WHY WON'T EBAY ALLOW ME TO ACCEPT MONEY ORDERS

It's really frustrating. DO THEY GET A KICK BACK from Paypal? If I want to sell something, I want the buyer to have EVERY option of payment.|||Ebay OWNS Paypal. And they want every $$ they can get. Simple as that, sorry. (But, you CAN accept them, you just can't ask for them.) ~James~~James~|||This is why: Link Link Link Link Link It's too easy for sellers to scam buyers with paper payments. There were also too many buyers who chose to pay with unsafe payments then screamed at eBay because they wouldn't protect them.|||For the overwhelming vast majority of people who used money orders, everything went fine. There would be as in everything, someone who wants to pull some scam. Unfortunately, eBay while not being able to do anything about money orders does assist the scammers using Paypal. As a good solid seller accepting money orders eBay has put you into the position of being scammed.|||email4... As snowfeather has pointed out there have been some scammers who take the money and run. I have had hundreds of Money Order transactions, both buying and selling, with out a problem. blue_eyes, is also correct ebay wants to squeeze every $ out of sellers that it can. Ebay cannot stop you from accepting paper payments, but say you cannot mention M.O.s, or Checks, in descriptions. To get around that I put "paypal and other payments acepted, contact me" in my descriptions. Befor accepting paper payments from a buyer, check their FBs, a higher number is better, and their length of membership. Let them know you will not ship until the MO/check clears. Ask your bank how long they wait until posting to your acct. I see you sell mostly lower priced items, however, if you sell something expensive, over $100. tell a buyer you will only accept cashiers, or certified checks.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I did not sell you my opinion|||Mudshark, if reported your auctions will be cancelled.|||Sorry, Mud - your "paypal and other payments accepted, contact me" statement is clearly against ebay policy. The best you can do within policy is invite buyers to contact you if they have any questions (without mentioning payments specifically) Ebay's stealth policy of "accept, but don't tell" is really annoying to us who see it as yet another dip into seller's pockets. I can see the need to offer electronic payments on an internet site, I can't see the justification to do everything in ebay's power to convince both buyers and sellers that money orders are forbidden, but not really. From ebay's accepted-payments-policy help page Link Being clear about what payment methods are accepted: Sellers must clearly state the payment methods they accept, and can’t make generalized statements or ask buyers to contact them for additional payment methods. Low/private feedback IDs are often POSTING ids used to avoid auction interference by PITA lurkers OP=Original Poster or Post   INR=Item Not Received    SNAD=Significantly Not as Described NPS=Non Performing Seller   NPB=Non Paying Bidder   NARU=Not A Registered User UID=Unpaid Item Dispute       FVF=Final Value Fee       PITA=Pain In The A**Hover for definitions: ASQ. FVF. INR. NARU. NPB. NPS. OP. PITA. SNAD. UID|||It's too easy for sellers to scam buyers with paper payments. True enough. What your links show, in addition to the reasons why ebay wants safe payments, is that despite all its efforts to manipulate people into safe payment methods, people still get scammed. Since its clear people can't be protected from themselves by ebays actions, ebay should instead put an advisory on every auction about the relative safety of different payment methods, let the seller offer any payment method he wants, and let the buyer decide if that's acceptable. The linked scams aren't particularly artful or creative. You'd assume anyone smart enough to have that much money to spend on ebay would be smart enough to not fall for these scams. Ebay's attitude should be "we provided a safe money transfer method, we advised on the relative safety of money transfer methods, and that is all we can reasonably do". Instead, ebay has appointed itself the guardians of idiots.I favor live and let live. But for those who don't believe that, who don't understand MAD, well, if I fall you're going down with me.|||ebay should instead put an advisory on every auction about the relative safety of different payment methods They did that and it still didn't work. Buyers would still come here and elsewhere to complain that Ebay did nothing wen they got scammed. You'd assume anyone smart enough to have that much money to spend on ebay would be smart enough to not fall for these scams. You's think so wouldn't you? Unfortunately, there are plenty of uneducated/naive people out there with tons of money to burn.|||ebay should instead put an advisory on every auction about the relative safety of different payment methods They did that and it still didn't work. Buyers would still come here and elsewhere to complain that Ebay did nothing wen they got scammed. Can't protect people from everything, especially when the enemy is themselves. ebay, upon putting up the warnings, had done everything it reasonably could. Warning is sufficient. Prevention is impossible. The costs of the unreasonable things its tried are borne, not by the scammers, but by the honest sellers... and still doesn't really work.I favor live and let live. But for those who don't believe that, who don't understand MAD, well, if I fall you're going down with me.|||One possible way around this A bidder emails you and asks if he can pay by MO/CC You reply: Yes Have the question posted on the "Questions from other members" below the auction subject page. Risky, but possible. Smart sellers leave feedback at payment! I am a Bomb Technician If you see me running, try to keep up!|||Have the question posted on the "Questions from other members" below the auction subject page. I had actually considered doing this (and patted myself on the back for thinking of it!) but then I found out that Ebay thought of it first. It states explicitly that you are allowed to ansewr the buyer with an affirmative, but you are not allowed to put that question and answer in your auction. Ebay really spent a lot of time predicting ways we would try to get around this and then cutting us off at the pass.Don't you mess with aly*baby's...|||any method of payment is a possible way to rip people off.. even money orders are being collected by sellers and then being claimed as not recieved. They can cash them and still claim it wasn't them and the post office will not refund the money.. leaving the seller in good standing with ebay and allowing them to relist the same items to sell again and again... there is no safe method when of sending or recieving money online. Its part of the risk we all take when conducting business online.|||I also think that ebay wants to oversee all transactions. People may try to drive up the auction prices buy using another account to bid on their own items to make other bidders increase their bid. However, if other bidders do not comply and overbid the seller than the seller is stuck paying for his/her own item. Using a Money order as a payment option the seller can claim that the item was paid for and not actually have to pay. If the seller has to use electronic payment options like credit cards and paypal this means that he/she would have to make the payment to actually confirm payment is complete thus allowing ebay to monitor people who are cheating by driving up their own bids using different accounts. This is just one theory, I'm sure there is more than just one reason why ebay doesn't allow Money Orders. However, all you really have to do is just ask the seller. It's just that the seller cannot advertise Money orders as a payment option.|||"I also think that ebay wants to oversee all transactions. People may try to drive up the auction prices buy using another account to bid on their own items to make other bidders increase their bid. However, if other bidders do not comply and overbid the seller than the seller is stuck paying for his/her own item. Using a Money order as a payment option the seller can claim that the item was paid for and not actually have to pay." Wow. I have never heard of a conspiracy theory involving a shill bidder actually winning his own item and then using the "Marked as Payment Sent" to thwart or bypass the electronic payment system. Them shillers sure are jumping thru a lot of hoops now aren't they? Of course, that theory is shot out of the water in the last part of your post which admits the ebay does allow for the use of MOs and therefore negates using the 'payment sent' option as a shilling tool. ~James~~James~