“…evidently the time has come for eBay to offer its end users more options for paying for their purchases, and that’s good news not only for Apple but for the likes of Samsung and Google, which may very well also seek to get their digital wallet platforms integrated into eBay’s system.”

eBay is starting to transition away from its exclusive reliance on PayPal for transactions, and Apple’s biometrically secured mobile wallet is waiting in the wings. eBay has revealed that it will start offering Apple Pay as a payment option this autumn.

It’s taking a gradual approach, with plans to offer Apply Pay functionality only to select Marketplace customers at first. eBay says its new transaction platform won’t be fully implemented until 2021, so it’s possible that Apple Pay won’t be available to every customer for every item until the end of that period.

PayPal actually used to be a part of eBay’s business, but split from its parent company back in 2015. Naturally, the two companies maintained a friendly relationship, hence the exclusive partnership on eBay payments; but evidently the time has come for eBay to offer its end users more options for paying for their purchases, and that’s good news not only for Apple but for the likes of Samsung and Google, which may very well also seek to get their digital wallet platforms integrated into eBay’s system.

For now, though, eBay is vocalizing its support for Apple’s platform, with SVP Steve Fisher asserting at this week’s eBay Open merchant conference that “Apple Pay is one of the most ubiquitous forms of payments and provides users with an easy, fast and secure way to pay.” That kind of talk suggests a partnership that entails some kind of exclusivity, at least for now.

Sources: AppleInsider, Engadget