Payment Methods Used in eBay

Payment methods used by eBay sellers include:

PayPal - The preferred payment method on eBay - Accepts all major credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers in one payment solution. eBay recommends using this option as a fast, secure and convenient method of payment for all of your international transactions. When you list your item with PayPal, your buyers can securely pay you online without ever sharing their financial information.

Buyers pay from either the item listing page, end of item email, or by logging into their PayPal account. Payment is deposited directly into your PayPal account. Plus, PayPal also helps you minimise your risks against fraud, buyer claims (filed with PayPal), or credit card chargebacks (a credit cardholder disputes a purchase through their financial institute). Learn more about selling with PayPal.

Important note for cross border trade sellers: To keep eBay a safe place for both buyers and sellers, you must have your PayPal account verified and linked to your eBay account if you want to sell globally.

New sellers who register after January 19, 2007 and want to sell internationally are required to offer PayPal or an approved merchant account as an accepted safe payment method for their items.


Wire Transfer - Also known as bank transfer, buyers deposit payment directly into the seller's bank account either online or at most banks. eBay recommends using this option as a safe method of payment for domestic transactions.

Other methods of payment include personal cheques, cashier's cheques, and money orders. These methods are traceable to a particular mailing address, but most sellers wait for the funds to clear before they post the item to the buyer. The advantage of these methods is that there is no additional fee to the seller.

Cash On Delivery (C.O.D.) - Payment of the item is received at the time of delivery. The buyer can choose to pay by cash, money order, or cheque, depending on what form of payment the delivery service accepts, or if the seller personally delivers the item. This option is also applicable for meetups between buyer and seller.

Cash - eBay does not recommend cash or cash wire transfers as a payment method. The lack of transaction protections, and traceability represent major risks with little to no remedy for transaction problems (see Sending Payments: Benefits and Risks).

Important: You should never accept overpayments from buyers for items where the buyer is asking to be reimbursed for overpayment. These requests could be part of a counterfeit cashier's cheque scheme.