eBay's New Buyer Protection Program

eBay is always a popular venue for doll collectors to buy and sell dolls, especially during the holiday season.

eBay has recently announced that they are introducing a new Buyer Protection program through Paypal, their online payment company. This Buyer Protection program is available in all categories, including Dolls.

eBay buyers will be eligible to receive coverage up to $500 on all purchases of tangible goods, from verified PayPal sellers with a proven track record on eBay. Under this program, PayPal has introduced a Buyer Protection logo that will be displayed on all qualified sellers’ listings. A qualified seller is categorized by his rating, and must have at least 50 feedback points and a 98% positive feedback. The seller must also have a verified PayPal account and be based in the United States or Canada.

This new program covers non-delivery of items, or products that are substantially not as described, all with no aditional fees for claims. For transactions that do not qualify under the PayPal Buyer Protection program, eBay will continue to provide its standard protection of $200 coverage, with a $25 processing fee.

For the most part, buyers seem very pleased about this new program, since it gives them added assurance for eBay purchases. However, all eBay sellers of dolls are not necessarily thrilled. Many sellers who already offer money-back guarantees are concerned about having to insert a third party into a process that was already working smoothly. Another concern is that this program gives protection for sellers that already have a good track record--the sellers that least need to have a Program that protects buyers.

Time will tell if this program increases eBay sales and prices by giving buyers an added feeling of security.