Charlie, sellers can stipulate that all bidder's must have a PayPal account to bid. That means he only accepts PayPal. So, if the seller only accepts PayPal, and you do not have a PayPal account, then why waste his/her time with bidding?
I think sellers are short-sighted when they put on so many restrictions. I take all forms of payment on my eBay site...PayPal (Visa, MC, E-Check, etc) Money Order and Personal Check. So far, so good.
I even let new members bid, but that does keep the item from getting absolute top dollar...but we all started new at one point in time.
I am having fun with it, and IF I could make a living at this full-time, I'd do it in a heartbeat! The thing is, I find so many neat items I don't want to sell! (My "new" Bozak Urban speakers come to mind...)
By the way...prices are real low on eBay right now....tonight, a Scott Model 800 Console in near mint condition sold for only $260! I remember one of those getting over $1500 last year. I tried to bid but was slowed by my Time Warner connection (They have 18 customers on a link designed for 12....really slows things down and it cost me tonight!)
Anyway, back to your original question....it is not eBay or PayPal making the mistake, other than offering that stupid option.
Regards,
Phil
