Paypal Question

[Steve Mellott]

For several years, I have been buying tools on the internet and paying via a paypal account. I now have the oportunity to sell some tools and accept payment via Paypal. Are there any potential problems accepting payment via Paypal? I'd hate to accept payment, ship the tools and then discover I was out the money. Thanks.

[frank shic]

no problems accepting payment through paypal although keep in mind that there is a service fee.

[Larry Anderson]

IIRC, if you are paid with money in a Paypal account there is no fee. If you are paid with a credit card the fee to you is ~4%

[Stan Welborn]

The ONLY problem I've ran into, is shipping to Canada via the USPS when accepting paypal as payment. IF, a big IF because most people here and in Canada are honest, the receiver claims they didn't get it, paypal will refund them and you're sol. Why? because once the package reaches the border, the USPS isn't linked to track the shipment after it's handed off to Canada post. No tracking means you can't prove delivery. Therefore, even though your Canada customers won't like it due to increased brokerage fees, I ship all packages via UPS only. That way it's tracked right to the recipient, and you have proof of delivery.

That's just my experience and how I do it. You do as you wish. Chances are you'll never have a problem. I didn't for the first several shipments. Then, about a year ago, I'm out a $418 refund while I fight with the post office for a claim which has yet to be settled and looking as though it never will due to the cross border and it leaving the post office's hands. If it had been a UPS shipment, either proof of delivery would be there or UPS would have paid my claim long ago. Since using UPS for all shipments going to Canada, I've had only one person say they didn't get the package. I forwarded the tracking results to Paypal and that was the end of it.

[John W. Willis]

I really like PayPal. I have used it for years to sell and accept payments even before Ebay took it over. I have never had a problem what so ever.

[Phil Clark]

I'm an ebayer with over 350 transactions and I'm in Canada. I don't use paypal for sales on ebay because you must accept credit cards. I do use paypal when buying and pay by credit card to get my areoplan points. I also do not buy from the states when the seller insists on priority because shipping costs are getting out of hand. I happily accept the risk because I have never failed to received my goods.

[Randal Stevenson]

The ONLY problem I've ran into, is shipping to Canada via the USPS when accepting paypal as payment. IF, a big IF because most people here and in Canada are honest, the receiver claims they didn't get it, paypal will refund them and you're sol. Why? because once the package reaches the border, the USPS isn't linked to track the shipment after it's handed off to Canada post. No tracking means you can't prove delivery. Therefore, even though your Canada customers won't like it due to increased brokerage fees, I ship all packages via UPS only. That way it's tracked right to the recipient, and you have proof of delivery.

That's just my experience and how I do it. You do as you wish. Chances are you'll never have a problem. I didn't for the first several shipments. Then, about a year ago, I'm out a $418 refund while I fight with the post office for a claim which has yet to be settled and looking as though it never will due to the cross border and it leaving the post office's hands. If it had been a UPS shipment, either proof of delivery would be there or UPS would have paid my claim long ago. Since using UPS for all shipments going to Canada, I've had only one person say they didn't get the package. I forwarded the tracking results to Paypal and that was the end of it.

I understand USPS looses it at the border, but stuff I shipped up there, with tracking, I could then check the tracking on the Canadian postal website. Am I missing something, or didn't you try to track it through them?

[Randal Stevenson]

As to paypal....


So they eliminated paypal bank transfers only?


I know a lot of people who refuse to buy, if someone isn't set up for paypal or credit card processing. So you do tend to get less bidders and lower prices from the things I've seen (and a couple scoped in on). (been considering the same thing)

[Mitchell Andrus]

I've never had a paypal problem, but this site exists for a reason:

https://www.paypalsucks.com/

[Joe Pelonio]

I too have used Paypal a lot for years with no problem, except with their credit card processing for non-members. Sometimes they will require a whole bunch of additional information from them which is due to their "profile" and meant for better security, but makes the customers annoyed. I still have the link for non member people to use a credit card through PayPal on my website but also have a real credit card processor so they can call me and give the number, expiration and code on the back only.

[Mike Hood]

I also do not buy from the states when the seller insists on priority because shipping costs are getting out of hand. I happily accept the risk because I have never failed to received my goods.

Bad news there... no such thing as Parcel Post to Canada anymore. I just posted a box to BC (I'm only 90 miles south) and they only accept Priority Mail now. She explained how its cheaper to fly it all up nowadays... yeah right...

[Mike Hood]

I've never had a paypal problem, but this site exists for a reason:

https://www.paypalsucks.com/

I did eBay and PayPal for a number of years. I finally gave up on both. Paypal has a huge bias towards buyers, and once you're a Power Seller on eBay you become quite the target for trouble.

If there's a conflict... Paypal sides for the buyer EVERY TIME, and even if you can prove they received to goods... you're only the hook for return postage and it sometimes took 30 days to get your funds.

And then... there are all the listing fees, final value fees, store fees and additional costs associated with PayPal. I had given then THOUSANDS of dollars before I realized how much money I was losing.

Get yourself a merchant account. You can process online payments, charge credit cards, checks, debit cards, etc. I never looked back and don't miss the cheesy Ebay/PayPal monopoly at all.

[Jim Becker]

IIRC, if you are paid with money in a Paypal account there is no fee. If you are paid with a credit card the fee to you is ~4%

Not quite...if you keep a basic account and only accept "cash", then there is no fee. If you upgrade your account so it will also accept credit cards, you pay the fee even on cash transactions. Personally, I pay the fee cheerfully as this is one of the few easy ways for an individual to accept payment from someone with a credit card.

To the OP, I've found PayPal to be a convenient way to both pay and accept payment and have had no problems.

[Mitchell Andrus]

I'm with Mike on this one. I've had a cart web-store for years... I tried to set up Paypal years ago and gave up. I got a merchant account, but couldn't put up with integrating they're rules into my software. Most of the people on my store's software forum have had nothing but headaches with both Paypal and Google checkout. One recurring problem is getting real-time shipping fees. Google takes over the shipping and Paypal has favored set fees. No matter the charge to the merchant, your store's checkout is under their control. No thanks.

Truth is, Mastercard, Visa, etc., all offer the same or better protections to both sides of the transaction - and... within the regulations and legal limits. Paypal, as I understand it isn't constrained as cards are, so they can do whatever they please. They aren't the credit card co., just a go-between collecting a fee, and freezing funds at will.

As long as you don't have a criminal history or horrible credit, a merchant account is easier to set up than a Paypal account.

[Steve knight]

Bad news there... no such thing as Parcel Post to Canada anymore. I just posted a box to BC (I'm only 90 miles south) and they only accept Priority Mail now. She explained how its cheaper to fly it all up nowadays... yeah right...

there is but it is only for under 5# it is not just to canada.