This is not a fail so much as it is a story about wanting something that was simply not available to me. Being the first time I had encountered this situation, I was at a loss to understand it. I did not know if my PayPal account had been compromised, if the eBay auction was a scam to get credit card information, or just what was going on. Not a funny story, not a sad story, but an entertaining and educational one this time.

Just knowing may help someone in the future.

Despite the negative feelings some people express about PayPal, it is my friend. To me it is no different than a credit card, and in fact that is what it is, in a way. You use it for convenience and safety and for that you pay a price. I have used it for 20 years and am still pleased with it. It has recovered several hundred dollars that I would have otherwise had to kiss goodbye. That goes a long ways to paying a few dollars in fees for many transactions.

20 years and no real issues, my account is in good standing, my credit card valid for another two years. A few weeks ago I spotted this buyitnow item on eBay that wifey wanted, and if wifey wants something the smart thing for me to do is get it for her, no questions asked. Less pain all around, if you know what I mean.

I click the buyitnow link and imagine my surprise when I get this eBay Checkout page, (top 1/2 of picture framed in red), with the notice from PayPal, that basically states that I can't get there from here. I am given a second payment option- a direct payment from my credit card but then my credit card is blocked. Now how does PayPal block my credit card? Suddenly I am very concerned that I may have just given my credit card information away. 20 years and no problems - why now ? What has changed since last week ? Should I call and cancel my card?? Then I remember I have a special credit card for online.. It has a $200 do not exceed limit. When I first started buying online 30 ? years ago, before PayPal, credit card info was usually confirmed by telephone. I had my personal credit card split to give me this one with a low limit and I would just send it in an email. The most I can loose is $200. If I need a higher amount I simply prepay the card.

My first thought was what has President Trump done now, E BAY U S A, no more international sales.........

I feel a cold chill as I realize she is behind me looking at the monitor. 'Something wrong?' she asks .

I'm in a spot I don't want to be in. I had used PayPal a couple days earlier and it was fine. This is a total, unwelcome surprise.

A week ago I received a bulk email from eBay advising members that they were dropping PayPal and hooking up with Adyen for financial transactions. I had initially just skimmed it, not paying it much attention. Quickly I go find it and reread it twice, thinking it might be the cause or a close relative, but it is nothing more than a courtesy notice with no changes happening anytime soon.

My single New Years Resolution was to just try and be a little bit optimistic once in a while. I believe it will be a waste of time but, I relent and will try giving optimism a chance. I spend the rest of the evening farting around PayPal and eBay sites trying to believe I might find and be able to fix the problem. In due time, as expected, my reality sets in: I send enquiries to the eBay seller, eBay, eBay Community, PayPal and a few other places. Hoping there might be an answer in the morning, I call it a night.

By now the item has sold. = Fail.

My main worry was that there was a problem with my PP account or that it been compromised. Other than buying something from another listing, how is it possible to determine anything different? In the next 24 hours I receive three replies. From the seller who tells me sorry, but no explanation. From the 87 collectors who read my question in the Picture Poster I receive two replies. One Iconer who also has experienced similar problems but has no answer, and an email from Lee Southern explaining the situation as being a PayPal option selected by the seller as shown above (outlined in blue).

I doubt I ever knew PayPal offered any options other than choice of currency. In my defense it was 20 years ago I signed their agreement, and I just skim their user agreement updates. It certainly did not occur to me to consider that my friend had turned against me.

This episode is not unlike the Jeopardy game show. You know the answer is - 'you can't get there from here' but it doesn't make sense until you know the question, 'What are seller enabled parameters'. [id=533774016;next episode]