Frequently asked questions

It sends your own messages to your eBay buyers automatically: a thank-you after they pay, a note when you dispatch their order, and an optional feedback reminder a few days later. You write each message once and SellerThanks sends it to every buyer, personalised with their name and what they bought.

No. You log in with your email, connect your eBay account with a couple of clicks on eBay's own page, type your messages and switch them on. There's nothing to install.

Create your account with your email address, connect your eBay account from your dashboard, start your free trial, then write your messages and switch them on. See How it works for the full steps.

Yes. There's a 7-day free trial, and no card is needed to start it. If you'd like to carry on, click Add card to carry on on your dashboard before the trial ends: you won't be charged until the trial is over. If you don't, the trial simply ends and you're never charged.

• After payment: sent once to each buyer after they pay, for example to thank them and explain your dispatch times.
• When dispatched: sent once when you mark the order dispatched on eBay, and can include the tracking number.
• Feedback reminder: sent once, a number of days after dispatch that you choose, politely asking the buyer to leave feedback.

Each message has its own on/off switch, so you can use one, two or all three.

SellerThanks checks for new orders about every 30 minutes, so the after payment and dispatch messages usually arrive within half an hour. The feedback reminder is sent the number of days after dispatch that you choose, from 3 to 30 (14 days unless you change it).

No. SellerThanks keeps a record of every order it has messaged, so each buyer gets each message only once per order.

No. Each message is only sent for orders that come in (or, for the dispatch message and feedback reminder, are dispatched) after you switch it on. If you switch a message off and on again, orders from the time it was off don't get it.

Yes. Type placeholders such as {buyer_first_name}, {item_title}, {size} or {tracking_number} into your message and they're filled in for each buyer. For example, "Thanks {buyer_first_name}, your {item_title} is on its way!" becomes "Thanks Sarah, your Warning Sign is on its way!" The full list is on How it works and on your dashboard.

Up to 1,500 characters. Placeholders are filled in when the message is sent, so the finished message can be a little longer or shorter. eBay's own limit is 2,000 characters.

When you mark the whole order as dispatched on eBay, or add tracking. If an order has several items, it waits until they're all dispatched. If there's no tracking number, {tracking_number} shows "not available", so it's worth wording your message so it still reads well.

It's skipped if the buyer has already left feedback, or if the order has been cancelled or refunded.

eBay's feedback rules: you can ask buyers for feedback, but you must not offer anything in return (such as a discount or refund), or pressure them or ask specifically for positive feedback. For example: "If you're happy with your order, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave feedback."

Messages are sent from your own eBay account through eBay's messaging, so buyers see them in their eBay messages like any other message from you. If a buyer replies, the reply arrives in your eBay inbox as normal.

Yes. Message History on your dashboard shows each message sent, which order it was for and when.

Yes. Untick a message's switch on your dashboard at any time and it stops from the next check. Your message text is kept, ready for when you switch it back on.

SellerThanks connects through eBay's official tools for sellers, and your messages are sent through eBay's own messaging. Buyers' addresses and contact details are never added to messages. You're responsible for what your messages say, so keep them in line with eBay's rules on messages and feedback.

No. You connect on eBay's own sign-in page and approve what SellerThanks can do. We never see your eBay password. eBay gives SellerThanks an access key, which is stored encrypted.

Click Disconnect eBay Account on your dashboard. The access key is deleted and messages stop straight away. You can also remove SellerThanks' access in your eBay account settings.

Only eBay order numbers, so nobody is messaged twice. A buyer's first name and what they ordered are read from eBay when a message is sent, then discarded. See Security and your data and our Privacy Policy.

One plan: £4.99 per month plus VAT (£5.99 per month in the UK), after a 7-day free trial. No card is needed to start the trial.

Use Manage subscription on your dashboard. During the free trial you won't be charged: if you don't add a card, the trial simply ends. If you cancel after it, your subscription runs to the end of the month you've paid for and isn't renewed.

Messages stop being sent. Your messages and settings are kept, so if you subscribe again they're ready to go.

Payments are handled by Stripe, which processes every payment and handles VAT. Your card details go straight to Stripe and never reach SellerThanks. Refunds are handled by Stripe too: see section 5 of our Terms, or contact us and we'll help.