Unpaid Item Assistant is a tool that saves you time and effort by opening cases automatically when buyers don't pay after a period of time you specify. It also blocks negative feedback from being left on items for which the buyer does not pay.

Starting in August, you'll have a new way to get unpaid inventory back on the site fast without having to manually identify and relist the items. A new auto relist function will automatically relist items when an unpaid item case closes without the buyer paying. You'll also be able to give your best customers the time they need to pay for purchases by creating lists of preferred customers who will be excluded from Unpaid Item Assistant.

Beginning in September, Unpaid Item Assistant will be turned on automatically for all PowerSellers. If you are not a PowerSeller and want to turn on Unpaid Item Assistant, follow these steps:

1. Go to My eBay
2. Click on the Account tab
3. Choose Site Preferences
4. Click the Show link beside Unpaid Item Assistant, then click Edit
5. Select "Yes - I want Unpaid Item Assistant to open and close cases on my behalf"

Sellers who do not use eBay Checkout or transactions not using a safe electronic payment method are not able to take advantage of the features offered by Unpaid Item Assistant.

The default number of days a buyer has to pay is 16 days. You can customize this setting in Unpaid Item Assistant to automatically open a case after 4, 8, 16, 24, or 32 days. You may also choose to file a case manually through the Resolution Center, exempt specific transactions from Unpaid Item Assistant, or create a list of preferred customers who are exempt from Unpaid Item Assistant.

You can change the number of days by following these steps:

1. Go to My eBay
2. Click on the Account tab
3. Choose Site Preferences
4. Click the Show link beside Unpaid Item Assistant, then click Edit
5. In the drop-down menu next to the option "Yes - I want Unpaid Item Assistant to open and close cases on my behalf," select the number of days you want Unpaid Item Assistant to wait before opening a case

No, you can opt out of Unpaid Item Assistant by following these steps:

1. Go to My eBay
2. Click on the Account tab
3. Choose Site Preferences
4. Scroll down to Unpaid Item Assistant, click Show and then Edit
5. Change your status to "No thanks" I'll use the standard unpaid item process as needed, opening and closing cases manually."

Yes, you can exclude specific transactions from Unpaid Item Assistant by following these steps:

1. Sign into the Resolutions Centre to view your cases
2. Identify the transaction you'd like to exclude from Unpaid Item Assistant
3. Click on Take action
4. Click on Turn off UPI Assistant

Yes, you can stop automatic payment reminders by changing your site preferences under "Managing communications with buyers". If you stop these reminders, please be sure to remind your customers of items still requiring payment. This ensures that the first communication they receive about an unpaid item is not a notification that an unpaid item case has been opened against them. To turn off automatic payment reminders, follow the steps below:

1. Go to My eBay
2. Click on the Account tab
3. Choose Site Preferences
4. Scroll down to "Manage communications with buyers"
5. Next to "Send eBay purchase reminder email to buyers," click on the check-marked box next to "Yes" to deselect this option

You can exclude preferred customers from Unpaid Item Assistant and turn on Auto Relist by following these steps:

1. Go to My eBay
2. Click on the Account tab
3. Choose Site Preferences
4. Scroll down to Unpaid Item Assistant
5. To turn on Auto Relist: Under "Automatically relist the item when the case is closed with no payment," click on the drop-down menu and change the default to "Yes"
6. To create list of up to 5,000 preferred customer user IDs that will be excluded from Unpaid Item Assistant: Enter user IDs separated by commas in the box titled "Exclusion list"
7. Click on the "Save" button to save all changes

When an unpaid item case closes with no buyer payment, items will be immediately relisted if you've chosen to activate Auto Relist. You will be responsible for any fees associated with the relisting of items.

Please visit the Help section for more details on the features in Unpaid Item Assistant and how it can help you by eliminating the need to manually open and close unpaid item cases.