The future of Paypal and its use on Ebid.???

[theElench]

Yes, I can see now that I was jumping at shadows, thinking that because larger sites no longer require a paypal account to buy with, that might reduce the number of buyers here able to use paypal at the checkout.

I haven't kept up with how card payment has developed since 2012 when I first started buying on-line. Because I've usually got a cash balance in my paypal account and always have cash in the back-up bank account, it's something I rarely do. These days I guess it's more the norm for people to use paypal / card than paypal balance / bank account.

Must try to keep up!!

[rocks2dust]

I've used Paypal's option to pay without an account (i.e., as a "Guest") on occasion simply to keep something separate from my normal PP account activity - such as when using a different credit card or bank than I have linked to Paypal. It is a fairly seamless process, as their payment process allows skipping the option to sign-up for an account and isn't any more complex than the payment steps used for check out at non-Paypal sites.

At rock-gem-craft shows I've attended over the past several years (sometimes held in open fields or convention centers with sellers in improvised booths), more and more sellers have been using Paypal's card chip/swipe/tap readers linked to their phones for credit and debit card transactions. They work the same as the readers one finds at shops and restaurants (i.e., no Paypal account needed on the buyer's side), plus there is the option to invoice and pay with Paypal online if the customer has a smart phone. All without the buyer needing to have a Paypal account. As a seller, Paypal is far less complex and far cheaper to use than having one's own payment processing merchant account.