I’d like to sell things on eBay, but I don’t have a PayPal account, is it possible?

It certainly is possible. PayPal is always eBay’s preferred payment method, particularly as eBay bought PayPal in 2002 and therefore like to push customers down that route. It is however, not a prerequisite for you to use eBay’s services.

There are two places where you would typically make use of PayPal’s services when selling things on eBay. The first is when you are collecting money from the buyer. PayPal is pretty convenient as it can be done online, quickly and quite securely; however you can still use other methods. When you create an auction you’re asked how you would like to be paid and there are variety of options available: you may be able to accept credit cards if you have the facilities, or you may ask that people send you a cheque in the post. Other money services, like Western Union etc are also available.

The other place you need access to cash is when you pay eBay for their auction services. There are a variety of fee that eBay charge you, ranging from listing fees, to fees for hosting photos for you and final fees based on the price the auction ends at. Typically these are collected together and you are invoiced at the end of the month. Once again, eBay is geared to try and encourage you to use PayPal, however you can also pay by credit card, direct from your checking account or even by cheque if you are a business.

Even though eBay has a vested interest in your using PayPal, it does provide a variety of other mechanisms to encourage business. PayPal though, still remains the most efficient way to do business at eBay, so if you can , try and get yourself an account.