Payment Terms: for Iargalon's eBay listings
6-Nov-2008

Contents

Basic Terms of Payment (for most items)
Special Terms of Payment (for special cases)
Inconvenience Discount

Basic Terms of Payment

These are the terms of payment for Iargalon's eBay offerings. They bind when the buyer bids on or buys an item which refers to them.

  • The method of payment is negotiated at time of sale. Buyers may request alternatives to the methods solicited below. eBay permits buyers to make these requests.
     
  • If you mail payment, I will ship on your word that payment is actually in the mail, if your feedback score is over 20 with 99 percent positive, for payments up to $60.
     
  • Acceptable: Payment methods acceptable to the seller and eBay include:

    » PayPal (if shipped to Confirmed Address)

  • We no longer solicit payment by:

    » Money Order (US Dollar)
          US Postal, Canada Post
          US Bank, International
    » Personal Check (US Bank)
    » Cashier's Check, Certified Check (US Bank)

  • Negotiable: These payment methods are often agreeable, although the details must be negotiated:

» Cash delivered in person
      USD, CAD or EURO currency
      Cash as official silver coin of any nation
      Yap money :-)

» PayPal (when shipped to Unconfirmed Address)

  • Not Accepted: The seller does not accept:

x Credit and ATM cards. I can't process them.

  • Any payment terms appearing elsewhere on my eBay pages are merely well intended hints that may be out of date.

    Some places these hints might appear include:
    • The lot's Payment methods accepted.
    • The lot's Seller's payment instructions.
    • Invoices generated by eBay or PayPal.
    • eBay's "Checkout" pages.
       
  • If eBay forbids a seller to solicit a particular payment method, and if any of my specific terms solicit such a banned payment method, then such banned solicitation is hereby vacated.

 

Special Terms of Payment

Sometimes an unusual item, like an automobile, warrants special payment terms. Special terms are designated by including in the lot listing the heading "Special Payment Terms", with the terms written underneath it.

  • If eBay or PayPal invalidates a special payment term, that act might cause confusion about the lot, or create difficulties about payment or fulfilling the sale. If the rule change is identified early enough, then the seller might end the sale or change its terms. But the change or its consequences may not be fully appreciated until after eBay disallows alterations of the lot, or even after the sale closes.

    Here are a few rules to help us cope with that situation.
    • The buyer or seller may cancel any unfulfilled sale which was confused by an eBay or PayPal change.
    • The seller may renounce a term eBay or PayPal invalidated. If done, then a bidder may retract his bid and a buyer may rescind an unfulfilled sale.

 

Inconvenience Discount

When a listing declares an "Inconvenience Discount", then the discount applies to that lot if the buyer mails payment or delivers payment in person. The discount helps defray the buyer's expense for a money order and stamp or gas, and offsets the buyer's inconvenience. Meeting buyers and letters from buyers are sources of joy for the seller.

  • The lot description specifies the amount of the discount.
  • The amount of the discount is fixed regardless of the quantity of that item purchased. That is, buying two of an item does not double the discount.
  • If buying different lots each with Inconvenience Discounts, the discounts may be added. Ask for guidance if it gets confusing.

Update 6-Nov-2008:
eBay bans Checks & Money Orders!

eBay has now banned sellers from soliciting payment by check or money order or any other form of payment other than by PayPal (an eBay company) or by merchant credit card.

eBay says that by restricting buyer options they hope to increase buyer satisfaction.

Update 16-Jul-2006:
eBay bans Google!

Google is launching a payment processing service for merchants. Its called "Checkout". And it lets people make credit card payments online to small merchants like me. Just like eBay's subsidiary PayPal.

Well, when eBay heard about it, they banned Checkout's use on eBay!

eBay says its not "Safe" and "Fun". "Safe and Fun" for whom? I think its because eBay wishes to stifle its competitors.

Why are my Payment Terms Written this Way?

eBay recently began dictating which forms of payment a Seller may "solicit". Simultaneously they forbade sellers to "solicit" cash payment or online payments thru most of the competitors to PayPal (an eBay company).

Since payment methods are frequently written on the listing page itself, a tremendous number of outstanding listings (apparently nearly 2 million) were suddenly put in violation of eBay's new policy. eBay has been summarily canceling listings and threatening to expel any seller who doesn't immediately modify them.

For a long time, most of my listings have offered to accept cash as one of several options. While rarely used, cash is sometimes particularly helpful to the buyer and it has been an honorable form of payment for mail order for centuries.

It consumed over 100 hours, time I can ill afford, to modify my 300 listings.

And that won't be the end of it. eBay has a history of imposing upheaving rule changes. There is no reason to expect that eBay won't do it again tomorrow. Indeed, their policy suggests they contemplate banning checks and money orders.

Given eBay's posture, it no longer makes sense to write specific terms where they cannot be readily changed.

Therefore, I've moved my definitive payment terms to this page, all in a single place rather than on each listing individually, where it should be possible to manage change better.

I am disappointed by eBay's present posture, both because I think the new rules are a poor idea, and because of the astounding disruption the change has caused my business.

Mark
2-Mar-2006

Some Payments that eBay Forbids Sellers to Solicit

eBay now forbids sellers to demand or ask for many ordinary forms of payment. Let's take a look at them.

Hopefully buyers' will realize they still have some choice.

Money in the mail. I really liked accepting cash in the mail back before eBay made me stop saying I'd do it. While its pretty rare, there are times it makes lots of sense like for overseas transactions or for $3 sales.

Postage stamps and bullion. I had to stop suggesting these too even though they have their place.

Here are some of the online payment services which eBay forbids sellers to solicit. I don't know much about them but some of them look really interesting.

eBay says it banned these because they aren't Safe and Fun.

Presently, the only online services that eBay permits are one Canadian inter-bank system, and one specific credit card processor with high fees. And eBay endorses their own PayPal.

Did you know that PayPal can go into your bank account and take out all of your money without your knowledge? And at many banks, PayPal can take all of your money in every account, not simply the ones you linked to PayPal. Perhaps PayPal would be justified in taking all of your money, or maybe they'd make a mistake. You are completely vulnerable to a PayPal error.

How Safe and Fun is that?

11-Feb-2006

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