Online payment service BidPay posted a notice on its home page informing users it was discontinuing operations. The service, owned by Western Union and started in 1999, allows auction buyers to purchase money orders online to send to eBay sellers.

A notice was posted on the homepage on December 23, 2005, stating BidPay would be discontinuing operations effective December 31, 2005. Customer service will remain available at bidpayservice@bidpay.com through the month of February.

eBay owned PayPal dominates online payment for auction transactions, and no major competitor remains. c2it, a service of Citibank, ceased operations 2 years ago, and CheckFree stopped taking payments for auctions in October of 2005 (CheckFree's service remains). Yahoo also shuttered its service, Yahoo PayDirect, in May 2005.

ProPay, which allows users to send money to and from checking accounts and accept credit cards from members and non-members, is still operating.

Attempts to reach BidPay today for comment were unsuccessful.

http://www.bidpay.com