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Payment surcharges policy

Policy overview

Sellers are not allowed to charge eBay buyers an additional fee for using ordinary forms of payment, including credit cards, electronic transfers and PayPal. These costs should be included in the price of the item and should not be charged separately.

See our accepted payment policy. Wire transfers, checks, and money orders can only be used as payment methods for specific listing categories.

Make sure your listing follows these guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and you may be subject to a range of other actions, including limits of your buying and selling privileges and suspension of your account.

What are the guidelines?

Allowed

You can add a surcharge to the final price of an item in these 3 instances:

  • Shipping and handling: You can add a reasonable handling cost that covers your costs for mailing, packaging, and handling the item. Handling costs can't be listed as a percentage of the final price.

  • Escrow: You can pass along the costs associated with using escrow for eBay Motors vehicle transactions, if the buyer agrees to use escrow. Use caution when deciding to use escrow as fraudulent escrow services exist. You should only use our approved escrow service, www.escrow.com.

  • Accepting a different currency: You can choose to accept payment in a currency other than the currency listed on eBay. If they buyer uses this optional payment method, you can pass along any costs associated with the currency exchange. The costs must be disclosed and agreed to in advance by the buyer.

Not allowed

  • Charging an extra fee to use a credit card instead of a check.

  • Charging an extra fee to use PayPal.

Here are a few examples of payment surcharges that aren't allowed on eBay:

  • "I accept PayPal, but if you're paying by credit or debit card, please add 3% to the final bid price to cover the fees that PayPal charges me."

  • "I accept cash transfers via PayPal. If paying by debit or credit card, buyer is responsible for all fees."

  • "If paying by credit card through PayPal, add 3%."

This policy helps avoid confusion about the full cost of an item. In addition, some forms of payment surcharges (like credit card surcharges), are against the law in certain places. Listings with hidden or additional fees can undermine the trust between buyers and sellers.

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