ebay members unable to bid

[jhoward6696]

I have received messsages from 2 ebay members stating they are unable to bid.  Both members state they receive errors that their account isn't linked to PayPal.  Anyone else having this problem?

[eaux-de-vie]

I had a message from someone on just that last week too. They finally bought the item when it did not sell and it went buy it now, but I think she had contacted eBay in the mean time. 

[starroute-us]

If you really want to allow them to bid, just add their ID to your blocked bidder exempt list.

Add ID here:
http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html

Just know they might be blocked for some other reason they *forgot* to mention:(

[lintbrush*]

I removed the PayPal requirement a long time ago too.  I think it improved my sales.  Plenty of members, especially new ones, may not have a PP account or one that is linked.   eBay checkout still goes through PayPal processing, but doesn't require the buyer to have a PayPal account.   I haven't had an issue whatsoever.

My items aren't scam magnets and don't attract sport bidders for the occasional auction I run.   They are quite the opposite.  They have very little value to anyone else but the specific person who buys it.

[partial*eclipse]

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@jhoward6696 wrote:

after reviewing the list it appears the bidders do not have a paypal account.  Thank you, this was very helpful.

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More  likely, they have PayPal accounts, but were mistaken when they claimed that their PayPal account was linked to their ebay account already.  They probably just didn't understand what that meant.  Did you send them the link that I provided, which shows how to link them?

[thatsallfolks]

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@jhoward6696 wrote:

after reviewing the list it appears the bidders do not have a paypal account.

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It's much more likely that they do, but they haven't gone through the linking process. But you've already been given the info to pass on to them so they can link. It's very simple.

[tcle2745]

Anyone who does auctions try this: have a friend check your auctions near the end and watch the timer closely. I have noticed when i bid near the ends of auctions, sometimes the counter will end between 5 and 55 seconds too soon. In essence it says x number of seconds left, then if you refresh the page you'll see the item has ended already while in the other window it's still tickingthough you will be unable to bid. Really messed up indeed and not fair to the sellers either.

[plumbingspecials]

They probably have unpaid item strikes or policy violations which are preventing them from bidding or buyer (if you have your listings set up to auto-block bad buyers). I wouldn't bend over backwards to help them. 

[luckythewinner]

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@jhoward6696 wrote:
Both members claim their paypal is linked to ebay.
{snip}

after reviewing the list it appears the bidders do not have a paypal account. 

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Unfortunately, when a buyer tells you something like "Yes,  my PayPal account is linked", you can never assume that what they tell you is actually correct.

[tev4all]

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@jhoward6696 wrote:

Both members claim their paypal is linked to ebay.  I only accept papyal so I don't want to remove the site preferences on my account.   Any other suggestions?

I'd suggest checking your Buyer Requirements Activity Log, to verify the prospective bidders honesty.  You can find this log in your account settings. I'm not suggesting the PB's are not being truthful, but if they have actually tried to bid and been rejected the reason will be there.

[thatsallfolks]

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@tev4all wrote:

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@jhoward6696 wrote:

Both members claim their paypal is linked to ebay.  I only accept papyal so I don't want to remove the site preferences on my account.   Any other suggestions?

I'd suggest checking your Buyer Requirements Activity Log, to verify the prospective bidders honesty.  You can find this log in your account settings. I'm not suggesting the PB's are not being truthful, but if they have actually tried to bid and been rejected the reason will be there.

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I believe the OP already did that, and informed us that the buyers have not linked their accounts.

[tev4all]

Thanks, I see that now slow reader and typer here, plus someone on the phone equals long posting time. 

[hidy-hoo]

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@plumbingspecials wrote:

They probably have unpaid item strikes or policy violations which are preventing them from bidding or buyer (if you have your listings set up to auto-block bad buyers). I wouldn't bend over backwards to help them. 

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You might want to read the whole thread before you reply ~ OP has already checked the buyer requirements log ~ it's a PayPal issue and not unpaids or policy violations!

[*eponymous*]

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@jhoward6696 wrote:

Both members claim their paypal is linked to ebay.  I only accept papyal so I don't want to remove the site preferences on my account.   Any other suggestions?

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Buyers NO LONGER NEED a PayPal account

PayPal is the only payment processor in eBay's checkout flow

Remove the buyer requirement:  account/site preferences/buyer requirements

[thatsallfolks]

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@*eponymous* wrote:

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@jhoward6696 wrote:

Both members claim their paypal is linked to ebay.  I only accept papyal so I don't want to remove the site preferences on my account.   Any other suggestions?

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Buyers NO LONGER NEED a PayPal account

PayPal is the only payment processor in eBay's checkout flow

Remove the buyer requirement:  account/site preferences/buyer requirements

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Requiring a linked PayPal account is a good idea in some categories, regardless of whether it's needed for payment.

[moyerstamps]

More common than we realize. I hyave bid unable to register bids on various items for nearly a week Called Ebay. They state they are aware of the problem and "are working on it"  I just watched an item sell for $7 that I tried to bid $20 on. Another item I want that has a current bid of .64 cents  with 2 days to go, I want at $21. Both the seller and I (and Ebay) are losing out here