In this article
	Payment options for most listings Payment options for Real Estate Business & Industrial, capital equipment, Adult Only, and some Motors categories Escrow services for high-priced items Payment tips The fine print

Offering your buyers safe and convenient payment choices can help your sale go smoothly, get you good Feedback, and bring them back for more.

Payment options for most listings

For most listing categories, you need to offer at least one electronic payment or Internet merchant credit card option. This provides a fast and secure transaction for you and the buyer. When the buyer clicks the Pay Now button in their email notification or item listing in My eBay, they can pay you immediately and the payment is processed through the processor you've chosen. You receive an email telling you you've been paid and you can ship the item.

You can also offer payment upon pickup.

To set up the payment options you'll offer buyers, see Setting up your payment preferences.

You'll be offered payment options as you list your item. Payment options for most listings include:

• PayPal

• ProPay

• Moneybookers

• Paymate

• Credit card through an Internet merchant account

• Payment upon pickup

Notes:

• Payment by personal check, cashier’s check, bank-to-bank transfers, or money order isn't allowed for most eBay purchases.

• This doesn't apply to: some Motors categories, the Real Estate and Adult Only categories, and capital equipment. For a list of excluded categories, see the accepted payments policy.

Here's a comparison of payment options for most listing types. For details on each electronic option, click its name.

PayPal

	How does it work? Upon Checkout, the buyer logs into PayPal and can pay by credit card or checking account through PayPal. Here's more about using PayPal on eBay.
	Do I need to register? Yes,you need to register with PayPal before you offer this as a payment option.
	Do I pay a fee? Yes.
	Does the buyer have to register? No, but they can. If the buyer is registered, they can pay from their PayPal account.
	Does the buyer pay a fee? No.
	How soon am I paid? Immediately, to your PayPal account.
	Is there seller protection? Yes. See PayPal Seller Protection.
	Is there buyer protection? Yes. See PayPal Buyer Protection.
	Does this method require eBay Checkout? Yes.
	Is there help if I have a transaction problem? Yes. See PayPal Resolution Center.

ProPay

	How does it work? Upon checkout, the buyer enters their credit card information. Payment is processed immediately and sent to your ProPay account. Here's more about using ProPay on eBay.
	Do I need to register? Yes, you need to register with ProPay before you offer this as a payment option.
	Do I pay a fee? Yes.
	Does the buyer have to register? No.
	Does the buyer pay a fee? No.
	How soon am I paid? Immediately, to your ProPay account.
	Is there seller protection? No.
	Is there buyer protection? Not through ProPay. The buyer may have protection through their credit card company.
	Does this method require eBay Checkout? Yes.
	Is there help if I have a transaction problem? Yes, through the eBay Resolution Center. See what to do if a buyer doesn't pay.

Moneybookers

	How does it work? Upon checkout, the buyer enters their credit card information. Payment is processed immediately and is sent to your Moneybookers account.
	Do I need to register? Yes, you need to register with Moneybookers before you offer this as a payment option.
	Do I pay a fee? Yes.
	Does the buyer have to register? No. Through special arrangement with eBay, buyers who buy on eBay don't have to register with Moneybookers to send payments to sellers.
	Does the buyer pay a fee? No.
	How soon am I paid? Immediately, to your Moneybookers account.
	Is there seller protection? No.
	Is there buyer protection? Not through Moneybookers. The buyer may have purchase protection through their credit card company.
	Does this method require eBay Checkout? Yes.
	Is there help if I have a transaction problem? Yes, through the eBay Resolution Center. See what to do if a buyer doesn't pay.

Paymate

	How does it work? Upon checkout, the buyer enters their credit card information. Payment is processed immediately and sent to your Paymate account. Here's more about using Paymate on eBay.
	Do I need to register? Yes, you need to register with Paymate before you offer this as a payment option.
	Do I pay a fee? Yes.
	Does the buyer have to register? No.
	Does the buyer pay a fee? No.
	How soon am I paid? Immediately, to your Paymate account.
	Is there seller protection? No.
	Is there buyer protection? Not through Paymate. The buyer may have purchase protection through their credit card company.
	Does this method require eBay Checkout? Yes.
	Is there help if I have a transaction problem? Yes, through the eBay Resolution Center. See what to do if a buyer doesn't pay.

Merchant credit card

	How does it work? Sellers can accept credit card payments to their Internet merchant account directly through eBay Checkout by signing up for a Payflow payment gateway account. This is a free service for eBay sellers. Buyers pay immediately using the Pay Now button. Payments are securely and instantly processed online from eBay Checkout through Payflow. The seller never sees the buyer's credit card number. Sellers receive an email telling them they've been paid and they know they can ship the item.
	Do I need to register? Yes, you need an Internet merchant account with your bank or credit card processing company, and you need to sign up for a Payflow payment gateway account before you offer this as a payment option.
	Do I pay a fee? Yes and no. While the Payflow payment gateway is a free service for eBay sellers, your bank or merchant credit card processor will charge you the usual per-transaction fees and a percentage of the total amount charged by the buyer. Depending on your credit card processing agreement and your monthly transaction volume, Internet merchant account fees may be higher than fees for PayPal, ProPay, Moneybookers, and Paymate. If you don't have an Internet merchant credit card account already, take a look at your options before signing up for this service. If you haven't needed a merchant account up to now, you'll probably pay less per transaction by using one of the other payment options.
	Does the buyer have to register? No, buyers can use their credit card as they would at any online or offline store.
	Does the buyer pay a fee? No.
	How soon am I paid? Your merchant account is credited immediately after the buyer's card information is received and processed.
	Is there seller protection? No.
	Is there buyer protection? The buyer may have purchase protection through their credit card company.
	Does this method require eBay Checkout? Yes.
	Is there help if I have a transaction problem? Yes, through the eBay Resolution Center. See what to do if a buyer doesn't pay.

Payment upon pickup

	How does it work? Your buyer pays you when they pick up the item.
	Do I need to register? No.
	Do I pay a fee? No.
	Does the buyer have to register? No.
	Does the buyer pay a fee? No.
	How soon am I paid? Immediately. In-person payment methods can include checks, money orders, cash, PayPal, or credit card. In your listing, be clear about which of these payment methods you’ll accept. Most sellers don't offer checks or money orders, because if they don't clear after the buyer has picked up the item, the seller has little or no recourse. See our accepted payments policy.
	Is there seller protection? No.
	Is there buyer protection? Only if the buyer pays with PayPal. See the PayPal Resolution Center.
	Does this method require eBay Checkout? No.
	Is there help if I have a transaction problem? Yes, through the eBay Resolution Center. See what to do if a buyer doesn't pay.

Payment options for Real Estate Business & Industrial, capital equipment, Adults Only, and some Motors categories

• Payment by personal check, cashier’s check, bank-to-bank transfers, or money order may be offered for capital equipment, Real Estate, Adult Only, and some Motors categories.

• See the accepted payments policy for the complete list of categories for these payment types.

Escrow services for high-priced items

For high-priced items, many sellers use eBay's approved escrow service. (For more information, see using an escrow service.)

Payment tips

• Never accept overpayments from buyers for items, especially if the buyer asks to be reimbursed for overpayment. Requests like this are often part of a counterfeit cashier's check scheme. See Avoiding payment problems.

The fine print

• The payment methods described in this article are for United States listings only. For payment options in other countries, see the eBay help pages for that country.

• Sellers can’t require buyers to pay using methods that aren’t allowed on eBay or that they didn't name in their listing. For details, see accepted payments policy.