Actually i like the fact that PayPal accepts credit cards and that payers don't even have to have a PayPal account to send money. This opens my customer base up to a much greater number of people. So what about the 3%? That's the cost of doing business. Whenever you use your credit card to purchase you're asking the seller to absorb that 3% too, so it's completely fair.

As you know you can specify that credit card sales are not allowed when you list on ebay. I think you were mispoken to when you were told the listing would be cancelled. I personally have not used the option, but i do see it there when i create a listing. If it's there, it's meant to be used. Browse around ebay for a while and you'll find many listings that prohibit credit card payments through ebay.

Unfortunately this has been going on for a few years with Pay-Pal. They also claim to offer protection, but if you do some research you will find out that they back away from dishonest transactions and leave the customer hlding the bag. Pay-Pal is one of the reasons I won't have anything to do with E-Bay.

John

As a seller on eBay, you can always require the buyer to pay only via cashier's check. That is how all my early eBay transactions were completed, long before PayPal appeared on the scene. If you've got a hot item, you'll still get plenty of bidders by doing this, and you can then avoid the 3% fee. However, you have to ask yourself whether the likely diminished bidding (because cashiers check is a pain in the neck way to pay for things) is going to reduce the sale price by more than 3%. My experience is that it WILL result in a MUCH lower sale price, so you will actually shoot yourself in the foot.

As others have already said, the PayPal transaction fee was tacked on many years ago, not just a few months ago, and the credit card transaction fees that force PayPal to add this 3% have been around since the first bank cards were issued back in the 1960s.

Every time I sell a big item on eBay (I've bought and sold two automobiles, among other large items), and I see that 3% fee, I too cringe, just like you did. However, I've also had my share of difficult transactions where the other side isn't doing what they are supposed to do, and I remember how wonderful it was to have PayPal and eBay policies to protect me. I can't speak for others' experiences, but I have had reason to use the protections offerred by both (I realize they are actually now the same), and they have come through for me.

[Edit] I forgot to mention that just a month ago PayPal recovered the full amount from a deabeat seller that never shipped the product, and wouldn't return any phone calls. This wasn't an eBay transaction.

paypal recovered 150.00 dollars for me from a dishonest ebayer

paypal recovered 150.00 dollars for me from a dishonest ebayer
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Maybe they have gotten better in that respect. Good to hear.

John

when you ship that camera, be sure that you get delivery confirmation

If you sell something like a VX2000, you should get more than a $0.50 USPS Delivery Confirmation.

A USPS Delivery Confirmation just means that the mailman dropped it off sometime during the day, perhaps many hours before the customer came home.

On top of that, the USPS frequently fails to record the delivery online, so you may not even have proof of delivery.

And then there is theft. A thief in a Porsche sees a package on a porch, he is Gone in 60 Seconds.

The USPS also loses packages, although usually only for a few months, and they magically reappear a few days before you're able to claim on the insurance (you do insure, don't you?).

For Ground shipments, UPS is best for home delivery, while for delivery to a business address, FedEx Ground costs a lot less (and may be a day quicker in some cases).

Do not use "FedEx Home" ever. They are extremely expensive, and they have messed up 75% of my deliveries to homes, and it doesn't matter which of the three options you choose (Day Certain, Appointment, or Evening).
Worst was a local delivery here in L.A. where they had the package going back and forth for a week between different distribution centers.

UPS has worked perfectly every time for home deliveries, even though they don't have as detailed tracking as FedEx.

Anything expensive should be signed for by the recipient in person, not by the delivery guy.

And on eBay

Thanks for the heads-up on Fed-Ex home. I've been using that quite a bit lately because it is so much cheaper than UPS (which I usually use for high-value shipments). No problems yet, other than the Fed-Ex billing system, which keeps charging me for package pick-up, even when I drop off the package.

I've lately been using good 'ol Uncle Sam at usps.com. Using Priority Mail there's no extra charge for package pickup, they deliver free boxes, and I can print shipping labels and pay for postage online. It's exactly the same cost to ship as if I were to go and wait in line at the post office (woof).

But, these are for small $ items, not cameras.

Thanks to all for the feedback. One thing I noticed when I packed the VX-2000 for shipment earlier today--wow, it sure is light! Funny how quickly we get used to new things; my new FX1 would never be considered a featherweight camera.

I remember decades ago wondering why merchants didn't post signs saying "3% discount for cash." Turns out they weren't allowed to because of some law. If such a law were ever overturned, I'd guess the credit card companies would lose half their business.

Looks like there are others who are less than enamored with PayPal:

www.paypalsucks.com

Looks like there are others who are less than enamored with PayPal:


If you want to join the discontented masses, the Internet is your friend. You can find all sorts of professional malcontents for just about anything that gets under your skin. Just Google the word "sucks" and look what you get:

www.schoolsucks.com/ (yes, the #1 Google listing for the word "sucks")
www.paypalsucks.com/ (came in #2)
www.oreilly-sucks.com/ (but of course)
www.bradsucks.net/ (a clever, self-promoting musician)
www.milksucks.com/ (for radical Vegans, no kidding)
www.fencingsucks.com/ (how this got so high in the rankings ??)
www.aolsucks.org/ (self-evident)
www.churchmarketingsucks.com/ (anti-televangelist)

I didn't Google "get a life," but it would be an interesting exercise to see if any of these sites are mentioned.

I have never had a lost package from either UPS, Fedex, or any of the other carriers EXCEPT the USPS. To date I have had three disappear and not even show up after tracers were sent. I still use them, but only with a delivery confirmation which is cheap. I have not had a package disappear when I have paid this modest sum for delivery confirmation. USPS Tracking however is absolutely useless compared to tracking from any of the others. They sometimes take up to a week AFTER the item has been delivered to update the tracking information. The only practical use of USPS tracking is if the package disappears and a month goes by you have something to print out to say it was delivered.
My Sony WV-DR9 digital editing deck came from Japan. I had to use USPS global and pay around a $119 for their useless tracking. After I received the deck they updated the tracking over a week later to tell me I received it.

John

wondering why merchants didn't post signs saying "3% discount for cash." Turns out they weren't allowed to because of some law.

You're not allowed to charge extra for use of a credit card, but you are allowed to offer a discount for cash payment.

It's just a matter of the wording.

It's not a law, but a merchant account agreeement issue.

I've used paypal both as a buyer and seller for years and they're GREAT. I've had zero problems with paypal ... my other merchant credit card processors charge me a lot more to sell with them (8%+); paypal has been terrific.

I've used paypal for 6 figures+ of billing + paying and they're great; been using them hassle-free for years.

Usually it's aol-type people who complain about paypal. If you're sophisticated and know merchant accounts, you know paypal is excellent, for legit business people. The illegit types tend to whine about them on occasion though. For millions of us, paypal Rocks.


ken

I'll second Ken's experience with Paypal for both buying and selling.

Like with everything else, you have to do your homework and really understand the system.

Most of my sales are via a traditional merchant account where I pay 2.3%-3.6% worst case (the latter for Amex without AVS verification), but on top of that there are a LOT of different monthly fees.

johnmeyer,

You can decline the pickup charge for FedEX. They list that as a default when you sign up, but you can set it yourself in your profile or call the service number. It's a flat weekly charge and worth it if you ship every day.

Now that every Kinko's is a FedEX location, it's not inconvienient to drop off the package there.

As for FedEX Home delivery, it's not that much more expensive, when compared to the hassle for the recipient having to go to a FedEX center to pick up the package.

RalphM

I've tried several times -- and just tried again -- to find the place in my profile where I can permanently decline the "Weekly Pickup Fee". Can't find it, and no matter what I do, FedEx insists on charging me, and then I call and later get them to remove it. Pain in the neck. I guess I'll try calling them.

If I am not mistaken, FedEx Home is a franchise (or maybe contract) operation. Not Fed Ex, Inc.

Correct, FedEx contracts with local drivers who have their own trucks.

The problem is that they do not have it together for Home delivery. The commercial delivery works fine, never had a problem, but it's nearly the opposite for Home Delivery.

And try to get FedEx to drop off without a signature (if that's what you want), this requires a lot more bureaucracy and effort on the shipper's part. UPS does it right every time, and are more likely to have a signed agreement with the recipient re this already.

I don't ship FedEx every day, so I drop off at an FE location 3 blocks away, no problem other than that I had to protest pickup charges several times before I finally called their district manager and said that if this happened again, they would get no more business from my company.

it's curious though, as paypal users seem to be strongly divided on whether they like it or not ... eg sites like paypalsucks.com details horror stories of a lot of folks ... but for me, it's been great, both when I buy stuff on ebay or when I sell things from my sites...

their reps on the phone are good to work with too, so you can call them for help ..

ken

it's curious though, as paypal users seem to be strongly divided on whether they like it or not ... eg sites like paypalsucks.com details horror stories of a lot of folks ... but for me, it's been great, both when I buy stuff on ebay or when I sell things from my sites...

their reps on the phone are good to work with too, so you can call them for help ..
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If people don't want to deal with PayPal because of the horror stories then that should be respected. Dismissing the stories and the website created to log the complaints by making lame anaolgies to political blog sites is really ridiculous. I don't see websites devoted to complaints about Visa and Master Card, do you? No one would set up such a website without a good reason to do so.
Moreover, neither Visa nor Master Card ask for your Bank account number, do they? Pay Pal does. I don't trust the security of any of them, but if either Visa or Master Card get hacked, they don't get your bank account number like if PayPal gets hacked. GIven the current legislation being railroaded through by the majority party (that's us) there will be LESS protection against identity theft in the future.
For those who never had a problem stick with them. For those who are afraid to deal with PayPal, that has to be respected as well.

John

If people don't want to deal with PayPal because of the horror stories then that should be respected.

No, they shouldn't, if those horror stories are no worse than stories from other companies. Also, some people are professional malcontents, who spend their life complaining about everything. They used to hang out at corner diners, sit at the counter, and complain, generally to the amusement of the other regulars. Now they hang out at the corner Internet complaint site.

Quick, name a company -- any company -- that hasn't angered dozens, hundreds, or thousands of its customers (depending on its size)? The bigger the company, the more likely it will happen. The world isn't perfect, and people screw up and things go wrong. Given the nature of the Internet, we now have a way where people can get together and share those stories. In most cases, all they do is get together and piss and moan. Instead of spending all that time crying about it, they could actually work with the company in resolving the problem. Very few companies will actually ignore a legitimate complaint and refuse to work through the problem, if the customer is willing to work with them as well. I will admit that it sometimes takes a fair amount of persistence, and some companies make it easier than others.

I don't see websites devoted to complaints about Visa and Master Card, do you?

www.amexsux.com
www.cap1sucks.com/
www.providianfinancialsucks.com
www.badcreditcards.org

Quick, name a company -- any company -- that hasn't angered dozens, hundreds, or thousands of its customers (depending on its size)? The bigger the company, the more likely it will happen.
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OK, I'll say it again:
Visa
Mastercard

Where is the website devoted to complaints about them?
I don't understand your penchant for irrelevant analogies.
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If people don't want to deal with PayPal because of the horror stories then that should be respected.
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No, they shouldn't,...
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No, they shouldn't??????????

If you like getting stepped on, don't knock others who don't because you don't like complainers unless it is you who is doing the complaining.........................like at a school board meeting for example. Now there is a relevant analogy.
John