As a buyer, you are obliged to pay for items you buy or win. Failure to do so is a breach of our Unpaid Item Policy, and you may receive an Unpaid Item Strike.
An Unpaid Item strike can be removed if:
You send us proof that you paid for the item.
You send us proof that your seller excused you from your obligation to pay for the item.
The seller removes the strike via their account.
Examples of valid Unpaid Item strike appeals
Why might you receive an Unpaid Item Strike?
If you don't pay for an item, the seller will generally file an Unpaid Item Dispute in order to get a refund of the Final Value Fee they were charged when the listing ended. Not paying for an item is against our rules and therefore, if you can't provide proof of payment, or if the seller fails to tell us you both agreed to back out of the sale, an Unpaid Item Strike will be applied to your account.
eBay doesn't make judgements about who is to blame in disputes between buyers and sellers. However, if you subsequently provide us with proof of payment or proof that you and the seller agreed to back out of the purchase (for example, an email), we'll remove the strike from your account.
Other Unpaid Item situations
Here's a list of some common circumstances in which you might receive an Unpaid Item Strike, along with some advice on what to do:
You decided to pull out of the sale after noticing the seller had bad feedback
We can't remove a strike if you back out of a sale for this reason. It's your responsibility to check a seller's feedback before placing a bid.
You accidentally placed the bid or pressed "Buy It Now", or you accidentally bid too large an amount
If this happens, please email or phone the seller. If they're happy to excuse you, they can remove the strike via their own account.
Personal circumstances (such as losing your job) mean you can no longer go through with the sale
Again you should discuss the problem with the seller. If they're willing, they can remove the strike.
On picking up the item you discover it's significantly not as described and refuse to pay for it
You should agree with the seller to mutually withdraw from the purchase.
On delivery of the item you discover it's significantly not as described. You return the item and retract your payment
You should agree with the seller to mutually withdraw from the purchase.
The seller became "not a registered user" after the auction ended so you didn’t send payment for the item
In this case we'll remove the strike for you. Please let us know what happened.
eBay closed the listing after you won it because it was in breach of our listing policy
In this case we'll remove the strike for you. Please let us know what happened.
The seller refunded you, then opened an Unpaid Item Dispute
We'll remove the strike for you if you send us the proof of the refund or refund offer.
The seller refused to accept your preferred method of payment
If you don't accept any of the payment methods listed on the item page, we can't remove the strike for you. Sellers have the right to choose which payment methods they'll accept, as long as they state their accepted methods of payment on the item description page. For example, if you only use PayPal, and the seller states they don't accept PayPal, you shouldn't bid on the item. However, if the seller removes your preferred payment method from the listing after you placed your bid or clicked "Buy It Now", please send us any emails they sent to you regarding the change, including the email headers, through the Unpaid Item Bidder Appeal webform.
Please note: A seller must file an Unpaid Item Dispute if they want to claim back their Final Value Fee. If, when they close the dispute, they tell us you both mutually agreed to back out the sale, they can get a credit without you receiving an Unpaid Item Strike. We recommend that you ask the seller to state that you both withdrew from the purchase when they close the dispute.
How to send proof of payment to eBay
We accept any of the following as proof of payment:
Copy of a cheque or postal order: Send photocopies of the front and back of your cheque or postal order. Include the item number and your User ID.
Email communication between you and the seller: Send us copies of emails exchanged between you and the seller. Please include the email headers.
Copy of payment confirmation from PayPal or other payment service: Send or email a copy of your payment confirmation email from PayPal or a confirmation email from another payment service. Please include the email headers. If you no longer have the confirmation email please contact PayPal.
Proof that the seller left you positive feedback for the transaction: If the seller left you positive feedback, send eBay an email including the item number so that we can verify the feedback.
Proof that the seller excused you from the transaction: Send a copy of the email showing that the seller excused you from the transaction. Please include the email headers.
You can send proof of payment to us as follows:
Email: You can submit your appeal with email evidence through the online Unpaid Item Bidder Appeal webform.
Fax: Include the item number and your User ID on the documentation. Faxed appeals take up to 5 business days to process. Write "Unpaid Item Appeal" on the fax cover page and fax your appeal to: +44 (0) 207 681 2348.
Post: Include the item number and your User ID on the documentation. Posted appeals take up to 10 business days to process. Send your appeal to:
Investigations Department
Attn: Unpaid Item Appeals
eBay International AG
P.O. Box 9473
Dublin 15
Ireland
Examples of Unpaid Item strike removals
Example 1 – Mary buys a lamp from Steve and sends him a cheque for the item. Unfortunately, the cheque is delayed in the post for over two weeks. Concerned about non-payment, Steve files an Unpaid Item claim against Mary, which results in her receiving a strike. The next day, Steve receives Mary’s cheque for payment and sends her lamp with an apology note. Mary can now appeal the unpaid item strike by sending a photocopy of the note and cleared cheque.
Example 2 – Sarah is buying designer glass beads from Colin. She wants to buy 10 beads and places a multiple item bid for 10. She later finds out that she has bid on 10 lots and each lot contains 10 beads. Not knowing what to do with so many beads, she only pays for one lot but offers her apology to the seller. Satisfied with the apology, Colin excuses Sarah from purchasing the remaining 9 lots and files an Unpaid Item claim to recover Final Value Fee credits. Sarah received an Unpaid Item strike, but she can now appeal against that strike by sending the email excusing her from the transaction to eBay.
