The new electronic-only payments policies on eBay.com are now in effect.

This means sellers listing items for sale on eBay.com will no longer be able to list an item without one of the approved electronic payment methods: PayPal or a merchant credit card account.

Additionally, prohibited payment methods, such as cheques or money orders, will no longer be displayed in the Payment Details section of the item page, and sellers will need to remove any references to cheques and/or money orders from their item descriptions.

Note: We recognise this is a busy time of year so we’ll wait until January 15, 2009, before we begin insisting on the removal of prohibited payment methods from item descriptions.

Why paperless payments? It’s simple and enables safer selling on eBay.com
Did you know that paperless payments methods, such as PayPal, can lower item not received claims and increase the likelihood of repeat purchases by as much as 80%? Additionally, electronic payments are less likely to result in negative feedback than payments made with paper methods.¹

And remember, for buyers who use PayPal, we're backing eligible transactions with our buyer protection programme ², as a little confidence can go a long way to build buyer trust – especially over the holiday season.

So, if you haven’t already added an approved electronic payment method to your listings, what are you waiting for? Add at least one immediately – it lowers your potential risks and keeps your listings from being blocked when you try to list or relist items.

Helpful links:

• Learn more about PayPal. Preferred by 5 out of 6 eBay buyers, it’s the smarter way to get paid in 190 markets.
• To read more on safe payment requirements on eBay.com, click here.
• For frequently asked questions, click here for the earlier announcement.

Sell safely over the Holiday Season!

Regards,
The eBay and PayPal teams

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Consumer advisory: The PayPal™ payment service is regarded as a stored value facility under Singapore law. PayPal Pte. Ltd., the Holder of the PayPal™ stored value facility, does not require the approval of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Consumers (users) are advised to read the terms and conditions of use carefully.

1. eBay analytics 1H 2008
2. PayPal buyer protection coverage applies to the full value of the purchase (including postage) for most eBay international purchases (sites other than eBay.com.sg). Items listed within certain categories are not eligible for PayPal Buyer Protection. Other conditions may apply. The Buyer Protection Programme is subject to the terms and conditions in PayPal’s User Agreement. The PayPal service is provided by PayPal, Inc. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement (available at www.paypal.com) and whether the product is appropriate for you before deciding to use it.