Paymate issues open challenge to eBay over buyer and sell protection

Stan Beer
Monday, 28 April 2008 18:24

Business IT - Technology

According to an open Paymate statement: eBay members today have no information on Paymate on the eBay site nor can they select Paymate as a payment option to have it display on their items, as with PayPal. Buyers cannot restrict searches to items that offer Paymate, as they can with PayPal.  Sellers cannot easily display the Paymate option in their listings, having to insert links and images with difficulty.  There is no integration with Paymate to offer a payment link to buyers at the end of an auction, as with PayPal.  Paymate is also not promoted on eBay communications with members.

Paymate claims that these restrictions have resulted in a tiny share for Paymate on eBay, with only recommendations on Discussion Boards leading eBay members to Paymate as an alternative to PayPal.  On 28 April, 2008, a search on eBay.com.au showed 15,758 items listed with Paymate, versus 541,471 with PayPal, out of a total of 1,311,353 items listed.

As a consequence, Paymate has issued an open challenge to eBay Australia: "Here’s our challenge to eBay – give us equal access to your members on eBay as an alternative to PayPal, and we will match their Buyer and Seller Protection Programs.  Fair go, eBay!”

Paymate has been invited by the ACCC to make a submission on eBay’s Notification of their proposed restriction of payment options on eBay and proposes to make a comprehensive case for choice on eBay.