Today, tens of millions of people around the world own cryptocurrencies and actively use them. Some people trade crypto on exchanges, while others buy the dip and hold their funds until the price is acceptable for sale. Another group of enthusiasts prefers to spend their virtual currencies on real-life goods and services.
Yet, currently, the choice of merchants and vendors that directly accept cryptocurrencies as a payment option is fairly narrow. People with fiat currencies in their pockets still have a better chance to find a place where their coins will be accepted.
eBay, one of the biggest names in eCommerce, is definitely among those enterprises which are still skeptical towards crypto since it does not feature digital assets as a payment method. Nevertheless, there are a plethora of ways crypto investors can employ to buy their favorite products off eBay.
Key Points
- eBay is one of the oldest marketplaces on the net which still delivers great services to its clients
- The platform does not accept virtual currencies directly but is considering introducing such option in the future
- There are still several ways to pay on eBay with crypto, for instance: using gift cards, crypto debit cards, or PayPal
About eBay
Background
Today, eBay is recognized as one of the most popular online marketplaces in the world, yet not everyone knows that it was launched at the dawn of the Internet in 1995. At that point, the platform had the name AuctionWeb and existed as a part of Pierre Omidyar’s, the creator of the platform, personal website. Yet, soon Omidyar discovered the potential of online transactions and turned AuctionWeb into the first online auction in history. eBay received its iconic name only in 1997 and managed to attain international success with it. The company also can be admired for being able to navigate through the turmoil of the dot-com bubble.
Global Outreach
In the 21st century, eBay started to rapidly increase the assortment of goods sold on its platforms and soon became a go-to destination practically for any product one could possibly think of. In 2000, the website had 12 million registered users, and over the span of twenty years, in 2020, the company had more than 180 million registered users. Of course, eBay’s popularity has been partially challenged by various other platforms, including Amazon, but it still delivers excellent financial performance every year with $10 billion in revenue in 2019. Moreover, eBay is available in 180 countries, the fact which proves that eBay still remains one of the largest companies on the planet.
Relationship with Crypto
As stated earlier, eBay is one of those businesses that have not embraced cryptocurrencies as a payment method. Nevertheless, rumors that eBay will start accepting virtual currencies have been around since the beginning of the 2010s. The latest news concerning this topic emerged in 2021 when eBay announced that it was “keeping an eye on” cryptocurrencies. Besides, the company’s CEO said that eBay was looking for ways to integrate NFTs on its platform. If the marketplace’s intentions are true, then it is quite plausible that soon its clients will get a chance to pay with crypto.
eBay Gift Cards with Crypto
Coinsbee
Buying a gift card with digital currencies and then using it on eBay to pay for products is the primary way for all crypto enthusiasts. Coinsbee is a website which offers hundreds of gift cards that anyone can buy using their crypto funds. eBay is not an exception, and one can find gift cards of this platform of different value, from $5 to $500. To get an item from Coinsbee, one needs to specify the amount, enter their email, and pick the crypto they want to pay with. There are 50 cryptocurrencies at Coinsbee to choose from. From Bitcoin and Ethereum to lesser-known altcoins such as NANO and DIGIBYTE.
Bitrefill
Bitrefil is another platform that boasts a massive selection of gift cards. It features eBay gift cards for several countries, including the US. The amount per card starts from $50 and goes to $450. While to pay for them, clients can use Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin, or Dogecoin, and other cryptocurrencies. Simply enter the email to which you would like to receive a gift card code and pay for it.
Debit Cards
Crypto.com
Constantly buying new gift cards with crypto may be quite inconvenient for many people. Luckily, there are solutions which eradicate the need to get new cards. Crypto debit cards such as the ones provided by Crypto.com are, perhaps, the most user-friendly way to pay for products including on eBay. Crypto.com cards are “prepaid,” which means that their owners have to top them up before using. In other words, they can convert some crypto from their crypto balance to the card’s fiat balance. In any other aspect, Crypto.com cards are just like any other debit card.
Wirex
A crypto debit card from Wirex is also a great choice for people who want to utilize their crypto on a daily basis. Wirex has a cool feature which automatically exchanges crypto to fiat at the moment the holder makes a purchase. So, there is no necessity to replenish the card by topping it up with fiat manually; the card does it by itself. Just like any other Mastercard debit card, it will easily get its owner any product from eBay.
Other ways to Pay with Crypto
PayPal
PayPal is one of the most popular payment systems in the world, and it recently introduced cryptocurrencies as assets which their clients can store and use. eBay allows its customers to pay for products with PayPal. Thus, if you have a PayPal account, you can buy some crypto and pay with it for any product on eBay. The sum in Bitcoin or Ethereum automatically gets converted to fiat and sent to the merchant.
MoonPay
If you do not want to invest in another debit card and buying gift cards sounds like too much of a hustle, then perhaps you would be more excited about using temporary debit cards to pay on eBay. MoonPay is a service that sells prepaid Visa cards. One has to pay for Moon cards with Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether, CELO, Zcash, or Bitcoin Cash. It is truly a perfect solution for those who do not want to look for gift cards since Moon products are always available.
Accept crypto payments
If you sell various goods, you can use NOWPayments solutions instead. With NOWPayments, you can generate a crypto invoice for each product you sell and add it to their individual pages. Crypto invoices can be used indefinitely. Additionally, you can set up a crypto donation link which will let your clients tip you. NOWPayments is a non-custodial service, and all of your clients’ payments go directly to your wallet.
Conclusion
Today, eBay is truly one of the leading and most profitable marketplaces on the Internet, which is valued by its clients for its amazing features. The platform has been in operation for more than 25 years and continues to deliver excellent service and performance. Unfortunately, it still has not integrated crypto payments, but there are a host of viable ways to still pay for eBay products with digital currencies.
For instance, one can purchase eBay gift cards using cryptocurrencies on websites such as Bitrefill. There is also an option of getting a crypto debit card or using your PayPal crypto funds. Merchants who sell their goods on eBay can help their clients facilitate the process of paying with crypto by generating their crypto invoices with NOWPayments.