posted on December 11, 2008 08:35:46 AM new
It "might" be appropriate... but of course, eBay is the sole judge, jury and executioner. Also... you might start getting requests from bidders to pay by:
The question you need to ask yourself... is do you really think your line will bring in additional sales? And will those additional sales be worth any headaches it brings?
Of course... best route is to ditch eBay completely like I did and go to your own site. I've never been happier... and I get to accept any payment I want! My sales are going through the roof this month too!
posted on December 11, 2008 08:36:06 AM new
I don't think that's true anymore. That was eBay's stance on a FAQ (or something) when the policy was first announced. Look at the warning I get when I relist through eBay:
eBay US buyers are required to pay for their items with an approved payment method such as PayPal, credit or debit card or other online payment services.
Learn more about the Accepted Payments Policy.
Notice how the responsibility for online payments has shifted from the seller to the buyer.
posted on December 11, 2008 08:49:35 AM new
eauction- how do you accept payments for your website? do you use Paypal? if not, have you had any problems with fraud? how are you protecting yourself?
i have a website, i actually sell several things, one of which ebay won't let me sell (Vero issue). I set up my Vendio store and linked it from my website.
i still accept paypal for processing through my own store, as it seems it is still more secure than credit card merchant processing. my experience is that a merchant account is still vunerable, as they don't have specific policies to protect a merchant. they make suggestions on how to protect yourself against fraud, but if someone does a chargeback, or claims their card was stolen, it is a nightmare to deal with. With Paypal, at least you know where they stand and can work with their system.
i also get many international requests, and again am concerned about fraud in shipping to them.
yesterday I got a request from a Japanese buyer for some furniture. $1750 worth. They want me to ship it, but again... I am concerned about fraud. ever since i was burned a few years ago for $200 i've been concerned about this.
posted on December 11, 2008 09:06:34 AM new
shagmidmod,
I don't use Paypal on my site. I refuse to contribute another dime to the EEE (Evil Ebay Empire) I have my own merchant-account (which uses AVS) through QuickBooks which allows me to accept MasterCard, VISA (and now Discover, which I haven't started taking yet since their rates are slightly higher), and I accept payment by cash, checks or money orders. I have not yet experienced any charge-backs. However, I did my research before switching. Merchant Accounts are totally aware that you (the seller) is the one that is paying the bill. They will work with you to help protect you from fraudulent chargebacks. Paypal, on the other hand, is totally in the buyers corner... and despite their so-called seller-protection policies... don't really have the sellers best interest at heart.
Here's a good site talking about some ways to protect yourself:
Of course.. I'm in a good business, because... I don't have bulk quantities of items, and they're not the kind of stuff that a scammer would have an easy time reselling for a profit.
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posted on December 11, 2008 10:56:19 AM new
thanks for the link. unfortunately, nothing new in it for me. i already have a merchant processing account in our store, and may consider setting it up for online as our sales increase.
what did you use to set up your store? vendio? godaddy? software? hire someone?
vendio charges a fee per sale, which is economical based on my volume... but i can see where paying a flat monthly fee for an online store will be better when I add more to our online store.
i want to really enhance our online store presence, as it is easier for me to order and ship product this way.
my retail store is vintage furniture, lighting, and accessories... so I spend alot of time buying stuff on my own rather than ordering from a wholesaler. we now have the oldest running Midcentury Modern store in Portland, but any way to increase sales without working as hard is always great!
posted on December 11, 2008 01:17:55 PM new
shagmidmod,
I use ValueWeb for my website. It comes with a WebStore shopping cart, which is pretty easy to set up and maintain. There's no limit to the number of products you can have, and just a flat monthly (or yearly) fee. Here's a link to their plans:
posted on December 14, 2008 02:23:45 PM new
I'm not checking the box that says I accept money orders or checks ... But I am leaving the text in my payment options intact. Until eBay kills a listing or two, I want all of my customers to understand that I still take them.
Not to mention that in every end of auction e-mail I send, I include google checkout as well as money orders, checks and yes even cash.
I have my own merchant-account (which uses AVS) through QuickBooks which allows me to accept MasterCard, VISA (and now Discover, which I haven't started taking yet since their rates are slightly higher), and I accept payment by cash, checks or money orders. I have not yet experienced any charge-backs. However, I did my research before switching. Merchant Accounts are totally aware that you (the seller) is the one that is paying the bill. They will work with you to help protect you from fraudulent chargebacks. Paypal, on the other hand, is totally in the buyers corner... and despite their so-called seller-protection policies... don't really have the sellers best interest at heart.