so frustrated! BUY IT NOW won't connect to my Paypal - customers can't pay!

This is my last resource for help. For 3 DAYS I've been going back and forth with eBay on the phone and Paypal on the phone and still NO solution to my problem.

 

I'm a long time member - over 18 years - and Paypal member over 18 years. I sold my art on eBay pretty successfully for the first few years. I stopped selling around 2007 when the market changed and sales fell off.  However, I have kept both my eBay and Paypal accts. active.  I use Paypal for other things and I buy through eBay periodically. None of my personal info  has changed on either of these places - I've had the same address and the same email address connected to both.  I'm in Canada - most of my buyers have been in the US so I've always had my Paypal set up to take US currency.

 

  A few days ago I decided to try listing some things on eBay again.  All of the settings are current and correct on both my eBay and Paypal accounts.   I have always had Paypal set up to take US currency and the "linked" email address from eBay to Paypal is correct - same one I've used forever. (I've even "unlinked" and "re-linked my email address, in trying to re-boot it.)

 

 BUT - HERE IT COMES !!!! …  when a potential customer tries to use BUY IT NOW (all my items are BUY IT NOW) then pay with Paypal they get a message saying "Sorry, this payment option isn't available. "  A potential buyer brought this all to my attention in the first place (she's an avid seller herself - she knows what she's doing - not a newbie) or I'd had never known about the problem.   I have gone back and forth with this potential buyer about 30 times in 3 days (eBay messaging) trying everything we can and calling eBay and Paypal (she's called them and so have I - I've called EACH OF THEM -  3 TIMES !!  )  in between our back and forth messages - always trying everything we've been told to try.   She's used a home computer with no success and then she tried her new cell phone to make the buy and still - the stupid notice pops up that won't let her pay with Paypal.   On my second call to eBay the gal (staff member) even tried using her OWN eBay account to go in and purchase the same item that my potential buyer keeps trying to buy.  And she (staff member) got the SAME message - "Sorry, this payment option isn't available" .  

 

  Nope - nothing works and NO ONE HAS SOLVED my problem.   At the end of each phone call to each company, they blame each other - "Sorry, but this must be a Paypal problem" -  or "Sorry but this must be an eBay problem". Well...guess who's left with the problem - ME!  I'll now have to cancel all eBay listings and never be able to list ever again because NO ONE can fix this problem for me!   Thanks for listening -  I'm soooooo unhappy about all this run-around with NO RESOLVE!   (paintingwithpassion)     

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Answers (7)

tyler@ebay
Community Member

@paintingwithpassion wrote:

This is my last resource for help. For 3 DAYS I've been going back and forth with eBay on the phone and Paypal on the phone and still NO solution to my problem.

 

I'm a long time member - over 18 years - and Paypal member over 18 years. I sold my art on eBay pretty successfully for the first few years. I stopped selling around 2007 when the market changed and sales fell off.  However, I have kept both my eBay and Paypal accts. active.  I use Paypal for other things and I buy through eBay periodically. None of my personal info  has changed on either of these places - I've had the same address and the same email address connected to both.  I'm in Canada - most of my buyers have been in the US so I've always had my Paypal set up to take US currency.

 

  A few days ago I decided to try listing some things on eBay again.  All of the settings are current and correct on both my eBay and Paypal accounts.   I have always had Paypal set up to take US currency and the "linked" email address from eBay to Paypal is correct - same one I've used forever. (I've even "unlinked" and "re-linked my email address, in trying to re-boot it.)

 

 BUT - HERE IT COMES !!!! …  when a potential customer tries to use BUY IT NOW (all my items are BUY IT NOW) then pay with Paypal they get a message saying "Sorry, this payment option isn't available. "  A potential buyer brought this all to my attention in the first place (she's an avid seller herself - she knows what she's doing - not a newbie) or I'd had never known about the problem.   I have gone back and forth with this potential buyer about 30 times in 3 days (eBay messaging) trying everything we can and calling eBay and Paypal (she's called them and so have I - I've called EACH OF THEM -  3 TIMES !!  )  in between our back and forth messages - always trying everything we've been told to try.   She's used a home computer with no success and then she tried her new cell phone to make the buy and still - the stupid notice pops up that won't let her pay with Paypal.   On my second call to eBay the gal (staff member) even tried using her OWN eBay account to go in and purchase the same item that my potential buyer keeps trying to buy.  And she (staff member) got the SAME message - "Sorry, this payment option isn't available" .  

 

  Nope - nothing works and NO ONE HAS SOLVED my problem.   At the end of each phone call to each company, they blame each other - "Sorry, but this must be a Paypal problem" -  or "Sorry but this must be an eBay problem". Well...guess who's left with the problem - ME!  I'll now have to cancel all eBay listings and never be able to list ever again because NO ONE can fix this problem for me!   Thanks for listening -  I'm soooooo unhappy about all this run-around with NO RESOLVE!   (paintingwithpassion)     


Hi @paintingwithpassion - that's definitely a frustrating situation all around, to be certain. 

 

If you've made sure your house is in order PayPal-wise (you're able to receive payments in different currencies, you're not being limited by the dollar amount, etc) then typically the issue lies with the buyer's process in checking out. 

 

It's possible to hit some type of similar decline if someone is trying to check out as a guest (meaning they input a card number without opening their PayPal account). In that scenario there would be little else for you to do, other than to ask the buyer to use their actual PayPal account. 

 

If they've been trying to use their full PayPal account and are hitting such an error, then it may have more to do with PayPal's security having issues with the specific payment method the buyer is trying to use. 

 

My recommendation would be to ask them to contact us by phone or social media (Facebook or Twitter). Customer support has the ability to look at the transaction details and the specific reason why the checkout failed and advise the buyer accordingly. Thanks!

I'm curious if you signed up for a free account from say, hotmail/outlook and attached that as a secondary e-mail for your PayPal and use that for auctions.

 

I seem to recall years and years and years......ago I had something similar and I ended up just adding a new email to the account because they could never solve what was happening with the primary one.

 

If your customer is understanding, you can always try and send her a PayPal Invoice directly, with all the require amounts, and explain to eBay staff you have no other option to complete the sale. She would still be covered under PayPal's MBG, and if you were to mark Payment received on eBay, she would still be able to use eBay MBG. It's worth a shot. Because if you send her an invoice and she can't pay it, I think we nailed whose problem it is.

 

Perhaps tyler@ebay could look into this.

Check to see if you have restrictions to other countries. Sometimes you have to change twice and save in personal settings and usually takes a day to set up. Same with all changes , make the change , save and log out wait one day....stupid but it will probably work.

@paintingwithpassion

I don't have a physical Paypal card and there's no expiry date on my on-line Paypal acct. so that isn't the problem.

 

Sorry, that was unclear.

Most sellers back their PP accounts with a credit card. And also pay their eBay and PP fees from that credit card.

 

It's the expiry date on that credit card we are asking about. Is it correct?

Is the date on the credit card that you provide match what is shown on PP.   One time I forgot to update the new expiry date on PP.  Takes a second to check it.

 

I think this is what Femme meant also.

 

Just a thought.

Thanks for the answers - still no solution to my problem.  I don't have a physical Paypal card and there's no expiry date on my on-line Paypal acct. so that isn't the problem.  Are physical Paypal cards even available to Canadians?  If I receive  money through Paypal I just transfer it directly into my bank account so I have no need for one if they are available in Canada. 

 

I do have another email address as my secondary one on Paypal ... a gmail address. It's been on the account for over 10 years. I've never switched over to it, or used it  at all with any Paypal transaction/s,   so I don't think that is the problem. 

 

At around 9 pm tonight  (PST) I finally got a call-back from eBay - from Manilla, Phil. which hasn't helped this matter much either... echoing phone lines every time, heavy accents, loud/distracting voices of other operators in the background, plus a few seconds DELAY on top of that- making it nearly impossible to understand and/or communicate with each other.  At one point yesterday,  I had to hang up and phone back again - the echo was that  bad -  I couldn't make out a word the girl said to me.  It wasn't her fault - she was pleasant and happy to have the job, like the others I've spoken to from there, the past few days.  It's eBay's fault.  They've farmed out the Customer Service department to the country who would do it the cheapest, regardless of that countries inadequate equipment, and phone connections.  If they can't seem to solve your problem and you ask for a supervisor or a technician they hang up on you, afraid you're going to report them or something.  But, we're  at the mercy of this inadequate "CS" system, no matter what!  eBay had much higher standards the first few years they were in business, when I was an avid seller from 1999 to 2007.  

 

Anyway, the gal from Manilla said she was just letting me know they were still working on my problem.  They still can't find a thing wrong with my eBay account.  They too tried to use BUY IT NOW (in some kind of test mode) on the item that I've been having problems with, and it did the same...gave them the notice that Paypal isn't an option, in paying for the item.  I asked her if she tried the same test on a different one of my items.. or on a few of them, not just the one that my potential buyer keeps trying to buy.  She said no... but, that's what they would try next, and it will be another 24 to 48 hours before they can get back to me,  with those results.  What?   I listed 30 items and for all I know  Paypal  is screwed up on ALL of my listings - but no problem - I can wait another day or two or 4 or 7 or even 14 days... don't hurry!  ha!   

Does the expiration date on your PP account match the expiration date on your actual card?

 

 

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