Can US Buyer pay with bank Debit Card?

Summary: msau4301 expressed an issue where a US buyer was unable to pay using a debit card for a purchase on their platform. This led to a discussion about whether Visa or Mastercard debit cards are acceptable for transactions, particularly when currency conversion is involved. dhslk shared a similar experience where their buyer was unable to complete a transaction due to payment issues. reallynicestamps and devon@ebay discussed the differences between Canadian and US debit cards, with devon@ebay advising to consult the bank if issues persist. Some participants suggested alternative methods like using the card via PayPal or Apple Pay. recped assured that US debit cards should work and suggested checking bank policies on foreign transactions. The issue was resolved with the buyer's bank authorizing the transaction, confirming it was a problem related to foreign currency conversion policies.

I have a buyer that has been trying to pay and it is not letting them. She said she's using the same card she uses all the time for online purchases but it's not working. She is in the US and she said she's paying with her bank card. I'm assuming it's a Debit Visa or Debit Mastercard but are these allowed for payments on .ca?

The only time I know of a problem with payment in the past was with a Discover card but that is not what she's using. Thanks in advance!

msau4301

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Posted 1 year ago·Last reply 1 year ago

11 comments

reallynicestamps

·1 year ago

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I read on another post with similar problem that "some banks lock foreign currency transactions" so not sure if that's the issue.

When we had a shop and a merchant credit card account, this was an ongoing problem with one California customer who would buy in our online auctions (not eBay) and have his purchase questioned every time. And we would phone long distance and explain again that yes he was our long standing customer, and yes he often spent thousands in our auctions and also in other purchases and yes they could check his account and see our name turn up about every three months or so for the previous several years.
We were still phoning his bank when we retired, some 20 years later.

msau4301

OP1 year ago

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Thanks so much for everyone's help/responses! Just to update payment did go through this morning. Apparently it was a bank issue with foreign currency as others had suggested (all banks/branches are not created equal). She said she called her bank and they "sent it through just for today".

So sometimes things do work out in the end!

marnotom!

·1 year ago

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It may be that the credit card-branded debit card the buyer is trying to use is issued by some backwater bank that blocks online purchases requiring currency exchange either in the name of security or their ledger software just cain’t handle it.

Adding the card to an Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal account might help (particularly the last option), but no guarantees.

recped

·1 year ago

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Currency should not be an issue, a US buyer making a purchase on eBay will be paying in US Dollars, eBay handles the conversion, the buyers credit card company or bank would not even know that the transaction involves a different currency and the merchant of record is eBay not the individual seller.

On the other hand is a US buyer attempts to purchase and checkout on eBay.ca in Canadian Dollars they MIGHT have a problem. I have never used my US debit card outside of the US.

recped

·1 year ago

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@msau4301 wrote:
I have a buyer that has been trying to pay and it is not letting them. She said she's using the same card she uses all the time for online purchases but it's not working. She is in the US and she said she's paying with her bank card. I'm assuming it's a Debit Visa or Debit Mastercard but are these allowed for payments on .ca?
The only time I know of a problem with payment in the past was with a Discover card but that is not what she's using. Thanks in advance!

There is absolutely no problem for a US buyer to use their Visa or MasterCard branded DEBIT card for payment. (virtually all US debit/bank cards are of this type).

I know this because I have a US bank and US debit card which I have been using for over 20 years , including every purchase I've ever done on eBay plus dozens of other online merchants either directly or via my PayPal account that the card is connected to. The cards can be used anywhere Visa/MC is accepted. When used at an ATM they operate like a debit card, when they are used at retail or online they act as a credit card to the merchant and a debit card to the users bank.

Unlike an actual credit card the user must have sufficient (available) funds in their bank account in order to make a purchase, if funds are not available the card won't work.

msau4301

OP1 year ago

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That's what I thought so not sure why it's not letting her. I can't pry too much obviously but suggested she contact customer service to confirm why it might be happening but my understanding was she hadn't bought outside of the US before. I read on another post with similar problem that "some banks lock foreign currency transactions" so not sure if that's the issue. She was going to "keep me posted" so waiting to hear back.

Thanks for the confirmation about the Bank Card acceptance though!

flipistics

·1 year ago

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@msau4301 wrote:
I have a buyer that has been trying to pay and it is not letting them. She said she's using the same card she uses all the time for online purchases but it's not working. She is in the US and she said she's paying with her bank card. I'm assuming it's a Debit Visa or Debit Mastercard but are these allowed for payments on .ca?
The only time I know of a problem with payment in the past was with a Discover card but that is not what she's using. Thanks in advance!

You could always list the item for the buyer on dot com. Obviously you shouldn't have to, but at least it's an option if it helps you secure the sale.

reallynicestamps

·1 year ago

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@devon@ebay

What is the situation with debit cards?
In Canada a debit card is like an electronic cheque, drawing only from the bank account, but the buyer must use a PIN number to complete the transaction. A debit card cannot normally be used for more than is actually in the attached bank account.

I understand that US debit cards which were introduced nearly a decade after we were using them in Canada, are somewhat different and might also have the "short term loan" ability of a credit card.

devon@ebay

Admin1 year ago

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

@devon@ebay

What is the situation with debit cards?
In Canada a debit card is like an electronic cheque, drawing only from the bank account, but the buyer must use a PIN number to complete the transaction. A debit card cannot normally be used for more than is actually in the attached bank account.

I understand that US debit cards which were introduced nearly a decade after we were using them in Canada, are somewhat different and might also have the "short term loan" ability of a credit card.

Hi @reallynicestamps! Most major banks that offer debit cards do work on .com and .ca. If this is still an issue, I would recommend the buyer work with their bank to see what may be preventing the payment from going through.

dhslk

·1 year ago

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Hello. This happened to me about a month ago. A US buyer tried for over an hour to pay---we tried everything. They finally bought the item in a colour they liked less from a US seller for significantly more than mine cost and sent me a screenshot to prove it. They were VERY frustrated and upset with ebay, and not a newbie---they insisted that this was the same card that they always used for ebay and other online payments.

The link where this is discussed is

Buyer can't pay in Seller's Currency — Need Suggestions

I only knew about this because it was an accepted offer. Sellers would never know about this if the item wer simply put in a cart and then abandoned due to inability to pay. I think there is a major problem going on (I've been selling here almost 20 years).

msau4301

OP1 year ago

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That is very unfortunate. At least half of my buyers are US (maybe a little less lately) and usually there are no problems that I'm aware of. Interesting that your situation seems the same, maybe they are trying to use the same card. I thought eBay took care of the currency exchange on payout for whichever method was being used but maybe not. Bank debit cards may be treated differently. She said she as going to try a different card and see what happens, still nothing so far. Sigh.

Thanks for responding, I will check out your previous post.