posted on June 9, 2001 03:05:41 PM newI know a lot of posters say it doesn't hurt their business not taking it, but there's just no way to really know.
Sure there is. Check your records.
I did this with one particuar item that I sell regularly, and here are my results:
Acceping PayPal:
Over a period of 15 months: 17 auctions, average closing price: $7.13
Not acceping PayPal:
Over a period of 14 months: 22 auctions, average closing price: $8.19
posted on June 9, 2001 04:20:17 PM new
CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO TAKE PAYPAL LOGO OUT OF AUCTION
(CALLED PAYPAL BUSINESS # AND THEIR CUSTOMER REP COULDN'T EITHER -AND ONLY 1 TECH PERSON THERE TILL 11 PM)
ANY ONE TRY C2IT YET ??
WHAT I DON'T LIKE IS THAT IT SEEMS LIKE A PERSON CAN A PAYMENT WITH NO ADDRESS AND NO AUCTION # AND GETTING CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS WITH NO INFO ON IT IS BAD ENOUGH-
ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS ON WHO TO USE???
posted on June 9, 2001 04:28:59 PM new
mcbrunnhilde> That sounds as though it may work, except that PayPal takes the fees out of the totals, and that includes the postage charged as well. So charge more for postage and Paypal will just take out more! viscious circle here!
I don't think you can get any kind of a merchant account to accept credit cards that DOESN'T charge the seller some kind of a fee. I think C2IT is the only one that charges the buyer, but it certainly isn't as widely used as PayPal.
furkidmom,
I still think the best option is to simply increase the fees as much as necessary and offer a discount for non-CC payments. Wouldn't the PayPal fee be only an additional 2.2 cents for every dollar you raise the shipping fee? I get SOOOO tired of seeing auctions where the shipping fees are not disclosed that I'd think bidders would WELCOME a stated shipping cost, even if it seems a little high to you!! I know I do! Besides, I think offering a "discount" would be irresistable to prospective bidders, and you may find that your hits and ending prices might increase. Anybody wanna try that and see if it works??
P.S. In my original post, I forgot a smiley face after "kwitcherbeefin"! Sorry, I meant it as kind of a joke!
posted on June 9, 2001 07:20:13 PM new
>"I don't think you can get any kind of a merchant account to accept credit cards that DOESN'T charge the seller some kind of a fee. I think C2IT is the only one that charges the buyer, but it certainly isn't as widely used as PayPal."<
BIDPAY DOES IT!
If the buyer wants to Charge It, the BUYER should pay for it, NOT the seller.
posted on June 9, 2001 07:36:34 PM newmcbrunnhilde,
Besides, I think offering a "discount" would be irresistable to prospective bidders, and you may find that your hits and ending prices might increase. Anybody wanna try that and see if it works??
i'm going to try it
shooting a bunch of stuff today and tomorrow. i'll try it on next week's batch and post what happens. anyone else?
kittyx3
spelign
[ edited by kittykittykitty on Jun 9, 2001 07:39 PM ]
I did not include Bidpay, because (to me) that does not involve the seller accepting a credit card--it's just an expensive (but convenient) way for the bidder to purchase a money order. It's not instantaneous like either PayPal or Billpoint (you have to wait for the money order to be mailed to you), and I believe I read that the bidder gets charged for a cash advance as well. I would certainly NEVER use it, but I can see how it would be about the cheapest way for an international buyer to pay. The ONLY way it makes sense for a US bidder to use Bidpay IMO is if the seller doesn't take personal checks and your time is so valuable that you can't afford to spend time in line at the grocery store/post office/bank/etc. (or if you're homebound for some reason).
posted on June 9, 2001 07:59:35 PM new
Don't know if it could be provern or not, but from what I have seen, taking payments via credit cards will improve the FV of your sale. I seen this a few years ago when Furbys were hot around Christmas. Those that had merchant accounts and were taking Credit cards were getting 50% more on their sales. The online credit service like Paypal Billpoint and other are well worth the price if you compare to getting your own Merchant account. I think it is great knowing a payment is confirmed within hours instead of waiting a week for the mail and wondering if your working against a deadbeat. Just my opinion, but you will probably be back to those of you that are cutting the online payment services.
posted on June 9, 2001 08:04:28 PM new
Seems that it wasn't that long ago (maybe a year ago or so) before paypal, that I remember in this forum that sellers were wishing for an inexpensive way for buyers to use credit cards. (I do NOT want to get into the controversy about "always free" Paypal.)
So now there are inexpensive services and sellers do not like it.
I very rarely bid on an auction that I have to mail a payment. Paypal, Bidpay, credit cards are how I pay for my items.
As a seller, I'll offer all the payment options I can. I want to make it as easy as possible for the buyer. There is a lot of competition.
posted on June 9, 2001 08:11:35 PM new
It would be interesting to know how many of the sellers that feel offering a CC increases their final bid amounts, also state Will Ship To US Only.
posted on June 10, 2001 04:25:31 PM new
mcbrunnhilde> I calculate shipping by the winner sending me their zip code, so stating the shipping amount in the auction is not possible. It costs more to ship say to California from the midwest, then it would to ship right within my own state. Anyone that wants to know in advance, sends me their zip code and I calculate the cost in an email for them before they bid. Has worked out wonderfully for me! and I do agree with heygrape. Sellers should not be charged for making it convenient for the buyer to pay. It is convenient for me to use my cash card at my ATM on the weekend too when I want to draw pout some cash. So is the bank paying for my doing so? NO! I pay for it in ATM withdrawal charges.
posted on June 10, 2001 08:30:13 PM new
call them directly. i threatened them with legal action as they repetitively accepted monies from people when i didn't even have an account. they said they couldn't do anything that i would have to do it, when i told them that what they were doing was defrauding me and there were serious legal consequences, the manager said he would take care of it and everything would be cleared up by the end of the day. Suddenly the system that was so secure that they couldn't do anything, only i could, was no longer so secure, and he administratively closed the account, that didn't exist. but note that even after that i had to have several conversations including an interaction with my attorney to get them to stop accepting monies for an account that doesn't exist. Good luck and don't back down.
posted on June 11, 2001 02:02:01 AM new
McBrunnhilde,
I tried something like that. I was trying to get buyers to use BidPay or Achex. In my auction, offered $3.00 discount to buyer if they would use one of these two services. Buyer used PayPal. OK, I said, let's try something different. I was selling a piece of computer networking hardware so I put in my ad that if the buyer used BidPay or Achex, I would include pre-owned network card and cat 5 patch cable (admittedly used, but would cost buyer about $30 new at local stores). Buyer used PayPal!
I for one would love to drop PayPal, but what the heck can I use that the buyer will accept?
posted on June 11, 2001 10:53:09 AM new
I really thought about this a lot. I have been very happy with PayPal, but they are now affecting my mainstay items in a big way.
My strategy is: Add Billpoint. Stop mentioning PayPal. Switch to a personal PayPal account if the volume drops enough. Stop mentioning Billpoint.
I figure that I want to accommodate my customer's choices as much as possible. But I don't want to market for these services.
posted on June 11, 2001 11:39:44 AM new
I sell quite a bit on eBay and do not know what I would do without PAYPAL. It is convenient and fast. With the debit card, you have your money instantly, and get cash back just for using it. But, the main feature I like about PAYPAL is that it sends out winning bidder confirmation right away making it easier for the customer. I know others do this also, but with my main payments being made with PAYPAL this saves me hours of time and my time is worth a lot.
I use PAYPAL myself if buying on eBay and if they do not have a PAYPAL account, I will not buy the item. This is true of many people. I think PAYPAL is well worth what they charge. They provide a service and should get paid for it.
