posted on April 5, 2001 02:46:22 PM
Everytime I get an email from eBay or one of their subsidiaries, experience has taught me to read them once, twice and then a third time.
Ebay (and now BillPoint) has a way of informing you without telling you things.
For instance, in the latest email entitled "A Letter To Our Customers" from BillPoint, they carry on about how wonderful their service is, how so many customers are using it, how superior they are to PayPal, and . . . . oh, by the way . . . we're increasing fees.
Of course the increase in fees is just a footnote in a table.
At one point, I thought this method of informing us, was an apologetic one. Even they didn't believe the added fees were justified. Now I've come to realize its just a sleight of hand.
posted on April 5, 2001 04:53:48 PM
I think the point of this whole stupid huge email was to say:
"We now (June1st) charge for e-checks!"
Loads of bandwidth to say so little??!!
"eBay Online Payments has proudly served you since November 1999.
Since that time, we have exclusively dedicated ourselves to
building the safest, most reliable, and most trusted payment
service for millions of users in the eBay community.
In keeping with the philosophy of our owners, eBay and Wells Fargo,
as well as our largest strategic partner, Visa, our company is
guided by the following principles:
* We trust and respect our users
* We protect your privacy
* We safeguard your financial information
* We support and stand behind your payment transactions
* We believe in straight talk, honesty, and open communication
Given the variety of vendors offering payment services on eBay, we
would like to take this opportunity to provide you some general
information about payments as well as clarify features of our
service.
___________________________________________________________________
BUYERS - PAY WITH CREDIT CARD OR ELECTRONIC CHECK: IT'S YOUR CHOICE
* Credit Card *
Credit card is the overwhelming favorite for Internet buyers who
enjoy the convenience, universal acceptance, and extensive purchase
protections. Over 90% of all consumer Internet purchases were made
with a credit card last year (what people will do for frequent
flyer mileage)! With eBay Online Payments, shopping on eBay with
a credit card has never been easier or safer. So don't forget to
pull out that card for your next purchase and request eBay Online
Payments from your seller - it's the only way to guarantee 100%
protection for all your purchases!
* Electronic check *
For folks accustomed to paying sellers with paper checks, eBay
Online Payments offers a very convenient alternative called
electronic check. Enjoy the safety, speed, and ease of
electronic payment while paying sellers directly from your
checking account. No more stamps, no more envelopes, and no
more last minute trips to the post office. Even better, writing
an electronic check is safer than putting a paper one in the
mail. Our partnership with Wells Fargo, one of the most
respected names in banking, ensures that your personal banking
information always remains 100% confidential.
___________________________________________________________________
SELLERS - DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE CHARGED THE SAME FEES FOR
CREDIT CARDS AND ELECTRONIC CHECKS
While credit cards are today's consumer favorite for web
payments, eBay Online Payments is committed to offering you a
diverse menu of payment options that are priced consistently
with our own costs. Electronic check (other players sometimes
call electronic check "bank account payments", for example,
carries significantly lower processing costs than credit card
for ALL payment companies in the industry. We pay lower fees on
electronic check and believe that you should as well. If your
payment processor charges credit card fees to process payments
coming directly from your bank account, you are being
overcharged. eBay Online Payments allows you and your buyers to
decide how payment should be made and then we pass on the
processing costs associated with each payment option.
* Credit Card *
Because of its convenience, universal acceptance, and extensive
purchase protections, credit card is the preferred form of payment
method by the vast majority of Internet buyers. Unfortunately for
sellers, credit card is also the most expensive form of payment for
you to accept. Interchange, a non-negotiable fixed fee of about 2%
charged by Visa and MasterCard to every Internet merchant in the
world, represents about 80% of the total fees charged by credit
card payment processors to Internet sellers (i.e., 2% out of the
total 2.5% fee typically charged to sellers).
Our extensive relationship with Wells Fargo has enabled eBay Online
Payments to offer you some of the most competitive, if not lowest,
credit card processing rates available in the industry today
(See below). It should also be noted that because Visa and
MasterCard impose higher interchange rates on Internet merchants vs.
those with physical stores, merchants who sell in both venues are
encouraged by Visa/MasterCard to maintain two distinct credit card
processing accounts.
* Electronic check *
Electronic check is simply that - an electronic alternative to
receiving a paper check in the mail. This payment option is ideal
for those buyers who prefer to pay directly out of their checking
accounts. Not only do you receive payment more quickly, but
electronic checks are 100% guaranteed. No bounced checks, no
chargebacks - just guaranteed payment. Best of all, because
e-check costs are significantly lower than credit card costs for
EVERYONE in the industry (e-check has no interchange), eBay Online
Payments, unlike some competitors, has priced the product to
reflect its underlying costs. Why not give our e-check product
a try - it's a great product!
Peace of mind. Straight talk. Reliability from names you can
trust -- eBay, Wells Fargo, and Visa. Convenient integration.
Responsive customer care. Building a business that meets your
long-term payment needs. That's what we are all about at eBay
Online Payments. Give us a chance to earn your business!
For more information about our privacy policy, please visit:
http://www.billpoint.com/policies/privacy.html. If you have any
questions or thoughts, please feel free to write us at
[email protected].
eBay/BillPoint is issuing a call for sellers to unite.
SELLERS - DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE CHARGED THE SAME FEES FOR CREDIT CARDS AND ELECTRONIC CHECKS
Then when you look at the fee schedule it sure seems to me that BillPoint is going to charge 35 cents on items under $10 whether it's paid for by check or credit card.
Kind of fun to see eBay issuing calls for sellers to unite isn't it? Who knew they cared for us so. The don't like competition very much do they.
BTW, BillPoint's version of the fees is just a tad slanted... just a tad. My numbers are a very different than what eBay is giving me.
posted on April 5, 2001 08:29:04 PM
One more note about that lovely little email - it gives wrong information re: Paypal.
The Auto Sweep charge for using Paypal's Auto Sweep function is .35%, NOT .6%. Also, its an optional feature, so you can actually be charged no fee if you do it yourself once a day instead of letting Paypal do it.
Net effect.... 2.25% + .35 vs. 2.2% + .30
if lower fees for processing Credit Card payments are what you're looking for - no doubt Paypal wins over Billpoint.
posted on April 5, 2001 08:33:06 PM
Thanks for posting a copy here. Mine came earlier and I don't know what format it's in but I can't read it, so I didn't know about the electronic check charge until you said. Today I've had 3 out of 3 people who wanted to pay by billpoint want to pay by credit card (No Way). Thanks again.
Mel
[ edited by fonze on Apr 5, 2001 08:34 PM ]
posted on April 5, 2001 09:15:14 PM
You know, Billpoint is pretty well put together service. Ebay is a great concept, too.
That is why, for the life of me, I can not fathom their unprofessional approach to communicating with us.
90% of the complaints about ebay and billpoint relate to their inability to tell the truth, simply, directly and honestly.
From the severity and length of outages to changes in their policies, these messages have a history of deceptive "spin control".
Their inability to be clear affects their policies as well. For more than a year there have been promises to define more precisely what their "buyer pays actual shipping" means (on the auction listing page) in the tos but all we have gotten is conflicting opinions from their staff.
posted on April 5, 2001 09:54:19 PM
At least they didn't start the email with the ever-popular "Good news!" That's usually the phrase of choice when a company is about to stick it to you.
Oh, wait, I probably just gave eBay some new copy...
posted on April 9, 2001 05:45:45 AM
the thing to watch out for here, is that BILLPOINT is now charging a fee to deposit receipts into your bank account! I found this out the hard way... I was charged a misc. fee of $4.83 and could not understand why. Billpoint refused to answer any of my emails. I finally read the email word for word over and over and discovered that the $4.83 was a fee for depositing the money to my chekcing account!
I wrote to billpoint right away and told them my ebay listings would no longer have the BILLPOINT payment option. three hours later, they responded to me explaining the $4.83 charge. I sent them a one line reply, "too little, too late".
posted on April 9, 2001 05:58:56 AM
And you wonder why they are having to "try" to bribe you with "FREE" listings for using their ridiculous system???? PayPal has them beat hands down, and instead of trying to be more reasonable they try to "trick" you into using their system.
"Ya, provided PayPain doesn't lock your account with no explanation & then take rent out of your bank accounts"
Account restrictions are very rare( despite the attention they receive on the boards when they do happen). They are also cleared up quickly with the proper documentation requested.
PayPal will not initiate deposits out of a user's account with out a user's permission. Please view the terms of use on withdrawals.
posted on April 9, 2001 06:00:36 PM
Hi musicman12533,
Thanks. I am trying to make sure your concerns are addressed, and changed if need be, when I come across something bothering our users. May not always work---but it does at times
, for example,