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eBay’s Australia Experiment: Ban All Payment Methods Other Than PayPal

Written by Evan Schuman
April 13th, 2008

As of June 17, anyone in Australia buying from eBay online will be told: "PayPal" or "Forget It, Pal."

With the exception of in-person pickups and cash-on-delivery, plus a handful of large-ticket items (specifically cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats, caravans, trailers, commercial trucks, services, real estate and businesses) for sale, sellers will be required to offer eBay-owned PayPal as a payment method by May 21, in anticipation of the June 17 ban on anything else.

"eBay is banning sellers from using their own merchant credit card accounts (even) if they have them," said a story on AuctionBytes.com. "Visa and MasterCard (will be) accepted only when processed through PayPal."

That story quoted eBay spokesperson Nichola Sharpe saying that the payment limits apply initially only to eBay in Australia, but that may change.

"There are no plans to go to a PayPal-only model for eBay in the U.S. and we haven’t announced any other markets at this time," she said, adding that eBay will evaluate the impact of eBay Australia’s new requirements. "If we think these changes will significantly improve the buyer experience, we may expand them to additional segments of sellers or categories."

Posted in E-Commerce, Payment Systems, Security/Fraud
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One Comment | Read eBay’s Australia Experiment: Ban All Payment Methods Other Than PayPal

  1. rick Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    Great story, great reporting, very true. The reason beching this is simple.

    Sales and stock prices for the giant eBAY are TUMBLING FAST.

    Sellers, buyers and just about everyone is FED-UP with the over-controlling giant called eBay. A WORLD WIDE BAN ERUPTED that seems to STILL BE LASTING after the gian announced after 3+ yeras of allowing digital deliveries that it is now ILLEGAL. And after announcing that only a buyer can post negatives for all the sellers, even, buyers who dont pay or extort goods in exchnage for feedback. Fair, Right?

    Now, they force PAYPAL down everyones mouth.

    THey also are engaging in FOREIGN GAMBLING thru paypal while Making it ILLEGAL to use paypal in the US. Fair, Right?

    Unfortunately, there are just too many people out there that have become REALL FED-UP with the overcontrolling giant eBay and have decided to take their items elsewhere, both digital and non-digital, even some buyers are part of the BAN, they are all JUST FED-UP.

    Sales are dropping, Stocks of eBay are dropping, some off by as must or more than 38%

    That is why eBay giant is now scrambling to find money, Gambling, Increased Fees, whatever.

    However, many users, who have built steady businesses on the eBay model have come to realize that they cant rely on building anything on such a SHAKY FOUNDATION of the eBay giant.

    Like the world tade centers, the CORE OF eBAY has an OPEN WOUND, just like the big plane that crashed right through the trade centers….

    …. its only a matter of time before eBay comes crashing down and there is ANOTHER, BETTER, WORLDS LARGEST MARKETPLACE, no longer eBay!

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