eBay to jettison PayPal by 2023 in a bid to reduce payment processing fees

Dutch payment service Adyen to supplant Paypal as eBay's main payments service from 2020

Online marketplace eBay has confirmed that it's to stop offering PayPal as the platform's main back-end payments service by 2020 - despite virtually forcing customers to use it and nothing else when it owned the payments service.

Ebay acquired PayPal in 2002, shortly after it floated on the Nasdaq stock exchange, but offloaded it 12 years later.

Now, according to Bloomberg, eBay is looking to switch its payments business to Netherlands-based Adyen BV. PayPal was formally spun-off from eBay in 2015, but the two companies had an agreement to continue working together until 2020.

In a statement, the company said that while PayPal will no longer be the main payment service for customers, it will still be offered as a checkout option until around 2023.

Most sellers can expect their costs of payments processing to be reduced after they transition to eBay's intermediated payments model

"Ebay has signed an agreement with Adyen to be its primary partner for payments processing globally, including in North America," it said in a statement.

"Adyen powers payment processing for a number of the world's leading global marketplaces and brings to this partnership a broad global footprint with a flexible and scalable technology platform."

The firm will start implementing Adyen for users in North America at some point in 2018, but it may not expand to the rest of the world until 2021. PayPal's shares fell by nearly 15 per cent on the announcement, given its entrenched position on eBay's platform.

Consumers have long complained about the eye-watering size of PayPal's processing fees, which have regularly been increased since it was adopted, but eBay said that Adyen will be cheaper and more flexible for everyone. It can currently handle 150 currencies.

"Most sellers can expect their costs of payments processing to be reduced after they transition to eBay's intermediated payments model, and benefit from a simplified pricing structure and more predictable access to their funds," the firm said.

The ecommerce giant also explained that it is developing "solutions to provide sellers with information about their eBay business". And it believes that "sellers will be able to reach more buyers and improve conversion".

There'll also be benefits for buyers, according to the firm. Not only will they get more payment options as they checkout, but eBay says it's working on an "integrated checkout" process so they get a "streamlined experience".

The firm added: "Ebay's payments initiative is expected to deliver value to customers through an improved shopping experience, enhanced selling tools and streamlined costs.

"The company is committed to working closely with its seller community to address the features and benefits that are most important to them and to ensure a smooth payments transition."