Seller limits buying options, refuses questions???

[alvinmoneypit]

I've been following an item.  This morning I tried to bid on it.  When I hit 'confirm', I got an Ebay message, "You are not able to bid on this item because you do not have a PayPal account or possibly have not linked it to your ebay account".   So I tried to ask the seller a question and I got the message "Sorry the seller is not able to respond to your question".   I then tried to message the seller directly and was able to do it by checking the box, "This is not about an item".  I have not heard back yet.

My questions are: Why would anyone block questions about an item they have for sale?:  Why would they block their customers by limiting the payment method?;  Is this some kind of phishing scam? 

I have had a Paypal account for over 15 years, I just haven't linked it to ebay for my own reasons.  I've never had an issue paying for any item,  is this the new policy on ebay that all Paypal accounts must be linked to be valid?

[egyimports]

You have the option to block questions from buyers who are not qualified to buy items, we have very little leeway on who can buy, but payment option is one of them.
I have it set where people can't contact me when they don't qualify as well, but I only limit it to buyers who have unpaid item strikes.
It's possible the seller may just not want to be bothered, the item will sell one way or another.
Sometimes it's about the seller being burned one too many times and not wanting to risk it over a few extra bucks that could cost them more in the long run. It's not a phishing scam.

[thenobletuckylife]

Afternoon,

I am not sure how many purchases you have made in the past so I will try to answer the best I can.

Sellers when making a listing are encouraged to only accept Paypal as a source of payment here on ebay. When a listing is created we must choose our payment options and because I am not large enough to have my own vendor payment account I have Paypal chosen as my only payment method.

I have had folks denied being able to purchase from me for this very reason. Some have contacted me through the messaging system but ebay also changed this a while ago making communication between members more difficult especially before a sale.

So maybe you were declined due to this. Also if the seller is small and have several days lead time in shipping they may not be very proactive in replying.

Not sure if this helps.

Mr C

[lex-talon]

A seller can block any buyer from bidding for any reason. Obviously, the seller doesn't want to do any business with you. Have you had prior transactions with the seller in the past?

[couldabeenworse]

Why would anyone block questions about an item they have for sale?

Some sellers just aren't into that 'good customer service" craze.  I suppose most that block questions do so based on previous fruitless exchanges.

Why would they block their customers by limiting the payment method?

Some sellers require attached paypal accounts in order to reduce nuisance bids from bozos who create new accounts just for fun or to antagonize a seller/competitor.

Is this some kind of phishing scam? 

I suppose it could be some sort of evil scheme, but generally with phishing you are looking to make it easy to give information, not block it.

[alvinmoneypit]

Thanks. The item has 0 bids and has only 1 day left. Seller tried to sell this previously, and the item ended with 0 bids. It is an expensive item, however the price seller is offering is reasonable. That's why I tried contacting - I thought they might not be aware of this issue. Do I need a 'linked' Paypal account now? I do have Paypal, Ebay knows this.

[alvinmoneypit]

I DO have a Paypal account - it's just not linked to Ebay. Ebay knows this as I've done ALL my purchases through Paypal. Is it now required to be linked to Ebay?

[fuzzface50]

"Why would anyone block questions about an item they have for sale?:"

we don't want to waste time answering questions to people that can't buy our items. another reason is if they are a drop shipper they already posted what pictures they have of it and also posted what they are told to list as a description and they have no other info about the item seeing they never saw it first hand themselves.  you think it is better for them to answer questions with i don't know? they are better off note saying anything and blocking questions.

"Why would they block their customers by limiting the payment method?"

some of us are old timers that been here since paypal was the only payment  choice so we highlighted it to get rid of the sport bidders that causes auction interference.  rather lose a couple of legit bids from people that won't link it then have the sport bidder problem that causes far worse problems.  some of us just still prefer paypal to this day and never changed it.

"Is this some kind of phishing scam? "

Nope.

[alvinmoneypit]

No previous contact with this seller as far I I knolw.  I've been on Ebay since 2001, and really had only 1 issue with a seller many years ago and this is not him as far as I know.  He returned my email and said he will look into the issue and seemed fine with selling to me.  IS ebay demanding linked accounts now?  I DO have a Paypal account and have paid with Paypal for ALL my purchases on Ebay.

[thenobletuckylife]

Hi there,

Yes I beleive that IF a seller has chosen the payment option of only "Paypal" and no other source of payment then the fact your paypal is not linked to ebay would be a reason for your purchase denial.

Sellers that choose more than just this option would then allow your purchase to go through.

It's not so much that the seller is blocking your purchase...but rather ebay is kisking it out when a seller ONLY has Paypal chosen as a source of payment. Also worthy to note...even though ebay gives sellers more options...actually many times those options are not allowed to be excercised by the seller and if caught they could be restricted and/or removed from selling.

Ever since ebay allowed mega sellers to sell here they had to allow those sellers to use their own payment processors or they simply would never have begun selling here.

Mr C

[tweetystwades]

I don't think so, I've had people ask questions and make purchases with PP that are not linked to ebay. Have you purchased from this seller before?

[alvinmoneypit]

I've NEVER had a '"LINKED" Paypal account, however, I have a Paypal account I've had for 15 years and use it on ALL my Ebay purchases. I've never had a complaint about not paying, so why force linking.?

[penguins_dont_fly]

@alvinmoneypit

Sellers have very few protections on eBay.

Being able to set Buyer Preferences is one of them. An automatic block of buyers without a PayPal account is one of the Buyer Preferences that a seller can select. If your PP isn't linked to eBay, eBay can't tell if you have a PP account or not.

The purchase block can also be set to block communications with anyone that hits the block.

If a seller is selling high end merchandise, they are more likely to attract what is called "sport bidders". Jokers who have no intention of paying for their auctions.  Or even worse, scammers who will try to fool the seller into thinking they have been paid (fake PayPal notice) or try to convince them to ship before they are paid.

Requiring that a PayPal account is linked to an eBay Account is one way of minimizing risk. (Not get rid of it alltogether) ... most sport bidders and payment scammers do not have a PayPal account linked.

For low risk items and Buy it Now items that require Immediate Payment, this block is not really necessary, but some sellers have it set anyway.

You may run into this more often ... why not link your PayPal account? It isn't a security risk to do so ... nobody but you and eBay can see it.

Linking your account does not enable "quick checkout", or whatever they are calling it these days. It only verifies that you HAVE an account.

[thenobletuckylife]

Penguin...you explained it much better...I tried.

Mr C

[deep-garnet-red]

Some sellers just like to limit the ways they can make money. Consider it a favor that you don't have to do business with that one.