Funds pending – awaiting delivery - Why has this suddenly started?

[leisurecomplex]

Hi,

I've been using eBay for 24 years now and I have never had a 'Funds pending – awaiting delivery' show on any sale.

For some reason this has shown on three items I have sold over the past couple of days, when everything else I have sold over the past couple of months has been fine and payment has arrived as usual.

These are physical items, not digital, and I've been selling for 24 years, so why all of a sudden is this a thing?

thanks

Sam

[lo.maggi]

Funds are released once item has been physically delivered. This is new as part of the buyer protection 4th February 2025. Also the buyer has to pay extra on top of what they are already paying for the item, so for instance if a sale costs 50p the buyer will have to pay 77p, if this makes sense.

[vintique*violet]

Changes to how private sellers get paid was announced last year and came into affect on the 4th February. You should have received a message about this - mine was highlighted on top of my orders page. Although this was then delayed by a further 2 days and commenced on the 6th February. 

Basically, all funds are held as " pending" until considered " successful delivery" 

Untracked = 14 days or 24 hours after delivery if positive feedback is received. 

Tracked = 48 hours AFTER confirmed delivery. If no delivery confirmation, the wait again is 14 days 

The system has to show item as " delivered" as it appears  " algorithms, automation" is being used for this process.  

If there is an issue and the buyer opens a " case" expect funds to be held for a longer period until the claim is resolved. 

What ebay states...

When sales proceeds will be available

Starting 6 February, 2025, eBay will typically make the sales proceeds of private sellers available in your eBay balance after the order has been successfully delivered, unless subject to a hold. We'll use these criteria to determine when an item has been successfully delivered:

• For tracked deliveries, funds will be available 2 calendar days after we receive confirmation from the tracked service that the delivery was successful
• For local collection, funds will be available within 24 hours after you enter the 6-digit confirmation code the buyer received by email, or when the buyer scans the QR code
• If the item includes Authenticity Guarantee - opens in new window or tab, funds will be available within 24 hours after the item is successfully authenticated
• For items sent via Global Shipping Programme - opens in new window or tab, funds will be available within 24 hours after the item is delivered to the UK Shipping Centre
• For untracked deliveries, or tracked deliveries with no delivery confirmation, funds will become available 14 calendar days from the order date

Your funds will appear as Pending in the Payments tab in My eBay or Seller Hub. You'll be able to use your pending funds to purchase postage labels and issue refunds to the buyer.

Funds can also appear as Pending when they are awaiting verification. You’ll see these funds as Pending—on hold. If your funds are Pending—on hold, we'll send you an email and may request information to help resolve the issue. Visit our article on Payments on hold - opens in new window or tab and our Payments Terms of Use - opens in new window or tab for more information.

@leisurecomplex 

Edit to add... ebay info. 

[myriad*seller]

The benefits are actually all for private sellers who no longer have to refund the buyer if items are lost or damaged in the post

The 24/7 helpline is what is offered to buyers but apparently is AI outside office hours anyway

Why do buyers need a helpline anyway? You simply open a case if there is an issue with your item, I have only ever needed to contact CS once and I have been buying for probably 20 years

[vintique*violet]

As an addition comment to my previous post regarding " pending funds"

eBay state 

Funds can also appear as Pending when they are awaiting verification. You’ll see these funds as Pending—on hold. If your funds are Pending—on hold, we'll send you an email and may request information to help resolve the issue.

Concerns were  raised before that ebay will hold funds also for the " verification process' which basically means if you do not provide them with what they need to " verify" you ( even thou a gov id does not exists and never has ) or anything else they deem they need and you cannot comply. eBay  will hold your funds indefinitely!

There will be "excuses" to hold on to your funds for as long as possible so that they can garner interest on said funds! 

I believe that eBay is not a safe online marketplace and is being unjust and unfair to private sellers. 

[theelench]

But ebay will also continue to bombard private sellers with messages encouraging them to Sponsor their listings.

Going by my experience it will become increasingly clear that unless they do their visibility will be restricted limiting their sales, reducing them year by year until the message sinks in.

My experience, 2021  20+ sales.  2022 13 sales.  2023 13 sales.  2024 4 sales.  With ebay usually 'recommending' that I sponsor at between 11% and 14%. 

It becomes clear that without paying ebay almost as much as the previous FVF my sales are dead.  Add to that the compulsory 14 day payment hold, then manually requesting funds sent to bank adding another 2 days.

Add to that whatever Simple Delivery has in store and how it will limit my ability to use the delivery company of my choice and which of their services I'm allowed to use and you can perhaps see why I've decided to stop selling here.

[jma2815]

At which point in the sale the seller adjusts their fee will become important. 

It will be be no good most private sellers adjusting their price, adjusting it from what? There’s no RRP for second hand goods. 

I think that whatever a thing is priced at the buyer will see the fee and make an offer based on getting that removed, probably witha bit more for good measure. Explaining that the price has already been carefully thought out to make up for the fee won’t wash with the new generation of buyers. They’ll want to do a deal just before checkout and feel like they’ve ‘won’. 

[bittyboy101]

eBay are now having to compete with sites like V**ted and have now been shamed (with a heavy heart) into allowing private sellers to list their stuff for FREE...

This has now lost them a lot of money so now the only way they can now make money out of private sellers is to HOLD ON TO THEIR SALES MONEY AND INVEST IT SOMEWHERE FOR A FEW DAYS ALONG WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHER PRIVATE SELLERS FUNDS EARNING THEM MASSIVE INTEREST ON THE TOTAL AMOUNT DAILY !

[pinkcar0]

Funds Pending . . . Means they can hang onto your payment for 2 days after your item has been delivered to your buyer.  Earning them interest all the time it's in their bank!  They give with one hand (no selling fees for private sellers) then take with the other . . . 

[gavin_eire]

I don’t see how this is going to work when like a third of my tracked items never actually go to delivered. Never had one go missing,  but Royal Mail don’t seem to care to track them a lot of the time if they don’t need a signature. 

I’ve had buyers come back and leave feedback, thanking me for the item and its condition, on packages that still aren’t showing as delivered, months later. What now?

[pinkcar0]

I always send mine via Royal Mail and get a proof of posting reciept from
the counter staff. Although I don't pay for a tracked service it does
always register when it is delivered on my ebay account. Odd I know but
this always works for me. I have never had a package go astray. Been
selling for over 20 years

[jma2815]

Payment will be 14 days after the order date on untracked items. Barring a ‘not received’ claim after five days, of course. 

[gavin_eire]

The items are tracked, though. They scan the QR code when I hand them over at the counter and they print the label for me, I get the proof of postage. But the tracking shows no events at all, only “tracking number issued” and acts like I never handed it over. It’s happened over thirty times in the last year. Never had one issue with non-receipt. 

[andha-21]

Earlier you said you don't know how this will work now, based on your experience and I assume you meant work for you.

My question is what if it's primary purpose is to work for eBay and not you, or any of us?

[andha-21]

& if Royal Mail don't mark delivery you will probably be waiting 14 days.

Can't remember exactly which threads they are on, but 2 sellers popped up since yesterday. Both have proof of delivery, both have customer feedback, both have been informed by eBay their payments are on hold. Off memory I think one said the 19th .

As I've kept saying, eBay didn't say they would pay after 2 days. They said they "typically" would.

[jma2815]

Ok. I understand that even if you don’t pay for tracking you can still find out with proof of posting when it has been delivered.

To count for 2 day payment you need to use a service where you do pay for tracking - eg RM Tracked 24/48 and show as tracked and delivered within ebay to qualify for payment before 14 days. If eBay’s system gets stuck at ‘tracking number provided’ and never updates to ‘delivered’ (as it often does), even if the carrier’s website shows delivered, you have to wait 14 days. 

Oh, Unless its under a tenner in which case positive feedback could get it released. Its a mess and it hasn’t even really started yet. 

[lucy_farmer]

'Oh, Unless its under a tenner in which case positive feedback could get it released.'

But only from the end of Feb; not yet.

[pinkcar0]

I have a payment pending on a sold item that was delivered to my buyer
today. I did not use a tracking service - just got a proof of posting from
Royal Mail. My item showed as delivered today on my sold page and my
payment shows it will be available in 2 days from today on my payments
page. So for me i will not pay the extra payment for a tracked service as
my normal proof of posting is working.

[andha-21]

Not just 2 days. They say "typically" in the area. Means it isn't guaranteed.

[andha-21]

"my normal proof of posting is working."

This time!

[k3vyn.w]

In deed sounds great but any item that is not tracked will not show as delivered, so have to wait 2 weeks, unless feedback left, no feedback means another 2 weeks then you get paid.

i guess all my items have to have a price change and tracked which means my 3.90 items have doubled in price. Tracked item get paid 2 days after delivery. hopefully ebay will suffer for these changes