I have just made a purchase on ebay.ch (this is my first time buying on ebay in any country). The seller offered paypal so after winning the auction I immediately paid on paypal. Shortly after this I received a message from the seller asking me to put the money in his migros bank account. I emailed him back saying that I already paid with paypal. I had trouble understanding his reply as my german is very very bad so I had a friend translate. My friend thinks the seller may have used an online translator to write it as it didn't really make sense. Basically the seller said that he has had trouble getting his money from paypal in the past and I think he was asking me to cancel my paypal payment and pay him directly. I think this goes against ebay's rules and it seems like a bad idea (not that I even know how to cancel my paypal payment). Am I right or is this the way things are done on ebay?

Stick with Paypal.

Check your purchase very carefully.

Depositing into a local bank ( where one has to be given the real name and account number plus the address ) is quite normal. Out of some 300 transactions here using bank deposits, only one turned out to be a lemon so far. Check if the listing has Free PayPal Buyer Protection and stick to it if it applies.

I use ebay frequently and this is definitely not how things are done. Added to which, if you've paid with paypal then you've paid.
The seller has absolutely no right to ask for alternative payment and, in fact, ebay frequently warn against this.
You also risk not being able to reclaim your money from paypal and, should the goods not arrive, you would be unable to claim compensation under the auspices of either ebay or paypal.
Take care, there are vipers out there.

Check with your bank to see if the amount has been debited and, if so, send the seller the proof.

I would stick to Paypal, I find Ricardo better than the swiss ebay, and purchases there are almost always completed via bank/post transaction.

I definitely agree with Ceppych. I have made many purchases through ebay and have never once been asked to pay the seller directly. And I believe that ebay strongly advises buyers to be very cautious of anyone asking them to do so.
Besides, it's not your fault if the seller is having problems with his paypal account. If I were you, I would contact ebay about this immediately, because it does sound like a bit of a scam to me. Of course though, I hope it isn't.

Good luck!

I doubt if it's a scam, but I doubt is the seller has really had trouble with Paypal either. It's possible they are merely trying to avoid paying the eBay fee. The buyer has nothing to gain by not going through Paypal, and could lose out, as he will have no protection. Personally I would not pay into a bank account.

I think it's quite normal to pay into his account directly--that's how it's done with Ricardo (the more popular online auctioning site here) however if you've paid via PayPal, then you've paid. Maybe ebays rules have changed (so they can make more money on transactions by forcing you to use PayPal) but what happens if you were collecting the item yourself and paid cash--would they [ebay] want to stop you from doing that??

Listen to this man - he speaks the truth.
It`s true - I paid once out of paypal - despite the warnings on ebay NOT to do this.
I never got the goods . . just a load of bullshit excuses.
In the end it cost me a LOT of money in expenses and I was left with a big disappointment.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddd.........

If your transaction is Swiss only, you have nothing to worry about.

a payment made on a swiss bank ( electronic or with a pink payment slip ) is much better proof and will give you better protection than paypal.

If he doesn't send the item you just have to report him to the police. you have proof of purchase ( ebay ) and payment ( your bank transfer )

I have done many transactions with swiss sellers and buyers based only on trust.

they even send you things first and expect payment later.

paypal is good protection when you buy from abroad.

Also if you pay with paypal, he will have to pay the paypal fees, so it is much better for a swiss seller to have the money sent directly.

You won't be covered by EBay protection if the item doesn't arrive or is damaged.
If he is having problem with paypal then he shouldn't be offering it.

Do not pay into his account. Contact EBay and let them know what's happened. Have you got the money back that was sent.

Thanks for the advice everyone. This being my first experience with ebay I wanted to be cautious. I do understand a seller not wanting to use paypal for whatever reason. This guy probably isn't trying to scam me though I don't know if I would want to give up the paypal protection with an electonic item...regardless it seems that the paypal transaction is complete and I can't see any way to reverse it unless I file a complaint. So that's what I told him, haven't heard back yet but hopefully I get my purchase!