No More Checks Or Money Orders On eBay

[Chris Hunter]

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

I'm not sure what I think of this. Most of my buyers used PayPal, but I hate the idea of losing a sale simply because they choose to pay with check or MO.

Thoughts?

[NewbiesDiary]

I'm in Australia & eBay has tried that here, but our Department of Fair Trading has put a stop to it (so far) - we have anti-monopoly laws here (mostly) & DFA don't like that eBay will only allow payments thru their own company, so for the moment eBay are held of by our Govt. Don't quote me on this tho - this is what I understand & I'm sure there's an Aussie out there who can correct me if I'm wrong

[Dan C. Rinnert]

As a buyer, it's been years since I last paid for anything using a money order. If the seller only accepts checks or money orders, I don't even bid. So, for sellers that won't accept PayPal, I don't think they get as high a bids as they would if they did.

Now, for those that take a mixed bag of payment options, maybe they will lose a few sales, but it won't be a situation where the buyer will simply go to another seller, because none of the other sellers will be able to accept checks or money orders either.

Perhaps this just makes it all the more important to have a website outside of eBay where you can take whatever forms of payment you like. And to just use eBay as one outlet for sales and not depend on it.

[John Rogers]

That is ridiculous! I haven't been terribly active on eBay in a couple of years, but I'd guess about 15% of my business was by check or money order. Given eBay's rash of poor decisions, I'd really like to see someone step in and grab a big chunk of their market.

John

[SunTzu82]

I have to disagree and say that it's a good move. There have been many Western Union and check scams in the past, any legitimate buyer with a checking account can set up a Paypal account in a short period of time, no problem. They are doing this to protect you from being defrauded.

[John Rogers]

Originally Posted by SunTzu82

I have to disagree and say that it's a good move. There have been many Western Union and check scams in the past, any legitimate buyer with a checking account can set up a Paypal account in a short period of time, no problem. They are doing this to protect you from being defrauded.

Why force a buyer to jump through those hoops? It loses sales.

Be specific about what kinds of money orders you'll accept, and let the bidders know you won't ship on a check until it clears.

John

[TheMagicShow]

Originally Posted by Chris Hunter

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

I'm not sure what I think of this. Most of my buyers used PayPal, but I hate the idea of losing a sale simply because they choose to pay with check or MO.

Thoughts?

Another stupid move on ebay's part, they just want to have total control of everything,
no wonder not many are Ebaying anymore.

[dgridley]

I always preferred PayPal anyway but I hear ya.. lotsa people are still resistent to using PayPal vs checks or MO's.

Was wondering how long it'd be before eBay made such a move.. I haven't sold anything on there for months. Been waiting to see things settle down. I really don't care for all the changes.

Originally Posted by Chris Hunter

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

I'm not sure what I think of this. Most of my buyers used PayPal, but I hate the idea of losing a sale simply because they choose to pay with check or MO.

Thoughts?

[Chris Lockwood]

The stated reasons are pure b*******. If you were a seller worried about bad checks, you could refuse to accept checks. And if you were a buyer who preferred PayPal, you could buy from sellers which accepted it. So this does nothing to help anyone except ebay.

[GarrieWilson]

Guess I wont be selling high $$$ products on eBay any more.

I like checks/money orders to save on my fees and because PP can be a problem at times.

[dgridley]

I've gotten so I won't sell much of anything on there anymore and have started playing with Craigslist.. at least there are no fees involved.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

eBay just wants to increase their revenue, IMO. I don't eBay, but I know two long-time eBayers who've recently stopped posting items.

[Dixiebelle]

Sorry, but I'm going to have to add my 2 cents to this one.

With the influx of crooks from all over the world, coming to ebay to sell their junk and pirated goods, I'm sure ebay needed to find a way to better protects it's unsuspecting buyers.

Sellers seem to be the ones doing most of the whinning, and in a lot of instances, I can understand why. You want to be able to sell to everyone who wants to buy.

....but please, let me get on with my story.

I got ripped off a couple of years ago for $350.00 on an art print purchase. The seller would only take a check, money order, or bank transfer, and I wanted the print really bad. I sent a check.

After the 10 day waiting period, the print was mailed and soon arrived. It turned out to be a picture of the print that had been cut out of an art book and framed. Boy, was I PO'ed.

I contacted Paypal, and was told there was nothing they could do for me since the payment had not gone throuh Paypal, but they did tell me that the seller had 2 other complaints that week for the same reason, and that his account had been cancelled. He was no longer allowed to sell on ebay, which was a blessing for all those buyers who came after me.

My bank was no help either, since the check had cleared before the purchase was shipped. Since the seller was in the UK, my only alternative was to travel to that part of the world and hire a lawyer. I'm sure you understand why that wasn't a good choice - money.

I framed that check, and it now hangs over my desk as a reminder to never again make a purchase on ebay without using Paypal.

I still buy on ebay, but when I see a listing that states the seller does not accept Paypal, I run the other way. When sellers refuse to take Paypal, 9 out of 10 times, it's because Paypal has had to refund an unhappy buyer.

Please don't misunderstand this post. There are a lot of honest sellers out there. The dishonest ones just make it hard for everyone else.

Now let's take a look at the buyers who won't use Paypal. If a person has a checking account, then they can very easily get a Paypal account. So why would a buyer not want one?

1. It's because they want to send you a bad check, hoping that you will be dumb enough to mail their purchase before the check arrives. (Some sellers will actually do this) Then they have your merchadise, and you have a bad check.

2. They have bounced so many checks that Paypal won't give them an account, or has taken away the one that they had. (I also got ripped off by a buyer for this exact reason. I was one of those dumb enough to mail the merchandise before the check cleared. Please don't laugh - it wasn't funny)

So those of you who are ebay sellers and buyers, be happy that they are doing what they feel is best to protect everyone. If any of the posters here fall into the above "ripoff" categories, all I can say is "Shame on you". If not, you should give what I have written here a lot more thought.

Hope your day has been as profitable as mine.

Dixie

[Chris Lockwood]

Originally Posted by Dixiebelle

So those of you who are ebay sellers and buyers, be happy that they are doing what they feel is best to protect everyone. If any of the posters here fall into the above "ripoff" categories, all I can say is "Shame on you". If not, you should give what I have written here a lot more thought.

I see you drank the Koolaid. This is not about protecting anything but ebay's revenues.

Apparently you never bought anything on ebay, paid with Paypal, gotten ripped off, and had both of them try to refer you to the other (although they are the same company). They showed no interest in protecting me when that happened.

I wonder if this move will attract any antitrust action.

[Carol J Smith]

I for one, hope a good auction alternative to eBay comes along. Someone on this Warrior Forum must have enough money and enough know how to get one started.

I'll be your first customer.

Carol

[Dixiebelle]

Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood

I see you drank the Koolaid. This is not about protecting anything but ebay's revenues.

Apparently you never bought anything on ebay, paid with Paypal, gotten ripped off, and had both of them try to refer you to the other (although they are the same company). They showed no interest in protecting me when that happened.

I wonder if this move will attract any antitrust action.

Chris: You need to go back and read my entire post, or get someone to read it for you. You obviously missed the point.

I bought and sold on ebay for three years, and used Paypal plus all the other options. I was also ripped off by both a buyer and a seller. There are still a lot of dishonest people on ebay today. I'm very sorry if this post hit too close to home.

BTW...I don't drink Koolaid. I can afford much better.

Hope your day was as profitable as mine.

Dixie

[George Wright]

Strange things happening on eBay.

I had a very unpleasant buying experience with a guy who insisted on money orders. It was just a lot of hassle. He was a good seller with 100% positive feedback but it was just a hassle to go to the PO and get the money order.

I just checked him out on eBay and he has nothing listed. I guess this new policy will weed out some buyers and sellers. Mostly buyers though.

I wonder if eBay comprehends how many people buy things using only checks and or money orders.

Of course there is always the prepaid debit cards but most people don't even know how easy they are to get.

It might be time for an eBook, How to buy on eBay even if you think you can't.

George Wright

[Chris Lockwood]

Originally Posted by Dixiebelle

Chris: You need to go back and read my entire post, or get someone to read it for you. You obviously missed the point.

I did read your entire post, and I stand by my reply to it.

You obviously missed my point.

[RebeccaL]

They are kicking themselves in the foot, that's my opinion.
It's only a matter of time before a good alternative to eBay pops up. They already exist but they just lack that branding and marketing genius that is required to compete with ebay.