Paypal for under 18's

Hightower · 28 May 2014, 18:08

My daughter is 16 and now she's got a part time job and a bank account she wants to start selling and buying on sites like ebay, online shops etc.

To do this as safely as possible she wants a Paypal account but as far as I can see you need a credit card to complete registration. Obviously being younger than the legal age for a credit card lies the problem.

Seems like a catch 22 scenario. Anyone else had this problem and how did you get around it?

henryfreston · 28 May 2014, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

My daughter is 16 and now she's got a part time job and a bank account she wants to start selling and buying on sites like ebay, online shops etc.

To do this as safely as possible she wants a Paypal account but as far as I can see you need a credit card to complete registration. Obviously being younger than the legal age for a credit card lies the problem.

Seems like a catch 22 scenario. Anyone else had this problem and how did you get around it?

I'm 16 and when I buy & sell stuff on ebay I just have the account set up with my dad's paypal then pay him/he pays me accordingly.

Poly · 28 May 2014, 18:20

Andy,

No idea if they will work for Paypal registration - but how about a pre-paid credit card which are created with under 18s in mind. As I recall it wasn't essential to have a card at all for Paypal. Even for their 'verified' accounts if you linked (and approved) a bank account by direct debit (which she can do at 16?) it was OK - however they may have changed their rules - they will obviously be keen to ensure they have a mechanism to recover any chargebacks.

bad_moose · 28 May 2014, 18:21

I've had a Paypal account since I was 15. When I registered, you didn't actually NEED a credit card, it would just leave your account as 'unverified' (which was never a problem for stuff like eBay, online shopping etc.) if you didn't put any details in. Sounds like it has changed since then. I had a debit card though, so I just put in those details and it was all fine, probably the easiest way to do it.

Hightower · 28 May 2014, 18:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by henryfreston

I'm 16 and when I buy & sell stuff on ebay I just have the account set up with my dad's paypal then pay him/he pays me accordingly.

I've already mentioned that, she's a very independent girl and wants to do it by herself.

Landlockedpirate · 28 May 2014, 18:21

You have to be 18 to even register on Ebay, let alone activate a Paypal account.

Best solution is for you to create an account in your name and allow her to use it. I would open a seperate account with a debit card for her to use. This is allowed on ebay.

Hightower · 28 May 2014, 18:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by bad_moose

I've had a Paypal account since I was 15. When I registered, you didn't actually NEED a credit card, it would just leave your account as 'unverified' (which was never a problem for stuff like eBay, online shopping etc.) if you didn't put any details in. Sounds like it has changed since then. I had a debit card though, so I just put in those details and it was all fine, probably the easiest way to do it.

Yes it must have changed as that's how I remember it when I registered years ago.

I'm kind of against the idea of a debit card as you don't have the same protection that a credit card gives you.

Hightower · 28 May 2014, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landlockedpirate

You have to be 18 to even register on Ebay, let alone activate a Paypal account.

Best solution is for you to create an account in your name and allow her to use it. I would open a seperate account with a debit card for her to use. This is allowed on ebay.

I'm beginning to realise that this might be the only option.

gotchiguy · 30 May 2014, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

Yes it must have changed as that's how I remember it when I registered years ago.

I'm kind of against the idea of a debit card as you don't have the same protection that a credit card gives you.

We've been through all this over the last couple of years, and the fact is if only using paypal for ebay transactions a debit card is fine because PayPal itself is the one already offering you the protection, or lack thereof if the buyer claims all his money back... I wouldn't expect a credit card company to side with you rather than paypal in that situation but I may be wrong.

As mentioned above the sensible thing to do would be for her just to use your accounts. The benefits are two fold - presumably you already have feedback on your ebay account so she doesn't have to buy up rubbish from sellers and then sell it on to build up a track record and a simple paypal set up.