eBay bids farewell to checks, money orders as payment

If you want to buy it on eBay in the coming months, you'll have to buy it with some type of electronically processed payment option. Like a credit or debit card. Or eBay's PayPal service.

Many big changes go into effect soon at the online marketplace. A significant one cited by AuctionBytes finds eBay making a core change to how buyers pay sellers for their purchases:

eBay is moving to an electronic Checkout system, banning checks, money orders and postal orders. Accepted payment methods will include merchant credit card accounts, ProPay, and PayPal, effective late October.

There are exceptions to the new Accepted Payments policy. See details here, including this tidbit: "Please note that the new payments policy will not apply to the vehicles categories in Motors, capital equipment categories in Business & Industrial, Mature Audiences and Real Estate."

AuctionBytes editor Ina Steiner also observed how eBay's moderators handling seller questions about the change may be just as confused by the forthcoming update, in citing one moderator's response on the topic:

Right. But let's be crystal clear here: Seller are free to accept any payment type request a buyer might send them but post October, they will not be able to offer the option of checks or money orders in their listings or their email to buyers.

The so-called paperless society may never truly come into being, and I doubt we'll ever see it as long as there's such a thing as a government agency on any level. eBay's motivation here looks more like an unsubtle push of its sellers into PayPal, eBay's lucrative payment processing service.

Isn't it strange to think that the time of the online auction has reached an end? I won't miss auction sniping, a practice eBay does nothing to combat. But people seem to want an easier, classifieds-style way of transacting business, with set prices the rule.