paypal charging £0.98

n6gers

hi a friend of mine sold a item on ebay for £22.99 including postage but paypal took £0.98 for the buyer paying by credit card is there any other way of selling items without being charged for paying though paypal

black-saturn

I think Paypal fees are extortionate. The only way to get round it is by asking them to pay by cheque, postal order or cash. Some people ask for the paypal charges back from the buyer but I think it's against ebay policy

soolin

black-saturn wrote:

I think Paypal fees are extortionate. The only way to get round it is by asking them to pay by cheque, postal order or cash. Some people ask for the paypal charges back from the buyer but I think it's against ebay policy

Yes it is against ebay policies to surcharge for paypal.

To the OP, all costs should be calculated in advance of the auction so that it is possible to tell how much an item needs to be sold for to make a profit. Both ebay and paypal fees can be a bit hefty and turn a profit into a barely break even.

Never sell anything without knowing your bottom line figures.

Soo

rrwfotr

I always state on my listing if paying by paypal to add and extra 5% therefore if they wish to pay via paypal then they know the extra costs.

pinky8

The problem with asking for an extra 5% if using paypal is that it is against ebay rules and you could have your listing pulled.

The best way is how soolin said.

Spinner

rrwfotr wrote:

I always state on my listing if paying by paypal to add and extra 5% therefore if they wish to pay via paypal then they know the extra costs.

You realise that that's against eBay rules and you could (in theory) have your listing reported and cancelled?

It's tough, but it's not too bad provided you realise this and plan accordingly. I used to impose a surcharge, but when I realised it wasn't allowed I stopped doing so - and had a pretty fair eBay summer.

rrwfotr

I've been doing it for ages and none of my listings have ever been pulled. Paylpal is a ebay company and they just want to screw people therefore I give them the option to send payments via the ebay prefered method which generates them ever more profit thats all.

trinnylilac

Another thing you can do is say that you will only accept Paypal if the item/s are over a certain amount.

I tend to take Paypal rather than have the hassel of taking a cheque to the bank and waiting for it to clear .

I do wonder though how the sellers of 99p items make any money .

masonic

trinnylilac wrote:

Another thing you can do is say that you will only accept Paypal if the item/s are over a certain amount.

What if a buyer tried to pay by paypal anyway? If you returned the payment and the buyer complained to ebay, would you rely on ebay to side with you on the matter?

trinnylilac

masonic wrote:

What if a buyer tried to pay by paypal anyway? If you returned the payment and the buyer complained to ebay, would you rely on ebay to side with you on the matter?

Just state on your auction that you will only accept paypal on auctions that end over £5 for example. Otherwise you will only accept cheques or postal orders.

As long as you are upfront then that is fine

masonic

trinnylilac wrote:

Just state on your auction that you will only accept paypal on auctions that end over £5 for example. Otherwise you will only accept cheques or postal orders.

As long as you are upfront then that is fine

I agree, but I think you missed my point. Ebay cannot be relied upon to make a common-sense decision. If they see a complaint from a buyer saying that you listed paypal in your payments accepted, then refused their payment, it could go either way.

Edit: Just to add - I think you could state it, but I wouldn't want to risk enforcing it.