Hopefully ebay is NOT one of our sponsors so we can have an open discussion of the new ebay regs coming out this October...

"Starting this fall, we're moving to an electronic checkout process that's faster and more reliable for sellers and buyers. As part of this move, checks and money orders will no longer be accepted on eBay....."

They cite the amount of "Items Not Received" claims made by non-PayPal users as the reason for this, as well as the amount of negative feedback left by them. Gee, maybe the crooked sellers know that without the so-called protection from PayPal or a credit card company, that they can just take the money and run, without fear of reprisals! And you can bet your ass that I would leave negative feedback if you didn't ship my purchase, and kept my money! You would think someone at Flea-Bay would be able to make that connection.... Morons.

"Today, items paid with check or money order are 80% more likely to result in an item not received (INR) than those paid with credit card or PayPal. Also, buyers who pay with check or money order are 50% more likely to leave negative feedback than those who pay with electronic methods."

at one time ebay was my primary source for anything (not just audio) on the used market. its got to be about a year since i've bought (or sold) anything on the site and the wife hasnt bought anything from there since February. it was their steep increase in sellers fee's that turned me off initially, but their policy changes and move towards a fixed priced market have not helped matters. ebay got too big for its britches, forgot (or didnt care) what made them popular in the first place and worst of all, got too greedy.

ST does not accept any advertising or sponsorship. the only trade off we have is with forumer.com. they host the site at no cost in exchange for the banner ads at the top of the page. we have no overheard so have no need to generate income.

Hooray! Sometimes I feel like I can't "cut loose" with my opinion at the sponsored sites. The irony is the majority of the posters over there are critical of ebay but the site prominently displays an ebay ad banner.

In the immortal words of Steve Martin, "Pardon me, but I'm pissed!"

I pay for everything in my life with either cash or postal money orders. I also don't want or need a PayPal account, and I'm one of those rare birds that don't have or use credit cards. F*ck that shite. If I don't have the money, I just don't buy something. If I'm scouring eBay for an item for my stereo, or my computer, (or lately, a good Airguide barometer) and the seller does not offer the option to pay via money order, I simply don't buy from that seller and write off the item.

If they stick to this new stupid policy, I'll be locked out of eBay unless I go to the trouble to get a Visa or MasterCard debit card with monthly fees from my local supermarket.

The good part is that there are a lot of sellers on the eBay forums who are a lot angrier than people like me. These people will be screwed out of up to 25% of their revenues, especially from older people and those who are into antiques and collectibles.

With luck, the same thing will happen to eBay here as it did in Australia: the government told them to forget it because requiring PayPal and forbidding checks and money orders amounted to excessive restraint of trade and monopolistic practices.

Well said OM. My vintage collection is complete so I don't hunt the 'bay too much anymore. I suppose if a local unit came up and I asked to pay with cash, that would work.

Ebay is trashing the community by imposing paypal on us. Not only are they charging us 3% per transaction but they get to hold our balances and earn additional interest.

socal sam, thanks for posting this, I am the author of the post you pasted here, a post which was closed (With "attitude", I should ad, which seems to be the norm lately, from a very small minority of mods...) on another audio forum.

I too am upset at the new policy of PayPal only, as I pay cash or USPO Money orders for everything I purchase, with the rare exception I have my wife cut me a check, or use the card, but we don't use the card for ebay transactions, specifically because of the risks and associated bullchip that come with it.

If you read the rest of the responses in that thread, you will see that it was posted that they (eBay) tried to pull this crap already in Australia, and the ruling financial organization made them rescind the rule change, as it was deemed to be an unfair practice. So eBay instead implemented no-surcharge and no-steering rules, which forbid a seller from charging a fee to cover PayPal/Flea-Bay charges, and also forbid "Steering" buyers to alternative payment methods.

Officially, if a buyer asks you to accept a MO, you can. You will just no longer be able to be list a money order/check/cash as a payment option when you list your item, the only payment option that will show up is PayPal...

Original thread: (Mods, please delete link if this is not allowed) http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=179962

eBay Australia articles:

http://www.techworld.com.au/article/257922...bay_paypal_push

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;802879845

I forgot to ad, eBay's plan to enforce this is to monitor the number of transactions that sellers make, to see how many uncompleted PayPal checkouts they have, and if you have a certain percentage (?) of uncompleted checkouts, which means you are accepting alternate forms of payment, they will take action against you.

Some how, eBay thinks that this is a good thing for the sellers and the buyers... The only one who will benefit will be eBay & PayPal.

This policy is due to take effect by the end of October, so you may want to do your buying and selling before then, if this is an issue that will effect the way you use eBay.

well i look at it differently. i pay the paypal fee when i selli'm protected when i buy or sell. all i take is paypal or credit card. sorry i have been burnt by checks. mo take to long to clear my bank. sorry guys

The only way to get burnt on a check is to ship before the funds have cleared, and if you state in your ad that you will not ship until that time, the buyer should be aware of this, and be compliant.

There is no wait for a U.S. Postal Money Order to clear, if you take it to the Post Office. What's the big deal about going to the Post Office?

Plus, the Post Office will be able to verify on the spot if the Money Order is fake! If you think you can't get screwed on a credit card transaction, think again.....

You want to alienate buyers, while thinking that you are going to be immune from PayPal ripping you off, or credit card fraud, you just go right ahead and keep on doing business that way...

I'm not sure monitoring checkouts will work because ebay gets their money regardless. Under the current system, a significant proportion of my auctions are never closed eventhough I have received payment and sent the item. On the flip side, I sometimes do not checkout but I always pay and ebay gets the FFV.

Very good point and I think your comment is very persuasive to the policy makers. However, under the current rules, you can enforce your payment policy.

I might add, I opened a second checking account for the purpose of doing on-line business. My bank issued a Visa debit card, which works fine for Paypal. This way, I am risking one a few hundred and not my main saving's.

When accepting money orders, I always tell my buyers to buy USPS. They are relatively cheap and funds are easily verified at the Post Office. In fact, I usually cash them at the P.O.

i run a business all checks and mos go to the bank to avoid tax evasion. even though i don't charge it i still pay sales tax. to relist something cost me money. paypal is instant. i don't have to wait on the mail thus you get your product sooner.

Yes, you CAN refuse to take alternate forms of payment, but you ARE allowed to accept them if a buyer contacts you and asks you to accept a money order or check, you will just no longer see it listed as a payment option like the current rules allow for, the only option to be displayed will be for PayPal checkout.

I'm still scratching my head, trying to figure out how this move will "Attract more buyers" (eBay's own words) to the site, by eliminating potential customers?

All I can see it doing is causing the mass exodus of buyers who refuse/won't/can't use PayPal, and maybe some sellers as well. It sure as hell has stirred up a hornets nest amongst the sellers on the eBay forums, with the vast majority of the respondents firmly against the new policy.

That being said, I did place a bid just an hour ago, for an item for my audio fixation, from a seller who has "Money Order" as a payment option, as well as perfect feedback, so I am not worried about him absconding with my Money Order.

i did the same thing and make sure that there is no more than $100 in the account at any time. the only exception is when i boost the balance for purchases over $100.