Posted on 10/11/2008 12:11:41 PM PDT by shortstop
Ebay is forcing customers to a payment option of Paypal or credit cards by October 20, 2008. Their email states:
Offer an approved electronic payment method by October 20
Make sure you're ready for an uninterrupted holiday selling season: Offer PayPal, a merchant credit card, and/or one of the other approved electronic payment methods by October 20 when checks and money orders will no longer be allowed.
Their release states as follows:
Faster, more secure checkout experience
Paper payments end this October
Beginning late October 2008, all items listed on eBay.com must be paid for using one of the following approved payment options:
Direct credit or debit card payment via a merchant credit card account
PayPal
ProPay
Payment on pick-up
Paper payment methods such as checks and money orders will no longer be accepted on eBay.com.
By January 2009, all approved electronic payment methods will be integrated into eBay checkout. For example, buyers will be able to enter their credit card number directly into eBay checkout, and the payment will be routed to the seller's Internet merchant account or to their PayPal account.
Please note that the new payments policy will not apply to the vehicles categories in Motors, capital equipment categories in Business & Industrial, Mature Audiences and Real Estate.
See the seller checklist for more information about these important changes and tips for bulk-editing your listings.
What are you against this?
craigslist rules
I have bought from ebay dozens of times, and I have always felt safe sending Money Orders.
If they stop accepting MOs, then I won’t be doing business with ebay.
Thanks for the heads-up.
First it was the no negative feedback, and now this. My daughter just sold a child’s dress on e-bay, was paid by paypal, and then after the delivery of the dress, the money was taken back out of her checking account. What recourse does the seller have?
So wait! All that whining and complaining about how my account was “unverified” because I didn’t have a bank account on it was crap?
Part of the problem is all the fraudulent checks and money orders.
As an eBay seller, I don’t accept those two forms of payment anyway.
> I refuse to participate in Paypal. I’m done with Ebay. Anyone know of any alternatives?
Sure, if you don’t mind trading offshore:
www.trademe.co.nz
Extremely popular DownUnder: a great little Kiwi company that made it big and sold to an Australian parent for mega-bucks. I trade on it regularly. Recommended!
I am an (occasional) eBay merchant, and while I hate paying fees as much as anyone, it is the safest, fastest and easiest way for merchants and buyers to complete the transaction. It also alleviates concerns of the buyer regarding sending personal checks or money orders to a stranger.
I’m only surprised that they waited so long to implement this.
What next? Discontinue bidding? Nothing else left to change. (Mom and Pop) sellers are leaving in droves.
I used to spend like a drunken sailor on ebay, and now, even as a buyer, I can’t stand it. Most of my favorite former ebay sellers (antiques and collectibles) have websites and great inventory, and they don’t like the way ebay treats the sellers.
As the sellers leave, the buyers will ebb away also.
Nature of the beast, though. Ebay has to please its investors, not its...field hands.
A few years ago someone hacked my PayPal account with an ebay transaction and it took months to clear up. I refuse to do business with them again.
Do the new rules mean that the banks will not consider it a cash transfer if you use a credit card for payment?
In that case, I will cease to do business on Ebay. Two years ago I had an identity theft because of Paypal and Ebay......never again. It was an ordeal.
I think part of it has to do with the new legislation in place to track payments and make sure taxes are being reported, etc.
But hey, FR takes money orders and personal checks and whaddya know, they have a FReepathon going on as we speak!
PayPal = thieves. Been there... lost 2000 bucks.
Alternatives to buying? Just about anywhere, real or virtual.
Alternatives to selling, Amazon, your own website (be sure to upload it to Googlebase), many other smaller auction venues. Pick one, pick all of them.
Sure they’re small potatoes, so was ebay once upon a time.
BTW, ebay is not discontinuing the use of checks/MO, they are disallowing sellers from stating they take them. Mostly this just means a big PITA in communicating with sellers prior to purchase to see if they are still open to paper payments.
Some sellers have their own merchant services and never have used PayPal, that won’t change. PayPal is not a requirement to buy or sell and that hasn’t changed.
Me too. I cancelled my eBay account. I hope lots of other people cancel too.
jas3
I’ve quit selling on ebay because of this. I sold an $800 ivory chess set on ebay. On the morning I had it packed & ready to take to the post office - I checked in on my paypal account to verify the shipping address - I noticed the funds had been taken out of my account & frozen!!!
When I checked on it, it said it was because the buyer had complained that it was 11 days since the auction & she hadn’t received the chess set yet! (We had previously discussed this & because you can’t ship ivory to Italy - where the buyer lived - she was going to have me ship it to a friend of hers in New York, who she was going to be visiting in 30 days.) I took my time packing every piece carefully & kept in touch with her the whole time.
Paypal never checked with me to see if I had even shipped it yet - they just yanked my money out - no questions asked. When I emailed the buyer - she said “when I receive the chess set, you will get your money”. I said - no, it doesn’t work that way - I cancel the transaction.
It makes me mad to think what would have happened if I had not checked my account that morning & sent that chess set. I hate Ebay/Paypal - they are turning off their small sellers.
Is, IMO one of the best so far.......
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