Why is it that in the US you can link a merchant account to your ebay account instead of using paypal but in the UK we don't have any other option than paypal if we want to sell on ebay?
This makes me not want to use ebay at all because I hate paypal and don't want to put up with their tomfoolery.

If it can be done in USA it could be done in the UK!!!!

that really sucks for all of you in the UK. I would not be selling on ebay if I had to use paypal. I hate paypal with all my heart and that is why I got a merchant account and linked that to my ebay account. You should protest this monopoly. Obviously like you said if it can be done here in the US it can be done in the UK.

they are nothing but a bunch of arseholes over at ebay with their bloody monopoly. Paypal has taken my money one to many times from me.
We want options too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I am free.....

Paypal seems to have different rules pending the case and the person. You never get the same answer twice when asking the same question to anyone at paypal and they always adjust the rules to fit them the best for maximum profit.

something is up with ebay/UK. If you go to their website they list paypal as the only payment preference (See below) however if you go to Accepted payment policy under Some examples they list options other than paypal.

Payment Preferences
Your payment preferences affect your buyer’s payment experience.

To change any of these preferences:
Go to My eBay.You may be asked to sign in.
Click the Account tab.
Under My Account on the left, click 'Preferences'.
Click the 'Show' link in the Payment from buyers section.
Click on the 'edit' link.
Select the payment preferences you wish to change.
Preferences include:
Use Checkout – If checkout is on, your buyer will see Pay Now buttons when they purchase an item from you. If Checkout is off, your buyer will need you to send them an invoice in order to use Checkout. The default for Checkout is on.
PayPal Preferred – If you choose this option, your buyers will be told on the item page that you prefer to be paid with PayPal. The default is off.
Pay Pal Buyer Credits – Enabling this option will display PayPal Buyer Credit options on your listing. These are offers from PayPal directly to the buyer. Sellers still receive full payment.
Buyer Edit Payment Totals Option – You can decide whether your buyer will be able to edit their payment amount when going through Checkout. This is particularly useful if the buyer wants to pay additional fees for expedited shipping or other services. The default is on.
Payment Address – Your payment address will only be displayed if a buyer chooses to pay by cheque, requiring a physical address. Please ensure that your payment address is current to ensure you receive it at the correct address.
Multiple Seller Payments – Multiple Seller Payments enables buyers to pay for items from different sellers in one payment, using PayPal. Each seller will receive a separate payment.
As a seller, there will be no difference between a payment you receive using Multiple Seller Payments and those you receive when the buyers pays only you.

However, if you wish to prevent your buyers from paying for your items at the same time as they pay other sellers, you can change this option.

To change the Multiple Seller Payments option:
Go to My eBay.You may be asked to sign in.
Click the Account tab.
Under My Account on the left, click 'Preferences'.
Click the 'Show' link in the Payment from buyers section.
Click on the 'Edit' link.
Under the PayPal Preferences section clear the tickbox called 'Include my items when buyers pay all their sellers at once using PayPal'.
If your buyer chooses to pay for all of their items at once with PayPal, your items will not be included

Accepted payments policy

eBay wants to ensure that the marketplace offers buyers safe, appropriate and convenient payment choices for the marketplace. eBay requires all sellers listing on eBay.co.uk to offer payments through PayPal (with some exceptions set out below). PayPal is not only convenient to use, but it also offers buyers and sellers protection assistance against fraud, chargebacks and theft of financial data.

Sellers with their own merchant credit card processing account, and those who use a third-party credit card processor, may also offer their buyers the option of paying directly with a credit card online or by phone.

Offline payment methods generally do not offer the same level of protection or convenience as online payments. Nonetheless, they may be appropriate for certain types of transactions and sellers may use listings to offer acceptance of cash (other than by mail or courier) and most valid financial instruments, including personal cheques, bankers drafts or postal orders.

Please note that eBay Checkout is the only checkout process allowed for buyers on eBay.

Policy

eBay requires all sellers listing on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie to accept PayPal in their listings with the exception of listings in the categories of cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats, caravans, trailers, trucks (commercials), services and property categories. Sellers listing on eBay.ie are currently exempt from this requirement, but must offer PayPal in their listings if they wish them to appear in search on eBay.co.uk or eBay.ie. In most cases, other additional payments options, which are currently permitted onsite, may also be provided.

Sellers who list in certain categories or transactions may additionally be required to offer PayPal as the only payment method offered on a listing, and this will be messaged accordingly within the listing flows.

Permitted
Sellers may offer to accept:
PayPal (all sellers must offer PayPal in their listings)
Credit cards (including MasterCard, Visa, American Express), debit cards (Visa, Electron, Maestro), and bank electronic payments
Payment upon pick up
Permitted online payment services (see Some Examples section) below
Not permitted
Sellers may not solicit:
Buyers to mail cash.
Buyers to send cash or money orders through instant cash transfer services (non-bank, point-to-point cash transfers). We have banned the use of Instant Money Transfers as a payment method on the eBay.co.uk site to protect members, because in the past some sellers have exploited Instant Money Transfers in order to defraud buyers.
Payment through "topping off" of a seller's pre-paid credit or debit card.
Payment through online payment methods not specifically permitted in this policy.
Payments directly via an off-eBay or third party checkout provider promoted in the listing description, direct emails or My Messages.
Please see the Some Examples section below for permitted online payment services.

Payment Holds for eBay Items

eBay and PayPal are working together to make it safer than ever to buy on eBay. One of the ways that PayPal is ensuring this is by identifying transactions that pose the greatest risk of bad sales and holding the payments from sellers for a period of time to help ensure that the transactions go smoothly. Get more details on Payment Holds for eBay items.

Misleading & Discouraging Payments

Sellers who state in their listing that they accept certain payment methods must not selectively offer those payment methods to buyers or discourage buyers from using those payment methods.

This means that sellers must always accept payment from buyers through the payment methods they have selected in their Payment Details section of their listing, including PayPal, and must not act in any way to discourage buyers from paying by these methods. For example, you may not insist that a buyer pay a surcharge, if paying through a certain payment method.

Breaches of any part of this policy may result in a range of actions including:
Listing cancellation
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Limits on account privileges
Loss of PowerSeller status
Account suspension
Some Examples
Payment Services permitted on eBay: Allpay.net, cash2india, CertaPay, Checkfree.com, hyperwallet.com, Moneybookers.com, Nochex.com, Ozpay.biz, Paymate.com.au, Propay.com, XOOM

Why does eBay have this policy?
Safety and convenience are at the core of eBay’s policies toward payments. This policy is designed to promote safe online shopping, encourage online payment methods that are safer, easier to use, and offer high levels of protection for users

so which one is it? Do we have options to paypal in the UK or not. Not even ebay knows. I just can;t find how to link anything other than paypal to my uk ebay account but then I see this. Very confusing.