Should You Use Immediate Payment for Buy It Now Purchases?
To require immediate payment or not to require immediate payment. That is the question.
Some sellers require immediate payment when a customer chooses Buy It Now. Some do not. Which is the best practice? Neither option is better than the other, you must choose what works for you. And if you choose to do it one way and it doesn't seem to be working, switch to the other. Play around with eBay. That is the joy of working for yourself. If your business model isn't working, change it! Consider all aspects of the situation. Think first how you feel about it as a buyer. Does it annoy you when you have to pay immediately? Do you choose to buy elsewhere when you see a seller using this option? Does it even matter to you at all? Here are a few more things to consider: Negative Scenarios Buyer wants to pay with a different credit card than they have on file with eBay or perhaps use their debit card on their purchase. That option is not available with immediate payment. Knowing that you require immediate payment might make them back out of purchasing from you. Buyer sees another item you have and is considering purchasing both. When you have immediate payment chosen, it doesn't let the buyer combine purchases (unless you have your store set up to do so), therefore the buyer doesn't get combined shipping on what you are offering. This is not a major deal as you can always refund the buyer the difference once you combine shipping. However, what if it turns the buyer away from your store because they think you aren't combining shipping and you lose a sale? Non-payers do not bother you. This isn't really negative but it is a reason to not require immediate payment. Some sellers are not disturbed by non-paying buyers. They just wait the appropriate amount of time, file an Unpaid Item Dispute and let eBay do it's charm. On one of my stores, I sell multiple quantities of the same item so it never keeps an item tied up in a dispute for me therefore non-payers are not an issue. On another store, I have unique items so it does keep items tied up for a long amount of time which can drive me insane. I like to move items out the door in this store. Positive Scenarios You offer free shipping on your items. There is no need to combine shipping so immediate payment would be a plus for you. It keeps the wheels a turnin' and you can get the buyer's item shipped out quickly. You don't have to wait days for buyers to pay. You don't have to send invoices to remind them to pay. You don't have to keep checking to see if they did pay. It's like anything else you buy online - you pay for it when you order it. Most people expect that from a business. Buyers utilize the cart option on eBay. this process takes care of combined shipping issue. Sidenote: This is not saying all buyers who purchase more than one item will use the cart option. Non-payers get under your skin. Again, not really a positive note, but a reason to require immediate payment. One drawback of a non-payer is the time it takes to wait before you can relist the item again. If you have a one of a kind vase, you have to wait until the Unpaid Item Dispute is complete before relisting and possibly getting a paying buyer. If non-paying buyers bother you, you might want to require immediate payment. Do you require immediate payment from your buyers? What are your reasons for requiring or not requiring?
