Ping is a Trade Me payment method that allows you to make or receive instant payments from bank accounts, Ping balances, or credit/debit cards.
Using Ping offers you more protection because it keeps all buyer and seller information securely on Trade Me. There’s no need to share your bank account or credit card details.
There's no need to sign up for Ping, if you're a Trade Me member you'll already be able to use it as a payment option for buying and selling.
Buying with Ping
When you win an auction or select Buy Now on a listing that offers Ping as a payment option, you can make an instant payment using Ping with your credit/debit card, bank account or Ping balance. There are no fees when buying using Ping.
Your payment will instantly appear in the seller’s Ping balance, so they can send your item straight away.
Before paying, make sure there is enough money in your bank account to cover any Ping payments for items you’ve purchased, as some banks charge a dishonour fee if the direct debit payment can’t be processed.
You may spend up to $10,000 with Ping every 24 hours. There is a smaller limit of $1,000 every 24 hours for Ping payments from your bank account. If you reach the $1,000 limit using your bank account, you can always use your Ping balance or credit card for additional purchases.
Plus, our initiative Buyer Protection is applied to most Ping payments.
Selling with Ping
When you create a listing, you can add Ping as a payment option. If a buyer pays with Ping, their money will instantly appear in your Ping balance. Note that there is a transaction fee of 1.95% (1.65% for Top Sellers).
When offering Ping as a payment option on your listing:
- You must offer clear shipping options with specific pricing.
- Your Buy Now or reserve price must be less than $10,000 (including the cost of shipping).
- You can’t charge extra for Ping payments.
Once you've sold items and have money in your Ping balance, you can leave it there to pay for Trade Me purchases or transfer it to your bank account.
FAQ
Do I need to sign up for Ping?
No. If you're a Trade Me member you'll already be able to use Ping as a payment option for buying and selling.
Will Ping cost me anything to use?
Buying with Ping is free. Please note that some banks may charge a small one-off fee for setting up a direct debit if you’re paying with a Ping bank payment. Contact your bank to check whether it charges a direct debit set-up fee. You’ll also need to make sure you have enough money in your bank account to cover any Ping payments for items you’ve purchased, as some banks charge a dishonour fee if the direct debit payment can’t be processed.
Selling with Ping incurs a 1.95% transaction fee (1.65% for Top Sellers). This is automatically processed when a payment is made. For example, if your listing sells for $100 (including shipping), we’ll deduct $1.95 and you’ll end up with $98.05 in your Ping balance.
What’s a ‘Ping balance’?
Your Ping balance is your stored money from selling items with Ping (held on trust by Trade Me). For example, if you sell a couch for $100 using Ping, this will be added to your Ping balance (minus the 1.95% transaction fee).
You can do two things with your Ping balance: use the stored money to buy items on Trade Me, or withdraw it to your bank account as often as you like. You can choose to automatically withdraw stored money from your Ping balance to your bank account daily (subject to your bank’s normal processing times). This must be a NZ bank account, unless you've got our permission to use a foreign account.
If you get into a negative balance, you can top up your account to $0 any time with a credit or debit card, or your bank account.
What credit/debit cards can I use for Ping payments?
The following credit or debit cards are able to be used for paying with Ping:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Q Card
- Prezzy
When you first use Ping, if you have saved your credit card to use on Trade Me previously (e.g. on your Trade Me account or with Pay Now) you’ll be able to continue using it on Ping. If you need to add a new card or change your existing card, you can do this while paying or by selecting ‘Manage Ping’ from your My Trade Me page.
Can I transfer my Ping balance to my bank account?
You can choose to leave the buyer’s money in your Ping balance to pay for Trade Me purchases, or transfer it to your bank account as often as you’d like.
How can I add my bank account to Ping and get it verified?
On your Ping section on My Trade Me enter your chosen bank account number and details into the box provided, and select ‘Save’.
Ping will pay $0.01 into your bank account, along with a reference code. This code is randomly generated, four characters long, and contains one letter and three numeric characters. The transaction will take 1–2 business day to reach your account.
Once the payment has arrived in your bank account, go to your internet banking and find your code in the ‘Code’ field of your payment references. Enter it on the Ping page, and you’ll be all verified!
Why is my bank account already verified?
If your bank account in Ping has already been verified, this is most likely because we saved your verified bank account from Pay Now and transferred these details into Ping. If this the case, you’re all set up and ready to go. You can change your Ping transfer out bank account at any time on the ‘Ping overview’ page.
Why am I being charged 1.95% (or 1.65% for Top Sellers) to use Ping on my listings?
There is a fee involved with bank transfers through Ping because this type of payment (instant payment confirmation from a bank account) is unique and not commonly offered online. Unlike a direct bank transfer, bank payments with Ping ensure sellers receive the money instantly into their Ping balance.
This allows you to easily track the payment and ship the goods faster. Like Pay Now, Ping provides safety and certainty for both the buyer and seller.
Providing a credit card-type payment experience to a larger audience comes with costs, and risks, which we are covering on your behalf to help make for a smoother buying experience on Trade Me.
You can still select bank transfer as a separate payment option, but it will be up to the buyer as to whether they use Ping or a traditional bank account transfer method.
How am I protected when I use Ping?
Ping offers you more protection than paying with cash or bank transfer because it keeps all the buyer and seller information securely on Trade Me. Sellers won’t see any of your payment details, and our Customer Support team will help you out if there are any problems.
Can I use Ping if I use a listing tool?
Yes you can. Accepting credit card payments will enable Ping as well as Pay Now on your listings (if you're already Pay Now registered).
Other things to know:
- Your Ping money will be transferred out daily (like Pay Now). Or you can make ad-hoc withdrawals from the Ping Overview page.
- As Afterpay uses the Pay Now ledger, you’ll need to manage both your Ping and Afterpay account statements.
- If you use My Products, Ping refunds work the same way as Pay Now refunds.
- Buyers can still choose to transfer money to you via a normal bank transfer.
How does Ping compare to your other payment system ‘Pay Now’?
Ping will eventually replace Pay Now. Ping offers all the benefits of Pay Now (e.g. the ability to accept credit and debit card payments, Buyer Protection for most transactions) plus:
- Ping balance – you can use your stored money from selling on Trade Me to buy items on Trade Me.
- Bank payments instantly appear on a seller’s Ping balance so items can be sent faster.
- Split payments – buyers can pay for items with a combination of their Ping balance and their bank account or credit/debit card.
Unlike Pay Now, there is no sign up process for Ping.
You’ll need to have at least one other payment option on your listings, as Ping is not yet available to all buyers. To accept card payments from all potential buyers, we recommend adding Pay Now as well as Ping until all members have access to Ping. To make this easier, when you select Ping we’ll automatically add Pay Now too if you’re signed up to Pay Now. Note that buyers will only see one of these payment options – if they have access to Ping, they won’t see the Pay Now option.
