The online portal eBay classifieds, on which mainly private trade in used goods takes place, offers now and optionally a new payment function called “Pay safely”. This is intended to protect users – buyers and sellers – better against fraud in shipping in the future.

If buyers do not receive an article or if it deviates significantly from the description, they should get their money back, explains eBay classifieds in a press release. You pay a fee for using the function, which is calculated as a percentage of the purchase price paid. Above all, the seller wants to protect eBay classifieds from unjustified complaints. There is no extra charge for “Pay safely”. In the initial phase, however, the service will only be available to a limited extent.

For “Pay safely”, eBay classifieds is a partnership with the Dutch payment service provider Online Payment Platform (OPP) received. Both sides are not breaking new ground: According to the press release, the Dutch counterpart to eBay classifieds, Marktplaats, has been cooperating with OPP since 2017.

Conditions “Pay safely” is therefore initially available for the categories of toys, mobile phones and telephones as well as PCs and notebooks and up to an offer price of 1000 Euro. According to eBay Classifieds, the number of categories will gradually increase. Intangible goods and services are and will remain excluded.

With “Pay safely”, buyers can choose between a bank transfer, “Sofortüberweisung” from the Klarna service and payment by credit card. The amount will then be held in trust for up to 14 days and paid out to the seller as soon as the buyer confirms receipt of the item in the agreed condition. If there are disagreements between buyer and seller and if a bilateral agreement is not possible, you can initiate an arbitration procedure via eBay classifieds.

Important: The seller protection only applies if the seller has insured shipping, i.e. proof can present – for comparable services, for example, electronic shipment tracking with the date of dispatch as well as the sender and recipient address counts as proof. If the buyer picks up the item in person or has it picked up, buyer and seller protection does not apply. EBay Classifieds explains the exact conditions for buyers and sellers on its homepage.

Other payment options remain Regardless of the With the new payment function, other payment methods will still be possible, such as the frequently used PayPal. For such transactions, however, neither party can take advantage of the buyer or seller protection of eBay classified ads, but must (if available) use the program of the respective service. For users of the parent platform eBay (i.e. ebay.de), separate rules for buyer and seller protection still apply. (mon)