Payment

When should I pay?

All sellers appreciate quick payment and most ship after receiving payment, so it's good to pay as soon as you win an auction or commit to buy a Buy It Now item. To make an online payment, click the Pay Now button in the email notification or in the listing. The seller will be paid and know to ship your item immediately. Otherwise, we recommend paying within 3 days of the sale. Some sellers include information on when they expect to be paid in their listings.
What payment method should I use?

How you pay for items you buy on eBay depends on the payment options offered by the seller. Before you bid, read the item description carefully to learn what kinds of payments the seller accepts.

Cash, checks, and other nonsecure methods aren't allowed for most eBay purchases, with a few exceptions.

All sellers offer at least one of the approved electronic payment methods—PayPal, ProPay, Moneybookers, or Paymate—or accept credit card payments through their merchant credit card account. (When you pay with a credit card to the seller's merchant account using the Pay Now button, your payment is securely processed without the seller seeing your credit card number.)

There's also the option of payment upon pickup, where you can use whatever method the seller specifies, including cash.