[LINK] The Register on eBay / Paypal

[Richard Chirgwin]

Linkers,

An interesting angle on the e-Bay / Paypal issue:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/24/kewney_efraud_column/

The thesis is that a "Paypal only" rule facilitates fraud, because it 
makes it more difficult for the buyer to revoke a charge for goods not 
delivered... The conclusion of the article:

> I have a question for eBay: if you are out to help reduce crime, 
> fencing (dealing in stolen goods), and scams, one thing you could do 
> is accept credit card payments. Why won't you? And why won't you work 
> with consumer-help groups like e-Victims?
>
> I'm not saying this would solve the problem overnight, but I am 
> suggesting that it would help your image a lot if you stopped doing 
> things which are inevitably going to be perceived as crook-friendly. 
> And it's not just eBay - it is probably just the most prominent.
>
> I'm not suggesting anybody is doing anything crooked at any of these 
> "auction" sites. I am saying that they face a real PR problem if they 
> don't make it a lot more obvious that they are aware of the scams and 
> prepared to be whiter than white about how they clamp down on them.

RC