eBay Australia and online payment gateway provider PayPal Australia have announced new measures to boost Australians’ confidence in internet shopping.

The measures include the launch of PayPal Buyer Protection covering eBay users for purchases up to $1,500 and the release of the eCommerce Safety Guide.

The announcement follows in-depth research commissioned by eBay Australia looking into Australians’ concerns about online shopping.

eBay Australia trust & safety director, Alastair MacGibbon said; “While the survey revealed that the majority of Australian internet users (67%) believe that online shopping is becoming safer, they still hold a number of concerns, particularly over the security of personal and financial information.”

The majority of people surveyed (53%) were concerned about their credit card details being intercepted and a similar amount (50%) were worried about hackers obtaining personal/financial data.

The results of the survey are outlined in the eCommerce Safety Guide, a new eBay publication launched by the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock in Sydney today.

During the launch, PayPal Australia managing director Andrew Pipolo announced the arrival of PayPal Buyer Protection for Australia.

“PayPal already addresses the concerns Australians have revealed to us in the survey, particularly fears over misuse of credit card details, by offering a secure online payment method where a buyer’s personal and financial information is never shared with a seller,” Mr Pipolo said. “Now, with PayPal Buyer Protection, we can offer consumers even more peace of mind by providing up to $1,500 protection to buyers on qualified eBay transactions.”

The PayPal Buyer Protection Program covers qualified transactions up to $1,500 on eBay.com.au, where an item has been purchased using PayPal and it was not received or was significantly not as described.

According to Alastair MacGibbon the launch of PayPal Buyer Protection Program in Australia, together with the eCommerce Safety Guide, means that consumers now have access to an even more comprehensive suite of information and tools to further boost confidence in online shopping.

“At eBay we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for our members but there is an ongoing need for consumer education.  The eCommerce Safety Guide is part of our continuing effort to educate Australian consumers, including more than two million Australian eBay members, about how they can protect themselves online.”

Information covered in the eCommerce Safety Guide includes:

Avoiding fraud;
What to do if you think fraud has occurred;
Sensible precautions for online shopping;
Preventing identity fraud;
Phishing, spoof and spam;
Protecting your home PC (contributed by AusCERT - the national Computer Emergency Response Team for Australia);
Eight reasons to feel confident buying on eBay.com.au; and
Recommended Australian resources

Peter Coroneos, Chief Executive, Internet Industry Association (IIA) said “eBay’s e-Commerce Guide is a welcome resource for Australian consumers, the IIA supports and congratulates eBay Australia on this initiative.”

Additional points of interest from eBay commissioned research on Australian Internet Users:

67% of people surveyed believe that buying online is becoming safer;
53% of people surveyed were concerned about their credit card details being intercepted;
50% of people surveyed are worried about hackers obtaining personal/financial data;
The 25-34 age group and higher income households have fewer concerns overall; and
Concerns about online security increase with age – people over the age of 35 are more likely to read security policies frequently or every time they make an online purchase.