eBay Tests 30 Minute Delay To Allow Buyers To Cancel Or Make Changes To Orders

eBay appears to be testing a feature that would allow buyers a 30 minute window after completing payment in which to cancel or update shipping and payment details on orders.

The new functionality was recently noticed by a user who shared details of their experience in an eBay community forum post.

‘Update Your Order’ Option Showing After I Click Pay, New Feature?

I recently noticed that after I click “Pay” on an eBay order, I now get a message saying:

“Need to change your address or payment details? Update your order.”

This appears after I’ve already clicked the Pay button, not before. It seems like eBay is giving me one last chance to edit my shipping address or payment method before finalizing the transaction.

Is this a new feature? Has anyone else seen this behavior recently? Does it only happen under certain conditions (e.g. unpaid items, managed payments, specific sellers)?

Just trying to confirm if this is part of a new checkout flow rollout or if it's a test.

The user subsequently followed up with screenshots of what they are seeing, clearly showing the existence of an "update your order option" showing on both the order confirmation page and in their purchase history order details page.

First image is when I place an order, see where it says 'Update your order'

Second image is in the order details page:

Please remove this feature, its NOT a good feature for obvious reasons.

They went on to say that this option seems to be available for about 30 minutes, allowing them to cancel the order without needing to wait for the seller's agreement during that time if they wanted, and that the 30 minute window has already caused problems on multiple orders where the item was actually sold out by the time the order was finally released to the seller.

Something else to note, I can also cancel my order within the 30minute time frame without the sellers permission. All purchases are Buy Now listings...

...The button is detrimental because the seller does not see the order on their end until 30minutes has passed.

There was a recent instance where I purchased something, and then I guess in the 30minute window, someone else reached out asking if it was still for sale, so the seller listed it again for the other person to buy. Then 20minutes later my payment processes and they see it as a double sale and cancel mine.

That raised concerns among other sellers in the community, one of whom tagged eBay staff to try to get some clarity about if this is a test of a new feature and if so, how exactly it works.

Hey kyle@ebay . Please take a look at the OP plus post #8 just above this one.

Buyer completes payment then has a 30 min window where they can cancel the order outright, or change address/payment method.

Is this a test only select users are seeing?

Can you provide any clarity here - like does eBay wait 30 min to notify the seller of the sale? If so, I can see that wreaking havoc with inventory management for sellers that cross-list. That said, I do see a lot of benefits to something like this, but that potential pain point is a biggie.

One solution to that pain point would be for the order to go through on the seller's side, but stuck in a pending status (awaiting payment?) for half an hour until that window passes and the order is firm. Who knows - maybe that's how it's already working?

Kyle@eBay responded and said he is trying to get more information, but he has yet to hear back from the appropriate team with any further details.

It may be worth noting that Amazon has had something like this in place for many years - they hold orders for 30 minutes before releasing them to sellers to allow time for the buyer to cancel or make any updates needed.

That process may work for many sellers on Amazon because they are more likely to be selling new consumer goods with multiple quantities in stock, so the disruption from the 30 minute hold is minimal.

However, it could potentially pose serious problems for eBay sellers of single quantity and/or used items - especially those who cross-post to other platforms and may possibly sell the item through a different channel in the 30 minute window before eBay notifies them of the sale.

Not only will buyers be disappointed in that scenario, but the seller may also face a negative impact to their account if they have to cancel the order for being out of stock - which can lead to their account status going down to Below Standard rating.

If that happens, eBay can and will apply a host of negative consequences including lower search rankings, reduced selling limits, funds on hold, limited access to features and an additional 6% fee on top of the regular Final Value Fee for subsequent sales.

Allowing a 30 minute window to cancel or update orders may be a positive change for buyers, but if eBay actually plans to introduce this feature widely they will need to provide additional seller protections to avoid putting sellers in an unfair and untenable position.

I'll be keeping a close eye on this apparent test - stay tuned for updates and in the meantime, let us know in the comments below what you think of eBay possibly allowing buyers to cancel or update orders after payment has been completed!