- PayPal payments. PayPal payments are the most commonly accepted form of payment in use on eBay. PayPal is reasonably safe and secure for both buyers and sellers, and PayPal itself is an eBay company. From the buyer's perspective, when a seller accepts PayPal you will be able to:
- Pay using your credit card, with associated benefits
- Pay using your debit card
- Pay using your checking account, with associated risks
- Pay using PayPal funds from your own auction sales
- Check or money order payments. Some sellers accept payment via printed check or money order. Before you pay this way, there are several things to take into account or be aware of:
- Checks and money orders make for slower trades, since it can take days for your payment to arrive and many sellers wait for clearance before shipping
- When you send a check, you have also sent the seller your bank account details
- When a money order is lost, it is like losing cash—you have no recourse
- Checks and money orders offer the buyer no additional protection or warranty
- Mailing addresses should always be double-checked through email communication before payment is sent
- Credit card payments. A few sellers, usually larger volume sellers or power sellers, accept credit cards through a service other than PayPal, often their own website. While with this type of payment you gain all of the advantages of credit card shopping (most notably consumer protection), there are additional risks to be aware of:
- The seller now has your credit card number, expiration date, and name—details they would not receive with a PayPal credit card payment
- Pay sites other than PayPal may be of unknown size and security—you are depending on the seller or his or her payment agent to protect your credit card information from hackers
- Wire transfers and "Western Union." Never wire money to anyone. Though this makes international payment somewhat more complicated in some cases, it's an important rule of thumb that has emerged in recent years, since a high percentage of fraudulent auctions request wire transfers and a very small percentage of legitimate ones do. If you wire money and receive no item, you have no recourse, and wire transfers are often nearly impossible to trace, especially when they have gone overseas.
- C2It, BidPay, and CheckFree. These common "PayPal alternatives" have at varying times been popular on eBay, but you should beware: all have recently also become common ruses used by scammers. Both C2It and BidPay have ceased operations—if you see an auction listing demanding payment using these services, do not bid. CheckFree continues to operate, but eBay auctions are not its main source of business and many eBay listings that claim to accept payment using CheckFree (or similar names) are merely interested in having you supply your bank account details for an "e-check" so that a scammer can drain your account.
A concise summary of these points might read like this: pay by PayPal using a credit card when you can, otherwise pay the seller directly via credit card if you're able, and as a last resort send a check or money order. In all cases, be careful—it is your job as a buyer to evaluate listings carefully and to be mindful of seller feedback.
