10-15-2005, 02:28 PM
Quote:***Policy Announcement: Safe Payments Policy***
October 14, 2005 | 05:49PM PST/PT
Rob Chesnut
Rob Chesnut
Hi, this is Rob Chesnut, head of eBay's global Trust & Safety organization. Completing a transaction with a safe, convenient payment method is an important part of trading on eBay. Buyers have a wide variety of choices about how to pay eBay sellers, and while most of the payment methods offered by eBay sellers offer a high degree of safety and convenience, a few simply are not appropriate for the eBay marketplace.
Based on safety concerns and input from the Community, we feel it's time to establish a Safe Payments Policy that clarifies eBay's position on payment methods. This policy will be enforced beginning January 15, 2006 and will not affect any commonly used payment method on eBay today.
Sincerely,
Rob Chesnut
Senior Vice President, Trust & Safety
Quote:eBay wants to ensure that the marketplace offers an array of safe and convenient payment choices for its buyers. As described in our safe buying guide, eBay strongly encourages sellers to offer payments through PayPal PayPal is not only convenient to use, but it also offers buyers and sellers industry leading protection against fraud, chargebacks and theft of financial data. Merchants with their own merchant credit card processing account, and those who use a third-party processor, may also offer their buyers the option of paying directly with a credit card online (including through third party checkout) or by phone.
From time to time, as new payment services arise, eBay will evaluate them to determine whether they may present trust and safety concerns and are appropriate for the marketplace. eBay will consider the following factors, among others, in making its determination:
Whether the payment model offers substantial financial, privacy and anti-fraud protection for buyers and sellers
Whether the payment model raises the potential for confusion among eBay users, or involves incentives that may present fraud concerns
Whether the payment model involves precious metals, or other non-cash (points, miles, minutes, coupons, discounts) as consideration
Whether the payment service has a substantial historical track record of providing safe and reliable financial and/or banking related services (new services without such a track record generally cannot be promoted on eBay)
The identity, background and other business interests of the payment service sponsor
The license/regulatory status of the payment provider in the countries where it provides payment services
Offline payment methods generally do not offer the same level of protection or convenience as online payments. Nonetheless, they may be appropriate for certain types of transactions, and sellers may use listings to offer acceptance of most valid financial instruments, including personal checks, cashiers checks, money orders including BidPay, or COD.
Policy
Permitted on eBay.com: Sellers may offer to accept PayPal, credit cards including Mastercard/Visa /Amex/Discover, debit cards and bank electronic payments online for eBay purchases. Sellers may also offer to accept ban- to-bank transfers, often known as bank wire transfers or bank cash transfers, and the online money order service Bidpay. Sellers may accept COD (cash on delivery) or cash for in person transactions. Sellers may offer to accept personal checks, money orders (including Bidpay), cashiers checks, certified checks and other negotiable instruments.
Not permitted on eBay.com: Sellers may not solicit buyers to mail cash. Sellers may not ask buyers to send cash through instant cash transfer services (non-bank, point-to-point cash transfers) such as Western Union or Moneygram. Finally, sellers may not request payment through online payment services not listed in this policy.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions including:
Listing cancellation
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Listing cancellation
Limits on account privileges
Loss of PowerSeller status
Account suspension
This policy does not affect any payment method commonly offered on eBay today. However, there are some sellers who have listings offering to accept cash and Western Union instant cash transfer, and a few who offer other payment methods that are not permitted under this policy. To avoid disruption of these sellers business during the holiday shopping season, eBay will delay enforcement of this policy against existing payment methods until Jan 15, 2006. This policy will be localized for other eBay sites in the coming months.