In the last issue, I wrote about BidPay.com, a service that allows you to buy money orders over the Internet to send to online auction sellers. I decided to try it out to see if I experienced any problems.
I purchased an Agatha Christie trivia book on eBay and used BidPay.com to buy a money order to pay for the book. I had to enter my credit card, which made me a little nervous.
BidPay.com charged me $5, which seemed like a lot considering I could have just written a check and mailed it myself, but it was very convenient! Aside from entering the information into the form, there was nothing left to do. BidPay.com notified the seller that the money order was on its way (I sent the seller a note too, just in case). And the $5 charge will appear on my next credit card statement. I received my book quickly, so I'm guessing the seller was satisfied.
Here's what someone had to say in the AuctionBytes.com Message Board about BidPay.com
Posted By: Mich < gomichelle@adelphia.net>
Date: Monday, 31 January 2000, at 11:44 p.m.
Bidpay is great!! I've done all my transactions with them since I found them and like their services a lot. It's quick and easy to use. Some of my sellers sent the items when Bidpay sent the approval confirmation to them and I got my items a few days faster. Great site!!
Someone else asked about another online-payment service called PayPal.com:
Posted By: susan lisk
Date: Sunday, 6 February 2000, at 10:25 a.m.
Hi, I read your article on bid pay and wondered what you thought of Pay pal which is free. It seems better as long as you use direct deposit. Is it security safe and has anybody had bad feedback.
Sue
I will check it out and let you know how it works. Stay tuned.
NOTE: AuctionWatch.com just announced it is teaming up with X.com Corporation in a partnership that "will enable buyers and sellers to efficiently and safely manage their auction payments."
It appears that you have to open a bank account with X.com in order to use the service. This is very different from BidPay.com, in which you are making a one-time transaction only. If you have had any experience with X.com, let us know. Post a message on the Message Board or email ina@auctionbytes.com. As always, use your own judgement in using Internet services.
About the author:
Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and AuctionBytes.com and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @auctionbytes and send news tips to ina@auctionbytes.com.
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