Payment Options
Successful bidders usually pay by credit card, debit card, personal check, cashier's check, money order, or cash on delivery. Credit cards may offer buyers the best protection in that they allow buyers to seek a credit from the credit card issuer (also known as a "charge back") if the product isn't delivered or isn't what they ordered. Typically, sellers on business-to-person auction sites accept credit card payments.

In many cases, an online payment service or an escrow service is used to facilitate payment.

Online Payment Services
Online payment services are popular with both buyers and sellers. They allow buyers to use a credit card or electronic bank transfer to pay sellers who may not be set up to accept credit card or electronic bank transactions. They also may protect buyers from unlawful use of their credit cards or bank accounts because the online payment service, not the seller, holds the account information. Many sellers prefer online payment services because payment services tend to provide more security than, say, personal checks.

In online payment services, both the buyer and seller set up accounts that allow them to make or accept payments. Buyers provide payment information, such as bank account or credit card numbers, and sellers give information about where payments should be deposited.

To complete a transaction, the buyer tells the online payment service to direct appropriate funds to the seller. The seller then has immediate access to the funds, minus any service fee.

Online Escrow Services
Online escrow services operate differently. Their primary purpose is to protect buyers and sellers from fraud. Escrow services accept and hold payment from the buyer — often a wire transfer via check, money order or credit card — until the buyer receives and approves the merchandise. Only then do they forward the payment to the seller. The buyer pays the fee for an online escrow service — generally a percentage of the cost of the item. Online escrow services usually are used for big-ticket items, like computers, cars or jewelry.

List of Auction Payment Services www.auctioncheckout.com Now you can accept credit card and e-checks for all of your eBay items safely and securely. Buyers checkout and you receive your payment instantly through your own merchant account and gateway. Even if you use another eBay item management service, AuctionCheckout is the smart payment alternative. Click here for a complete list of seller benefits. www.auctionpay.com Auctionpay provides innovative payment processing solutions specifically designed for non-profit organizations. With more than 1,500 clients nationwide, Auctionpay has helped nonprofit organizations save approximately $1,000,000 in credit card processing fees. www.ccnow.com: Auction Payments You can use CCNow with your online auctions, too. Our software is compatible with the following sites: Amazon.com Auctions Amazon.com zShops CNET Auctions eBay Excite Auctions Lycos Auctions MSN Auctions Tripod Auctions Yahoo! Auctions ZDNet Auctions CheckFree Auction Payments: Online auction Payments Service Check-free auctionpayments enables auction sellers to accept guaranteed payments from the service that's already used by millions of potential buyers check-free. It's fast, easy and secure. Also provides auction management tools including automatic logo insertion and payment confirmation, easy invoicing and a Seller Console to help manage your auction business eCheck  eCheck, a new payment instrument combining the security, speed and processing efficiencies of all-electronic transactions with the familiar and well-developed legal infrastructure and business processes associated with paper checks, is the first and only electronic payment mechanism chosen by the United States Treasury to make high-value payments over the public Internet. EMOCorp: Electronic Money Order Corporation of America  Receive and Send Payments, To Anyone -- ANYWHERE fastpay.com: Sell and buy fast! FastPay is a no-nonsense payment service ideal for sending and receiving auction payments. It's safe, immediate and free to sign up. FastPay enables you to send money to and receive money from anyone with a UK email address or mobile number using your debit card, credit card or bank account. hyperwallet.com: Auction Tools - Send or receive auction payments. Many benefits for buyers and sellers. moneybookers.com: Pay at the largest international auctions Moneybookers makes your auction payments fast and secure. Buyers can now make instant payments and sellers can now accept payments from anyone in the world! my-credit-card-processing.com Accept auction payments using only your PC. Fast & easy setup. NoChex.com: Instant, guaranteed, low cost payments. UK's Email Money Service Paybycheck.com: complete line of transaction processing services for e-commerce including Internet checks, e-mail based billing and payment and various verification processes. All of our services utilize existing bank accounts and bank relationships. PayingFast.com: The fast way to send a money order From the comfort of your home, use your credit card to purchase a money order. PayingFast sends the money order for you all over the world. PayPal: Send and Receive Payments Accept payments online. pppay.com: Sending money is cheap and simple Person to Person Payments for the UK. Western Union Auction Payment - Online auction Payment Service Auction payments have never been better. Western Union® Auction Payments lets you pay and get paid for your online auction with a Western Union® Money OrderSM.