Ebay

[Crossrodes]

I just tried to buy an item with my Visa on Ebay.   The seller told me I MUST have a Paypal account to buy on Ebay.  Is this true?  I see a Visa logo along with others on Ebay so I'm not convinced I have to have Paypal.

[fastcataz]

I bought a manifold for my wife's car last month on fleapay. I just used a debit card with the guy. Well, company. I did not go thru paypal. The Fleabay people bought paypal a while ago, just trying to jack up the profits. I guess. I used to buy and sell a lot with them, just to much trouble anymore. I only bought for price, cheap, and shipping, two days, free.

[Ben_Carufel]

To answer your question, generally when you pay via PayPal you do NOT need to have an account to purchase something. HOWEVER, especially if you're trying to purchase something from another country, the seller has the right to only accept payments/purchases from "verified" PayPal members. To become "verified", you set up a PayPal account and then they charge a small amount (less than a dollar) to your credit card. Once you receive your statement, you can go online and tell PayPal how much they charged...which verifieds that you indeed "own" the card that you claim to own.

[NC Steve]

Lots of sellers also specify Paypal only, and many others list their items as "Paypal preferred". Paypal can also be linked to a Visa/Mastercard if you don't want to connect it to your bank, thus still making it a "Paypal required" purchase.

You might want to go back and read the fine print, clicking on the "Shipping & Payments" tab in the listing.

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Anymore, I use PayPal almost exclusively when shopping online.  It's fairly secure and the one time I had a security issue they were very helpful and fixed it right away.  I've never had to pay a fee for any PayPal purchases.

[Lucky_Lou]

I had to switch my paypal account to pay from my current account instead of a MasterCard account a while back, i figured they were having to pay a commission to MasterCard for the extended credit line.
I recently had an issue with a purchase and used the paypal resolution service for the first time ..it was quick and resolved the problem so i am happy with it.
Lou

[montmil]

Ditto, Lou and Bengt.

PayPal does not charge [smiley=2cents.gif] to buyers. I really like it as you do not have to submit credit card numbers via internet transactions... no matter how secure the seller claims his site to be.

I also find that my purchases get shipped much quicker as the seller gets his payment as soon as you hit the send button.

As an eBay seller myownself, I can comfortably ship an item knowing that the cash is already in my account. Sweet.

Monte

[Crossrodes]

In this case the seller was a vendor in Canada...sells motorcycle seat covers apparently.  So I'm guessing that I would have to transfer US dollars to a PayPal account...paid between 2 & 3% commission/fee to convert the money from Canadian to US then the seller would have to take his US dollar payment and convert it to Canadian dollars and pay another fee.  So the overhead on the transaction would be between 4 & 6 percent.

Also in this case I went looking for this vendor on the internet (had his company name)...couldn't find the company  so I tried the Yellow Pages online...not listed there either.  The vendor wanted me to pay with a certified cheque or a money order.  I'm not going to do that if I don't know who I'm dealing with or where his company is located.

Oh yes, even though I found these seat covers on the Canadian version of Ebay I had to pay in US dollars.  What's that all about?

[montmil]

Northwest Classic Motorcycle Seat Covers -in Canada- is where I bought my R65 cover. Quick service and a good quality product. Seller accepts PayPal and four different credit/debit cards without hassles.

See my seat cover DIY photo essay for this product in the "Photo Gallery"

Monte
 
http://stores.ebay.com/NW-Classic-Motorcycle-Seat-Covers/BMW-/_i.html?_fsub=11&_sid=48408105&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

[Crossrodes]

Monte that's who I was dealing with.  He would not accept Visa.  He was adamant that I had to have PayPal or certified cheque or money order.

Did you use a credit card?

[montmil]

Monte that's who I was dealing with.  He would not accept Visa.  He was adamant that I had to have PayPal or certified cheque or money order.

Did you use a credit card?

Yes to the credit card but it was not a Visa... I hear they're only accepted at the Olympics.

Could be a Canadian v Canadian thang I'm just sayin'. I found the seller to be a straight up cat to deal with. Perhaps he has had some issues with the corporate Visa folks. He would not be the first, I hear.

Monte

[Crossrodes]

That's interesting Monte.  I just sent the vendor a message to ask him why my Visa won't work.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I think it varies from seller to seller - depending on what they want.

[msbuck]

In this case the seller was a vendor in Canada...sells motorcycle seat covers apparently.So I'm guessing that I would have to transfer US dollars to a PayPal account...paid between 2 & 3% commission/fee to convert the money from Canadian to US then the seller would have to take his US dollar payment and convert it to Canadian dollars and pay another fee.So the overhead on the transaction would be between 4 & 6 percent.

Paypal is international as well - you don't have to convert back and forth from US dollars.  I just sent Euros to a seller in Germany - I paid the conversion rate and fee (I could have had the seller pay the fee).  No double dipping on the fees.  I'd think if you're paying in Canadian dollars and they want Canadian dollars, there would be no fee.  

If you use your credit card through Paypal, the credit card company does the currency exchange and you pay their fee - nothing to Paypal.  

I've had no problems with Paypal at all.  

[Crossrodes]

Monte here's what the vendor said just now:

"Hi Mike, I have never accepted any credit cards directly. All of my transactons go through the approved ebay and Paypal methods. Like your friend, many of my customers pay with their credit cards, but they still must use their credit cards via Paypal. I have done thousands of ebay transactions and can assure you that direct credit card payment to me is not possible. I would love to supply you with a seat cover for your BMW. Go ahead and set up a Paypal account and enjoy your ebay buying experience. Regards, Kevin."

Msbuck...the price is advertised in US dollars (even the Canadian postage).  If I use my (Canadian) credit card to pay eBay US dollars the credit card company charges me a fee/exchange...usually 2 or 3 percent.  Once eBay gets the money and pays the vendor there will be an exchange fee also.  I know this because I usually spend my winters in the US and if I use my Canadian credit card there are fees.

I once started the process to open a PayPal  account but part way through the process I decided it was too invasive.  I also once started the process to join Facebook and decided the same thing.  There have been many issues with both these organizations since then.  I like my privacy.

In case you think I'm paranoid I used to work on security issues in the RCAF and then computer security software (among other things) with IBM and the banks.  Most people have no idea of the issues that come up.  Fix it and then another comes up.  

I have had my ID stolen once...the RCMP (police) did next to nothing about it.  Sure the company involved with issuing a credit card to some crook in my name covered the costs  but now I have a hard time if I want to apply for a new credit card.  Citibank wouldn't give me one for unknown reasons.  It's easier for them to refuse a credit card than to go through the process of determining who I am and what has happened.