers are asked for payment and shipping information for my Best Offer listings?

Yes. You can opt out of this feature in Buyer Payment Requirements. If you opt out, eligible buyers will not be asked for payment and shipping information upfront when they submit offers for your listings. We encourage you to remain opted in so your items are paid for and orders are created quickly.