Paypal fees discussion

I'm really glad that there is a thread about paypal fees. I honestly had no idea because I'm only familiar to paypal as a buyer and never a seller. It's good to have this information.

.::::.

 

I think a lot of people have mistaken "against ToS" for "illegal."

In NO countries that I know of is it "illegal" to ask a buyer to cover the PayPal fees.

It is, however, against PayPal's Terms of Service to do so.

The difference?

If caught, PayPal can discontinue service to you and ban your account.

They can NOT, however, charge you in criminal court and send you to jail -which is what would happen if you were to engage in something "illegal."

It is largely frowned upon to pass the PayPal fees to buyers because of the fact that it is against PayPal's terms of service. Under certain circumstances -as others have said -I do see a reason for it: for group orders or such.

 

No paypal fees when buying just selling. I guess I can live with that

 

I couldn't charge paypal fees. I hate paying Paypal fees and seriously have no reason to pass the fees to any buyer. I still buy from people who charge fees if they have something that I need at a reasonable price, but being asked to pay a paypal fee for any purchase over, say, $500 is a bit unreasonable to me. If I absolutely had to charge paypal fees, I'd throw some other things (some underwear, pajamas, props or anything I could make easily) in with the overall package and increase the price of the overall package slightly for it before listing to cover the fees.

 

playing devils advocate a little here

I agree that if you are making making a $600 outfit with the intentions to sell it on at a profit after then youare basically running a buisness and you should either roll in the fees to the price o


but what if you weren't looking to sell at a profit though? say you buy a doll for $600 (plus shipping, import duty etc etc), but you don't bond so you decide to sell it on at around the original price maybe a little less to try and make some of your money back (they are already out the original shipping etc) if seller states they would rather take alternate forms of payment would it still be rude to charge fee if the buyer insists on paying with paypal? I wouldn't find that rude, I'd find that perfectly reasonable

 

I still look at items I'd be interested in buying, and when I see the "shipping + paypal fees" I go and just close that window.

Honestly, if I were looking to make a profit selling items I make, I would just charge a fair amount for it. Whether I get charged fees or not when receiving payment is just what I have to pay in return for receiving payments instantly.

I do prefer Paypal than money orders, cause I get the money faster. But just because Paypal takes a bit of said payments, I wouldn't charge the buyer for them. I chose to use Paypal. If someone doesn't like getting hit by fees when selling, they can offer another form of payment.

Just my 2 cents.

But I really don't like being asked for the fees when buying!

 

I charge fees depending on how expensive the item is. The only reason I dont add the fees to the original price is so that people -know- I'm charging fees...I know it's against ToS but I dont find it fair to lose, usually, 'quite a bit' of money for a large sum coming into your account.

And Ebay doesn't take money from your sold items--they just charge fees to put items up for sale, which is just about the same thing. Or, at least, that's what happens to me.

I do, however, state that I need Paypal fees, shipping fees, and handling fees. I'm not doing it to gain a profit from the buyers, just so that I dont lose too much money in the long run. If the buyer has a huge problem with it, they can always come out and state it...But I've never had a complaint to this day. Plus, I use a paypal website to calculate fees(Dont think that paypal actually OWNS the site...but either way, it's always been right)

Most of the time, it only adds up to, probably, 3 or 4 extra dollars when it comes to fees. So it's not a huge inconvenience to the buyer, honestly. In my opinion. But, like I said, never gotten a complaint before.

 

Just a question but if it's only 3 or 4 extra dollars, why don't you soak the fees? Sorry, it's just it's funny you say it's big amount coming out of your pocket, but then you go back to say it's a small sum to the buyer.

At least your honest about your fees, I don't agree with them *but* I'm glad you're honest.

 

That's so true, with doll clothing that I really like, can pay for right away, it's disappointing that I have to miss out on because I know it's against Paypal's ToS no matter what service they are using.
When I see a North American seller asking for fees I just just...you know. It's just plain stupid and greedy.

 

I don't mind paying paypal fees if the seller insists on it (especially if it's something that I really want...) -- When I sell, I do like to add an extra dollar or two to the original asking price (if it's a large amount) to cover any paypal fees. using the fee calculator every time is kind of a hassle for me... ^^ plus it's a lot simpler for the buyer if you don't charge fees.

 

I agree with the add to the price of the item to cover all fees concept.
I come from retail and the price charged should cover all "cost" of the item + profit. This should include shipping from vendor to retailer, item cost, packaging/tag, handling (instore). Retailers then only charge state tax when sold. Since the people here are not retailers, things are a tad different.
The only things a seller should list as a separate charge is shipping (with may or may not include shipping materials).
Most are the casual seller, people who sell items that they purchased for themselves and decided to get rid of.

Since I am not a retailer/vendor, I sell stuff to make room for more. I cover some of my cost (if not to cover the list price of the item - not to get back my shipping costs to me). I understand that people do not want to pay more for second hand. We all like a bargin. So far I request non credit card paypal and I do not charge fees.

The only people who should act like a retailer are the real creators/makers. The sewers, jewelers, sculptures, makers, etc. And then the pp fee should already be covered in their sticker price.

OT: My gripe are people who buy "limiteds" and then sell a month or so later and ask for a PROFIT of hundreds of dollars. Sorry people even if its a doll I want, I will not give you $500 profit for a doll.

 

I've only charged paypal fees on two occasions.
When I was ordering group rate tickets for a concert for my friends, and when a friend paypal'ed her portion of hotel rooms for an anime convention. This was someone I saw just about daily at school, and my loosing $50 because she couldn't write me a check or give me cash wasn't happening.

As far as being a seller goes, I never charge paypal fee's. Generally the ability to use my money right away is worth the 4% that I'm being charged.
As a buyer, I tend to lean away from people who charge paypal fee's. Although I think it has more to do with calculating the money rather than paying the fee. (Sure whats me adding .50 to a small order,) but at the same time, if its a large purchase I'm less likly to want to pay an extra tank of gas for my vehicle ecause someone wants to charge me the fee they aren't really supposed to in the first place.

Although the way the seller presents it seems to have more to my decision, for instance saying that this item is X amount including shipping and paypal fee's. Rather than sellers who I've comitted to buy from and then send me a bill for the paypal fee's. Thats just not right, and not the way you should treat your customers.

 

Like I said, depends on the total amount. And if I'm running low on funds in general.

100$ is only 3$
200$ is 6$
300$ is 9$...

So, it just adds up after a while, especially with shipping involved and multiple packages being sent out at the same time. It might be 'mean' of me to say, but I dont want to lose money on something that was that expensive in the first place. Maybe that's more of greed than being mean...

Either way, if it's stated in the sales thread that you need to pay fees, then I think it's fine. No surprise fees. That I dont agree with.

 

In my opinion, fees arent usually that much depending on the item.
If someone is selling something as a buisness, then they should invest in a buisness paypal account, it lowers the fee rate.

If someone is paying 500$+ for a doll or something, asking them to pay the paypal fees isnt really fair in my opinion, maybe having them pay a little for it would be more reasonable, but the seller should figure out the fees and stuff before listing a price.

No one likes surprise fees.

 

So overall I am hearing:

-Some don't charge pp fees:
1.) either just add into the item's asking total
2.) either just don't charge
3.) either have a business account or doing selling/service as a business
4.) or b/c of terms of service issue or legality issue

-Some do charge pp fees:
1.) either for group orders
2.) either for larger items/high purchased price=greater $ lost; if not included into their asking price already
3.) or just to make up for having lost $ in multiple CC transactions

-Some don't mind pp fees:
1.) either as long as it's an item they really want
2.) either as long as it's not a surprise at the end
3.) or in a GO where the cost should be split evenly

-Some do mind pp fees:
1.) either b/c terms of service issue or legality issue
2.) either just think it's unnecessary & don't bother with anything included posts
3.) or deem them insignificant & annoying

Wow

 

I know this is a bit of a necro but since I've been looking to buy my first doll head its been an increasing issue for me.
Many people on DoA assume you will use a CC and thus they REQUIRE you pay the fee, or add it in to begin with. This is really annoying. I hate credit cards and think they're horrid, so why should I be paying fees when I'm setting up my bank account through paypal? These items are wholly normal items, not special, not expensive, the person just wants fees.

Paypal is free to you unless you want more than a personal account. Whats so wrong with fees, exactly? o.O

If the item is large or its a group order, fine. Perhaps for a layaway or other thing wherein the item will be paid with many small payments. But for a head thats $100 and you just want fees for no reason, even for balance payments? ...Sorry, I'll go to someone else.

 

If your item sells, eBay takes a cut of it. They always have. It's called the final value fee. If your item does not sell, they will not charge you the final value fee. They make fees off of the listing and if your item sells, off your item.

Not true. If you have a premier account, meaning you can accept unlimited credit card payments, then you always get hit with a fee anytime anyone sends you a payment, whether it is from credit card or not. While some people may charge fees because they are greedy, most people will charge the fees because anytime they receive a payment, they will get charged a fee. A majority of people have premier accounts to receive many payments. If you have a personal account and you receive a lot (Paypal's definitely changes; it used to be $500 for a personal account) of payments, then you will be "asked" to upgrade your account.

Some people will not pay fees, some people will. Like I've mentioned in this thread ages ago, as long as they have an alternative means of payment that can go "fee-free," I have no issues paying fees, as long as they are reasonable, especially if it's for an item I really want.

 

If you upgrade your account so that you can accept credit cards, you get charged fees on all payments, even balance transfers. It's unfortunate, but unavoidable.

But you still should be factoring that into your price, per Paypal's TOS. It's even allowed to say "3% discount if you pay by check or money order", but you can't say "+3% if you pay by paypal", so I don't understand why people still do it, it's just not allowed.

 

Like I said, unless you want more than a personal account. For rarely used accounts, that should be fine. And if someone's having a premium account, why am I paying for their choice to have that? Its not allowed and its just rather silly.

 

There are other perks to a premier account, like the ability to get a debit card tied to your account. And most people who pay through paypal do use a credit card, so if you're selling more than 2 or 3 things a month, it's worth it or you really get hit with fees hard.

You shouldn't be expected to pay for fees directly, though, according to paypal's TOS. However, the seller has every right to fold it in to the total cost as an expense of doing business, and you have every right to not buy from that person if you feel their price is too high.