Seller News June 2010

How does the Unpaid Item Assistant work?

Since April 2010, sellers have been able to manage unpaid items in two ways:

• Use the Unpaid Item Assistant to automate the unpaid item process for listings where PayPal is the only payment method offered. PayPal is currently the only electronic payment method that can be tracked within eBay's system.
• Manually open unpaid item cases in the Resolution Centre for all listings, including those where PayPal is the only payment method offered, or where it is one amongst several payment methods being offered.

The Unpaid Item Assistant automates the process of opening and closing unpaid item cases. When enabled, a case is opened if the buyer hasn’t paid after a period of time — 4, 8, 16, 24, or 32 days, as specified by the seller. This is available for all listing formats.

After the case is opened, payment can be made within 4 days and the case closes automatically. If payment is still outstanding, the unpaid item will be automatically recorded on the buyer’s account, the case closed and the Final Value Fee refunded.

When a seller uses the Unpaid Item Assistant, the buyer won’t be able to leave Feedback until payment is made and the case is closed.

Learn more about Unpaid Item Assistant

How to opt in

1. Sign in to My eBay and select the Account tab.
2. Click Site Preferences on the left side of the page.
3. Click Show to the right of the Unpaid Item Assistant option.
4. Select Yes – I want Unpaid Item Assistant to open and close cases on my behalf. In the drop-down menu, select the number of days you want Unpaid Item Assistant to wait before opening a case. Sellers should ensure that this corresponds to the payment period described in their listings. If the lower value (for example, 4 days) is unavailable, sellers may need to update their combined payments preference.
5. Select the Real-time option in the drop-down menus if you want to automatically send an email to the buyer:
   • When Unpaid Item Assistant opens a case
   • When Unpaid Item Assistant closes a case or a case expires
6. Click Save.

Sellers will be able to turn off the Unpaid Item Assistant for individual transactions. This will give sellers greater flexibility to attend to the different needs of customers.

Learn more about Unpaid Item Assistant

Take action

By when	Take action
Now	Opt in to Unpaid Item Assistant.
Now	Read more about the Unpaid Item Assistant.
Now	Review these tips on keeping transactions trouble free.
Now	Review our Seller Checklist

1. Will a seller be able to turn off Unpaid Item Assistant for individual transactions?
2. Will all listings need to be updated in order to opt in to the Unpaid Item Assistant?
3. Can Unpaid Item Assistant be used with a third-party checkout service?
4. Will the buyer be able to leave Feedback when an unpaid item case is opened?

1. Will a seller be able to turn off the Unpaid Item Assistant for individual transactions?

The Unpaid Item Assistant can be switched off for individual transactions, such as to allow additional time to pay, before a case is opened.

To turn it off for a specific transaction:

1. Go to the Resolution Centre and click the Sign in link below the Your Cases heading.
2. Find the item in the list of cases.
3. Click the Take action link and select the Turn off UPI Assistant option from the drop-down menu.

Once it is switched off for an individual transaction, it will move into the unpaid item manual process and timeline, but only for this transaction.

If a seller agreed to other arrangements but forgot to turn off the Unpaid Item Assistant and an unpaid item is recorded on the buyer’s account, the buyer will need to appeal the unpaid item case directly with eBay Customer Support.

2. Will all listings need to be updated in order to opt in to the Unpaid Item Assistant?

No. Sellers can opt in to the Unpaid Item Assistant, however it will only work automatically for listings where PayPal is the only payment method. For other listings where PayPal is one amongst several payment methods, the Unpaid Item Assistant is not available and sellers will need to manage the unpaid item cases manually through the Resolution Centre.

However, sellers should ensure that payment terms described in listings correspond to the number of days that sellers set for the Unpaid Item Assistant to automatically open a case on their behalf.

3. Can the Unpaid Item Assistant be used with a third-party checkout service?

Yes, if the third-party service uses eBay checkout, it's supported by the Unpaid Item Assistant.

4. Will the buyer be able to leave Feedback when an unpaid item case is opened?

When an unpaid item case is opened using the Unpaid Item Assistant, the buyer will be automatically blocked from leaving Feedback for that item. (This is not the case if the unpaid item is going through the manual process.)

Buyers will be able to leave Feedback under these conditions:

• Before the Unpaid Item Assistant opens the case
• If the buyer pays after the case is opened
• If the buyer successfully appeals the case
• After the case is closed and if no unpaid item is recorded on the buyer’s account