Seller requiring PayPal link on ebay

[Gary Allan]

I don't know how long this has been a seller's feature/aid, but it's the first time I've run into it.

Some of you may recall my "How would this effect ebay" topic where I suggested that the bidder be required to have earmarked or sequestered funds (a hold on) to allow bidding. It appears that we're halfway there with this evolution.

I placed a bid ..and even though I have a Paypal account ..it required me to "link it" to my ebay account. I assume that this allows instant payment if I win the bid.

 

[Pablo]

I guess as long as eBay doesn't have access to your account........OH that's right, eBay owns Paypal……………you know in the brick and mortar world there may at the very least be some ethics questions as well as all the way to the fine legal point of banks running stores………but since it's online and we know everyone is honest and clean on the net, not a problem.

 

[MrCritical]

I think I'd be looking for another item.

 

[TallPaul]

I have made purchases where the seller requested I pay outside of ebay. In one case they said to go directly to their website to pay as it would speed up the shipping.

 

[bretfraz]

When I'm selling on e-bay, I require buyers to pay using PayPal only. I will not accept another form of transaction unless the buyer contacts me prior to bidding and offers me an acceptable alternative (i.e. "I will pick up the item and pay you cash money for it").

While e-bay owns PayPal, the transactions are separate. I'm guessing the reason e-bay is "requiring" the link is to ensure they generate the most profit from the transaction. You can set up your PayPal account to pay instantly if you want, or you can do it manually.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
I'm guessing the reason e-bay is "requiring" the link is to ensure they generate the most profit from the transaction.


Well, ebay's not requiring it. The seller is. There may be some inducement by ebay in the form of avoided costs to link the transaction to Paypal account.

Now this may have been in place for a long time and I just didn't notice. There have been tons of "Buy it Now!" sales that say "Paypal account required" ..but this is the first time I've seen an interruption in the bidding process where the seller has required that the auction be semi-seamlessly linked to Paypal via some utility.

Anyway, I got my used 2 bar NEON map sensor for $10 ($5+$5) and I'm happy.