posted on May 6, 2001 10:46:19 AM
After selling on eBay for more than 3 years now I have finally gotten fed up with everyone trying to take a percentage of my sales. There is eBay which there is no choice and there this is Billpoint, Paypal, and a few other payment services. Even the software I used for years now will end up costing (Auction Assistant/Sellers Assistant).
With the last group of listings I have added to my TOS "I accept personal checks and money orders only for payment." Up until a little over a year ago this was how all transactions were paid. It is time to get back to basics and keep all the profits I can.
Has anyone else felt like this and stopped taking payment services? Have your sales been affected?
posted on May 6, 2001 12:29:49 PM
For my recent round of auctions, I'm experimenting with taking only money orders, checks and Billpoint E-checks. Out of 18 auctions that I listed on Thurs. & Fri., 1 sold with BIN this morning and 3 others have bids. Still a week to go, as I did them as 10 day auctions to cover 2 weekends. We'll see how it goes.
Billpoint will be charging for E-checks beginning June 1st. A good-sized chunk for charges over $15.00. I'll probably continue to use them because of the speed of payment and not having to worry about the e-check bouncing. No chargebacks, too, I think.
The C2it alternative sounds good, however I want to ask them why they pull a credit report on everyone who opens an account and how that information will be used. I don't need a flood of credit card offers or other junk mail, just because I want to use an online service. Still, no fees to the Seller sounds pretty good, as does their "honeymoon phase" inducements like $10 for the first transfer & 3 months free.
posted on May 6, 2001 12:54:02 PM
Many people says that not accetping these services has no effect on sales but I can tell you if you dont offer buyers some services you will lose sales.
The reason some people say it there is no effect is because once you refuse paypal and bill point people who only use credit cards to buy just never bid on your auctions any more.
as this country and others move closer to being cashless & checkless I think people not accepting some form of credit payment services have a rude awakening comeing soon.
Most people today already have more credit and debit cards in there pockets then they do cash.
posted on May 6, 2001 01:34:36 PM
As a seller, I try to offer as many payment options as possible.
As a buyer, I strongly prefer to use Billpoint or PayPal. I prefer those options to the point that I very rarely bid on anything that doesn't offer them. I believe it would affect your sales.
Also, I think you'd get folks trying to force PayPal on you. from what I've read here, those who don't accept PayPal wind up getting a lot of grief from bidders who don't read or who don't care what your PayPal stance is.
Obviously you have to go with what suits you but I'd suggest leaving as many options open as possible.
You could try adding a few cents to a fixed shipping/handling cost. I know a lot of people disagree with that concept but a fixed s/h help offset it depending on how many people use those services.
posted on May 6, 2001 01:50:18 PM
I have to admit as a buyer I will not bid on an auction that does not offer Paypal unless I absolutely have to have the item. The problem is that Paypal keeps changing the rules of the game and the risks of chargebacks are quite high. Paypal has changed from being a sellers tool to being a buyers tool. I need to investigate other options of alternate methods of payment.
posted on May 6, 2001 01:53:09 PM
STAND UP FOR YOUR SELF MARCN...IF YOU DON’T WANT TO USE
A ONLINE PAYMENT HOUSE.....DON’T.....IF YOU THINK IT WILL EFFECT YOU SALES
IT MIGHT.... AND IT MIGHT NOT......IF WAL MART ..SAID
“AS OF TODAY....WE ARE NOW A CASH ONLY STORE” WELL GUESS WHAT THERE
WOULD STILL BE A LINE AT THE CHECK OUT STAND....TAKE THE MONEY YOU WOULD HAVE PAID PAYPAL ...AND LOWER THE STARTING PRICE OF YOUR AUCTIONS.....NOW YOU HAVE THE SALES ADVANTAGE BACK....
I RUN 200 TO 300 AUCTIONS A DAY...WITH OUT ONE LINE PAYMENT
I START TO WEEP EVERY DAY AS I STAND INLINE AT THE BANK WITH MY DEPOSITS....LOL
posted on May 6, 2001 02:21:08 PM
As a seller, I would rather not have to pay fees for the convenience of online payment services. Since a money order does work just fine.
As a buyer I agree with marcn and dman3. Funny isn't it????
I positively love being able to find something, win it, pay for it immediately and watch, like a little kid, for the postman to bring me my prize!
I have found myself passing on auctions because they didn't offer the convenience of PP or Billpoint.
In my defense, when ever possible, I add extra to help cover the sellers expense. Not because anyone has every asked me to, but because as a seller I know how it feels to have to give up some of my profits for the convenience of the buyer. Yes, I see it as more of a convenience to the buyer than to the seller.
I also think it impacts how many bidders and the ultimate price a seller may receive.
posted on May 6, 2001 02:32:01 PM
To be honest as a seller I dont pay these fees my buyers do I have incressed the starting bids on my items back in december and it hasnt effected selling at all.
to be honest with all the incresses and fees now there is no such thing as an auction with a .01 or .99 starting bid because it cost more then that to run the listing. http://dman.Dman-N-Company.com
posted on May 6, 2001 02:34:02 PM
I love it when my buyers use PayPal. I also love it when I get those money orders in the mail. My fees/costs are all included in my starting bid price so either way I come out ahead. 75% of my purchasers use an online payment and the others send checks or money orders.
As a buyer I no longer bid on items that say checks/money orders only. I prefer to pay using any kind of online payment service. If I do not need the item asap then I would possibly consider sending them a check. The stores that sell the cheaper money orders are not usually in the areas I travel so it would involve an extra trip. Then of course it costs me as a buyer an extra 25-85 cents for the money order. In the last 50+ purchasing transactions I have done (this year alone) I have sent out one check and the rest were by PayPal. I have seen things that I wanted to bid on but they were Check/MO only. Several wound up for less than I would have bid so the sellers did lose some money by not accepting online payments. I just keep looking and eventually somebody lists the same item with my terms.
BTW, Inevitably those items that do not accept online payments are the ones that charge an arm and a leg for shipping and "Handling."
posted on May 6, 2001 02:38:25 PM
I also have increased some starting bids as an experiment and I still seem to get the same amount of activity. Many of my auctions start at or just above my cost and throw in those fees and it can add up in the wrong direction. Many items go for far more than cost so in the end it is positive.
I am going to test for a few weeks with Checks and money orders only and see how it works.
posted on May 6, 2001 02:42:10 PM
"BTW, Inevitably those items that do not accept online payments are the ones that charge an arm and a leg for shipping and
"Handling."
Charging more for S/H just because online payments are not accepted does not make sense. I would think it to be the exacr opposite.
posted on May 6, 2001 02:49:28 PM
WHY DOES EVERYBODY THINK THAT THE ONLY TWO WAY TO PAY
ARE ONLINE AND MOs...WHAT ABOUT PERSONAL CHECKS.....I GET 100s A DAY
WITH OUT ANY PROBLEMS...AND I DON’T WAIT TILL THEY CLEAR..
BEFORE I SENT THE GOODS...GO LOOK AT ONECENTCDS..THEY SHIP
BEFORE YOU SEND THEM A PAYMENT...THE SAME DAY YOU WIN THEIR
AUCTION...NOW THAT IS AN EBAY SELLER...THEY HAVE RESTORED MY
FAITH IN MANKIND..
posted on May 6, 2001 03:01:27 PMas this country and others move closer to being cashless & checkless I think people not accepting some form of credit payment services have a rude awakening comeing soon.
Interesting observation, but I believe it has a lot to do with what you sell. If you go to a typical coin show, I'll bet you'd see the majority of deals done with cash, a few checks, and practically no credit cards.
Most coin collectors are comfortable doing business without cc's, and my experience indicates that not accepting them doesn't really have an effect on the results of my auctions. Right now, out of every 10 auctions, I get something like this: 3 checks, 4 money orders, 2 cash payments and only 1 online payment (I no longer accept PayPal). When I was accepting PayPal, I was getting 3 or 4 online payments out of every 10, but since I quit accepting PayPal, the final bid prices on my auctions are every bit as high as they were when I was still accepting them.
posted on May 6, 2001 03:01:30 PM
FYI - I have NEVER accepted PayPal, and out of several hundred auctions listed since PayPal came on to the scene, I've only had 3-4 people ask about it.
WoW
Has it affected MY sales, hardly.
I've also dropped Billpoint on the majority of my auctions, and that too hasn't affected my sales. If someone MUST use a CC for payment, they can use BidPay.
There was a time when all of my auctions had Billpoint on them, and I still had approx 80% of the high bidders send a check or MO.
As always, it depends what you sell.
I only know one GOLD power seller on eBay that strictly sells antiques & collectibles.
He averages 25-40 THOUSAND in sales per month, on eBay, and has NEVER accepted ANY form of online payment.
posted on May 6, 2001 03:25:29 PM
I agree that it depends on what you sell. I sell basically low end, impulse items. Therefore, I offer PayPal and BillPoint because they are the way that many impulse buyers like to pay. I admit I am an impulse buyer too and if there are 2 identical auctions up and one takes online payments and one doesn't, I will go for the online payment one.
I have nothing against anyone who chooses not to accept online payments, there are many great reasons why you shouldn't. But it is just my 2 cents
posted on May 6, 2001 03:40:33 PM
Redder FYI - "I have NEVER accepted PayPal, and out of several hundred auctions listed since PayPal came on to the scene, I've only had 3-4 people ask about it."
" Has it affected MY sales, hardly. "
If you never accepted Paypal how would you know if it affects your sales?
Maybe you would sell more items at higher prices if you did?
I sell 400-600 items a month and stopped taking Paypal after they added fees, I saw a considerable decline in prices paid.
Now I adjusted selling methods to cover fees and for the past 9 months have taken Paypal and am doing much better then my 3 month leave.
You can also get a personal account and state "I ONLY ACCEPT $100 IN CC SALES A MONTH." or "I ONLY ACCEPT PAYPAL FROM CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCES." I have a coworker who uses this method just fine.
When I buy and I buy tons for my friends shop I want the items NOW. If I send a check (10 days waiting to clear, or Money Order ($.50-$3) I still need to wait for it to get there and all the USPS BS.
I personally have passed up some good deals because I don't feel like hasseling with sending out snail mail payments.
posted on May 6, 2001 03:55:23 PMIf you never accepted Paypal how would you know if it affects your sales?
That's easy. I've been selling on eBay for close to 4 years, and my items are doing as well, or better than they did 4 years ago.
You won't see my ID on the "Sales Are Dead" threads over here on AW.
I can certainly understand why some sellers NEED to offer Billpoint & PayPal, I simply do not. I also grow weary of people stating here on AW that if you do NOT accept PayPal or Billpoint, your sales will suffer.
Yawn
Might I get a few more bids if I did offer these services, perhaps, perhaps not? But no matter, the added PITA and FEES for those services don't make it worth my while.
I'll say it again, MY customers for the most part are not CC online users, and some of them have told me they will NEVER use PayPal or Billpoint. These people have plenty of moola, and they seem to prefer checks & MO's.
I also NEVER hold checks for clearing, and most times ship items out to repeat customers before their check ever reaches me.
Impulse buyers/bidders are great, but personally I prefer buyers with deep pockets, and great taste.
posted on May 6, 2001 04:08:40 PMIf you never accepted Paypal how would you know if it affects your sales?
When I started selling, there was no such thing as PayPal. Then they showed up, and I used them for a while, and now, I don't.
The final values in my auctions today are as good or better than they have been over the entire time I have been selling on eBay. I don't sift through the figures with a fine-toothed comb or analyze every litle detail, but I do pay attention to the overall performance of the auctions I list, and accepting (or not accpting) PayPal has had no discernable affect on them.
posted on May 6, 2001 04:25:27 PM
HIP HIP IRIE RASTA RED..
TELL IT LIKE IT IS BROTHER....!!!
WHAT MOST EBAY SELLERS MISSED AT THE EBAY 101
IS THAT ...”SUPPLY AND DEMAND, PRICE AND SERVICE”
ARE WHAT DRIVES EBAY BIDDERS INTO EBAY AUCTION WINNERS..
NOT THE PRESSURE OF A BIDDER TO LAZY TO WRITE A PERSONAL CHECK
OR THE 30 DAYS THEY GET ON THEIR VISA STATEMENT...
posted on May 6, 2001 04:33:07 PMjumpinjacko, I'm not trying to be rude, but is there a reason you are shouting at us in all your posts? The caps-lock is tough on my feeble eyes...
posted on May 6, 2001 04:35:05 PM
Lets correct something here 99% of all Ebay buying is impulse buying !!!.
collecting and hobbies are secondary purchases any thing that is not needed to sustain life is an implus purchase .
People who dont want to pay for services and conveniences should ask them selves what they are doing on the internet it requires paying for one or more services that are conveniences just to get on the internet.
being able to accept credit cards does incress sales and bussiness.
you do not pay for these credit card services your buyers do in the price of what you sell.
people paying for something with cash will usually buy just what they went after and not any more people useing a credit card to purchase are more likely to buy additional goods and services from you.
some one comes in to buy a $10 item you only take cash they will buy there $10 item and leave how ever if they come in with a credit card they are likely to spend $10 to $100 more then they planed and your trying to tell me credit cards dont incress sales and profits ?!?!?
if im out to buy a computer and I have $300 in cash and you dont take credit cards I can only spend $300 .
if you accepted credit cards I might buy the computer the monitor the printer extra software and god knows what else.
but thats ok you dont want to pay that 2.5% fee to get the extra posiable $700 or more in sales.
the idea is to get the buyer in the door for the deal and then interest them in the extras.
you have a vcr up for auction some one bids on and wins you should be wanting to get these people to your website where you sell movies blank recording tapes tape rewinders and more ?????
How ever if all you will accept is checks and money orders you more then likely not going to get them extra sales you already got all there free to spending cash.
I dont care how much money a person has they are cash limited how ever credit cards are make people feel as if they have a nearly endless flow of $$$ to spend.
sure you can make your $5 or $20 sale on ebay just takeing checks and money orders to sell there but your loseing the $200 fallow up sale to someone else.
posted on May 6, 2001 04:53:07 PM
Sound good on paper dman...but show me some
your date source ...saving a couple bananas is why we all loged on to ebay in the first place..
posted on May 6, 2001 05:04:54 PM
I never logged on to Ebay or ant other online site to save anything.
I am a seller and they charge me to sell I have only bought anything for anyone online in the 9 years I have been online.
any time some one charges me even if its to sell something im not saveing a thing Im spending.
but my family has History of running bussiness since the 20s .
posted on May 6, 2001 05:23:08 PM
Dman.....the question still remains....will it affect the sales
of marcn....I say no......I have seen marc’s garage.
around...they sell
cds and drinks cabo wabo.....as do I.....about 1000 cd per month
a fifth a sammy’s best a week...
Im telling you marc your sale will not suffer...
I cant seem to bring up you website dman..
Would love to see the family business.
posted on May 6, 2001 05:26:24 PM
I sold an item to a repeat buyer of mine yesterday, she now will have over 500 in her collection. She also waited until the final seconds to bid, after watching my item for several days.
Impulse buying, I think not. Her bids will often times run in the $150-200 range.
I know numerous Power BUYERS on eBay, and they sure as hell aren't impulse buyers.
I've also spent my share of moola on eBay over the years, and none of the items I purchased were on a whim. I studied each item very carefully, asked any questions I needed to, then sniped the b'jesus out of them in the final moments.
posted on May 6, 2001 05:29:38 PM
Dman3...what you are forgetting is that just because you only have $300 in your pocket does not mean other don't have more. And if you only have $300 in your pocket you may also be almost to the max on your credit card.
When I first started on ebay the only people who offered credit card sales were those with merchant accounts. I too believed the old "truism" that if I accepted credit cards I would have higher sales. so when Billpoint invited me to join in their beta testing (before paypal came on the scene) I accepted. I can truthfully tell you it didn't change the prices i got for items or the number of bids or items sold.
On some items I get less now than I did a year or two ago but EVERYONE is getting less on those items now (supply and demand at work).
I offer online payment services but I no longer believe "it will increase sales".
posted on May 6, 2001 05:30:07 PM
I've received a ton of great input here!
What I'm gonna do is remove the "Checks/M.O." only portion of the TOS and just leave it up to the buyers to make a request. I also will not mention anything about Paypal in the auction ad and see how it goes...
PERSONAL CHECKS.....I GET 100s A DAY
WITH OUT ANY PROBLEMS...AND I DON’T WAIT TILL THEY CLEAR..
How many of your auctions have final prices in the $200 to $1000 range?
NONE.... i to come from a family business...
And dear old dad use to say...its’ easier to get $1
out of a 1000 people ..than it is to get $1000 out of one person..
