PAYPAL-CAN SELLERS CHARGE XTRA TO COVER PP FEES?

spankymonkey_2

i sell on ebay, and i think if sellers use paypal and dont like the charges they should adjust the start price accordingly. i have opted not to use paypal any more and have gone on to nochex, which does still charge, but has a better protection for the seller. people tend not to hear about other options for buying as paypal is stuffed down peoples throats by ebay as they endorse it!

Mr_T_5

soolin wrote:

A paypal surcharge is NOT perfectly acceptable when it is against ebay terms and conditions. As has been said before if you don't like the paypal charges either don't use it or don't use ebay.

As for why should sellers pay all the charges, um, because ebay is demand led if I was a buyer why should I pay?

Finally, yes paypal charges are high and I owuld prefer them to be cut. However, as I sell abroad I could not operate without paypal. So my choice is either don't sell abroad or sell and take the charges.

Soo

I think you have missed the point you are not forcing people to pay by paypal and charging a surcharge ideally you would like them to pay via direct bank payment or cheque etc HOWEVER buyers like to pay by paypal and so there is no harm in saying if you must use paypal please add 4%.

There are countless websites on the internet (I will provide links if you want to be pedantic) which offer no charge for switch or debit card payments but add 2.5% for credit card payments. Are you suggesting we should start a campaign going saying "if you must add a surcharge for credit cards then don't accept them in the first place!".... obviously this would be absurd as the beneift of paying by a credit card is greater for the buyer than it is the seller - as in the case of paypal.

Finally if you are just selling abroad and offering no other payment options then naturally you cannot add a surcharge because this is unfair when paypal is you exclusive payment option. There is no debate in this scenario, when you offer a variety of options all you are saying buy placing a surcharge on paypal payments is "I would prefer you paid via cheque/cas/postal order/online banking, IF YOU MUST pay by paypal please add 4% to cover the fees"

24seven

To start with I have never surcharged Paypal users........................But of course Ebay do not allow Surcharging PayPal users, they do not want anyone being put off using Palpay as they own Paypal and I'm sure make a nice fat profit out of it's use

It's got nothing to do with anything else IMO, just profit for Ebay.

soolin

Mr T, I think you missed the bit about surcharges being against ebay terms and conditions. So it doesn't really matter what sellers feel, if they want to take paypal then they can't add a surcharge. If they do then they run the risk of having their auction shut down.

As for other methods of payment yes I would prefer bank transfers wherever possible but I do not accept postal orders and I dislike cheques. Given the choice I prefer the convenience of paypal over the hassle of a cheque. That's probably because I have never had problems with paypal but get lots of problems with cheques.

My time is very valuable, with paypal most of my auctions are paid for instantly and I ship by the next working day, end of saga. With cheques I have to wait, maybe chase them up (I routinely wait 10-14 days for a cheque to turn up) , then make a journey to my bank and and then worry in case they bounce or are reversed later.

All my end of auction emails offer bank transfers as my favoured option, Unfortunately very few people take up that chance even preferring to send a cheque sometimes which does surprise me! Maybe we need to spread the word about bank transfers?

Soo

Mr_T_5

Soolin,

I agree completely that the best method of payment is a bank transfer especially as internet banking is on the increase now.

Perhaps the best alternative and hugely unsung pay via email product is FASTPAY by natwest https://www.fastpay.com why more people don't use this I don't understand.

With regards, to paypal I think we will have to agree to disagree Yes ebay say that its users should not apply a surcharge to paypal payments but I strongly believe this is to avoid drawing attention to the extortionate fees they charge for sellers accepting paypal. In terms of implementing a ban on surcharges this is unenforcable - there are different ways of wording a surcharge on paypal then directly saying it. I think someone used an example of a seller saying that postage and packaging was 4% of the auction value but free if you pay via cheque/cash/nochex etc.

Finally ebay/paypal themselves accept they are fighting a losing battle in outlawing the use of surcharges as they have made banners sellers can use promoting the fact that "they do not charge paypal surcharges" - why would feEbay make a point of highlighting this if it was in their rules anyway?

GabbaGabbaHey

stavros wrote:

EDIT: can you give me the link for this policy?

Have a look at http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/community/png-user.html in Section 7.5, Your Use Of Other Users' Information, where, inter alia, it states:

"In addition, under no circumstances, except as defined in this Section, can you disclose personally identifiable information about another user to any third party without our consent and the consent of such other user after adequate disclosure."
--
Philip
(anything below this line is not my signature!

Jonni2bad

In order to avoid PayPal charges, I opted not to receive card payments and, instead, use Nochex for buyers who wish to fund their purchase with a card. It is perfectly acceptable to ask for a card surcharge, as long as it does not exceed to charge that will be made to you.

In this way, I can accept PayPal payments (as long as they are from cleared funds or via e-cheque) and can differentaite card payments (only through Nochex) so that I avoid costs altogether.

I would have happily made more use of PayPal if it were not for the fact that, once you sign up to accept card payments, you are then charged for EVERY received payment - I think that is a total rip-off.

Nochex also offer greater protection for sellers (like with chargebacks).

I have not yet been tempted to offer general discounts for bank transfers, but when a buyer wants to pay with a card, I do let them know it's a cheaper option and try and promote it.

Mr_T_5

Good idea Jonni - check out fastpay.com as well

angelcake

If you don't want to pay the paypal surcharge simply add a small amount to your price! depending on the item I will give you an example! I paid £1 for a top that was on a mega sale in a shop, kept it for about a year deciding on whether I would ever wear it!! tags still attached stating top was originally £19.99, I put the top on here for £2.50! this way I get my £1 plus ebay fees and paypal and it is still a bargain to them! I appreciate it won't always work this way but surely that would end the debate! sticking an extra 50p on? I know you get charged more if the item goes for more but at least you are getting a little bit back and you would have added a small amount on your postage charge in the first place without knowing the full price! - does this make sense?

The same top I got an email requesting I check the P&P as surely a top wouldn't cost so much! - it was a wooly top and the p&p it was £1???? I nearly added that you get a free brick with the item!! - but thought that might look ****y on my auction!!! .........grr some people!

angelcake

by the way whats binary??? lol and who put that stooopid sig on my profile?!

..........also the ****** word said c o c k y ....which isn't a swear word.........