Ebay & Paypal - I'm not happy

[Nomad]

It's a while since I used Ebay, just tried to use it today - everything looked ok - I went to pay and hit a snag as it asked me to reenter the 3 digit security code from my card.
Did that - got the same message - did what it said (again) - same error.
When I looked, Eb@y knew my card from the last time I used it but was trying to use my old address - I think this is what was casing it to fail.
It won't let me edit the saved card details to put my new address as it thinks there's a pending transaction ... there is but it will stay pending until I can find a way to change the address ! Catch 22

Google tells me I can pay using Paypal without creating a Paypal account (I closed my PP account many years ago) ... tried that - all looks ok - I get a message everything is verified so it looks the payment has been made without creating an account.
Soon after I get an email from Paypal to say I need to send them copies of my Passport / Driving licence / letter from my granny before they will make the payment.


It really shouldn't be this difficult !

 

[voipio]

Hmm. I thought eBay used a non-Paypal method for processing card payments.

 

[Nomad]

Hmm. I thought eBay used a non-Paypal method for processing card payments.

There's and option to pay using a debit / credit card but it failed for me as it was trying to verify the card today with an old address - every time it failed it gave me a misleading message to explain why.

I tried to use Paypal without creating an account as I'd seen a few guides saying that was an option - I suspect Paypal have changed their system so it now creates an account automatically without asking...


I've just gone into Paypal to try and close the account it opened (and won't let me use as it's unverified) - the system won't let me close the account until I upload copies of my Passport / Diving license / letter from my granny ... catch 22 again

 

[Slowcoach]

Will it not deliver your purchase to the old address if you don’t change details. Can you log in and change address and card details in your account settings.
They started requiring text authorisation a while ago and I think will only deliver to address registered to card details.

 

[Red'n'Black]

PayPal's systems are just broken IME, I very rarely use them any more. I have a credit card registered with them that expired in 2017, but I can't remove it because 'there is a pending transaction'.

Ebay's internal payment system isn't much better for new users with all the hoops it makes you jump through, fortunately I've had my account from before they started all this nonsense. But it's still a PITA as a seller, no matter how much you state 'cash on collection' for a big heavy item, the buyer is always pushed towards paying through their system. Which then leaves you at the mercy of the buyer getting the item home, deciding there's something wrong with it and eBay clawing the money back to give them a refund.

When I bought my TIG welder both the seller and I wanted to use cash for this reason, but couldn't get their system to exchange details until I'd paid in full. So he changed the price to a pound, and I gave him the balance in cash once I'd looked the machine over. Win-win. I doubt if eBay made a profit on that one, but at least their software was happy.

 

[Robotstar5]

......But it's still a PITA as a seller, no matter how much you state 'cash on collection' for a big heavy item, the buyer is always pushed towards paying through their system. Which then leaves you at the mercy of the buyer getting the item home, deciding there's something wrong with it and eBay giving them a refund.

For items like that I put in the description "cash on collection only, other payment methods will be refunded" only had to do it once, the buyer did turn up with cash.

 

[skotl]

...Soon after I get an email from Paypal to say I need to send them copies of my Passport / Driving licence / letter from my granny before they will make the payment.


It really shouldn't be this difficult !

This was discussed a while back on here - this isn't PayPal's fault but is the result of mandatory regulation of financial system providers (lenders, banks, insurance etc) that require them to do robust Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks.
KYC comes first and is about having documented government proof (insert your own conspiracy theories & rants here) to verify you are who you say you are, which then feeds the AML checks and legislation.

AML & KYC Regulations In The UK | 2025 Compliance Guide

Discover the latest UK KYC & AML regulations (2025), understand your compliance requirements, avoid fines, and learn about recent regulatory updates.

adata.pro

 

[Mark 5]

It's a while since I used Ebay, just tried to use it today - everything looked ok - I went to pay and hit a snag as it asked me to reenter the 3 digit security code from my card.
Did that - got the same message - did what it said (again) - same error.
When I looked, Eb@y knew my card from the last time I used it but was trying to use my old address - I think this is what was casing it to fail.
It won't let me edit the saved card details to put my new address as it thinks there's a pending transaction ... there is but it will stay pending until I can find a way to change the address ! Catch 22

Google tells me I can pay using Paypal without creating a Paypal account (I closed my PP account many years ago) ... tried that - all looks ok - I get a message everything is verified so it looks the payment has been made without creating an account.
Soon after I get an email from Paypal to say I need to send them copies of my Passport / Driving licence / letter from my granny before they will make the payment.


It really shouldn't be this difficult !

I think because as far as Ebay and the seller is concerned, especially the seller a sale has been made, just payment is due, I think you need to contact the seller via ebay/purchase history/ more actions/contact seller/request cancel the order.

For obvious reasons you just can't change your delivery address mid-sale so to speak.

After that you will need to contact Ebay directly, as as I recall there is a procedure you have to go through, I could be mistaken on that, it might be as simple as doing it online via the site dropdowns.

PayPal as did many other organisations changed the way they do things some while back, so yeah, letter from Granny.

 

[Kram]

They have your name, address and card details, it should be enough. Paypal messed about with my account but eventually entering a new credit card has worked.

Also never had to send copies of ID documents to insurance providers..

@Nomad can you try paying with a different credit card to trick ebay to allow changing the details?
Or phone ebay customer services, they used to be realtively quick and helpful, but that may have changed..

Id suggest never clicking "buy it now" and always use basket instead. Similarly I never save credit card payment details on ebay.

 

[Nomad]

Will it not deliver your purchase to the old address if you don’t change details. Can you log in and change address and card details in your account settings.
They started requiring text authorisation a while ago and I think will only deliver to address registered to card details.

Not really an option even if the system would let me do it. My old address is up near the Scottish borders and it might be next year before I'm up that way to collect things, I'm wanting it delivered to my base in Wales ... so it's not a local detour.

@skotl thanks, it makes sense I'm just miffed that Paypal created an account (which I expressly wanted to avoid) without making it clear that was what they were doing and now they won't let me close their "pending unapproved application".

Computer systems, great when they work, often a "Computer says no" brick wall if things don't go according to their script.

 

[colnerov]

I had similar with Amazon last year wanting more proof of ID which I couldn't or wouldn't give. They said the transaction would be cancelled a week later if not completed. So I found the item elsewhere and bought it there. Sure enough, a week later I had an Email to say it was cancelled. Job done.

On Ebay, if the vendor is a business, there should be their details at the bottom of the listing, so you can go direct.

Colin

 

[Ross365]

These kinds of problems can crop up when "sod's law" has got a good hold of things. There was a period of 2-3 weeks a while ago when I could not access my main current account at Nationwide. I buy stuff on eBay nearly everyday using Paypal - never had a problem.

 

[Mark 5]

I had similar with Amazon last year wanting more proof of ID which I couldn't or wouldn't give. They said the transaction would be cancelled a week later if not completed. So I found the item elsewhere and bought it there. Sure enough, a week later I had an Email to say it was cancelled. Job done.

On Ebay, if the vendor is a business, there should be their details at the bottom of the listing, so you can go direct.

Colin

Two observations, it maybe a business but half the phone numbers, you get no reply and some of the addresses are questionable.

2nd, if an Ebay buyer deals direct, a one or two off, no issues but if Ebay cottons on they might get a bit shirty.

 

[Morrisman]

Paypal kept emailing me, telling me to update my card because it had expired. It hadn’t, they still accepted it, I still made payments, and still do, same card.

After a dozen messages over several weeks they seemed to have given up.

Now they tell me to ‘update your card address with your bank’…. and no matter how many times I click the ‘this address is correct’ it then pops up with the same warning message.

Something’s broken in their system.

The above was all checked and verified on the Paypal web page, not some dubious link from random emails.