PayPal Fees

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 10 Apr 2009 8:30 am

Greetings

2 questions :

1) Do those of you who use Paypal when paying someone get slammed by Paypal w: the fees ?

i know that usually, those that receive the funds get hit w: the fees
since last summer, paypal europa notified that fees were to be paid by the buyer & i've been debited every time i've paid someone
so do you as a buyer pay fees to paypal too ?

2) would a seller having & using a paypal account find it reasonable to split HIS fees 50/50 w: the buyer instead of wanting the buyer to pay all of them ?

primo, i'm no tightwad, so i usually round off to a superior figure & even throw in a few $$$ more for expenses to the seller for dealing & running around shipping items for me & my clients

secundo, some buyers don't want to split the fees 50/50 even tho' they DO have a paypal account
(i'm not griping, just trying to clarify subtilities)
perhaps a seller includes paypal fees in the selling price ?
i doubt it
if a seller has a paypal account, it's clear that he's got fees to pay right ?
then why does he expect the buyer to pay all his fees ?
personally, even tho' i pay fees as buyer, i always propose (not demand) to the seller to split HIS fees 50/50

i'd love to have some of your opinions on this delicate & ruthless subject : money !

Mercy !

Dennis Wireman · Post by **Dennis Wireman** » 10 Apr 2009 9:12 am

Benton There is alot of places that are requesting the fees added to the total now for use of credit cards also.

Ron ! · Post by **Ron !** » 10 Apr 2009 9:23 am

Assuming that there are hundreds of thousands of deals being closed every day and being payed with PayPal this must be a gold mine.

Dennis bought several items from me and I always asked him to add the 3% PayPal fee's and Dennis always did.
I thought it was 3% but it seems I was wrong because when I received the mail from PayPal they took more out then they should have.
My conclusion is that when you buy a $100 item you should add $3 to cover that fee.
Maybe they raised that fee without notification.I would like to know that.

Ron

Bert Deivert · Post by **Bert Deivert** » 10 Apr 2009 9:55 am

Previously it seemed that only PREMIERE sellers got hit, but now it seems all do... I have been paying 3% on PayPal payments now when asked by people. Only fair. A bank transfer can be cheaper from Europe though if it involves thousands and not hundreds of dollars!

cheers
BERT

Gerald Pierce · Post by **Gerald Pierce** » 10 Apr 2009 11:38 am

I don't know if paypal still offers it, but my first account with them was a personal account (not sure they called it that) and I was never charged anything to send or receive money.

I changed to a commercial account (again, not sure that's what they call it) and with that came charges.

Last time I checked, I was being charged 2.9% + a 30-cent fee each time I receive a payment.

I once listed an item on ebay requesting that a winner paying with paypal would have to add 3% to the total. The add got pulled. I was advised that I could offer a discount for NOT using a credit card or paypal, but couldn't ask credit card users to pay more.

For me, paypal was simpler and cheaper than getting set up to take credit card payments directly (and probably still is...I haven't looked into it in a while).

I liked it better when it was free. I also liked Wal-Mart when Sam still ran things. - gp

Carl Vilar · Post by **Carl Vilar** » 10 Apr 2009 12:57 pm

technically you can't advertise that you are charging an extra 3% to cover paypal fees if paypal sees it or someone complains paypal will close the account. To get around it you can discuss the matter in privitely with buyer not online.

Benton Allen · Post by **Benton Allen** » 10 Apr 2009 4:33 pm

Only fair.

I don't agree.
I use PayPal on a regular basis. It's easy, and the seller gets his/her money deposited into their account a little sooner that if I mailed it to them.
The real advantage to PayPal is for the seller. They get paid quicker, transfer is direct to their account, and he/she knows that they have actually got the funds in their account. For this they agree to pay the 3% PayPal fee.
Knowing this, as a buyer, I am never willing to pay the PayPal fees myself. I'd rather buy a stamp and mail the payment instead.
The same person requesting the buyer to pay their PayPal fees for them would storm out of Wal-Mart screaming bloody murder if the checkout clerk said "Oh, your going to use that Visa card to pay for this? Just a second while I add an additional 3% percent to your total, because Wal-Mart doesn't want to pay the Credit card fee."
Of course, this my personal take on it. I may be the only one that feels this way. If so, great!

Cheers!
Benton

admin · Post by **b0b** » 10 Apr 2009 5:30 pm

The PayPal fee is 30 cents plus 2.9%. On $100 it's $3.20. The 30 cents per transaction really skews things on small transactions. I've had people try to buy one or two strings from me. Between PayPal's fees and postage, I can't afford to process transactions under $5.00.

As far as I'm concerned, PayPal is a convenience for the buyer. I'd rather everyone paid me by check or money order. It's hard for foreign customers to do that, though. PayPal has made international sales much easier on the buyer.

Steve Hackney · Post by **Steve Hackney** » 10 Apr 2009 7:44 pm

Hi CrowBear
To answer yer first question. I pay with paypal a lot here in the states and have never been charged a fee.

As far as splitting the paypal fee between buyer and seller, I wouldn't have a problem with that on a big ticket item. I don't remember how you and I did it,
but most of the time I Usually pay the fee's myself when I sell something just because of the convenience of using paypal.

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 10 Apr 2009 8:40 pm

As a seller I figure the fees into my pricing. It makes it easier for everyone and I usually am selling to cover something I really need- I don't do it for fun and profit, I sell stuff to pay for meds or important bills. It's worth it to me to do it the Paypal way.

Heiko Aehle · Post by **Heiko Aehle** » 10 Apr 2009 11:34 pm

It is better you know the one who is sending you money, if it is a trusting person. I got money from another paypal account to mine and after receiving the money I send out the items. 2 days later paypal canceled the money on my account and told me the money comes from a hacked account. They don't replaced the money and now the money is gone and the items, too. The buyer was a PO Box address. No chance to get anything back. It was happen not here on the Steel Forum. But that was the day I lost the trust in paypal.

Bert Deivert · Post by **Bert Deivert** » 10 Apr 2009 11:59 pm

Since I am buying from Europe I normally tell the seller to assure them I am legit, that he should let the money CLEAR to his bank account first, and then he can send it! This would have saved you sending out the things sold and then PayPal telling you the money was from a hacked account. Sorry about your problem. There are bad eggs but I have had lots of luck dealing with folks, especially on THIS forum!

cheers
Bert in Sweden

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 11 Apr 2009 1:00 am

Thanx for your replies gentlemen

it's obvious, as stated, that for foreigners, paypal is quite handy
i have a verified pro account
what ticks me off is that now, paypal gets 2 x 3%
does that make it 6% ?
ok, so let's include the 3% fees on the selling price ; you'll still have to add more to that since the fees will be more than those 3% on the initial fees ?
like i wrote, i don't mind paying the buyer fees & of course, i would prefer splitting the sellers fees 50/50
obviously, each sale will be different according to the "entente" between seller & buyer
now, i've sent monies via bank to bank & have found, that for large amounts, it's cheaper than paypal
one thing i do each time i cop something, is get the sellers fone # & call him or her, so we can get to know each other & set things right
most often, the goods are sent once the funds have cleared, i've got no qualms on that !
some sellers i've dealt w: in the past, will send the goods before the funds clear - many thanx for that - goes to show that trust between good people happens -

PayPal this must be a gold mine

As far as splitting the paypal fee between buyer and seller, I wouldn't have a problem with that on a big ticket item I Usually pay the fee's myself when I sell something just because of the convenience of using paypal.

As a seller I figure the fees into my pricing. It makes it easier for everyone

As far as I'm concerned, PayPal is a convenience for the buyer. I'd rather everyone paid me by check or money order. It's hard for foreign customers to do that, though.

The real advantage to PayPal is for the seller. They get paid quicker, transfer is direct to their account, and he/she knows that they have actually got the funds in their account. For this they agree to pay the 3% PayPal fee

I also liked Wal-Mart when Sam still ran things.

I have had lots of luck dealing with folks, especially on THIS forum!

indeed !

admin · Post by **b0b** » 11 Apr 2009 8:45 am

I have seen a few payments from Europe where there was no fee. I assume that the buyer paid the fee in those cases. Nice for me!

Gary Lynch · Post by **Gary Lynch** » 11 Apr 2009 10:54 am

Since cyber hacking has gotten so sophisticated, if PayPal cannot guarantee the money is legitimate, it would be wise to not send out an item until the money has officially cleared into your account.

But with that said, I have read on occasions that counterfeit US Post Office money orders and counterfeit bank cashiers checks have been officially transferred into one's bank account and cellared only to find out one or two weeks later the bank states they are counterfeit and the money is being taken back. The banks can be fooled buy high tech printers.

Welcome to the high tech age of rip-offs!