I remember it like yesterday, far before PayPal mobile payments cam onto the scene.
I was surfing the web, and saw a link to a website. Some online auction site called “eBay” that could allow me get stuff for pennies on the dollar. Yeah, right.
I signed up, and on a whim, I put in a bid for an authentic Phat Farm shirt (don’t judge me; PF was the junk back then). Opening bid was $5.00. After familiarizing myself with the way the bidding process worked, I put in $10.00. The bidding on the item would end in three hours.
Three hours — and $7 — later, while fighting back tears of joy, I found that I had just discovered the holy grail of online commerce.
I also signed up for PayPal back then too. This was before it was acquired by eBay, so if you doubted by eBay veteran status, chew on that, Sparky. It was the perfect accessory for the online marketplace. But my love for eBay eventually waned. It broke my heart to see it change from the clearinghouse for Joe Schmo and become, in my view, a JASFTBBC (Just Another Storefront For The Big Bad Corporations). Still, I never killed my membership, and I still use PayPal to facilitate the occasional eBay transaction.
It seems though, that like Bobby Brown circa 1992, PayPal has a brand new swing.
PayPal Gets Its Mobile On
PayPal recently unveiled a partnership with NCR to go along with its already established point-of-sale functionality at retailers like Dollar General, Abercrombie & Fitch, Home Depot and more. Payments at these stores can be made via special debit card, or by smartphone. And it works well at the one retailer I personally tried it at.
With its pedigree in the online arena, PayPal may be able to create a large footprint in the mobile payment space. I am eager to see what it can leverage with regards to NFC and other wireless methods. I would also to see if PayPal expands on its donation process by partnering with churches and non-profits (some churches, like LifeChurch.tv, already support contributing via PayPal).
Would you use Paypal for mobile purchases?
What about donations?
Adam Riley says
NO I don’t like paypal at all. They have the worse customer care I have ever had to deal with. http://www.forafriend.com can not have a paypal account since we have been red flagged (not sure why). I called and the many people to many to count could not help me for the person I need to talk to would not talk to me. I could e-mail them and they would be back to me, which they did with the same e-mail ever time which had no real answers on why. I have even tried again after we got our 501c3 but nothing changed. I even got one person’s direct number so I could call them but they could not help me. I talk to them one time and they told me they would get back to me in 48 hour after talking to the person I need to but they would not let me. She never did call back I even left about 10 messages over a few weeks time.
Eric Dye says
True story.
Tre Lawrence says
Oh my goodness… wow…