eBay will start accepting Google Pay as a payment method next month. Online shoppers more comfortable with using Google's proprietary payments system instead of, say, PayPal, can now make purchases on eBay that way.
This is a site-wide implementation — Google Pay is coming to eBay wherever it's available, be it in the Android app, mobile web, and even the desktop site. No exact date was given, but eBay says the payment method will roll out "early April."
Google Pay On eBay
In an announcement, eBay cited millennials and Generation Z shoppers who increasingly make purchases using their phones and digital wallets as one of the reasons why it decided to add Google Pay into the mix.
Indeed, eBay has shifted away from its reliance on PayPal ever since the companies parted ways in 2015. In recent years, it's been focused on offering customers more options on paying for their purchases.
Unlike when a user shops on eBay and pays using PayPal, the company said its "managed payments experience allows users to check out without leaving the platform." PayPal sends users to a different site to complete the process, but eBay wants to manage most of its own payments moving forward. Adding Google Pay is part of that effort.
"Offering Google Pay as a form of payment is another significant step toward providing our customers with more choice in their payment options, and creating an experience that is tailored to personal preferences," said Alyssa Cutright, eBay's VP of global payments, billing, and risk.
Limited Availability
When it launches, Google Pay will join Apple Pay as the latest payment method on the platform. However, both options will only be accessible when buying from sellers enrolled in eBay's new payments experience, but the company says it'll become more available to shoppers as the program grows to accommodate more sellers from more states.
