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We are pleased to present a Live Chat Event with Matt Bannick, Alex Kazim & Amy Rowe on Wednesday October 16th from 5:00-6:00 PM PDT. During this time, Matt, Alex, and Amy will field questions concerning the PayPal acquisition.
eBay member exclusive Live Chat with Matt Bannick, Senior VP of Global Online Payments, Alex Kazim, VP of eBay Payments, and Amy Rowe, Executive VP of Product at PayPal.
- Date: Wednesday October 16th
- Time: from 5:00 - 6:00 PM PDT
About Matt:
Matt Bannick is Senior Vice President of Global Online Payments. Matt has spearheaded substantial improvements in the overall customer experience at eBay. He established eBay's world-class customer support capabilities in Salt Lake City and, as vice president of Product and Community, led the introduction of numerous enhancements to eBay's trading platform and services. More recently, Matt's group is responsible for the integration of PayPal.
About Alex:
Alex Kazim is the Vice President of eBay Payments, reporting into Matt Bannick. His group is responsible for the integration of the PayPal acquisition, coordinating the work of over 20 functional organizations on each side. Prior to that, Alex spent his first four years at eBay running the software development group, the API marketing group, and most recently the US Platform business unit where he was responsible for the eBay Developers Program, eBay's Seller tools (incl. Mr. Lister, Seller's Asst., and Turbo Lister), the eBay Toolbar, Live Auctions, and the Connection To eBay relationship.
About Amy:
Amy Rowe is the Executive Vice President of Product at PayPal, reporting into Matt Bannick. Amy's group is responsible for all of the products and features on the PayPal website, including the integration with eBay. Amy has spent her 3 years at PayPal in the Product Management group, spearheading the Web Accept, Shopping Cart, and Instant Payment Notification products.
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PayPal Live Event Transcript
eBay: Good evening. With us tonight are Matt Bannick, Senior VP of eBay Global Online Payments, Alex Kazim, VP of eBay Payments, and Amy Rowe, Executive VP of Payment at PayPal.
eBay: They will be available this evening to address your questions and concerns about eBay's acquisition of PayPal. Thanks for attending and enjoy the event.
Alex Kazim: Welcome to the community!
Matt Bannick: We'd like to welcome everyone to this Town Hall meeting. We're very excited about the eBay acquisition of PayPal and the integration of PayPal onto eBay, and we think it's going to deliver incredible benefits for the eBay and PayPal communities. We look forward to the opportunity to answer some of the questions that you might have.
james_hilsdon: I live in the UK and just heard about Billpoint being discontinued in favour of PayPal. I have tried to use PayPal in the past but could not because I don't own a credit card, I've been able to use Billpoint however as I have a SOLO card (a UK debit card). Will I be able to use PayPal with my Solo card once eBay take it over?
Amy Rowe: Yes. We are looking to support SOLO and Switch in the first quarter of next year.
Matt Bannick: We're very excited about bringing the PayPal functionality to the UK marketplace over the next couple of quarters, and we want to make sure that our eBay UK users have as good an experience with the PayPal service in the UK as they currently have with eBay.com in the U.S.
eBay@cockrell.co.uk: Will payments via PayPal go directly into my UK bank account in GB pounds?.
Amy Rowe: Payments received via PayPal will go directly into your PayPal account. At this time, PayPal supports U.S. dollars, pounds sterling and Euros. Users can withdraw the pounds sterling funds into their UK bank account, and they can also have other currencies converted for withdrawal into their UK bank account. PayPal does not automatically sweep funds into users' bank accounts.
drexelantiques: I welcome the integration, but my biggest concern is that the integration either be finished before the holiday selling season, or be done after, and not cause bugs and problems during it. Comments?
AAlex Kazim: One of the reasons why we're trying to do this integration now is to make sure we got the software done before the holiday season started. We're rolling out the first phase of the integration this week to make sure that sellers can use the product and get comfortable with it before the holiday season picks up.
earlydays1: I am an international seller and have always been concerned about the unfair exchange rate charged by PayPal for international settlements, these charges bear no relation to real exchange rates. Will eBay be more reasonable with this rate of exchange?
Amy Rowe: The rates that you refer to are the inter-bank exchange rates, and these are rates that the large financial institutions use to trade. These rates are not available on the consumer level and even PayPal cannot obtain these rates. If you make a comparison of PayPal's rates to other payment companies, for example Western Union, you'll find that our rates are very competitive.
rcdiugun: PayPal only caters to 38 countries while Billpoint has a much wider country base. With the acquisition, does this mean those previously supported won't be able to use the services again because PayPal doesn't support the particular country?
Amy Rowe: We are continually looking to expand our offering on a country-by-country basis. And we'll do that based on a host of factors including the size of the market, the regulatory environment and the security of the transaction. PayPal is extremely excited about global expansion.
rascarmo: Will you have Pay-Pal make automatic deposits into checking account like Billpoint does, so one doesn't have to go to Pay-pal and have the money sent? It makes it so nice when that is allowed to be done, saves a lot of time. Thanks.
Amy Rowe: A few people have asked us for this functionality, so we will definitely look into it. But there may be some associated costs.
acsida: Will Half.com also be integrated into this new platform with PayPal?
Alex Kazim: We have no plans to support PayPal on Half.com at this time.
jcnorris: Will PayPal still accept American Express after it has replaced Billpoint?
Amy Rowe: Yes.
donwheeler: Will you be keeping all of the features in PayPal which made it so easy to use and hence so superior to Billpoint?
Matt Bannick: We're delighted that PayPal customers have found PayPal so easy to use. Going forward, we plan on making PayPal even more user friendly, by among other things, more deeply integrating the service into eBay. As always we will solicit community feedback as we continue to build a better PayPal.
bobby0wie: If an account was frozen by PayPal will my eBay account be too?
Alex Kazim: Currently we have no plans to link the accounts like that.
halliew: Will I still be able to use PayPal for non-auction goods and services?
Amy Rowe: Yes. We will continue to support and iterate on our Web Accept and other merchant features.
woozlehead: Will people without credit cards (like myself) ever be able to use PayPal for eBay transactions? I am thinking of something like an electronic funds transfer might be convenient. Thanks.
Alex Kazim: Yes. You can send payments from your bank account via PayPal without adding a credit card.
kymykat: Will I be able to pay my seller fees with my PayPal account?
Alex Kazim: Yes. We would like to enable that functionality over time. Today you can use your PayPal debit card, assuming you're under your daily limit.
sruk: I have a personal, not business, account as a seller. I am limited to $100 a month only at no charge. Will this limitation continue?
Amy Rowe:: We currently have three levels of accounts - business, premier and personal - and users get additional functionality at each level. We will continue to have limits on our free personal accounts.
denvik67: Billpoint just required a credit card for purchases. PayPal required a credit card but had a limited purchase power unless you provided a checking account. Will this new partnership with PayPal only require a credit card, or will it still require a checking account for verified status?
Matt Bannick: In the short run, we'll continue to require a checking account for verified status, but since banks screen account holders, this is the best way to ensure that a credit card holder is who they claim to be.
pook1234: I like the fact the Billpoint lets you use any credit card of your choice. With PayPal you can only pay with the one credit card that you have on file. Will they make this option with PayPal?
Amy Rowe: Actually PayPal allows you to choose any active credit card you have on file. If you click on the More Funding Options link, you can select any other card you have on file in your account.
onniex123:: Will the fees stay the same for "merchant rate" sellers with PayPal?
Amy Rowe: Yes.
justus2-nc@msn.com: Will we will still be receiving our 1.5% cash back bonus when we use our PayPal debit card as a MasterCard?
Matt Bannick: We plan to retain our cash back bonus program.
teeeeeek: Will FREE accounts still exist for PayPal users and will you add a logo for Bank Account Transfers if people prefer to use them opposed to credit cards? Thanks.
Amy Rowe: Yes. Free accounts will still exist. For non-credit card acceptors, you need to add the plan PayPal logo in your item description manually. It's still always free to send payments.
radodge: Are there any plans to require use of PayPal for eBay transactions, and are there any plans to raise PayPal fees?
Alex Kazim: We have no plans to require PayPal for eBay transactions, nor do we have any plans to raise PayPal's fees.
kingron995: My last purchase through PayPal was for $6300, I wanted to use my credit card but was told that PayPal would only use a bank transfer, when I asked why I was told that it was up to PayPal and it was none of my business as to how PayPal decided on money transfers. I am registered with PayPal and I thought this most unprofessional. If I want to use a card I should be allowed to do it, what do you say? Thanks.
Amy Rowe: PayPal uses complex statistical modeling to protect the security of our payments network. Occasionally if a payment seems risky, PayPal will deny various payment methods. But this is no reflection of your status in the PayPal payment network. That said, there's always room for improvement.
willysgrandma: Will there still be a phone number for us to call PayPal for customer service? eBay does not have any live telephone operators to answer calls - that is a concern.
Matt Bannick: We have no plans to change PayPal's fees or their 800 service number.
greenwichvintage: One of the top reasons I prefer Billpoint over PayPal is that Billpoint includes the item number in the email reference line when sending payment confirmation to buyers. Unfortunately PayPal does not--they say "receipt for payment. Question: will PayPal change this and include item number in reference line? it makes it much easier to process emails when purchasing frequently
Alex Kazim: It's a great suggestion. We're going to look into it.
caw2454: Will you lower the listing fees if sellers include PayPal Payments on listings!
Matt Bannick: We have no plans to change eBay's fee structure at this time. We may choose to periodically introduce incentives to drive or increase PayPal adoption.
bayousport: Is there a way to have a PayPal logo but not the indication that you accept credit cards?
Amy Rowe: Yes. You just need to manually insert the PayPal logo into your item description. You can find the logo by logging into your PayPal account, clicking on the "Sell" tab and click on the link that says, "Manual Logos."
paintpower: If we select the PayPal payment option on the listing form, will we be required to have Checkout turned ON in the My eBay Preferences? I offer my buyers a choice of shipping methods so I need information from them to complete a total due for them. I don't want them paying through Checkout without shipping cost.
Alex Kazim: No. If you have Checkout turned off, your buyer will not go through eBay Checkout. I do urge you to look at the materials on the eBay site that describe this in further detail.
unit40medicone: Several months ago I tried to use PayPal. They said my email address was already in their system. However when I contacted them to try to get my password they NEVER responded. Therefore I have continued to use Billpoint which I prefer anyway. Now that you're getting rid of Billpoint, how do I get my PayPal password?
Amy Rowe: On the PayPal homepage, there is a "Forgot Password" link where you'll be able to enter your email address, and we will email you instructions on how to reset your password.
ryaninc: Will eBay and PayPal passwords remain different? Or, like Half, will they be the same?
Alex Kazim: The eBay and PayPal passwords will remain different.
bigbill407: Is PayPal my only option for purchasing or bidding on eBay?
Alex Kazim: No. There are other electronic payment options as well as other forms of payment like checks or money orders.
1stbn9mar: Can i use my debit card to put money into PayPal?
Amy Rowe: You can make payments via PayPal with your debit card, but you cannot currently use it to deposit funds into your PayPal account. To deposit funds electronically from your bank account, log into PayPal, go to the "Add Funds" subtab of the "Overview" tab, and from there you can add funds directly from your bank account into your PayPal account.
hanksneetstuff: Can I use PayPal on my own website?
Amy Rowe: Yes. PayPal supports payments from any user's website. To enable this, go the "Sell" tab on the PayPal website, and you will find instructions on how to use PayPal on your website.
boogins1: I just signed up to sell on eBay. Do PayPal and credit card payments, automatically become a option for me the seller to accept?
Matt Bannick: You can list with PayPal as a new seller without signing up for a PayPal account. In order to receive your funds, you will need to register with PayPal separately.
bidtowin1999: Will eBay and PayPal still allow you to send money to friends etc. or will everything have to be transaction related?
Amy Rowe: Yes. You'll be able to send money to your friends.
g.boucher: What will happen to my account balance (credit) that PayPal is holding?
Amy Rowe: There will be no changes.
kent1012@optonline.net: Will employees be let go due to the dissolution of Billpoint?
Matt Bannick: This is an issue we're currently working through with our Billpoint staff.
iampedro: Will we be able to add more bank accounts that we weren't previously able to add to PayPal but were able to add to Billpoint?
Amy Rowe: We are always looking to expand the use of financial instruments on our payment network, but we'll do this on a case-by-case basis based on the security and the instrument of the transaction.
aunteeksattic:: What will happen to Billpoint?
Matt Bannick: Billpoint will be phased out in the first half of 2003. We understand that the transition to PayPal will pose challenges to Billpoint users, and we will work hard to make sure that this transition is as smooth as possible.
susansmail: Will the PayPal payment option also be added to Turbo Lister?
Alex Kazim: Yes. It should be ready this week.
luvzena: eBay charges an insertion fee and a final value fee. Is PayPal going to charge two additional seller fees for the buyer to use PayPal and another one to get your money from them? That would be four fees.
Alex Kazim: The seller is going to end up paying a set of fees to eBay, particularly the insertion fee, the final value fee, and an optional feature fee. If the buyer purchases the item using PayPal and the seller has a business or premier account, the seller will be charged a PayPal fee for that transaction.
crochetladycat: I hope I am in the correct area for my question. How secure is PayPal? Does every seller have access to my credit card number? My concern is that my number will be available to so many people? thanks
Alex Kazim: One of the best things about PayPal is that your financial information is completely secure. The seller will never see your credit card number or your checking account information.
abuttonlady: As a buyer, I'd like the option to select a payment option of credit card OR available PayPal funds. Is there any chance of having this?
Amy Rowe: Currently if you have sufficient funds in your PayPal balance, payments will come from your PayPal balance. There are no immediate plans to change this functionality.
dds83: I've had a customer recently say that her PayPal account was hacked into and she didn't know who had been paid and who hadn't. I've read on the message boards about this happening to others. What measures are being taken to make PayPal more secure?
Alex Kazim: There are two ways to avoid this. First, be on the watch for site spoofing. This is where someone other than PayPal will ask for your PayPal User ID and password. You should always check the URL of the web browser to make sure that it says "www.PayPal.com." The second way is to make sure your password is as secure as possible. That is that it can't be easily guessed. On the PayPal site in the footer, there is a Security Center that details good practices in this area.
photoshipper: Will my "auction works" auction management work with the PayPal integration?
Alex Kazim: We will be working with all 3rd party seller tools on this. There is an issue currently if you are using their Checkout process, and we are working to address this.
photoshipper:: When will this whole PayPal eBay integration take place?
Matt Bannick: The integration process will unfold over the next several months, and there are several elements to the integration. The most important type of integration for the existing eBay community will be the product integration. We are launching that phase of the product integration this week, and there will be subsequent phases to follow. As usual, we will be working closely with the eBay and PayPal communities to solicit your input to make sure that we evolve the PayPal service in a way that best serves your needs.
willysgrandma: Will those of us with PayPal MasterCards or Visas be getting new cards, or will our cards remain the same?
Amy Rowe: Your cards will remain the same.
prettyunique: When will Seller's Assistant Pro be integrated with PayPal?
Alex Kazim: It should be ready in a week.
goombah4jc: Is PayPal going to continue running as a separate entity of eBay?
Matt Bannick: Yes. PayPal will continue to operate as a subsidiary of eBay Inc.
sistermartha: I may want to close my Billpoint account now and just continue to allow the Auto PayPal logo be added daily. How would I close my Billpoint account now? I tried a few days ago but saw no option at eBay to do so?
Alex Kazim: You'll have to go to the Billpoint website www.Billpoint.com and there will be an option there for you to close your account.
tealt: Will PayPal continue to allow payments to be sent to any e-mail address--whether the address is a registered PayPal account or not?
Amy Rowe: Yes. That includes sellers who want to accept PayPal and have not yet opened a PayPal account. If the seller then receives a PayPal payment and does not open an account, after 30 days, those funds will automatically be returned to the buyer.
astraea1: I arrived late. Will there be a transcript of this Q & A available?
Alex Kazim: Yes. It will be available at http://pages.eBay.com/event/PayPal/index.html in about two days.
hugle-2: I noticed that when listing an item I can put in the PayPal email address for payment. My husband and I have separate PayPal accounts. Can I change that back and forth for auctions that he lists verses the ones I list? Even if we share a eBay ID?
Amy Rowe: Yes. You can change the email address. It's defaulted to the email address registered to the eBay account. Once it's changed, it's saved going forward but will continue to be editable.
willysgrandma: Is there a time in the immediate future when the Winning Bid Notices will be sent out immediately when an auction ends? Currently there is a two day delay.
Amy Rowe: Winning bidder notifications should typically go out within minutes after the auction closes. For Buy it Now auctions, you may see a longer time lag - approximately 4-6 hours at the most.
marie-joce: When paying with PayPal, what if you're not satisfied with the product? Can you return and get back your money?
Amy Rowe: We are rolling out a money-back guarantee program that for a small fee buyers can purchase and receive a guarantee for their purchase. Sellers can currently opt out of this program. We're currently piloting the program, and, based on results, you can expect a larger rollout in the future.
Alex Kazim: eBay items are covered under our insurance program for up to $200 right now. That's independent of PayPal.
lindaphotogirl91901: How do I get my money back if I overpaid through PayPal through my personal checking account?
Amy Rowe: You should contact the seller directly and work out a way for the seller to refund those additional funds to you. You can also ask the seller to refund your payment via PayPal. That's a free service, and they can do that for up to 30 days after the payment is completed.
drunkevil: Will any of the ATM or cash back features change on PayPal?
Amy Rowe: There are currently no plans to change those features.
ewcook: I enjoy the ease of using PayPal in conjunction with eBay. Most of the sellers like it too. I even received a two-for-one lately if I used PayPal. Is anything major going to change that will affect us directly? I see that Billpoint is being phased-out in "early" 2003. Will their accounts merge with PayPal? Keep up the good work. Thanks!
Alex Kazim: Right now we have no plans to share your Billpoint user data with your PayPal account. We're going to continue to enhance the PayPal product over time.
rkellerman_andale_co: How will this affect the Web Accept flow?
Amy Rowe: It shouldn't affect the Web Accept flow at all. We have no plans to change it.
dragonbeads: Will eBay offer a PayPal checkout system that allows buyers to combine their wins into a single PayPal payment to a seller?
Alex Kazim: We have no plans to do this currently, but we are looking into it. It's a common request.
d74426: I had a PayPal account for two years then canceled it and started using Billpoint. Now that Billpoint is out the door, I tried to sign back up with PayPal and PayPal won't let me register my bank and credit card account because they were once in the data base. How do I get them registered and verified?
Amy Rowe: We're very excited you're coming back to the service! The first thing you should do is make sure you have closed your original PayPal account. If you continue to have issues adding your credit card or bank account, you should contact Customer Service. Make sure you have indeed closed your PayPal account. To contact Customer Service, click "Help" in the upper right-hand corner, and you can send us an email.
mesry_cruzio_com: Will sellers to able to specify that they accept PayPal payments for domestic transactions, but not for international transactions, easily, i.e., by checking a box on the sell form?
Alex Kazim: Currently no, but we'll look into it. It's a good idea.
willysgrandma: Will we ever be able give our customers a partial refund on a purchase? If a customer overpays me for postage and the postage comes out to less than they paid, I like to give them a refund of the difference. At this time, I have to do an entire new payment to them. It would be convenient to be able to issue partial refunds.
Amy Rowe: We understand this is an issue, and we are working on a product solution.
Matt Bannick: I'd like to thank the community members for participating, for your questions and your continued input. We're very excited about working with PayPal and the community to create an ever-better payment experience on eBay. We'll make sure to keep in touch with you, to not only keep you informed of the changes, but to solicit your input in the months ahead.
eBay: Thank you for joining us for this Live Chat with Matt, Alex and Amy. We hope that we answered most of your questions. If you would like to review a transcript of this event, please bookmark this link: http://pages.eBay.com/event/PayPal/index.html. We will publish the transcript as soon as we can.
eBay: This has been a production of eBay, Inc. and LiveWorld, Inc. Copyright 2002. All rights reserved
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Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.