What is Digg?80 Comments
- Murphys, on 10/12/2007, -3/+27I don't agree. I accept cash for items that are for pickup. I think it instills confidence in the buyer to know that they get to see the merchandise before they fork over the cash. Besides, why pay Pay-Pal if you don't have to. I have been burned by non-paying bidders not coming to get their stuff, but that could happen even through Pay-Pal.
- GlitchEnzo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23While I understand why they would do something like this, I thought it was against the law to not accept legal tender (cash). Am I wrong?
Yes, I am wrong, I found the answer here:
http://www.ustreas.gov/education/faq/currency/legal-tender.shtml#q1 - SparQy, on 10/12/2007, -7/+23
Anyone who has a problem with this and belives eBay cash transactions aren't scams should send $5 to me to hear my opinion on the matter. - Strahd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15This is a great idea, as there is certainly no fraud with money orders or paypal...
- rm999, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18this is a good idea - an auction where the person asks for cash is just asking for trouble IMO. This protects the idiots (but on the negative side gives more business to paypal).
- mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13The Safe Payments Policy explicitly allows cash payments for in person transactions. It also allows COD.
Read the actual policy not some blog entry:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/safe-payments-policy.html - T3rry, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16the only reason they are doing this is because thewy OWN paypal and they want to Milk EVERYBODY from both ends by making sellers pay fees to list stuff and then gouging on exchange rates for internatiomnal sellers, then making sellers pay even more fees to receive paypal payments, and then more fees to withdraw your money from paypal (depending on the withdrawl method).
Ebay and Paypal and a Monopoly and they are just slexing thier Monopolizing muscle. - szelij, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11My local buys on eBAY are usually for cash. We tend to do pickups and i check the product thoroughly before giving over the money. Never had an unsatisfactory deal. But it also helps that the law is very strict here and people don't usually rip people off.
- MrDo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Indeed, I bought a car and parts on ebay and paid in cash when I picked them up. If they must ban cash payment then they should do it for everything people will send and not things you pickup yourself. Guess I will have to stop that bidding on ebay
- bobertfishbone, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13But...all my eBay auctions are paid for in gold doubloons!
- wadelindsey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8So much for "For All Debts Public and Private"
Of course there's no mandate that everyone accept cash, but it's hard to justify a ban on cash payments, if the buyer is willing and the seller is willing. Seems like a step to beef up profits on (the eBay owned) Paypal. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6T3rry: No need to get your knickers in a knot. They are banning cash, but they're still allowing money orders and cashier's cheques.
- metric152, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6My thinking is that eBay is forcing you to use paypal for transactions so they can tripple drip. First they charge you to post the item. Then they take a cut of the final sale. They you pay through paypal and they take 3%. It's highway robbery if you ask me, but I still post things there because they sell.
- md4wg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6You can still get around paying paypal by accepting money orders or checks like the article mentions.
- lane.montgomery, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5There is one caveat to that rule. If they do not specifically post such a declaration where you can see it and you have already consumed the goods assuming you could satisfy the debt with your legal currency, then they must accept your payment.
Like if you are at a restaurant and they don't have such a notice posted, then they tell you at the register once you have already eaten that they won't accept 5 pounds of pennies. They have to take the legal currency or refuse payment completely (ie free).
But if you go to a buffet and try to pay with 5 pounds of pennies, they can refuse the transaction.
Once when I was at a party store, the clerk told the guy in front of me that they didn't accept dollar coins. The guy got mad and said they couldn't do that. The clerk said the bank won't take them. I told the clerk that was a lie because a bank CAN'T refuse legal currency, it is against the law; but the store does have the right to refuse any type of currency. Neither were very happy with me. - Historian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I just bought a boat on eBay and paid cash after I went to the sellers house and inspected it. It was fast and convenient. Cash should still be an option for eBay Motors auctions.
- nfollmer, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7You could just tell the people you will take cash after the auction is over too
- obeseotron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I bought a big Sony 32" CRT TV off of ebay 6 months ago, it was about 5 years old and there was no way I was handing my money over before I saw the TV. I went to the seller's house, asked him to turn it on, everything was fine, I handed him 5 20's and carried the TV out. It is absurd that such a transaction could not happen in the future.
- tragik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Obviously when it comes to local pick-up, this cannot be enforced unless an ebay 'agent' is present at the time of the actual transaction. So if you're planning on paying cash for a product, you can just as easily write a check, buy a money order, or talk to the seller and see if he's willing to accept the cash for it.
This is really to protect the mailing of currency (which people still do, and this is why the postal service was mentioned RIGHT at the beginning of the article.)
This makes it a bit harder to scam people at long distances, since most people wouldn't dare scam you if you know where the hell they live!
Oh, and paypal's protection is actually pretty decent. Not perfect, but better than nothing. - brettotte1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4You should NEVER cancel the dispute until it is resolved. You cancelled it immediately even though he hadn't remedied the situation by paying some money back or nulling the deal and giving it all back for the ATV.
I'm sure ebay pawned you off onto squaretrade too. That is a total joke! All it does is document everything and sometimes ppl talk a little more calmly on there since it forces them to answer so many questions about the who, what, when, where, etc.
Any dispute I ever had usually went something like..."I saw something, DIDN'T READ THE AUCTION, bid, won, got it, wasn't what I expected, double-checked the listing, saw I got what was EXACTLY DESCRIBED & PICTURED, but was unhappy cuz it ain't what I thought it was, so I think I should STILL get my money back." - mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4It doesn't make sense because eBay is NOT banning all auctions that accept cash. They are banning any auction that solicits sending cash through the mail. Read the Safe Payments Policy yourself at:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/safe-payments-policy.html
Under "Permitted on eBay.com" it is explicit that COD and cash for in person transactions are acceptable. - T3rry, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3i'll tell you the only way to make millions from ebay for free.
Buy them - mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Stever Weber writes an entry in his blog that is inaccurate and borders on being false. For example:
"Some eBay sellers offering heavy or bulky merchandise don't offer shipping, and require buyers to pick up their goods. Some eBayers speculate that these sellers could technically comply with eBay's no-cash policy by advertising a policy of accepting checks, then verbally offering to accept cash when the buyer arrives for pickup."
Mr. Weber offers a clarification by posting a comment that quotes an excerpt from the Safe Payments Policy at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/safe-payments-policy.html. Yet, he makes no attempt to revise (or delete) his original blog entry. Unfortunately for Mr. Weber, the Safe Payments policy states:
"Sellers may accept COD (cash on delivery) or cash for in person transactions."
So, sellers that advertise pickup of items will not have to advertise "a policy of accepting checks, then verbally offering to accept cash when the buyer arrives for pickup." Steve, why haven't you bothered to revise your blog entry?
This submission to digg and the blog entry on Mr. Weber's 'blog' are nothing more than a method of generating traffic to a 'blog' that sells a book on how to start your on home-based bookstore. This digg submission is both spam and inaccurate. I cannot believe that over 340 people have dugg this 'story'. - rockforever, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I doubt they are doing this out of there own free will. They have been taking a lot of heat lately due to scams. Especially that recent one where the scammer contacted the scammie
- designlover, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Interesting how ebay consistently says that online fraud is a miniscule percentage of ebay auctions and then puts a policy in place that affects so many sellers because of fraud. Does anybody else think that ebay is talking out of both sides of their mouth here?
- Karyyk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Google auctions anyone?
This is a singling out one type of fraud while you turn the other way to the more prevalent varieties. I've always accepted cash, because in some instances, it's really one of the few ways that will work (if a buyer doesn't have PayPal, and since my bank has always had issues with overseas checks and money orders, international or not). There is risk involved, but does this end that risk? Not really. I've been more defrauded (and screwed) on PayPal purchases than on any other kind of payment. eBay isn't going to help me out in the case that I'm defrauded (they sure as hell haven't in the past), so what business is it of theirs (unless some class action lawsuit has been filed, in which case, where do I sign up?). - Massif, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Auctions that will only deal in cash are shady, but what about the option of cash payment? Maybe people can just say "E-mail me for payment options" and settle cash payments that way.
- danpsmith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It'll work, but it's more traceable. And with the way things are going for corporations, more traceable is always better.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3As I said above, they are not forcing you to use Paypal. You can use money orders and (cashier's) cheques.
- ggko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I wonder a little about that too. Whenever I have an auction ending fairly cheap, and the buyer is foreign, I offer the option for them to pay in cash. Their cash. Sometimes (with their agreement) I'll overpay a seller with cash and have them send the change in their local currency. Acquired a modest collection of foreign coins and notes this way.
- elsnow77, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2do they still accept cash orders?
thats what i always use...no way in hell im i gonna pay those crazy paypal prices - mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It didn't take you long to figure how digg works. It's not supposed to be a site where you submit a link to a 'story' on your personal blog. But it is becoming a portal for those who are looking to increase traffic to their site.
- brettotte1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If they strictly are cancelling auctions that ONLY accept cash then that doesn't make much sense.
First, you should only pay cash if dealing with the seller in person so you can inspect the goods.
Second, who MAILS cash? Anyone who does is a moron & shouldn't have money.
Third, like ppl still don't get ripped off by sending check, m.o., & paypal.
Fourth, cash should still be an OPTION of payment methods. I've sold multiple things in cash from those who bought locally to save on the $5-$25 S&H for goods, plus they don't have to wait 2-5 days & can inspect them immediately & get instant gratification.
What if an auction said they will ONLY take cash & it was strictly a local pickup item such as a couch. I couldn't believe there were such auctions originally, but ppl search the local auctiosn.
I see nothing wrong with that. eBay should invest more on educating consumers on what things to look for about getting scammed & have some kind of training webcourse to show how scams work, not be Big Brother for all. Rely on the members to report auctions & take appropriate action.
P.S. All this is coming from a twice-banned-for-life ebay user all because I sold catalogs for Marlboro Gear. (no tobacco is offered within the catalogs) - SoCalDissident, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Mousky, you nailed it. I was curious about this, and did a search on ebay's help page, and it specifically states cash is ok (although jsut like everything else in life, you have no real protection if you buy with cash).
http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/payment.html
Doesn't anyone find it interesting that an article ilke this would have no source, no link, NOTHING to back it up? I am kinda new to digg, but I have found that while the occasional story is good and/or interested, most are self-serving links to innaccurate blogs. - mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They are not forcing anyone to use PayPal. Read the Safe Payments Policy not some inaccurate blog entry. CODs and Cash in person remain acceptable forms of payment.
- ggko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I ran a joke auction once which ended at 50 cents. I fully didn't expect the guy to complete the transaction (I may have communicated this to him, I don't remember,) but a month or two later, a money order for 50 cents showed up! We had a good laugh about it.
I still have it and intended to put it up for auction for fun. But it's been sitting around for so long that if you don't cash it in the state of California, you'll be assessed something like a $3 processing fee. - T3rry, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4how do you know i did not intend to say slexing? :D
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I run a fairly large alternative auction site and there are lots of people that accept payment by cash. Perhaps eBay has a different demographic, but I have not found that among my users there is a greater chance of them being frauds or scammers if they accept cash. There is a world of difference between "cash only" and "will accept well-hidden cash at sender's risk".
More often than not, when things go wrong with cash transactions through the mail, it's miscommunications or missunderstandings.
I think any reasonable person would rather avoid the conflict of someone sending cash, becuase as a seller there is no way for the buyer to prove they sent it. They can SAY they sent it and then you're stuck having to defend yourself against an accusation that you somehow stole it.
I allow cash transactions on my site and I probably always will. There's not much of a reason to ban it and I'm sure not going to police every auction every day to see which ones accept cash. However, I sure think it's crazy for a person to take that risk on either side of the transaction. Especially when it's so easy to get a money order from a bank, post office, grocery store and even 7-11. - thewebguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2haha i had to send a bunch of pennies to test out some paypal php stuff, i told my roomate if he let me use his account he would make a few bucks in pennies through all the transactions. i lost like .75, he mad .00 because of the fees lol
- Pizpump, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2jurassic, let's be fair to eBay. Ebay IS concerned with scams...
...that it can't profit from. - Niirs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I love how EVERYONE IS ANTI EVERYTHING.... Read any of the Dugg articles and all ANYONE ever does is bash someone. Microsoft is bad, Blockbuster is bad, eBay is bad, PayPal is bad...... Holly Crap - I am so glad I am hanging out with the Experts ...... Get a Life and try to be happy about something.....
- danpsmith, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3This isn't good, any elimination of the use of cash is a bad thing. People are all too quick to embrace credit cards and such in every form of purchase and use them so often they don't see the reason for the other method. I have a reason, it's called privacy. The government would love everything to be cash-less, because it makes it easier to snoop on people, and that's why I don't love it.
- danpsmith, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1It wouldn't, but it would make your every move observable. So go ahead and support it.
- JQP123, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@pillshovel
"He is a police officer so I though that surely he was to be trusted..."
Honesty is not a requirement for police work. Just like anyone else, many police officers will break the rules whenever it's convenient and they can get away with it ... as you discovered. - Zippo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Makes sense to me. Good call on eBay's behalf.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Im sure they honestly felt they were helping users avoid scams. But the potential boost in profits probably didn't hurt the votes this got in the boardroom ;)
- George
http://www.onlyfeeds.com - andrewlevy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1You hear about these cases where people have payed cash but the sheer majority of transactions are non-cash. eBay certainly wouldn't do this without the data to back it up (with a clear majority being scams), why would they want to hurt their sales?
- jedi_master, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4@ T3rry: "Ebay and Paypal and a Monopoly and they are just slexing thier Monopolizing muscle."
slexing - v. flexing while having sex
I love typos - nuxx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I've never had any problem with paypal...in fact, I love paypal. I use it for every purchase I make, as I don't have a credit card or checkbook, and money orders are a pain in the ass. As for user fees, I could care less about paying them the meager amounts that they request to use their service.
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