I am starting to sell on abay. I have not yet decided what payment.com i should choose. I inquired with paypal; they told me, that they charge you for incoming money and for withdrawing your money from their account to your credit-card. So they get you twice. Is this the same with bidpay and billpoint? Are there other commends or advice for me, so i can do the best choice?
Thanks in advance.
Frits
posted on February 9, 2001 11:06:10 AM
I will offer them all plus trade for goats, chickens etc.
Seriously, you have to keep the buyer in mind. Make it easy for them. Some people will only buy if do do this or that. Some will pay more if you take it the way the want. Payment methods you accept can either
be an advantage for you or a handicap. You need every advantage you can get. You don't want to be at a competitive disadvantage unless you realy are selling the only one there is.
posted on February 9, 2001 11:45:49 AM
You'll have 10 to 1 more people want to use paypal , fees are the cheapest too! Bidpay is free to seller, but expensive for the buyer, but used alot for international sales. I dont offer billpoint and havent had any complaints or request to use it either.
posted on February 9, 2001 12:16:23 PM
I don't use Paypal because it's just too unsafe to use. (I had over 1000 transactions and I closed my account in November after non-stop problems). I use Billpoint the most - my customers LOVE billpoint! Very easy and it costs about the same as Paypal except you don't get the headaches that goes along with Paypal.
posted on February 9, 2001 12:24:32 PM
Paypal!!
Riding motorcycles and jogging on the edge of the road is unsafe but we still do it sure we lose a few now and then but the reset of us just keep going strong!!
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!! Spuddy98
posted on February 9, 2001 12:44:11 PM
I use Billpoint. Without going into the long details, when I signed up, it was the best offer and PayPal at that time was not FDIC-insured (I believe it is, now). I have not switched to PayPal because of all the negative comments I've heard about it. The fees are approx. the same between the two, but you'll want to compare them to see which is right for you. If I used PayPal, I'd have to use the business account, so I compare Billpoint to the PayPal business account; you may be able to use the PayPal individual/personal account. I've not had any complaints about Billpoint...the money is in my account within 3 days of payment and usually in 2 days (once it was there the next day!). My customers love it. I receive approx. 1/3 of my payments through Billpoint. When PayPal was free and people were getting money for referrals, I rec'd about a dozen requests each week asking me to take PayPal or why I don't accept PayPal. Lately, that's down to about 1 per month. You need to examine them, compare them, and decide for yourself based on ease, fees, and whatever other criteria you feel is important. I also accept money orders and personal checks, so if someone is not comfortable with Billpoint, there are other payment options.
My brother, BTW, swears by PayPal. In my book, it's six of one, half dozen of another.
I've used PayPal for six months...so far, so good, so PERFECT! The huge majority of my buyers pay via PayPal. If you have a bank account listed with PayPal there is no charge for electronic transfer of funds. Rather than using your existing bank account, you might choose to open a new account specifically for PayPal transfers, etc. Each of us has our own preference in that area for a variety of reasons. For me, PayPal has been the greatest advantage in my over two years with eBay. Previously, sellers without business accounts didn't have the option of receiving credit card payments. And......we all know that the majority of buyers and sellers love the *no hassle w/snail mail* ease of using those credit cards. I don't give thought to the incoming payment fees. The advantages of attracting more buyers, getting their items to them almost immediately, etc., far outweigh the fees. I do, however, consider all fees when placing my starting bid amount.
I've read good postings here about Billpoint and may consider that option along with PayPal. For now, PayPal is fine and easy. I like uncomplicated! Hard to teach an old grandma new tricks.
You will hear legitimate horror stories concerning bad experiences with ALL pay.coms. I cringe when I read them, and figure if I'm around long enough, odds are I may be posting one someday.
posted on February 9, 2001 01:33:36 PM
Moneyzap and Achex. Both currently free, both safe. Moneyzap is from Western Union, a company with lots of experience in preventing fraud. Billpoint is next for pretty good security and reasonable fees. Bidsafe has excellent security but the fees are higher. Still you can split them with the buyer and get a very safe payment method. Forget accepting credit cards through Paypal. One lying customer and your account is frozen.
posted on February 9, 2001 04:20:52 PM
I like Bidpay. Its free for sellers, you don't even need to be registered. They pay by western union M.O. (if not registered) within 3 days. Haven't had nor heard of any patterns of problems with them, I recall seeing some threads where customer support was very good. International sales are a breeze and many times are made faster than domestic sales. I;ve never heard of them lying or changing their rules or anything like that (I iterate that I haven't HEARD of anything like that). Anyway, you asked, and this is my pick.
I also believe what you sell has some impact on the issue. If your selling somewhat unique or rare items, collectables/antiques, it doesn't really matter what payment systems you accept (within reason). If they want it, and they like the one you have and how its presented and your reputation is sound, They pay you how ever it takes to aquire it. That is my experience and opinion. I have gotten higher prices for some items that were not in as fine a condition as other like pieces that were simultaneously offered by powersellers with fancy html templates that accepted everthing but wampum.
Now that I think of it, the space in some ads devoted to credit card and pay.coms is the largest block of space in them. Far more than the description and terms combined. When I see all those "WE ACCEPT... " gifs and banners and links etc., it's like seeing a giant repetitive billboard that implores, "Give us your MONEY, we want your MONEY, please give us your MONEY, we'll take it anyway we can get it from you, your MONEY that is..... by the way did you notice the sentence that described the item? If you missed it just re-read the title, its the same! Oh, and, did you see our picture?, If you click on it it gets a little bigger, not in focus, just bigger.
alright, I'll stop, just having an irritating night!
posted on February 9, 2001 04:52:19 PM
BE CAREFUL w/ PayPal!!!
I had my account hacked and lost $1200. PayPal's customer service were not helpful when I reported the situation. No update calls that they are on top of it, no email update...nothing. My account is now frozen because of it. Now they are starting to do investigation after my bank account report the fraud case (so they say). They don't seem to care that I lost that much money from my account. I haven't had any bad experience with Billpoint (cross my fingers).
If I have a choice..Money Order is the way to go!!
