Question for the group -- PayPal

[53Browns]

Okay, dumb question of the day. If Paypal gift comes with no fees. Why doesnt everyone use it all the time? Is there a limit?

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by 53Browns

Okay, dumb question of the day. If Paypal gift comes with no fees. Why doesnt everyone use it all the time? Is there a limit?

paypal buyer protection. if you pay someone for an item through paypal and then for whatever reason you don't receive it, you can open a case through paypal and they will investigate it and return your money to you if you don't receive your item. It works pretty much the same way as ebay. They'll ask the seller to provide tracking information for the package to determine it's status. (This is why its always a good idea to send with DC for sellers.) So assuming the seller can't prove you received it (via tracking) paypal will refund the buyer their money.

payments sent via "gift" or "money owed" are not eligible for buyer protection. So if you pay someone for something by one of these methods and the seller ends up being a deadbeat and takes your money, there's nothing you can do...

[PolarBear]

Originally Posted by 53Browns

Okay, dumb question of the day. If Paypal gift comes with no fees. Why doesnt everyone use it all the time? Is there a limit?

Not everyone is comfortable with lying.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by PolarBear

Not everyone is comfortable with lying.

When I do take paypal I always request an e-check. It only costs $5 to take any amount that way and you aren't skirting the system. On a $2000 payment you will save roughly $50 in fees.....however, it will take 2-4 days to hit your account. regards

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by Leon

When I do take paypal I always request an e-check. It only costs $5 to take any amount that way and you aren't skirting the system. On a $2000 payment you will save roughly $50 in fees.....however, it will take 2-4 days to hit your account. regards

Good point, and I am thinking Leon you should change your title to "pleasant" forum owner

[teetwoohsix]

I stopped using Paypal quite awhile ago, and I appreciate all of the board memebrs who have allowed me to purchase cards from them with postal money orders. This is how I prefer to pay, and will usually skip over items where seller will only accept Paypal.

[HRBAKER]

Discaimer: I am not a seller so I can't represent that point of view. As a buyer, I have it linked to a CC (Discover as Leon mentioned) and I think I get a 1% kick on all my purchases plus the buyer protection. It is easy and free except when I have to cover someone's "gift" expenses.

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by teetwoohsix

I stopped using Paypal quite awhile ago, and I appreciate all of the board memebrs who have allowed me to purchase cards from them with postal money orders. This is how I prefer to pay, and will usually skip over items where seller will only accept Paypal.

It's not often you find someone who prefers to wait in line at the post office, pay a dollar for a money order, fill it out and an envelope, attach a 44 cent stamp, and wait an additional 2-3 days for the payment to get there. I like the 20-second transaction time with no fees by using Paypal.

From a seller's POV, different matter.

[teetwoohsix]

Originally Posted by egbeachley

It's not often you find someone who prefers to wait in line at the post office, pay a dollar for a money order, fill it out and an envelope, attach a 44 cent stamp, and wait an additional 2-3 days for the payment to get there. I like the 20-second transaction time with no fees by using Paypal.

From a seller's POV, different matter.

You are correct- it is not as easy as a 20 second paypal payment, but I actually enjoy the whole process. There is hardly ever more than a 3-4 minute wait in line.

And some sellers prefer a postal money order payment also. Buying the money order is no problem, neither is postage(usually even send it Priority Mail), and don't mind the wait (makes it even more exciting to get the card(s)). Plus it gets me out of the house and away from this damn computer

Sincerely, Clayton

[ethicsprof]

+1

well said, frank!

all the best, ole buddy

barry

[53Browns]

I wasnt trying to "Lie". It was a question.

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by PolarBear

Not everyone is comfortable with lying.

It's not really lying if you say payment owed. It is a personal payment between two friends, which I'm sure many of you consider each other. This payment does not need protection so they don't charge a fee.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by 53Browns

Okay, dumb question of the day. If Paypal gift comes with no fees. Why doesnt everyone use it all the time? Is there a limit?

Bill,

I had someone on the BST tell me they did not use Pay Pal because they were no longer able to gift money to friends or family members. Apparently, he was using this method to conduct BST or eBay transactions; after a certain frequency of gifting funds through Pay Pal, they didn't allow him to use that function anymore. Or they wanted to start charging for it. It was not clear which was the case.

I had no intention of gifting money to him, I just wanted to pay via Pay Pal and would have paid extra to seller for the inconvenience....I ultimately ended up sending a check.

M Wheat

[HRBAKER]

I haven't memorized the Terms of Service which you agree to in order to become a user. The "gift" function to my understanding was designed to allow users to send money as a "gift" to friends and family members fee free I think. It is not intended to be used as a way to skirt the fees you agree to pay as a user to accept payment for commerce. Human nature says that if you can get something for nothing then people will find a way to do so.

Then again as pointed out above if you are dealing with someone you know and feel you can get by with no paypal protection then the "payment owed" may be an option. Keep in mind though the seller is still enjoying the benefit of paypal with immediate access to the money and a secure transaction it is just you as the buyer who has forfeited the protection associated with a "normal" transaction.