posted on September 4, 2001 07:40:21 AM
Remember those 1970's TV commercials "The heartbreak of Psoriasis"?
OK, stuff like this makes me just about blow my top. I am wondering what can be done. Paypal has that slogan or statement on their website saying "pay anyone with an email address" or something very close to that. Anyone? People, especially newbies, take this quite literally, and Paypal knows it. BTW, PaypalDamon doesn't respond to me here--he can sense my utter contempt, and I expect he won't be responding to this either. So prove me wrong Damon.
BTW, I've said before if a bidder ends up not paying because the seller doesn't accept Paypal, then that is abuse.
I have another clown who emails after the auction is over, after he won, asking if we accept Paypal. Since this was a couple of weeks ago, he was told "No we don't, sorry", but he has the imformation on what we do accept (since then my wife has decided to tell them we will accept a Paypal cash balance transfer, but no CC payments, a policy that I am not comfortable with, and I'm trying to talk her out of this). So, it boils down to another auction winner who hasn't paid and probably will end up taking the freaking neg, just because his a** is too lazy to put a check in the mail, or use another CC service.
This has not happened just once.
I do not want to cave in and take Paypal cc payments. What am I going to do though? Start my auction desriptions off with "No Paypal--don't ask"?
If you have a take on this, write it here. Convince me of why I should accept Paypal if you wish. I'll listen--but I may not see it your way.
Or maybe you feel the same way I do.
[ edited by loosecannon on Sep 4, 2001 07:43 AM ]
[ edited by loosecannon on Sep 4, 2001 07:48 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2001 07:52:46 AM
Hi Loosecannon,
If the reason you don't take PayPal is the fees, have you thought about c2it? Some good things have been posted on the boards and it seems like buyers don't mind the fees to them.
posted on September 4, 2001 08:11:55 AM
I wondered about c2it.....and tried to get info....enough to make an informed decision. Call me dumb....but I found the Site hard to navigate and could not find out WHAT IT COSTS TO USE IT!
Intro periods....blah, blah.....I could still not figure out what it was going to cost.
We finally just signed up with Paypal.
Our first round of listings will go off next week and we will see how we like it.
I just discovered/realized that we forgot to put a low-end limit; i.e. No Paypal for payments under X.xx dollars. Sigh.....NExt round!
Dr. Trooth
[ edited by DrTrooth on Sep 4, 2001 08:14 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2001 08:22:21 AM
The US Postal Service BillPayer service has just started an online payment system to send money and receive money for individuals.
I use their service for paying regular bills which is nice because I can pay all bills from one place for $6 a month.
I haven't tried their "send money" service yet, but if it works as well as the "Bill Payer" service, I may be using it in the future instead of PayPal.
but if it works as well as the "Bill Payer" service, I may be using it in the future instead of PayPal.
That's fine, but the real headaches begin when you decide you don't want to take Paypal. What will you do with the people that go full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes, and pay with Paypal even though you don't want it? Or decide to heck with it, I'm not paying if they won't take Paypal. After this happens a few times it gets very hard to put up with.
posted on September 4, 2001 09:01:36 AM
So.........I must ask............how much business are you willing to loose because you don't take paypal?
Sure, it has it's downfalls ~ but 65% of my business is paid for through Paypal ~ and I use the debit card to get the 1.5% cash back ~ so it really does not cost me much.
I pay all my postage, my phone bill ~ and any other bill that can be paid with a credit card.
I even had a fraud issue on a large payment through Paypal.........but I must say that Paypal was Johnny on the spot with the info and thanks to a phone call from Paypal and my mother having a cell phone ~ I was able to stop her before she mailed the package ~ thank God for long lines at the post office that day.
posted on September 4, 2001 09:03:47 AM
I stopped accepting PayPal long ago, and have never looked back. Don't regret it either. I do realize that other items like mine can fetch a bit more, because the buyer can just charge it right on up on their credit card...but I accept that.
I have not listed for awhile, but intend to soon. I don't make any mention of PayPal at all in my description, but plan to come up with a one liner similar to....REMINDER TO BIDDERS.....that if you bid and win, Congratualtions!!! and also....just a kind reminder that payments can only be made by Money Order, Personal Checks (held 10 days)or small amounts of concealed cash.
posted on September 4, 2001 09:15:27 AM
PayPal is like Kleenex and Jello and all the other products that are so well known that everybody knows what it is just by the name. To not accept PP is plain foolish, but better for the wise sellers that do accept it because they will get the business that you turn away.
posted on September 4, 2001 09:21:11 AMthekismeme & bidsbids
I consistantly sell around 85% of my listings the first time they are listed (I can do way better than that over a short stretch: I recently sold 90 out of 93 listed). This is from day one on ebay in 1999 until now. That hasn't changed for me, and I would gander that this is a much better sell-through rate than plenty who do accept Paypal and advertise as such. It depends on what you sell and you'll have to show some figures that prove accepting Paypal increases business to convince that it does.
So, I ask you: how much business am I losing?
The answer is that it's impossible to say either way. You can't go much by completed auctions to see if the final bid I receive is lower than someone elses'. That doesn't tell much of anything. Too many variables to come to a real conclusion, IMO.
[ edited by loosecannon on Sep 4, 2001 09:25 AM ]
[ edited by loosecannon on Sep 4, 2001 09:30 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2001 09:49:04 AM
PayPal should have an option to not receive payments.
That is, when a person types in your email address, it states "The email address you entered will not accept PayPal payments."
They certainly could do this, in the same fashion as when you enter an email address it recognizes it adds the name of the person.
It's not really far-fetched. There are many states that have laws, for example, allowing you to opt-out of receiving telemarketing on your phone.
I know PayPal will not be progressive enough to do this, but the truth is - if someone has gone through the trouble to block their email address, they are probably not business PayPal is going to get anyway.
posted on September 4, 2001 09:58:26 AML.C....I stopped using PayPal sometime last year, when there were all the scares about the "Fake" PayPal site (from Russia, was it?).
I never looked back, and will never use ANY on-line payment services. I do state it ritht at the very beginning of my listing, in a different color font: Because of security reasons, I no longer accept Online Credit Cards Payments
...and have never had anyone question my choice. As mentioned by others here, if the buyer is serious, the item is what the buyer wants, the quality up to parr, buyer will buy it..PayPal or no PayPal...
posted on September 4, 2001 10:12:46 AM
loosecannon - one thought, take it or leave it.
I have a personal account and ask for non-credit card payments. Some folks ignore that, but it doesn't get me bent anymore since I found out that PayPal actually won't seize & freeze my money if I am "overpaid" for the monthly limit. I simply get an email saying I passed my limit, want to upgrade? I don't, so I decline the payment and the buyer has to finally pay attention and work it out with me.
I don't want this happening all the time, so my ads and email all reiterate that non-credit card payments are what I want, but at least I don't risk having $$ frozen by PayPal because someone ignored me. Meanwhile, a great many people can simply and easily pay me, fast.
My main PP headache: people entering my account name wrong, thinking they paid, and I don't get the money and have to follow up. But I have just as many headaches over paper payments gone AWOL.
posted on September 4, 2001 10:15:01 AM
Hi L.C....I'm good, thanx...at least, better...Have had an incredible summer flu/cold, which started last Monday...Knocked me down on my Tush...
I originally had my statement at the end of my listings, but found it works better at the very beginning: never had any enquiries since I moved it to the top.
Those who cannot accept it just move on; those interested enouygh to read on, remain...
Regards to your wife.
********
Gosh Shosh! My "About Me" Page
[ edited by shoshanah on Sep 4, 2001 10:15 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2001 10:29:07 AM
Hi loosecannon,
I realize that it can be frustrating, but please realize that there is no way for PayPal to control the behavior of individuals (this would be akin to someone sending you a check instead of a money order, which is an individual action taken by the sending party).
The parties are attempting to send payment through a method accepted found on approximately 70% of eBay auction listings. Many parties mistakenly assume that all parties accept payment via PayPal.
The only recommendation I can make? Make it as clear as possible in the auction listing.
posted on September 4, 2001 10:29:34 AM
SHOSHANAH: Good idea...I'll move my blurb to the top. Hope you don't mind if I steal your different color ink idea....
BIDSBIDS: "To not accept PP is plain foolish..." yeh, until you get screwed by some buyer. I personally am NOT FOOLISH and most others who post here ARE NOT EITHER, thank you very much.....
[ edited by creativethings on Sep 4, 2001 10:30 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2001 11:05:05 AMcreativethings...OK BUT: I have "dibs" on black font over black background......How's that for creative thinking... I found I could survive without PayPal or other types of Online Payments.
posted on September 4, 2001 11:08:43 AM
A seller will never lose a customer because they DO accept PayPal. A seller may lose customers because they don't.
posted on September 4, 2001 11:16:21 AM
A Seller does not lose sales if that seller is ethical and has what buyer is looking for. Has nothing to do with taking online payments. Many seller who DO take them are not doing any better than some who dont, because, if they don't have what the buyer wants, well...there ain't gonna be no sale anyway...
posted on September 4, 2001 11:27:54 AM
Not true. If a seller has a better price, but fails to accept PayPal, I and many buyers will look elsewhere.
If they have an exclusive item, that is the only thing that might save them. I'm currently bidding on something where I will have to endure the hassle of mailing a check and wait for the check to clear (ugh), but ONLY because this item hasn't been on ebay before that I've seen. I had it as a kid and want it for my kids.
But for sellers who are one of 3, 5, or even 10 sellers selling the same item, failing to accept PayPal WILL result in a lost customer -- they may still sell the item, but they cut their pool of potential customers dramatically.
posted on September 4, 2001 11:50:55 AM
I think it is foolish not to accept Paypal.
As an ebay seller ~ probably 85% of my sales use it and I know, when I am buying anything, if ebayer does not take Paypal, I plain don't bid !!
posted on September 4, 2001 11:55:52 AM
People have no concept of basic human nature if they truly believe that it doesn't matter if they offer PP or not. 70% of sellers offer PP and the PP buyers get hooked on the extreme ease of use. Seller A doesn't offer PP but Seller B does, same basic item, same basic price. Those lazy PP users will most often choose Seller B.
Some people are judging PP from one or 2 years ago. Improvements have been made and PP is much more mainstream. This all reminds me of a seller of quality items on Bidville that went to ebay 2 years ago and couldn't figure out how to list items so instead he went to Yahoo then Bidville. Think of the sales/higher sale prices this guy is losing by being on lonely Bidville? Same thing with sellers shunning PP. They have to be losing bids or sales or both.
posted on September 4, 2001 12:01:14 PM
buyer uses paypal because-
credit rich and cash poor,get points or mileage,cash rebate from the credit card issuer,instant gratification,get the good fast .save 34 cents and envelope,save the trip to post office,money order store or just plain mail box.
also if you say i will take your cc over the phone or fax or email,it is not safe and too much work,also they dont want to give individual their cc number,by using an online service,they give their cc to just one outfit(s)
wake up,cyber tools for cyber sales.
I've NEVER accepted PlayPal and August was one of my best months ever. I had exactly ONE person ask me if I take PayPal, to which I said NO.
I don't hold checks to "clear" and have accepted personal checks for $1,000+. If you're too lazy to lick a stamp & hold a pen, no worries, go elsewhere to buy your widgets.
No lack of sales here, and MY prices always meet/exceed the PlayPal/Billpoint sellers.
When Xmas time nears I'll most likley add the Billpoint logo, but starting Jan 1 I'll be back to BidPay only for CC purchases.
posted on September 4, 2001 12:07:02 PMSeller A doesn't offer PP but Seller B does, same basic item, same basic price. Those lazy PP users will most often choose Seller B.
Prove it.
I've been watching this closely for the past year, and your statement cannot be proven. As a matter of fact, I can prove the exact opposite.
I only deal in antiques & collectibles, so that's all I can comment on.
posted on September 4, 2001 12:17:37 PM
We stopped using paypal.com over a year ago, and have had a LOT less hassles and worries. Our products sell, and no one seems to mind. You do get the occasional person wanting to pay by paypal.com, but it doesn't stop them when we don't take it.
As a seller, we have MORE protection just taking credit cards directly through a merchant account. We have arbitration. We have the chance to fight any chargebacks, and the right to prove ourselves. As a buyer, they have security that has been around for years with credit cards.
Paypal.com supposed seller/buyer protections are just that, supposed.
...How's that for creative thinking...