As an eBay seller I always get the question "How do I confirm my Paypal address?".  A lot of sellers on eBay require their customers to have a confirmed Paypal address.  Some sellers will even block a Paypal payment if the address is not confirmed.  There is very good reason for this requirement - and many buyers do not understand why it is so important to their sellers.

When a purchase is made, both sellers and buyers alike hope for a smooth transaction.  However, as things go, this is not always the case.  Most buyers are well aware of the fact that they have protection when things do not go as planned - they are protected by both eBay and Paypal.  In certain circumstances, it is the seller who needs protection.  They can rely on eBay and Paypal as well.  And with Paypal it begins with a buyer's confirmed address.

A confirmed address is necessary for sellers to remain protected on all Paypal transactions.  If there is ever a problem for the seller, one of the first things Paypal will investigate is whether or not the buyer's address was confirmed.  A confirmed address is required in order for the seller to be covered under Paypal's Seller Protection Policy.  There are other requirements sellers have to meet, but these requirements do not affect you, the buyer, directly in the way that the confirmed address does.

So please do not bash your seller for being adamant over a confirmed address!  It would sort of equate to not having homeowners or auto insurance - that would not be smart!

Okay, now that we have covered the 'why', let's talk about the 'how'.

If you need to confirm your address you can do this quickly by registering a regular credit card with Paypal (not a Visa Check or debit card - they do not do the trick!).  Make sure the card utilizes the same address you provided Paypal.  You do not have to make your purchase with the card, just register it!

Another way to confirm your address is to apply for Paypal Buyer Credit.

I understand that some of you are not comfortable with registering a credit card nor want to apply for Paypal Buyer Credit.  Fortunately, Paypal now offers an Alternate Address Confirmation process.  Ebay will not let me post the web address in this guide, so here's how you get there:

Log onto Paypal and go to My Account.  In your browser (at the top) type an ' -aac ' after the web address and hit enter.  It should take you there.

The Alternate Address Confirmation process apparently takes a few days and has some requirements you will have to meet.  If you are confirming your address using this process, just let your seller know so that they do not think you are a non-paying bidder!  That's never pretty!

It used to be difficult to go to the Paypal website and learn how to confirm your address - it has gotten easier, but I thought I would write this guide anyway.  Hope it has helped someone out!

Happy eBaying!