Paypal fees discussion

If people want to expose eBay and PayPal in regards to what they're doing with the fees, then in the case of PayPal, you need to go and ask the credit card companies themselves because the credit card companies are the ones who charge the fees to process credit card payments.

PayPal is the middleman in terms of the sales process. PayPal processes the payments and absorb the credit card fees that the credit card companies themselves charge and then pass on that fee to the users who accept credit card payments.

It's a really simple reason that the fees are there, really.

It's because the credit card companies themselves charge the fee.

 

You have every right to be upset with Paypal & eBay, but then by your line of reasoning a buyer has every right to turn you into Paypal for violating your contract with them. Is that $20 in Paypal fees worth being sued in court or the other ways Paypal can take action against you?

Don't get me wrong -- I think the whole eBay/Paypal connection is a bad deal all around (double-dipping from both ends). But you can't fight something you think is dirty by playing dirty yourself. In the end, you're no better than they are.

Bottom line is: wrong is wrong. Passing along the fees to buyers is against Paypal's Terms of Service. If you use (the general "you" here, not anybody specifically) their service, you agree to their terms. Not following their terms is a direct violation and is subject to a series to actions by Paypal (some legally serious). All this takes is a screencap by an unhappy buyer emailed directly to Paypal for this to happen.


Jenny


EDIT: To clarify, none of what I've said here applies to group orders, as the one in charge of the order is not a seller. A group order is usually to save on shipping or get some other kind of "high dollar amount" discount. It stands to reason that fees for a group order would be dispersed, as the individual buyers would be paying the fee if they had ordered separately.

 

I think this was very well said..

 

It kind of makes me sad when a seller demands that the Paypal fees be paid by the buyer. I offer to split the fees sometimes if I am buying on the Marketplace, because I know how big of a pain those stupid fees are.

 

If I'm selling something that I have I don't charge fees, because it's against the policy.

But I do charge fees for group orders though. I do that so the company gets the whole amount and I'm up front about it so people can decided if they want to join or not.

 

Oh god I will NEVER deal with anyone who openly dares to ask for paypal fees, it's just tacky and makes you look like a total ass imo. Seriously, if those few extra bucks are so important to you just raise the price, that way no one knows and you avoid looking overly profit hungry and therefore save face.

Back when I was looking to buy one of my Lati's I was searching for weeks and weeks, I asked all over Flickr and various Lati communities, I was getting really desperate. Well I had a girl message me saying she had one, she told me that she wanted a percentage of the asking price for paypal fees and said something to the effect of "it's better for both of us", like me giving her more money was somehow benefitial to me! WTF. I of course declined her offer and ended up buying the doll from another girl who happened to contact me later that day. I guess sometimes honesty isn't the best policy.

 

I always pay my own paypal fees when I'm selling, although they are a pain. A few extra dollars doesn't really hurt the total though. I have, myself, had to pay the fees, which seems a little silly, but it's never a lot so I never complain.

 

I haven't ever asked my buyers to pay the extra fee.
I didn't learn of the fee until like 2 or 3 years ago, but I just ate the fee... I just figured it was a part of using the Paypal system. Even though I hate the fees, I personally feel more secure using PayPal's service.
But... If the buyer offers to pay the fee, or throw in extra when making a payment, I take that as a nice gesture/gift

 

It's never even occurred to me to charge the buyer for the PayPal fee. Besides being against PayPal's contract, it just always seemed wrong. I always find it upsetting when people charge the buyer for the fee so I try not to deal with those transactions.

 

You can't charge people to pay for the paypal fees according to paypal's policy. You can charge people a flat fee if using paypal incurs extra cost for your business.

Example: Normally people pay in cash. To do paypal you have to send an invoice, have that person pay, then update the person's account, and this all has a labor cost. You can charge for that labor cost (confirmed by Paypal's customer service, I know a company that does this).

I give people the option of paying to a personal (bank transfer, no fee) paypal and a credit card paypal, so I think if you are paying by credit card you should pay the fees since you can also pay in a non-fee way. I don't think it is fair to "up the price" up front to cover the fees and then have someone pay via a different method.

 

i don't see charging paypal fees except on group orders and similar. i think it's silly. so i won't charge them no matter what i sell. if you need to be re-embursed put it in the price. easy as that.

 

I'm used to paying GST (started at 7%, now down to 5%) and sometimes PST on purchases, so a Paypal fee is no big deal to me. I sometimes offer to cover the Paypal fees to sweeten my offer in a private sale. I am benefitting from the convenience of Paypal's services too, so I don't really have a problem with paying for them. After all, the benefit of using Paypal is in many ways to the advantage of the buyer, as it provides an additional measure of security.

Whether they are hidden or charged outright, those fees still exist and have to be taken into account somewhere in every Paypal transaction; I appreciate the honesty of those sellers who show how the fees fit into the final price. It irks me no end to be charged $15 'shipping' and see right on the packet the item cost less than $3 to ship ^>x<^

 

What it comes down to is you are a using a service, you pay for that service.

paypal is free for non credit cards and for a balance under 100.00.

I see nothing wrong with having 2 accounts for two types of transactions. ( I dont , I just have one for all)

I dont mind paying PP fee when I am buying a large item like doll or doll head because the PP fee can be quite a chunk

but like tiger baby metioned its better to be upfront about it then paying a alot in 'shipping'...

I charge PP fees only when I give things away free or when doing a group order

But what I really dont like is there is no seller /buyer loyality. I bought some new shoes from a seller and paid with a PP balance. I got them was happy then I wanted to buy another paid from them but this time paid with a CC. They told me I needed to pay for the cC charges. Even though I just bought another item from them.

Instead of gaining a repeat customer they lost that sale from me and all future sales.

A person needs to be balanced and know when to use customer service skills in ganing new customers.

 

I would NEVER charge PayPal fees! you would have to be as tight as a Krills ass h*** to pass these small fees on...(with the exception of large group orders).......it's a real insult to be asked to pay them........honestly...I'd be ashamed....shame....shame....

xen

 

I can understand charging Paypal fees when it's either a large sum of money (I.e. Buying a doll or a part of it,when the fees go anywhere from $10 to $100,even higher at times) or a group order (it's unfair to the person organising it to just be charged so much from fees,and have to replace that 'missing' money with her own IMO) but yeah.

I was charged $0.15 paypal fees once.Seriously,$0.15?That was just ridiculous but I just complied anyway.

 

Much as I hate the big chunk that Paypal take from my account every time I sell something, I still can't bring myself to ask someone to pay the paypal fees. I hate having to do so too when I buy anything.
If someone says that their price is "plus paypal fees" I tend to avoid buying from them, out of principle.
I only charge the exact postage too, as I've been stung so many times myself by sellers, that I don't want to do the same to someone else. I wouldn't ever add a bit on to cover my 'charges'.
If others do charge, well that is up to them, but I just can't do it.
However, I can totally understand how I'd be charged paypal fees if I were part of a group order, that's only fair...as the person doing all the arranging and buying, shouldn't be caught for all the charges too.

 

I wasn't totally against the charging of paypal fees but I'd have rather the charge be added into the item cost. I never charge for the fees before but now since I've downgraded my account, I do. This is mostly done to discourage people to pay me by credit card/debit card payments as I can only accept a total of 6 every year.

I always explain this to people who want to buy from me, and I add that I much prefer waiting on an echeque rather than getting a CC payment, but if they need to use CC, then please pay for the fees.

Occasionally I end up not being charged the fees despite being told they were going to pay via Credit/Debit Card. When that happens, I refund the buyer the charged fees.

 

I adjust the price of whatever I'm selling to make up for the loss, simple as that. Paypal fees can be confusing and intimidating too, especially for first time buyers on DOA. I think it is best to make the transaction simple and comfortable for the buyer.

 

I see paypal fees as the cost of the convenience the service provides for sellers/buyers. I think the fairest way for both parties to deal with paypal fees would be as follows:

If a seller accepts ONLY paypal as a form of payment, then they should cover the fee. (why? they accept paypal only because it's fast, convenient, and secure. The seller should therefore be responsible for paying for their own convenience, especially when they give the buyer no option for an alternative payment method.)

If a seller accepts other forms of payment, then buyer should cover the fee. (why? because buyer would be paying the paypal fee in order to get their item faster- it's a convenience fee of sorts. If seller accepts other forms of payment, the convenience of how quickly they get your payment is a non-issue, therefore why should they pay a convenience fee?) I especially think buyers should be responsible for paypal fees if sellers say that they prefer non-paypal payment.