Changes to eBay Payment Policy?

[pierrelebel]

Over the years, we have seen many changes to eBay's payment policy.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html 

Basically, except for a few categories or pick-up, over time eBay has restricted or prohibited Canadian sellers from offering these methods of payment in their listings:

Personal cheque (check)

Interac email money transfer (Certapay)

Bank or postal money order

Cash

Western Union wire transfer

Canadian Tire money

Bank wire transfer

HyperWallet

etc...

These methods of payment were available to Canadian sellers many years ago.  Instead, eBay has been pushing the use of PayPal for most sellers.

Now, we all know PayPal offers "protection" to buyers.  The method sof payment outlined above do not.  Buyers need to rely on the honesty of the sellers in case of non-receipt or quality dispute.

My question today, for Canadian sellers exclusively (please), would you consider other methods of payment if eBay allows them?

[brandeentertainment]

I have always and will always love email money transfer.. I pay 3 of 4 suppliers this way no safety for buyers but still very easy and effective.. I mused to send business cards with every parcel letting buyer know there options with my email to contact me for any reason but to save 3% plus 30 cents it just made sense to stop doing It and pay my fees

[cumos55]

The current situation.

(1) eBay controls the method of payment....  stating it is Paypal or Credit Card company.

(2) The buyer controls whether they choose to pay with a money order or by cheque.

Any other method of payment puts the buyer at risk of losing their payment...  There  have been too many scams promoted on eBay over the years.... 

eBay has tightened up the rules .... yet there are still many sellers who state right in a listing  that they accept  Money orders, personal cheques as well as other methods of payment not acceptable on eBay.

I do remember finding a seller who specifically stated  that the preferred method of payment was  "Interac money transfer".  Even though this member was reported many times...  they continued to sell on eBay...

Did check this morning  and that seller no longer has listings on eBay.....    They continue to have a store... with contact information included in the header....  also an eBay violation ... where a buyer is directed to an outside contact  where off eBay sales can be made....

Some sellers push the limit  and continue to do as they choose..... 

eBay's current rules  do protect the buyer  from unscrupulous sellers.  This is a more important consideration than whether we as sellers should be able to choose the method of payment.

I have no problem with using Paypal.  Any payment with a money order is considered a windfall, small as it is compared to the Paypal fee

[tobyshitzu]

Ebay will never give up the money from paypal only unless they are forced too.  Which is probably unlikely but maybe a chance someday.  In the USA the credit card companies lost the ability in most states  to enforce their no surcharging and no minimum rules on stores.  Any time now the competition bureau here  is going to release a ruling on those issues and whether to let  stores not accept all cards. .  Of course in AUS ebay was forced to back away from going paypal only by their version of the competition bureau.    

[rose-dee]

I wouldn't mind seeing eBay openly permit sellers to accept Interac email transfers in addition to Paypal and credit cards, but there are at least 5 reasons I can think of why this is unlikely:

1) eBay has now embedded itself with Paypal so thoroughly that it would make no sense for it to give up the money it's making through that route;

2)  Seamlessness - payment by buyer, shipping by seller, refunds where needed, follow-up coverage -- all from the same source.  Of course, the ugly side of seamlessness, as one poster has pointed out, is monopoly/lack of competition.   

3)  There were abuses of some of the less "safe" payment methods, much of which abuse has been eliminated through Paypal;

4)  Paypal does allow buyers and sellers to have some confidence in transactions, since addresses and email information are tied in with Paypal, yet the buyer's own funding source is never disclosed to the seller;

5)  Now that eBay is pushing "immediate payment" through its new policy of "you snooze/you lose" purchase of BIN items (and other policies designed to discourage slow-paying buyers), it seems to me they are bolstering their relationship with Paypal.  How could eBay introduce these policies if it openly permitted money orders, personal cheques, etc., which don't offer immediate funds transfer?  I believe such policies are intended largely to strengthen eBay's investment in Paypal.

I used to like BidPay, it seemed to work quite well, but not at the lightning-fast click-of-a-button speed of Paypal.  I don't know what happened to that service, but it was disallowed by eBay around the time Paypal began to become prevalent.  If eBay saw a way to streamline its services and make money through doing so, it's no wonder they outlawed other forms of payment.  On the other hand, being honest I have to admit that using Paypal is easy and streamlined.  And so far, at least, they've kept sign-up free (I wonder for how long?)

[cumos55]

The good old days on eBay are gone....and they will never come back....

The new generation accepts the new reality like it was always here...

15 years from now these will be the "new" good old days

[skysteed]

I think this immediate pay is crap. I used a buy it now on an item but had to email the the seller because they had not put in shipping to Canada so I couldn't send payment.

I was later notified by the seller the item had sold the previous day, even though I bought with buy it now. I do not like this new system at all. You think you have and item when someone else has already got it.

[kkpaddle]

I stopped selling on Ebay after my Paypal account was frozen for the 2nd time a couple of years ago.

The 1st freeze was resolved when I provide the information they requested like invoices to verify that I had purchased the items I was selling and tracking numbers for items sold that that were in transit. That took about two weeks to resolve and customer service at Paypal were helpful. There was only a few hundred dollars in the account at the time as I had just made a transfer to my bank account.

The 2nd freeze of my account occurred just a few weeks later and it was for 120 days making it impossible for me to continue. You have to have a cash flow to pay suppliers and other expenses.At the time I had orders to fill and no way to receive payment for a full 120 days so I was forced to cancel the orders. Fortunately, the buyers were very understanding of the the situation.

I had a 100% positive feedback rating as both a buyer and seller and can to this day see no legitimate reason for Paypal's actions other than to gain control of my money so they could collect interest on it. 

I went to my bank with all my information and they agreed with my assessment of the situation somehow they managed to retrieve my funds from Paypal. They also blocked Paypal from accessing my bank account again. Once the 120 days passed my Paypal account was unlocked for withdrawals but that's all I could do with it. Not that I wanted to!!

I use a new Paypal for the odd purchase but never again will I accept a Paypal payment. Not because I mistrust the buyers but the organization itself is corrupt. I would welcome a reasonable method of accepting payments like Interac E Transfer. Paypal Sucks.