SO there is Paypal, but has anybody paid using checks… etc?
If I have to mail payment, I use postal money orders. I have not had any problems with this. Do you have a specific concern?? I myself accept money orders and personal checks as payment.
i’ve used paypal mostly but i have dealt with sellers that don’t like paypal and will only accept checks or money orders. with checks or money orders you may have to wait for the seller to ship as they usually wait to see if the check or money order clears. right now i’m having trouble with ebay as someone tried using my password and they canceled it and told me to select a new on and now they won’t even recognize my user id. i’m going to try again later.
Because im a minor, and dont have a credit card (I do have a job so the moneys there)
money orders/ check orders are the only options I have.
I used to send checks (well, okay, my parents checks, they write them for me and I pay them back), all the time, and they are okay so long as the seller is willing to accept them. The only downside is that some times you have to wait for the payment to get there, the check to clear, and then for the seller to send the item, so it can take a little longer. I just did it here a few weeks ago for an item I won where the seller wouldn’t take paypal, and it worked fine.
Noah
I accept checks, money orders, and Pay Pal. It helps to increase your actual bidding audience. Some may not want to pay with PP. So I take it however I can get it.
I’ve used personal checks and the occasional UPS money order with no problem. As many others have stated the main hang up is the waiting time, especially to Germany, England or, even worse, anywhere in the Caribbean or South America.
I used a PayPal account for several years but received so much “phishing” that I closed it. PayPal works faster, you have some recourse on a bum deal and most sellers accept it. It also converts dollars to whichever foreign currency the seller is using. I would keep up the best security measures I could, though.
Just be sure to read the seller’s accepted payment methods before you bid.
All in all it’s probably six of one and a half dozen of the other.
FritzvB
I’ve used both PayPal and personal check, and never had a problem with either. These have all been small purchases, of course, so I wasn’t too worried even if the seller had run off and never delivered anything. Happily, I’ve never had a problem in my small sample of eBay victories.
I do accept PayPain, although I don’t LIKE it very much (IMO for the seller the fees are too high, but it is free for the buyer, so…). I also have a commercial account with my bank through which I can accept MC, Visa and Discover, it costs me MUCH less, but fewer and fewer people are willing to make that simple phone call… I also accept checks and MOs, and have accepted wire transfers and bank drafts in the past.
Personally, I’ve had more trouble with people trying to chargeback (after I’ve sent them their stuff) using Paypal than with all other payment methods combined. If a seller accepts Paypal, then they pretty much HAVE to buy delivery confirmation EVERY time to protect themselves (doesn’t help much with overseas shipments, though). Without a signed delivery confirmation Paypal will just take the customer’s word that the package didn’t arrive (even though you sent it) and take the money right out of your seller’s account. Needless to say, this policy is abused by scam artists, especially on the overseas transactions.
I also get many inquiries from people asking me to match the price of some item that another person has dumped (often at below my wholesale price) on ebay. It really makes it hard for me, as I already TRY to have reasonable prices.
IMO evilBay and PayPain are a necessary evil in today’s marketplace. I do it, but I don’t really like it.
I’ve only bought stuff on eBay (never sold anything), and have had no bad experiences with either payment method (only about 60 total transactions, though). I actually prefer Paypal simply because it’s way more convenient, but I did buy something the other day that I had to send off a money order for because the seller didn’t accept Paypal. Of course, the non-Paypal option takes more time to get your stuff, but that’s usually not a concern for me.
I could be wrong about this, but it seems that you might be more likely to find a good deal on an item if the seller doesn’t accept Paypal than if they do, because lots of people use Paypal and probably don’t even bother with auctions unless that is a payment option. I really have no idea if this is true or not, but it sort of seems logical to me [:P]
From a seller standpoint, it doesn’t make much difference to me as long as I’m paid. So I’ll accept check, money order, Paypal, etc. If the purchase price is relatively low I usually don’t even wait for the check to clear before I send the item out. I do like Paypal because I can use it as a place to store the money from items I sell, rather than it getting lumped into our regular accounts and getting spent. It’s also fast and convenient. It is also the easiest way to be able to accept credit cards.
From a purchaser’s viewpoint, Paypal is my preference. Instant payment and I know the item I’ve purchased will be on its way. I don’t think that many people are concerned if a seller doesn’t accept Paypal. But I think that the opposite is not true - if a seller requires Paypal I would guess there are a lot of non-Paypal customers that can’t bid.
I don’t believe Paypal requires a credit card to open an account, you can have them fund directly from your checking account.
Randy
as a buyer, I prfer paypal. Fast and easy. No moey orders getting lost in the mail… it has happened.
I buy and sell and have never had a problem with checks or money orders. If you choose check you’ll only have to pay your bank fee for the check if they charge you, if you choose money order, there can be a $3 to $6 charge depending on which institution you purchase it from. Sellers usually ship as soon as they receive a money order whereas they will hold item until a personal check clears their account.
Never had a problem with a money order(this is from Canada to the U.S.) sellers seem to like m/o’s as there is no waiting time while cheques are cleared(how’s that for a scam ! !) who runs this cheque clearing business, the mob??
That makes sense to me considering that I quit looking at any auction as soon as I see that they don’t accept Paypal.
I only bid on items listed by dealers and call them with a CC. It works well.
You are kidding right? Maybe posting to read your own post?
This is the most no brain topic I have seen here.
Checks are a very dumb way to pay on ebay .Cash works better localy toss that check book away and join the 21st century.
. Dealers can steal your account number and use it plus it takes 10 days longer to get your goods on ebay.
Just use a money order.
I’m with mikie ^
feebay’s cool
send cash in the mail
tape it on the outside of the box
I, of course, prefer paypal as well if it’s possible. I’ve had Ebay auctions that ended on the wee hours of Wednesday morning and had the item in my hands by Friday afternoon thanks to instant Paypal payment.
If Paypal isn’t an option for whatever reason, it’s always USPS money order for a number of reasons. First of all, money order is only the way to go because most sellers will hold an item for 10 days if you pay with check, and if something goes wrong, you pretty much have no recourse. USPS money orders are only $.90 for up to $500, compared with a couple of dollars for Western Union or any other money order. The seller can get instant and guaranteed payment at the post office. Finally, if something goes wrong, you have the US Government on your side, as attempting to defraud someone and involving the postal system in the transaction at any point constitutes mail fraud. The government takes mail fraud very seriously, and the seller can go to jail over it. Good sellers will often get an item to you in a week or so if you pay with money order.
So all I do get the invoice etc once ive won and then send the money order?