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View Full Version : Ebay "buy it now" is it secure?



Andrew Joiner
02-04-2017, 5:07 PM
I went to buy something I've bought before from Ebay. As I entered my credit card I noticed it's not encrypted. There's no padlock in the address bar, just a circled i, like I see in the address bar on Sawmillcreek. Is it safe?

A few years ago I bought from Ebay and the padlock was probably there or I wouldn't have trusted it. Did I imagine it then or maybe Ebay changed?

Is it safe to enter a card number on Ebay without a padlock and encryption?

Thanks

Mark Carlson
02-04-2017, 5:56 PM
Never noticed that ebay uses https on login and then switches back to http. Would assume that the credit card page would switch back to https though. I use paypal when on ebay which I'm hoping is https and safer. I get credit card transactions reports daily and read them.

Rich Riddle
02-04-2017, 6:04 PM
When you buy something on eBay with "buy it now" you do not pay via the eBay system; it sends you to PayPal since eBay has no mechanism to process payment on its own. That said, eBay owns PayPal. While the auction may not be secure, the payment via PayPal will be secure.

Jim Becker
02-04-2017, 8:21 PM
That said, eBay owns PayPal. .
Sorry, they got "divorced" awhile back... ;) Separate entities at this point.

Brian Tymchak
02-05-2017, 10:49 AM
This doesn't sound right. So, I almost checked out something on Rockler as a test. It too showed the circled " i " in the URL until I got to the page to actually enter the CC info. Then I got the green padlock in the URL. If you still have the circled I when you are entering CC info on Ebay, I would avoid it.

Rich Riddle
02-05-2017, 10:54 AM
This doesn't sound right. So, I almost checked out something on Rockler as a test. It too showed the circled " i " in the URL until I got to the page to actually enter the CC info. Then I got the green padlock in the URL. If you still have the circled I when you are entering CC info on Ebay, I would avoid it.

There is a misunderstanding. You do NOT enter credit card information on eBay unless it's for a seller's account update and rarely for a seller to pay eBay seller fees. eBay will not request a buyer to provide credit information for a sale. Even when you are a seller eBay chooses to have PayPal handle it, not eBay. Here is a screen shot that clearly shows eBay sends you to PayPal for all financial information. You can see here that PayPal is the method of payment for my seller fees and there is "none" noted for backup payment. I have been on eBay since 1998 and they don't have my financial information because I don't sell enough for them to ask for it.

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If after all their attempts to get you to use PayPal, a member wants to pay seller fees (not purchase), then you can go to a "one-time payment" option. When you select the one-time seller fee payment option you get the magic secure padlock that looks like this screenshot.

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The original poster simply misunderstands something. Perhaps the seller is trying to get potential buyers to use the seller's checkout system instead of PayPal in order not to pay the PayPal fees. Some businesses do this, but it has nothing to do with the auction site eBay itself. The IRS forces eBay to keep financial information on sellers. If a seller sells over a certain amount (I think it's about $25,000), then eBay sends that information to the IRS and the seller. It seems some sellers accidentally forgot to pay taxes on their eBay profits.

Andrew Joiner
02-05-2017, 11:31 AM
There is a misunderstanding. You do NOT enter credit card information on eBay unless it's for a seller's account update and rarely for a seller to pay eBay seller fees. eBay will not request a buyer to provide credit information for a sale. Even when you are a seller eBay chooses to have PayPal handle it, not eBay. Here is a screen shot that clearly shows eBay sends you to PayPal for all financial information. You can see here that PayPal is the method of payment for my seller fees and there is "none" noted for backup payment. I have been on eBay since 1998 and they don't have my financial information because I don't sell enough for them to ask for it.

353264

If after all their attempts to get you to use PayPal, a member wants to pay seller fees (not purchase), then you can go to a "one-time payment" option. When you select the one-time seller fee payment option you get the magic secure padlock that looks like this screenshot.

353265

The original poster simply misunderstands something. Perhaps the seller is trying to get potential buyers to use the seller's checkout system instead of PayPal in order not to pay the PayPal fees. Some businesses do this, but it has nothing to do with the auction site eBay itself. The IRS forces eBay to keep financial information on sellers. If a seller sells over a certain amount (I think it's about $25,000), then eBay sends that information to the IRS and the seller. It seems some sellers accidentally forgot to pay taxes on their eBay profits.

Thanks Rich,
I may be misunderstanding.
Here's what I did on 2 different computers.
Found the saw blade I want on ebay.
clicked buy it now.
Got the Ebay checkout page that shows my saw blade,address,
and check boxes for paypal or credit card.
When I click on the box to pay with a credit card the numbers I enter aren't encrypted, nor is there a padlock in the address bar.

It may be normal for Ebay and maybe Rockler, but is it secure?

Rich Riddle
02-05-2017, 3:23 PM
As strange as it seems the "eBay" checkout page isn't eBay....it's the seller's page. Actually the easiest thing to do is to sign up for PayPal where everything is encrypted. Many places now accept PayPal. They are very good for buyers but sellers dislike them for the most part because they offer phenomenal buyer protection. I used PayPal to pay at CPO tools online the other day.

Kev Williams
02-05-2017, 3:54 PM
Just to see what happened since I needed to order Cermark anyway-
I clicked 'buy it now', this is the next window:
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padlock and https are there in the address bar--
FWIW I did pay by paypal, I just took the screenshot before choosing.

Also, I have CC info saved on Ebay, which may be why mine went direct to padlocked--

Andrew Joiner
02-06-2017, 11:49 AM
When I tested the process as Kev did to buy the Cermark item I get a padlock.
So I guess each sellers page is different. I'll sign up for paypal as you suggest Rich.

Thank you Kev and Rich!

Myk Rian
02-06-2017, 2:23 PM
Get a Paypal account.

Curt Harms
02-08-2017, 6:45 AM
Get a Paypal account.

But I'd think twice before linking Paypal to my primary checking account. I have a Paypal account but it's linked to my credit card only. SWMBO has a separate checking account for Paypal only. That way, if Paypal messes up somehow it doesn't affect your main bank account. Her bank offers a checking account that is free if she makes one transaction per month using that account. She does that easily. I've sold a couple small things on Ebay and got paid via Paypal. AFAIK I can't transfer money from Paypal to my credit card but I just left the proceeds from the sale in the Paypal account and bought stuff using the Paypal balance.

Jim Becker
02-08-2017, 8:39 PM
Like Curt, I use a no-fee account behind my PayPal so there's no direct association with my "real" checking account. I happen to use accounts from CapitalOne 360 (formerly ING) for that purpose, but there are several online only banks that offer accounts suitable for the job with no fees.