Ebay is up to what?

jim 249

Hi All; I have recently started to get this message when trying to contact a seller on ebay:

"We're sorry we couldn't find an answer for you. Unfortunately, this seller is not able to respond to your question. We suggest reviewing the item again to see if your answer is in the seller's listing."

Well I logged out of my account and logged in with my daughters account and and presto, I can ask the seller a question, same item! All of my past questions have "can I pay with a Money Order". Is ebay trying to force people to sign up fpr paypal? Something is not right here.:rolleyes:

jim 249

Ok, I might have figured this out. A seller can block questions from buyers that don't have a paypal account? If this is the case than you would think the seller would put in the listing "paypal only". I have asked questions to a few ads that say "paypal only" and the sellers are more than happy to take a Money Order. Any current ebay sellers that can confirm this? Thanks

VR3

I am pretty sure it is no secret EBay wants everyone to use Paypal

jbooker82

VR3 wrote: »

I am pretty sure it is no secret EBay wants everyone to use Paypal

Why? So they can make money twice off of one sale? Not ebay they are the good guys. lol

VR3

Ebay owns Paypal...

http://news.cnet.com/2100-1017-941964.html

maximillian

jbooker82 wrote: »

Why? So they can make money twice off of one sale? Not ebay they are the good guys. lol

Sure, why not. If you were the head of Ebay (and Paypal since it's owned by Ebay) and could get away with it, then why wouldn't you?

For sellers this kind of sucks. However, for buyers it's actually better to use Paypal with a credit card than using a money order. There are two levels of buyer protection. The credit card companies protect you from fraud charges, and Paypal protects you if there is an issue with the item (not working as described or not the item as described). You get none of this protection if you use a money order.

mystik610

maximillian wrote: »

Sure, why not. If you were the head of Ebay (and Paypal since it's owned by Ebay) and could get away with it, then why wouldn't you?

For sellers this kind of sucks. However, for buyers it's actually better to use Paypal with a credit card than using a money order. There are two levels of buyer protection. The credit card companies protect you from fraud charges, and Paypal protects you if there is an issue with the item (not working as described or not the item as described). You get none of this protection if you use a money order.

Agreed. Paypal is less than perfect in terms of protecting buyers (I've had to submit claims through them before, and they don't offer as much protection as you would think), but its better than having no protection by flat out paying cash/money order. Also, make sure that your paypal account is linked to a credit card instead of a debit card or bank account when making purchases. Credit card companies tend to be more aggressive in disputing charges than a bank (I used to work for a bank).

maximillian

^Yup. No way I would let Paypal have access to my bank account. It's CC only. If I do sell something, I would rather pay the $3 for a real check in the mail than give them access.

heiney9

10 year paypal user here. Use it all the time now to pay for stuff online at all sorts of retailers. Never a single issue, works effortlessly and smoothly everytime. I have had to file 4 Ebay claims (as a buyer) in 10 years and everyone one of them was decided in my favor and I was made whole. I accept it for sales only, and I have no issue with them transfering back and forth between my bank account.

I don't necessarily agree with their fee structure sometimes, but it's a convenience I use and am willing to pay for.

Some of you are needlessly worried about nothing.

H9

heiney9

mystik610 wrote: »

Agreed. Paypal is less than perfect in terms of protecting buyers (I've had to submit claims through them before, and they don't offer as much protection as you would think), but its better than having no protection by flat out paying cash/money order. Also, make sure that your paypal account is linked to a credit card instead of a debit card or bank account when making purchases. Credit card companies tend to be more aggressive in disputing charges than a bank (I used to work for a bank).

maximillian wrote: »

^Yup. No way I would let Paypal have access to my bank account. It's CC only. If I do sell something, I would rather pay the $3 for a real check in the mail than give them access.

Right, because CC are on the up and up and so concerned about their customers. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't trust the CC or banks anymore than Paypal. I got a good chuckle from that. They are all flawed and imperfect as their only goal is to generate a profit.

H9

rooftop59

Yea I have also been using PayPal for years. I even had it set up so my renters paid me directly through PayPal - fee free - for over a year. Never really had a problem, and I actually LOVE the direct transfer feature. And it does offer some protection as a seller as well. I would say the ebay/paypal combo is great as a buyer, but a very mixed bag as a seller since the fees have gotten outrageous, and ebay looks out almost exclusively for the buyer now. Such is life I guess...