Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?

Briefly tonight -- and only once -- I noticed Paypal offering payment terms on one of my listings on .com, along the lines of "Pay only $X per month for 12 months!"  If I'm not mistaken (I only looked quickly at the "small print"), I think the interest rate was 9.99%, not too bad for consumer credit.  Available only to U.S. residents. 

 

When I looked at my listing the next time (less than 5 minutes later), the credit terms were gone. 

 

It's not that I really mind too much that Paypal may be enticing buyers to purchase a more valuable item by offering credit terms, but it would have been nice to have a heads-up that this was being offered on my listings.

 

I'm not sure I'd necessarily want to offer it, or at least I'd want the choice -- for example, I might be concerned about encouraging my buyers to purchase something they couldn't afford that might sour them on returning.  What about returns, INR, or SNAD issues?  How would eBay handle it, say 4 months on, if a buyer used their option through Paypal to return the item because they decided they really couldn't afford it after all?  I can imagine a few uncomfortable scenarios arising for buyer and seller alike, because you'd actually have 4 parties involved in the transaction -- eBay, the private seller, Paypal, and the buyer. 

 

I realize Paypal has offered credit through its "Pay After Delivery" for some time now, but that's been short-term credit, not 12 months of payments.  Is this eBay now making an effort to appear to buyers like every other major retailer?  If so -- and if buyers aren't aware they're actually purchasing from an individual seller, and not really from eBay -- that may be problematic. 

 

Maybe this is just another beta test of some kind -- the usual now you see it, now you don't.  Does anyone who lists on .com know anything about this, or have you seen any comments on the .com boards?  I never go there, so I wouldn't know.  If you do have information about this, what's your opinion of it?

 

If this is a new venture by Paypal, it strikes me as bizarre.  First eBay sells Paypal, then Paypal discontinues what was a fairly efficient eBay labelling service, now they're back in a new, sort of parasitic role, making money off eBay's buyers (and our customers).  Weird, but not exactly surprising.   

 

 

 

 

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Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?


@rose-dee wrote:

 

I realize Paypal has offered credit through its "Pay After Delivery" for some time now, but that's been short-term credit, not 12 months of payments.  

 

 


It's been available for much longer than you think. At least a few years (I buy a lot and know it has been available for a while now). Don't know how much time, but at least 2 years.

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Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?

Lady Stark is correct, that Paypal Credit offering has been around exclusively on ebay.com (as opposed to ebay.ca) for ages.

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Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?

Nothing new.

 

PayPal Credit is the rebranded Bill Me Later.

Available to approved American buyers who purchase on eBay.com

The line of credit is managed by Comenity Capital Bank.

 

The Bill Me Later company has been under PayPal control since the end of 2008.

 

-..-

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Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?


@lady.stark wrote:

It's been available for much longer than you think. At least a few years (I buy a lot and know it has been available for a while now). Don't know how much time, but at least 2 years.


Thank you.  Now that you (and 'yp_dennis') mention it, I recall a discussion quite a while ago about the credit offerings by Paypal on eBay.com being more extensive than "Pay After Delivery". 

 

I've been listing on .com for years, frequently some higher priced (over $300) items, and I check my listings on .com regularly.  I find it odd that this is the first time I've ever spotted it on one of my items.  In fact, I've also done a fair amount of buying over the years while logged onto .com, but I've never noticed it (perhaps because eBay recognizes I'm in Canada?).  

 

Do you know how eBay/Paypal deal with returns on these purchases?  I presume the usual guarantees would still have to apply, but who reimburses whom, how much, and from where?  Hopefully I'll never need to find out. Woman Very Happy

 

 

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Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?


@rose-dee wrote:

Do you know how eBay/Paypal deal with returns on these purchases?  I presume the usual guarantees would still have to apply, but who reimburses whom, how much, and from where? ...


As a seller, you will never need to know the details -- that's all on the buyer/paypal end.

 

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Has Paypal got a new game on eBay?


@rose-dee wrote:

Do you know how eBay/Paypal deal with returns on these purchases?  I presume the usual guarantees would still have to apply, but who reimburses whom, how much, and from where?  Hopefully I'll never need to find out. Woman Very Happy


Good question! But I imagine it's similar to a credit card payment.

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