Sellers charging paypal fees = cheapskates

Nick is correct about the 3% fee. If you have a Personal account, there is no fee but a Personal account cannot accept credit card payments, only bank transfers. Premier and Business accounts can accept credit cards, but are hit with the 3% fee regardless of how the transaction was made.

The way I see it, PayPal offers the biggest advantage to me when I'm buying something. I can pay for a purchase immediately, I don't have to go buy a money order or mail the payment, and the seller ships the knife right away. As a seller, there's little difference if I'm paid by money order or PayPal as it still takes 3-4 days for a PayPal payment to be transferred to my bank account. In that same amount of time, I could have received a money order and deposited it.

I don't mind paying the 3% fee as a buyer and I would hope that when I'm a seller someone doesn't call me a cheapskate because I need to collect that fee. If you don't like the 3% fee, send a money order instead.
 
As a buyer I expect to pay the 3% PayPal fee if I pay that way, so I always add that in to my offer. I figure it's up to me to pay for the full cost of the item: the cost, shipping, and any transaction fees.

Pierre
 
But buying AND selling I consider it the 'cost of doing business'. Of course, I will pepper my statement by allowing almost 95% of my PayPal transactions are eBay-based. I sell off a LOT of motorcycle parts that come around my shop, and I am REALLY surprised that about 9 out of 10 transactions use PayPal to pay me.

Now the unknown factor of M/C parts buyers is a little different than buying and selling to the knife world--but not much.

I'm paying 3% for convenience: As a seller, I get my funds up front real quick and I can ship those parts out the very next day. As a buyer, I get the same service back at me. So far no one has demanded 3%, so most must think as I do--they are quite happy to get the funds in-hand ASAP.

Like Melvin-P said, we aren't getting rich from the transaction interchange/shipping time, and anything that moves it along quicker is a price I'm satisfied to bear.

Don't sweat the small stuff.... ;)

Coop
 
Coop-if 95% of your sales are on eBay and 90% of your customers pay with PayPal, then I have to think that you factor all of your costs (including PayPal) of doing business when you set your opening bid and/or reserve price. Most knife collectors don't sell to make a profit-they sell because their interests in collecting have changed. I sell Knife A today because Knife B has caught my eye, not because I'm looking to make a profit.

With that in mind, when I sell a knife I want to put the price on it that I need to have out of it. I know that I have to ship it, so I can build that cost into the price or not. But the PayPal is different. Most of the guys that have bought knives from me have not used PayPal so I'm not going to bump the asking price of a knife by 3% just because someone may want to use PayPal. I'd rather break it out separate and let the buyer decide if the convenience of PayPal is worth an additional 3%.
 
IMHO, a seller or buyer can do ANYTHING THEY WANT as long as it's honest. If you don't want to do what a seller, (or for that matter, a buyer), specifies and it seems cheap or whatever, move on.
To me Pay Pal is a valuable tool. A lot of buyers just can't come up with the cash when a certain knife is offered and Pay Pal offers them a chance to get it if they want it bad enough. I've sold dozens and dozens of knives on these forums and Pay Pal has been a Godsend to me. I'd much rather get paid now and ship immediately rather than have a bunch of knives sitting around waiting to get mixed up. I always offer to accept money orders or Pay Pal with +3% fees. If the buyer doesn't want to pay the fees we can always talk by private e-mail.;)
 
Screw Paypal.I didn't know they were anti-second amendment.I just closed my account and e-mailed them the reason for me closing my account is their stance on my gun rights.let them stick it where the sun don't shine!:barf: :barf:
 
I like PayPal for the convenience of being able to buy and sell internationally. I've used PayPal to buy camera parts from Australia, sell games to South Africa but mostly to buy knives from the USA :)

Compared to the cost of buying a cheque drawn on a US bank, paying that extra 3% is not a problem, recently I've taken to adding a bit more to payments to make sure the seller isn't suffering from that charge.

As to the anti-gun business, it doesn't look at all as if PayPal is anti-gun, it looks more like they are trying to protect themselves from the charges that would undoubtedly be levelled against them for aiding in the commission of a crime if one of those PayPal shops was ever to be prosecuted. PayPal is in a different position to a bank or credit card company.

Still, each to his own...

Roger
 
Being an overseas collector...I have no choice but to use these services.

Is there any other well made option but Paypal?

Cause I really hate doing business with any anti gun companies..
 
Easy there. I don't think anyone's trying to rip me off. I just think that as a seller, if you're extending someone the courtesy of allowing them to pay via Paypal, then as the buyer, they should suck up the 3% loss. Not the seller.

There's usually someone else in line or someone else who will come along who will pay with a money order eventually anyhow. I'm not knocking "credit carders," as I've done my share of livin' off the card (younger years ;)), don't get me wrong for a minute. But I like things simple, and when something's for sale at a good price, especially at a pretty darn-tootin' discounted price, volatile market or whatever be the reason, then that's what you pay.

It's just opinion, and I'm not trying to step on toes. I've just got these big honkin' feet's all... :)

Professor.
 
Maybe a reverse psychology approach would work better. Automatically add the 3% to your asking price and then state you will offer a 3% discount to purchasers who use a money order or certified check. It would be pretty hard for people to complain about being offered a discount.

Just an idea,

Mer
 
I like Mer's idea some - that was what gas stations used to do. 3% disco for a cash payment. However, they stopped doing that for some reason and now the line I see is "same low price cash or credit".

Tough issue. 3% will not keep me from buying a knife I want, nor will it induce me to buy a knife I am lukewarm about. My $.02.

I did notice after this post aired that at least one seller edited his ad to read same price, paypal or M.O.
 
Yes, this is an old thread, but i just came across it and wanted to speak on it briefly. I think that there is a difference between being a private seller and selling as a business. If you are, lets say, a knife collector and are selling a few knives here and there to finance new knives, then its not out of line to want the buyer to pick up the 3%, but, if you are selling as a business, i see no difference between offering PayPal and accepting credit cards, and certainly you wouldnt, or at least, shouldnt charge a fee for accepting credit cards, like someone else said, its the cost of doing business, and i can tell you, as a professional seller, any service that makes it easier for a buyer to pay me is a very good thing and well worth a paltry 3%. I have no doubt that in the long run, i have made a LOT more using PP, even with the 3% hit, than without it.
 
i see no difference between offering PayPal and accepting credit cards, and certainly you wouldnt, or at least, shouldnt charge a fee for accepting credit cards, like someone else said, its the cost of doing business, and i can tell you, as a professional seller, any service that makes it easier for a buyer to pay me is a very good thing and well worth a paltry 3%.
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Wouldn't that pultry 3% have to be factored into everything as an overhead cost? Why should everyone be forced to subsidize the guy using Paypal?

n2s
 
You think this ticks you off? I wanted to buy some gear from a member at TFL (RIP :( ) a couple of months ago, who even had a PayPal add on his signature line. When I emailed him to tell him I wasn't set up with a PayPal account, but would be glad to send him cash in an envelope (it wasn't a large purchase), he turned me down! Said it was PayPal or nothing. What am I missing here? :confused: :grumpy: geegee
 
Originally posted by BurkStar
The thing thats really irritating is that if they'd specify PayPal users to do a transfer (which is what I usually do) and not do a credit card charge they'd wouldn't be charged that 3%.
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Actually, this isn't true. If someone has the premium account that allows someone to accept credit card payments, they are charged 3% on every transaction. This is why I didn't get a premium account when I signed up.

Mike
 
Isn't this fairly simple, if you want the item then pay the fee....otherwise walk away, a seller could also say "He won't pay the fee so he's a cheapa##" it goes both ways. I have a Paypal account but would rather have the CASH myself, but sometimes the buyer wants immediate shipment (instant gratification) - Paypal allows me to do that, so the buyer pays for his impatience not me! ;)
 
I used to use PayPal due to convience (i.e., the knife ships immediately). I stopped using them due to their anti stance.

When I sell. . .I state that the asking price includes:

- A specific shipping method (UPSP priority, insurance and confirmation tracking)

- And that I want a USPS money order, cashiers check or personal check

Want something different. . .than what's advertised. . .it becomes your expense.

It's no big deal. . .and I'm typically not a CHEAPA$$. :p
 
I am not a dealer.If anyone wants to use paypal I can accomidate them either way.I have a Premier account to which I take credit cards.My other account takes bank transfers and Pay Pal funded transactions.
If you want to use a credit card with ME you will have to pay the freight.
Don't call me "cheapskate" to my face. It is MY friggin money.And I will do with it as I please.;) ;)
 
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