Tired of being asked by other moms to be dishonest re: Paypal

[RollerSkatingMama]

Hi everyone,

I don't want to come across as being on a "high horse", but I am really dismayed lately at a pattern I am finding when trying to purchase used homeschool materials. In the past week, every single homeschool purchase I've tried to make from this board and a couple others ends up with the mom giving me directions to send the payment as "personal" rather than as a "purchase" in order to avoid the new Paypal fees. In one case, the seller truly didn't seem to know that "purchase" had to be selected even though she's not a business or selling via eBay. Once I sent her the section of the User Agreement that explains it, she was fine with me sending it as a purchase.

However, others really don't seem to care and I end up not being able to buy things that I really wanted. I will not lie and send it as a personal payment. What's ironic is that many of the curriculum items being sold are Christian items, even items intended to help cultivate Christian character in our children. I purchase other types of used items on other boards for my children that aren't homeschooling, and I've never been asked to send it as a personal payment. The fees have been discussed on those boards and the general concensus is to not be dishonest for various reasons. ( It's wrong to say it's not for a purchase, it's risky for the buyer because they lose all buyer protection when it's sent as a personal payment, and people don't want to risk losing their ability to accept personal payments (when it really is) is a personal payment, which is what can happen if Paypal notices you're receiving many personal payments and finds out they're for purchases.) I guess I'm thinking that homeschool moms would be the "honest ones" and these other boards would be the ones pushing for the dishonesty, yet I'm finding it's the other way around and it's very disheartening.

Anyways, I guess I just had to vent that I'm finding it so difficult to buy used curriculum right now without having to lie to do it. I sell items too, but I, and many others, feel that the Paypal fees now are part of doing business and you just have to keep that in mind when setting your prices. I know it was wonderful when Paypal was free, but I still feel the convenience is worth it and we are saving the cost of the stamp to send a check or money order.

Here's the User Agreement from the Paypal website that explains the difference:

 

1. 4.2 Receiving Payments for Commercial Transactions and Personal Transactions.
   
2. Fees depend on whether you are making a commercial transaction or a personal transaction. A commercial transaction involves buying and selling goods or services, and payments received when you send a “request money†using PayPal. A personal transaction involves sending money to and receiving money from friends and family without making a purchase.
   
3. If you are selling goods or services, you may not ask the buyer to send you a personal payment for the purchase. If you do so, PayPal may remove your ability to accept personal payments.
   

 

[LMA]

Just so you know, this issue with Paypal has been brought up here and several other boards. Some people said that they spoke with Paypal and the customer rep. said it was okay to use personal when selling. I had one seller tell me this and I believe she was told this by a PayPal rep. The sellers you dealt with may have been told the same thing. I would give the sellers you dealt with the benefit of the doubt. The other way around it is for sellers not to take Paypal (unless you sell on eBay) and for sellers to just ask for checks or money orders or cash.

[Blueridge]

Doesn't Paypal have some kind of 'satisfaction guaranteed' buyer's insurance protection? I would wonder if purchases made under the 'personal' category were not even entitled to that protection. Something to check out and then respond to potential sellers with another reason to use the accurate category when buying/selling.

[Loupelou]

Just so you know, this issue with Paypal has been brought up here and several other boards. Some people said that they spoke with Paypal and the customer rep. said it was okay to use personal when selling. I had one seller tell me this and I believe she was told this by a PayPal rep. The sellers you dealt with may have been told the same thing. I would give the sellers you dealt with the benefit of the doubt. The other way around it is for sellers not to take Paypal (unless you sell on eBay) and for sellers to just ask for checks or money orders or cash.

 

:iagree: But then I guess I never noticed that the different choices changed your fees.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I noticed this too. I sold salsa at dh's work and I got paid paypal but they did it as a purchase and it took fees out, I was MAD!!! LOL, I needed the money to pay for the food costs!

 

but I sold something last week and she paid personal. It was my first experience and I too felt I cheated the system. But if they choose that what can I do?

 

Personally I would choose purchase if it's a purchase. I think you have to be honorable to yourself....you can't convince or change others.

[LMA]

I wanted to clarify that I wasn't advocating using Personal to buy stuff. I still insist on using Purchase if I buy with PayPal but if a seller doesn't want to pay the fees, I will send a check/money order. I was just saying that sometimes a seller telling you that to use Personal when buying MAY have been told to do that by Paypal and wasn't intentionally being dishonest.

 

Louise

[farmmom4him]

I agree with the OP on this one. If you don't want to lose those fees, charge enough to cover them, or have the seller cover them. It's that simple. What are we showing our children by doing this??????

 

I believe RME is still fee free, but I may be wrong. There are honest ways around this issue. But, really is it that big of an issue. :confused: Being honest?

[5KidzRUs]

Someone asked me to click PERSONAL and it charged ME to send money - I was not happy but I really needed the item - I just assumed that she was trying to get out of being charged and reversing the charges to me. THAT bugged me :glare:

[Debbie in OR]

Hmmm...thanks for the info...I have people asking me to do that and I have done it, without really thinking about it. I see the point. Thanks

[lionfamily1999]

Isn't that wierd. When buying off here, I always click personal, because it always seemed, imo, to be a personal issue. Unlike ebay, where I only have the vaguest idea whom I am buying from... on here, it always feels like I'm a community yard sale.

 

Huh.

 

Well, if I go to buy from someone on this thread and it makes you uncomfortable, please let me know, we can go back (just send me back my money) and I'll click business.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I always wondered about this (whether anyone else was bothered by such things) because there was similar, common disregard of paypal's terms of service under their old set up in order to avoid cc fees. Not sure if that is still an issue as I haven't read it recently.

[Radish4ever]

I hate this as well - just like I hate being told to pay the fee. If you only accept Paypal as payment, price it with all that included! Isn't it still against Paypal's long-standing policy that it is against the rules to charge people Paypal fees outright? That irks me too

[Caitilin]

On the other board where I have bought and sold, it's commonplace to have the seller say "it's $xx ppd, please cover fees for PP". Shouldn't we simply do the same?

[5KidzRUs]

I think selling used could be considered personal - For example, say I want to sell to my friends here on the For Sale bb - and I bought the book at $65 and sold it here for $25 - did not make a profit - lost money actually - that is not business (bad business maybe :lol:)

I have never asked anyone to click 'Personal' and I didn't know WHY the option was there until I read this thread.

[5KidzRUs]

On the other board where I have bought and sold, it's commonplace to have the seller say "it's $xx ppd, please cover fees for PP". Shouldn't we simply do the same?

 

 

I think there is a Papal policy against verbally asking or openly charging a buyer to cover Paypal fees.

[hornblower]

I think selling used could be considered personal - For example, say I want to sell to my friends here on the For Sale bb - and I bought the book at $65 and sold it here for $25 - did not make a profit - lost money actually - that is not business (bad business maybe)

 

I think if you're exchanging goods or services for money, it's a purchase. It doesn't matter if it's used & you're 'losing money'. There are people who are in business doing it (used book stores) , and there are people who just do a bit on the side to recoup some of their costs & pass materials on. Either way, it's a purchase transaction.

 

I thought the personal transfer is meant for sending money as a gift to your niece in Ohio. Or sending money to a family who you've heard are having a hard time financially & you want to contribute to their grocery money. It's not meant to be money sent in exchange for a good or service......

[LND1218]

I think there is a Papal policy against verbally asking or openly charging a buyer to cover Paypal fees.

 

I think that is correct. I am not sure of the specifics, but I believe you aren't allowed to pass the cost onto the buyer. I thought I read you could lose your PayPal account if you did. I could be wrong though.

[lionfamily1999]

I think selling used could be considered personal - For example, say I want to sell to my friends here on the For Sale bb - and I bought the book at $65 and sold it here for $25 - did not make a profit - lost money actually - that is not business (bad business maybe :lol:)

I have never asked anyone to click 'Personal' and I didn't know WHY the option was there until I read this thread.

That was my thought as well, as a buyer.

I think if you're exchanging goods or services for money, it's a purchase. It doesn't matter if it's used & you're 'losing money'. There are people who are in business doing it (used book stores) , and there are people who just do a bit on the side to recoup some of their costs & pass materials on. Either way, it's a purchase transaction.

 

I thought the personal transfer is meant for sending money as a gift to your niece in Ohio. Or sending money to a family who you've heard are having a hard time financially & you want to contribute to their grocery money. It's not meant to be money sent in exchange for a good or service......

I always thought it was personal if it was a transaction that would have been done irl, without much thought towards gains. IOW, I bought a car from my brother, made one payment through paypal. Imo, it's a personal transaction, he's my brother.

 

I guess it could depend on pov, though.

[LND1218]

I think there is a Papal policy against verbally asking or openly charging a buyer to cover Paypal fees.

 

I think that is correct. I am not sure of the specifics, but I believe you aren't allowed to pass the cost onto the buyer. I thought I read you could lose your PayPal account if you did. I could be wrong though.

[melissel]

I always wondered about this (whether anyone else was bothered by such things) because there was similar, common disregard of paypal's terms of service under their old set up in order to avoid cc fees. Not sure if that is still an issue as I haven't read it recently.

 

I don't think this is true. It was perfectly acceptable to have two types of accounts for this reason as long as each had a separate e-mail account. It was specifically addressed in their terms of service. Personal account holders could buy and sell via their accounts, subject only to the account limits placed on them (mainly, a maximum for receiving money).

 

I think that is correct. I am not sure of the specifics, but I believe you aren't allowed to pass the cost onto the buyer. I thought I read you could lose your PayPal account if you did. I could be wrong though.

 

If anyone has more info on this, I'd love to have a link. I've been doing this when I sell lately, and I've also been offering to pay the fee! I'd never heard of it and can't seem to find it on their site--which does not, of course, mean it's not there. For a financial services company, their customer service is sadly lacking, which always frustrated me about them :glare:

[Tree House Academy]

You know, that is on you, IMO. If you feel a seller must be penalized for selling something cheap, then perhaps you are not a buyer I would want to deal with anyway! The paypal fees are ridiculous. If I sell a $5 book and charge $3 shipping, I might be lucky to make $2 once all is said and done and paypal takes their cut. I would totally refuse to sell to someone like you who must follow all rules explicitly no matter how they hurt the seller or how unfair and ridiculous they may be.

 

To me, it is like a yardsale. I don't pay taxes on money I make at a yardsale! Why should I pay fees to sell something online when I am NOT a business and I am not making much money on these things?

 

And just for the record...no, I wasn't someone she tried to buy from...just someone who really gets irritated with this sort of thing.

Edited August 27, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[Pink Fairy]

If you don't like the rules, don't use paypal. I wouldn't buy from a dishonest seller trying to cheat the system because they can't be trusted in areas where things are "unfair" and "ridiculous". Is it unfair and ridiculous if a book is described as in like new condition, but has a rip on the title page? With this type of seller, who knows? It's all situational for them (no I'm not accusing you--just following the logic).

 

Talk about irritating.

[stripe]

I think that is correct. I am not sure of the specifics, but I believe you aren't allowed to pass the cost onto the buyer. I thought I read you could lose your PayPal account if you did. I could be wrong though.

It would be helpful when making such statements if some sort of evidence was used instead of statements that merely suggest someone is doing something wrong.

 

For what it's worth, I found this:

User Agreement for PayPalâ„¢ Service

4.6 No Surcharges. You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method. You may charge a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services, as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge and is not higher than the handling fee you charge for non-PayPal transactions.

 

So I advise just adding a handling fee for your trouble!

 

What's the real difference (mathematical or moral) between saying that I want $18.00 for an item, OR I want $17.25 plus a 75c handling fee (not a surcharge)? Just curious. Sounds to me like one more way to make people submit to the PayPal empire!

 

More to the point, are you allowed to pass the cost of postage onto the buyer, or does one have to "eat" that too? How about the amount you spent on the original item? I think PayPal should legislate that too.

[stripe]

If I sell a $5 book and charge $3 shipping, I might be lucky to make $2 once all is said and done and paypal takes their cut.

 

Indeed -- and it's making donating to library book sales look oh so much more appealing.

[Radish4ever]

^^Wow...

Well I think it's the seller's responsibility to follow the rules and price items so that "their cut" is satisfactory when it's all said and done.

 

I have passed on a lot of purchases due to blatant Paypal rule violations.

Paypal CAN and HAS gone back in people's accounts and collected fees on "suspicious" transactions after the fact. I'd rather be honest from the get-go. I agree that the fees are ridiculous - that's largely why I won't sell on ebay anymore at all...they get all your fees as Ebay and then double dip as Paypal for even MORE! It's insane. I can't imagine trying to make a living off of ebay with the crazy fees associated with selling and THEN accepting payments...

[*********]

If anyone has more info on this, I'd love to have a link. I've been doing this when I sell lately, and I've also been offering to pay the fee! I'd never heard of it and can't seem to find it on their site--which does not, of course, mean it's not there. For a financial services company, their customer service is sadly lacking, which always frustrated me about them :glare:

 

I can't find anything on their site either; if anyone has a link, I'd love to see it.

 

I always thought it was personal if it was a transaction that would have been done irl, without much thought towards gains. IOW, I bought a car from my brother, made one payment through paypal. Imo, it's a personal transaction, he's my brother.

 

I guess it could depend on pov, though.

 

Well, here's what I found on the Paypal website:

 

 

 

The payment types for a purchase are:

 

• Services: to pay for things like your internet service.

• Goods: to pay for non-auction goods.

• eBay Items: to pay for your eBay purchases.

The payment types for a personal payment are:

 

• Gift: to send money as a gift, like for a birthday.

• Payment Owed: to split things like a dinner bill, or to pay back a debt.

• Cash Advance: payment not involving the purchase of goods or services. Your credit card provider may charge fees for a cash advance.

   

• Living Expense: to pay for things like rent or utilities.

• Other: for other personal payments.

I would think that buying a car from your brother would fall under 'Purchase - Goods - to pay for non-aution goods'. JMHO. I guess it really would depend how you looked at that, since I guess it could also fall under 'Personal - Other - for other personal payments'. But then where do you draw the line? If I buy a book off this board from someone I 'know', it can be personal, but if it's from someone I don't 'know', it's purchase? And just how well do I have to know them? What if I've chatted with them on here, but never met them IRL; can that be personal?

 

Not trying to be snarky, just thinking 'out loud'. I always pay with 'Purchase' if I'm buying something, no matter how well I know the other person.

 

I think if you're exchanging goods or services for money, it's a purchase. It doesn't matter if it's used & you're 'losing money'. There are people who are in business doing it (used book stores) , and there are people who just do a bit on the side to recoup some of their costs & pass materials on. Either way, it's a purchase transaction.

 

I thought the personal transfer is meant for sending money as a gift to your niece in Ohio. Or sending money to a family who you've heard are having a hard time financially & you want to contribute to their grocery money. It's not meant to be money sent in exchange for a good or service......

 

:iagree: This is how I understand it as well.

 

ETA: I've never had anyone ask me to pay with Personal for a purchase. If they did, I would explain the Paypal policy to them, and tell them I wasn't comfortable with that. I guess then I'd have to wait and see if the seller just didn't know, or if they were trying to get out of fees. Then I guess seller and I would have to agree on which one of us were paying the fees, if that was the issue.

 

Recently, I made a purchase from this board. It was for just $6, and I hated the thought of the seller paying close to 10% to paypal in fees (the fees would have been almost 50 cents). So I just paid her $6.50; it was still a great deal over buying new, and I was able to feel good about the transaction.

Edited August 27, 2009 by bethanyniez

[stripe]

I would pay my own family members with cash, at this point. I really am finding PayPal so irritating. It used to be FREE, for everything, no limits. What a different world. I have tons of stuff I think I'll just donate or keep on my shelves, but I am not going to bother to sell them anymore -- too much hassle.

[Radish4ever]

I would pay my own family members with cash, at this point. I really am finding PayPal so irritating. It used to be FREE, for everything, no limits. What a different world. I have tons of stuff I think I'll just donate or keep on my shelves, but I am not going to bother to sell them anymore -- too much hassle.

 

That's kind of where I'm at....

I just donated 2 large plastic tubs of books to our Friends of the Library bookstore yesterday... just not worth the hassle and fees... between the rising postage costs and the paypal fees, that is.

[*********]

You know, that is on you, IMO. If you feel a seller must be penalized for selling something cheap, then perhaps you are not a buyer I would want to deal with anyway! The paypal fees are ridiculous. If I sell a $5 book and charge $3 shipping, I might be lucky to make $2 once all is said and done and paypal takes their cut. I would totally refuse to sell to someone like you who must follow all rules explicitly no matter how they hurt the seller or how unfair and ridiculous they may be.

 

To me, it is like a yardsale. I don't pay taxes on money I make at a yardsale! Why should I pay fees to sell something online when I am NOT a business and I am not making much money on these things?

 

And just for the record...no, I wasn't someone she tried to buy from...just someone who really gets irritated with this sort of thing.

 

 

Rebecca, I'm not sure you're coming across clearly. Are you saying you get irritated with someone for trying to follow the 'rules' the way the understand them?

 

If someone agrees to buy or sell on Paypal, then I think they SHOULD follow the rules, "no matter how they hurt the seller or how unfair and ridiculous they may be". I don't think it the 'right' thing to do to blatantly disregard the rules Paypal has in place, yet continue to take advatage of their service.

 

JMO.

[melissel]

For what it's worth, I found this:

User Agreement for PayPalâ„¢ Service

4.6 No Surcharges. You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method. You may charge a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services, as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge and is not higher than the handling fee you charge for non-PayPal transactions.

 

So I advise just adding a handling fee for your trouble!

 

What's the real difference (mathematical or moral) between saying that I want $18.00 for an item, OR I want $17.25 plus a 75c handling fee (not a surcharge)? Just curious. Sounds to me like one more way to make people submit to the PayPal empire!

 

More to the point, are you allowed to pass the cost of postage onto the buyer, or does one have to "eat" that too? How about the amount you spent on the original item? I think PayPal should legislate that too.

 

Thank you for this! I didn't even think to look in the User Agreement specifically when it didn't come up in the customer service section. Bleh.

 

And LOL! I know, I was thinking the same thing.

[Tree House Academy]

If you don't like the rules, don't use paypal. I wouldn't buy from a dishonest seller trying to cheat the system because they can't be trusted in areas where things are "unfair" and "ridiculous". Is it unfair and ridiculous if a book is described as in like new condition, but has a rip on the title page? With this type of seller, who knows? It's all situational for them (no I'm not accusing you--just following the logic).

 

Talk about irritating.

 

 

I am a very honest seller (check my feedback on this board!)...but the fees paypal charges are absurd. I will not sell to someone who can not do it as a personal transaction (think yardsale here)...so in the case of you and I, there wouldn't be an issue. I wouldn't sell to you and you wouldn't buy from me. :001_smile:

[Tree House Academy]

Rebecca, I'm not sure you're coming across clearly. Are you saying you get irritated with someone for trying to follow the 'rules' the way the understand them?

 

If someone agrees to buy or sell on Paypal, then I think they SHOULD follow the rules, "no matter how they hurt the seller or how unfair and ridiculous they may be". I don't think it the 'right' thing to do to blatantly disregard the rules Paypal has in place, yet continue to take advatage of their service.

 

JMO.

 

Well, I don't see it as breaking the rules. Sorry that you do. I see it like a yardsale. I don't pay taxes and fees to have a yardsale. Selling a book here is not a "business" for me. It is just like an online yardsale. Paypal gets their cut from me ALWAYS because I have a premier account. They have taken fees from me for YEARS now just for having a transaction. I still pay those fees - even when someone pays with cash. The "extra" fees are just a slap in the face. And IMO, I am NOT breaking the rules. Hey...we are all friends here...Right? :glare:

[Tree House Academy]

I would pay my own family members with cash, at this point. I really am finding PayPal so irritating. It used to be FREE, for everything, no limits. What a different world. I have tons of stuff I think I'll just donate or keep on my shelves, but I am not going to bother to sell them anymore -- too much hassle.

 

 

Absolutely. Then you have people here calling you a bad Christian and dishonest. Not worth it in my opinion. I will sell my curriculum elsewhere - so I can keep my Christianity in check as well as my honesty. :rolleyes:

[*********]

Well, I don't see it as breaking the rules. Sorry that you do. I see it like a yardsale. I don't pay taxes and fees to have a yardsale. Selling a book here is not a "business" for me. It is just like an online yardsale. Paypal gets their cut from me ALWAYS because I have a premier account. They have taken fees from me for YEARS now just for having a transaction. I still pay those fees - even when someone pays with cash. The "extra" fees are just a slap in the face. And IMO, I am NOT breaking the rules. Hey...we are all friends here...Right? :glare:

 

I guess I don't see it as a yardsale. For example, I don't have the option of accepting credit cards at my yardsale. If I wanted to do that (not that I have any idea HOW to do that, LOL), I'm pretty sure I'd end up paying a credit card processing fee for each credit card transaction.

 

And, even though we disagree, I'll still be your friend. :D

[melissel]

For my part, I've been waiting for Paypal to institute these charges for several years now. I won't sell low-value items on eBay anymore, because the whole thing is really just not worth it (especially considering that people want things in PERFECT condition no matter how much they paid or how the item is listed, but that's another post :glare:). But I'm still happy to pay the Paypal fees, because I do consider it a service worth paying for and I'm grateful to have it. So for all you sellers who still use Paypal, thank you! :D

[KS_]

That's kind of where I'm at....

I just donated 2 large plastic tubs of books to our Friends of the Library bookstore yesterday... just not worth the hassle and fees... between the rising postage costs and the paypal fees, that is.

 

Any of you donating books instead of selling them may want to consider Paperbackswap or Bookmooch (if you don't mind paying the postage). Especially for books that you know are in demand and would be requested right away :)

[melissel]

I still pay those fees - even when someone pays with cash. The "extra" fees are just a slap in the face.

 

Paypal charges extra fees now on top of the premier fees? I thought those stayed the same!

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I don't think this is true. It was perfectly acceptable to have two types of accounts for this reason as long as each had a separate e-mail account. It was specifically addressed in their terms of service. Personal account holders could buy and sell via their accounts, subject only to the account limits placed on them (mainly, a maximum for receiving money).

 

 

 

It actually was true although things are a little different now because of the new system but the original terms of service stated that a seller agreed not to differentiate between funded and cc buyers by, for example, requesting cc buyers to pay extra to cover fees, and this happened all the time if they didn't outright refuse to accept cc payments all together. It may even be part of the reason PayPal changed their set up but they obviously still haven't solved the problem.

[Word Nerd]

You know, that is on you, IMO. If you feel a seller must be penalized for selling something cheap, then perhaps you are not a buyer I would want to deal with anyway! The paypal fees are ridiculous. If I sell a $5 book and charge $3 shipping, I might be lucky to make $2 once all is said and done and paypal takes their cut. I would totally refuse to sell to someone like you who must follow all rules explicitly no matter how they hurt the seller or how unfair and ridiculous they may be.

 

To me, it is like a yardsale. I don't pay taxes on money I make at a yardsale! Why should I pay fees to sell something online when I am NOT a business and I am not making much money on these things?

 

And just for the record...no, I wasn't someone she tried to buy from...just someone who really gets irritated with this sort of thing.

 

I'm surprised by this attitude of being irritated by people abiding by the User Agreement. You don't get to decide what the rules are. If you don't like the fees and aren't willing to abide by the User Agreement (which clearly indicates that Personal is not to be used for the exchange of goods and services, whether you perceive them as a business transaction or not), then you shouldn't use PayPal.

Edited August 27, 2009 by WordGirl

[phathui5]

Hm. I think that the seller should have the buyer pay the fees.

[5KidzRUs]

Paypal policy is that it is personal if it is a "gift" - then selling a $65 book for $25 is a gift isn't it? Or can you word it as "I will GIFT you this expensive book if you GIFT me $25" - it is splitting hairs and I do not think Tree House mom is - or intends on being - dishonest ... It is a matter of perspective.

 

I still do not understand though why a buyer gets charged when buying and clicking 'personal' ...

[JennC]

my 2.9% on this topic

I have gone round and round about this. I have added 50 cents to a purchase to cover a sellers fee - was worth it to me, she didn't ask.

I have offered to send a $50 personal payment to a seller for a lot of books I ordered before the new fee went into effect. She said she preferred me to use the purchase, as she is a prolific seller and it was important to her.

Both of these situations were good with me. The one that irritated me was this:

I bought a book on a different website where you click a tab to go to paypal and the info is automatically filled in. I sent the requested payment and later got an e-mail stating that she had refunded my money, because she needed me to send it personal.. It wasn't even an option, until after the sale.

I'm pretty flexible and only buy very discounted books. I would rather pay 50 cents extra to cover fees than not have the purchase protected. Or not get the book.

[melissel]

my 2.9% on this topic

 

:lol:

[hsmom3tn]

I'm glad that someone posted this because it has been on my mind. I have received a few personal payments recently for book sales. I have never asked anyone to do this, and would rather that they didn't because there is no seller protection for this option. When sending a personal payment, there is no shipping address entered, therefore no seller protection. I guess they figure that you won't be needing a shipping address and seller protection if someone is gifting you money.

 

The fees don't really bother me that much. Sure, I'd be happy if there were no fees, but I don't think they're high enough to be a big deal. Being able to accept money this way is a convenience to me and a service that I don't mind paying a little bit for. I haven't ever asked a buyer to send extra $ to cover fees.

 

I stopped selling on ebay and only sell higher priced books on amazon because their fees are way too high. Seriously, ridiculously high :glare:

[nukeswife]

I either add the fees to my asking price or will offer to pay them if I'm the buyer. I look at it this way Personal is like giving money as a gift, all you get in return is the joy of giving a gift to someone. It's a purchase if money is being exchanged for goods.

 

I've had a few people send me payment as personal without me asking them. I understand why they did it, but for me it's was a bit of a hassle because I didn't get an address to send it too, and then I had to wait a few days for them to finally get back to me with their address because they didn't realize I didn't get it when they sent payment.

[nukeswife]

. I have received a few personal payments recently for book sales. I have never asked anyone to do this, and would rather that they didn't because there is no seller protection for this option. When sending a personal payment, there is no shipping address entered, therefore no seller protection. I guess they figure that you won't be needing a shipping address and seller protection if someone is gifting you money.

 

 

 

:iagree: Looks like you and I were posting at almost the same time.

[Mommy22alyns]

What's ironic is that many of the curriculum items being sold are Christian items, even items intended to help cultivate Christian character in our children.

 

 

Pertinent to this, but off the Paypal topic, you would probably be shocked speechless at how many, MANY customers of a Christian bookstore, buying Christian things, as professing Christians acted. :001_huh: We had a woman go ballistic over Sunday School curriculum.

[Tree House Academy]

I guess I don't see it as a yardsale. For example, I don't have the option of accepting credit cards at my yardsale. If I wanted to do that (not that I have any idea HOW to do that, LOL), I'm pretty sure I'd end up paying a credit card processing fee for each credit card transaction.

 

And, even though we disagree, I'll still be your friend. :D

 

See, with a premier account, I DO pay fees to get paid by credit card. There is no way around those fees and I have paid them willingly for years now. What gets me is the new fees they are trying to charge. I feel those are ridiculous and especially to someone who already pays fees for the credit cards whether the buyer pays cash or not.

[Tree House Academy]

Paypal charges extra fees now on top of the premier fees? I thought those stayed the same!

 

Yep! If you, for instance, paid me for an item, I would be charged the standard fee for having a premier account - even if you pay with a check or paypal funds. Then, I get hit with further fees for it being a "payment" and not "personal." I am pretty sure that the buyer ALSO has to pay fees now on a transaction that is not "personal." It is insane...and to be honest, I have not sold anything since the change - I don't feel it is worthwhile. I bought two items here, and as a courtesy, I did send the payments as "personal" to the seller (she didn't ASK me to...I did it myself).

[Tree House Academy]

I'm surprised by this attitude of being irritated by people abiding by the User Agreement. You don't get to decide what the rules are. If you don't like the fees and aren't willing to abide by the User Agreement (which clearly indicates that Personal is not to be used for the exchange of goods and services, whether you perceive them as a business transaction or not), then you shouldn't use PayPal.

 

Wow...thanks for letting me know. THIS is the kind of thing I find irritating. I appreciate the advice on when I should and should not use Paypal. Now I *really* have something to think about, huh? :rolleyes: