Paypal FYI

[grandslamcardscria]

All payments are free if sent as a bank/balance transfer to anyone on PayPal now as long as you choose the "Personal" tab.

I think this is important to note as a lot of people on the bst board like to charge 3% for using Paypal. They may be losing out on some buyers and this may help..

[Matt]

Mike - thanks for the heads up.
I assure you no one on the BST "likes" to charge the 3%
According to Paypal's terms (below) the free option is for transfers to "friends and family" as opposed to purchases although I'm sure they are aware that they have just opened the floodgates.

their terms:
"In some cases, it’s free to Send Money. Sometimes there are fees. Here’s how it breaks down.
Within the US:
Personal transfers to friends and family

* Fully funded by:
* PayPal balance
* Bank transfer

Free

* Credit card
* Debit card

2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

Fee may be paid by the sender or recipient—sender decides.

Making a purchase, i.e. goods, services, or eBay items

* PayPal balance
* Bank transfer
* Credit card

1.9% to 2.9% + $0.30 USD"

[grandslamcardscria]

I hear ya and understand completely.. Well,,, hopefully as a seller and a buyer we can take advantage of this loophole Paypal has provided.. Its a long time coming and I wonder if they weren't forced to do this??? I never have understood how they can take 3% for a balance transfer or existing funds (especially existing funds). I understand a Debit and or CC, I dont have a problem with that what so ever..

Originally Posted by Matt

Mike - thanks for the heads up.
I assure you no one on the BST "likes" to charge the 3%

[sgbernard]

We're all "friends" here, anyway!

[FrankWakefield]

Taking advantage of it will result in it closing....

Exactly what's the big deal about 3%???? Realistically, I think that when I accepted Paypal compared to when I didn't, that bids were generally higher. And that was because buyers were putting the stuff on credit cards. At some point I, as a seller, am better off with 97% of a higher final price than 100% of a lower amount.

Plus, with Paypal, the buyer gets things sooner, and saves on the postage and envelope of mailing a check or money order. As a buyer that would encourage me to bid a bit more... even more that being able to use a credit card.

When I see someone wanting a 3% fee, it makes me less likely to do business with them.

This is reminding me of some seller I encountered who wanted an extra $2 to drive the card I bought to the post office, because gasoline had gone up last summer. He only mailed out 2 days a week to save money. Yet he accepted mail at his P.O. box... I wonder who paid for his gas when he was getting mail every day.

[HercDriver]

Remember the SASE?

Take Care,
Geno

[Leon]

I can't say I like the paypal fees but I had 9 things sell on ebay on Sunday night and all were paid for and shipped by Monday.....it can't get much better for efficiencies......

[grandslamcardscria]

I agree completely when a person uses a CC to pay for items.
I also agree with your last statement.

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Taking advantage of it will result in it closing....

Exactly what's the big deal about 3%???? Realistically, I think that when I accepted Paypal compared to when I didn't, that bids were generally higher. And that was because buyers were putting the stuff on credit cards. At some point I, as a seller, am better off with 97% of a higher final price than 100% of a lower amount.


When I see someone wanting a 3% fee, it makes me less likely to do business with them.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

I, as a seller, am better off with 97% of a higher final price than 100% of a lower amount.

Really good point.

[sagard]

Paypal fees should be worked into fixed price items. Low end auctions are where it bites into sellers. Paypal fees are almost 10% on a $5 item, and are 6% on a $10 sale. Many people value their time and consider it worth it, but some just hate it on principal.

[Exhibitman]

Maybe I've dealt with too many deadbeats this week at work but it doesn't seem right to me to cheat Paypal out of a fee for a service that they are providing by lying about the nature of the transaction in question. Unlike Ebay forcing you to use Paypal to line another of its pockets, the deals here are voluntarily going through Paypal. Seems to me that if you opt for the convenience of the service offered then someone (buyer, seller or both) should pay for it and not complain about the cost or cheat Paypal out of it. IMO, if you don't want to pay for the service, don't use it. Send a check or MO. When I don't want to pay for it, I ask the seller or buyer to go that route and if they want to use Paypal, I ask them to foot the cost for the service they want to use. I would not feel comfortable falsifying the nature of the transaction to avoid the fee.

[martindl]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Maybe I've dealt with too many deadbeats this week at work but it doesn't seem right to me to cheat Paypal out of a fee for a service that they are providing by lying about the nature of the transaction in question.

Yep, was thinking exactly the same thing.

Why in the world do some people think its ok to cheat. I know it's a lack of integrity but stuff like this really chaps my hide.

[D. Bergin]

Just seems like something else to bring up conflict between potential buyers and sellers.

Ebay/Paypal seems to have an almost prodigal talent for thinking up these types of situations and then implementing them within their system. The term "just keep it simple" seems completely foreign to them.

[grandslamcardscria]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Maybe I've dealt with too many deadbeats this week at work but it doesn't seem right to me to cheat Paypal out of a fee for a service that they are providing by lying about the nature of the transaction in question. Unlike Ebay forcing you to use Paypal to line another of its pockets, the deals here are voluntarily going through Paypal. Seems to me that if you opt for the convenience of the service offered then someone (buyer, seller or both) should pay for it and not complain about the cost or cheat Paypal out of it. IMO, if you don't want to pay for the service, don't use it. Send a check or MO. When I don't want to pay for it, I ask the seller or buyer to go that route and if they want to use Paypal, I ask them to foot the cost for the service they want to use. I would not feel comfortable falsifying the nature of the transaction to avoid the fee.

If you send money using the personal tab you have no protection. I wouldn't recommend or advocate using this method for an Ebay auction. It is to be used amongst friends and family and people you trust.
Cheat Ebay / Paypal out of fees??? Give me a break!
I have an E merchant account and also own a brick and mortar business. My Credit Card processor gives me free debit card transactions and IMHO it was long overdue for paypal.
This post was for informational use only and it was not my intention to get people on a bandwagon to cheat Poor ole Paypal..

[buymycards]

I have to agree with the board members who feel that it is wrong to cheat. Why do so many people feel that it is OK to cheat PayPal out of their fees? The same thing applies to ebay. I saw a card on ebay last week that should have sold in the $8-10K range, and the final ebay price was $123. The seller used ebay to promote the card, then sold the card privately, and ebay lost the fees. Isn't that type of thing one of the reasons that ebay fees have increased over the years - to make up for the cheaters? I also have a problem with card sellers cheating the Post Office out of revenue by sending cards through media mail. (I work for the Post Office).

The cheaters end up costing everyone more money in the long run.

Rick