Frequently
Asked Questions
Getting Started
Selling eBay Giving Works items
Buying eBay Giving Works items
Benefiting from eBay listings
All about the money
Getting Started
Who is MissionFish?
We're the nonprofit that eBay has teamed up with to power the eBay Giving Works program. The work we do includes: certifying all nonprofits that use eBay Giving Works, collecting donations from sellers, distributing money to the benefiting organization, and more.
Does eBay own MissionFish?
No, MissionFish is a nonprofit and totally separate from eBay. We are eBay's exclusive provider for the eBay Giving Works program, but we're a service of the Points of Light Foundation.
Why do I have to put a credit card on file with MissionFish?
We're responsible for collecting eBay Giving Works donations from community sellers. We require sellers to put a credit card on file as a guarantee for donations you will make when an item sells. That way if you forget to make a donation, we can just charge it to your credit card.
Why am I having trouble signing in?
First, you should also make sure that you've registered with eBay (if you're a seller) and MissionFish (if you're a seller and / or a nonprofit).
Most people who have trouble signing in are using the wrong part of our sign-in page. If you're a seller, be sure to click the link that says "Click here" to go through a special eBay sign-in form. If you're a nonprofit, be sure to provide the username and password for your nonprofit account where requested.
How do I contact MissionFish?
You can contact our Community Care team by e-mail through our website.
Do you have a phone number that I can call?
Our Community Care team is small (three people) and we're juggling questions from tens of thousands of users in the US and the UK. E-mail is the best way for us to manage all of those questions and get you answers as fast as possible. Click here to contact our Community Care team by e-mail through our website.
Selling eBay Giving Works items
How do I sell an item for charity on eBay?
To start you'll need to get an eBay seller account. Once you have one, create a listing on eBay. On the Pictures and Details section, look for "Donate a percentage of sale." Follow the instructions (including registration with MissionFish) to select a nonprofit and a percentage to give.
What's the difference between Community Selling and Direct Selling?
When anyone lists an item through eBay Giving Works and donates 10-100% (5% minimum for motors) of the final sale price to a nonprofit, we call that "Community Selling." When a nonprofit organization sells items on eBay that have been donated to them, we call that "Direct Selling."
In Community Selling, MissionFish receives the donation, delivers it to the nonprofit, and provides a tax receipt back to the seller. In Direct Selling, the nonprofit gets their money directly from the buyer. MissionFish is not involved in the transaction, and we do not provide a tax receipt.
Do I have to pay eBay fees for eBay Giving Works items?
Yes, all sellers (Community and Direct) must pay fees for eBay Giving Works listings, just like any eBay listing. These fees usually range between 3-7% of the final value. Starting October 1, 2006, eBay will give a fee credit for sellers who donate through eBay Giving Works.
Why aren't my listings showing up on MissionFish?
Our site depends on eBay's system to tell us when you list a new eBay Giving Works item, when your item sells, if you cancel your listing, and more. Typically eBay sends us that data in less than a day, but sometimes it takes longer.
If your listing is new (or just closed) and it hasn't appeared on MissionFish yet, please check back a little later. If it's been more than 72 hours and your item still hasn't appeared, please contact our Community Care team.
I have a buyer who didn't pay, what do I do? (How do I get a refund?)
If you have a buyer who fails to pay for an eBay Giving Work item, you can get your donation refunded (if you've already paid MissionFish) or forgiven (if you haven't). Start by clicking "request a refund" on the Make a Donation tab inside your MissionFish account. You'll need to do this even if we haven't yet charged your card. In fact, if we haven't charged your card yet, requesting a refund freezes our automatic charge process until the refund is resolved.
Before we can approve your refund, you'll also need to request and receive a final value fee credit from eBay.
What is your refund policy?
If your eBay Giving Works transaction doesn't work out with the buyer, you may be able to get your donation refunded (if you've already paid MissionFish) or forgiven (if you haven't paid us yet). To get a donation refund you must:
- File a refund request with us within 45 days after your listing ends on eBay
- File for and receive a unpaid item (UPI) final-value-fee credit from eBay
How do I make a donation (and who do I give my money to)?
When your eBay Giving Works listing sells, you make the promised donation to MissionFish. To make a donation, sign in to your MissionFish seller account, click "Make a Donation," and follow the instructions through our donation checkout process. Please note that we do not accept PayPal payments made outside our donation checkout process.
If you haven't made your donation to MissionFish by the second Monday after your listing closed, we will automatically collect it from your credit or debit card on file.
What are my payment options for making a donation?
You can make any donation by credit card or PayPal. If your total donations add up to more than $1,000, you will also have the option of paying by bank-certified check or electronic funds transfer (EFT). When we automatically collect a donation, we always use your credit or debit card on file.
How much of my donation does the nonprofit get?
The nonprofit gets 80-97% of each Community Seller donation. We’re a nonprofit too, and we have to keep a small part of each donation to offset bank fees and other expenses. Our share is based on the size of the donation, and it gets smaller as the amount gets bigger. We never keep more than 20%, and our average share is roughly 10%.
Because MissionFish is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the amount we deduct from your donation is still tax deductible. Also remember that for Direct Seller listings, the nonprofit receives 100% of the final sale price from the buyer.
When do I get a tax receipt?
Waive your right to a refund when you make a donation and you'll be able to get a tax receipt immediately. Otherwise you'll have to wait until we deliver your funds to the nonprofit. Tax receipts are available in the "My Donations" tab of your MissionFish seller account.
Will the nonprofit get my contact information?
Only if you say so. We always give the nonprofit your name, but will only give them your contact information if you opt-in inside your MissionFish seller profile.
Buying eBay Giving Works items
How can I tell if an eBay listing supports a nonprofit?
eBay Giving Works listings always have this special ribbon  next to the listing title. Look for it in your eBay search results, and on any eBay listing that you're thinking about buying. In the listing you'll also find the name of the benefiting nonprofit, and the percent of the final sale price the seller is donating.
How can I be sure that the seller really makes a donation from something I buy?
It's our job to ensure that the seller makes a donation as promised. We require sellers to put a credit card on file with us, so we always have a way of collecting a donation that's due.
Can I donate "extra" to the nonprofit above the sale price?
Not through MissionFish. However you can always make a donation directly to the nonprofit through their own website.
Benefiting from eBay listings
When will our nonprofit get paid by MissionFish?
We pay out donations to nonprofits on the 25th of each month. The date you'll receive a specific donation depends on when the seller makes the donation to MissionFish (the sooner the better) and whether they've waived their right to a refund (waiving a refund = faster payout).
Why does MissionFish hold onto donations?
Unless the seller has waived their right to a donation refund*, we hold donations in escrow for at least 45 days. This is to protect the seller in case the seller's deal with a buyer falls through (the item arrives broken, the buyer never pays, etc.) and they need to get their donation back from us. It also protects the nonprofit: we don't want to ask for money back once we've paid a nonprofit, so we hold onto it until eBay's refund period expires.
*Sellers can speed up our payout to you by waiving their right to a refund. Many sellers do this once they know that their deal with the buyer has been completed.
Our organization is based outside of the U.S., can we join MissionFish?
Right now, MissionFish is only available to U.S.-based organizations on www.ebay.com and U.K.-based organizations on www.ebay.co.uk. If your group is located in another country, you can't currently be part of MissionFish. However, you can contact your local eBay site and ask for a charity program in your country.
How can we be featured on MissionFish (and eBay)?
Any certified nonprofit can be featured on MissionFish (and eBay) for free. Look for the "Get featured on MissionFish" link in the "My Promotional Tools" box of "My Summary" page inside your MissionFish nonprofit account.
How do we become a nonprofit Direct Seller?
It's easy for a Nonprofit to become a Direct Seller:
- First, register for an eBay seller account
- Then register for a MissionFish nonprofit account
- Next, add your eBay seller ID as a "Direct Seller" inside your nonprofit account
- Finally, when you create your first eBay Giving Works listing, you'll be prompted to create a MissionFish seller profile. Do that and you're done.
Why isn't my organization appearing on MissionFish yet?
If your organization does not appear in our database of certified nonprofits, it's probably because there's still an incomplete step in our certification process. Here are two common reasons for delays in certification:
- Did you get the "The next step in registration" e-mail from MissionFish?
If not, contact our Community Care team and we'll resend it to you.
- Did you fax your documentation to us?
If not, send us proof of your tax-deductible status, a voided check, and the signed confirmation page to (202) 330-5545.
I'm a nonprofit selling on eBay, why are you trying to collect money from me?
You haven't added your eBay Seller ID as a Direct Seller inside your MissionFish nonprofit account. Completing this step tells us that your Seller ID belongs to a nonprofit, and we'll know that we don't need to collect donations from you in the future.
All About The Money
Why do you have a minimum donation?
While nonprofits value all gifts they receive, it takes resources for them to process any donation. A minimum donation ensures that every contribution made through eBay Giving Works doesn’t end up costing the organization more than it’s worth to process.
Why is the minimum donation $5?
Our nonprofits have told us overwhelmingly that $5 is a fair amount for a minimum donation. When eBay Giving Works started, we had a $10 minimum donation. Nonprofits mostly liked it, but lots of sellers told us that $10 was a barrier to using the program. We’ve lowered it to $5 now, and will continue to look for ways to make it even better.
Note: The $5 minimum donation applies to eBay Giving Works listings that ended after 12:01 AM PST on September 14, 2006. Learn More.
Why does MissionFish keep part of my donation?
We’re a nonprofit, but operating this program isn’t free. It costs us money to screen new nonprofits, process the donations, keep our technology up and running (and improve it), provide training and customer service, and the hundreds of other things that we do every day to power eBay Giving Works. We also have to pay our tiny staff, who work dot-com hours for dot-org salaries. The amount we keep from each donation doesn’t come close to paying all of our expenses, but every bit helps.
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