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Adding a "Surcharge" for Paypal Use

As much as I dislike PP it is a necessary evil. I find myself not bidding on items that don't accept it as payment.

As to the topic on surcharges I do not add them to my auctions. When I win an auction that slaps one on I refuse to pay them regardless of if they are stated in the auction or not. Its the cost of doing biz...

Grumpy
 
"PayPal might not be a whole lot safer but people seem to feel it is."

Paypal is as safe as the credit card you use.:D



Been there, done that, M.C. got me my money back. Most CC companys nowadays offer some kind of money back guarantee.
 
Paypal's rule is one thing, I also have my own rule! If anyone likes my item and wants to get it quick, then PLEASE go thru Paylpal and pay the goddarn 3%. If someone doesn't like my rule he/she can shove it up his/her own ... . If Paypal doesn't like my rule, $%%^& them. What are they gonna do about it? Fire me? :uzi: :D
 
Whoa Don and Russ you'd think this was a personal attack on you guys. :dunno: As a seller I just accept that fee as the cost of doing business and I know full well that the 2.9% or so is more than offset by higher bids than if I didn't accept PayPal. I am a stickler like Grump when it comes to ebay though. I never pay the PayPal fees on an ebay auction because it violates ebays policy. Now for audiogon or a bunch of other audio buying sites I can choose to do business with a seller who charges for PayPal or not. Simply stating that f$%k those who disagree with me seems a little obtuse and short sighted if you ask me.

Mike
 
One point that may not have been made yet is that Paypal gives a seller a certain amount of credibility that some buyers look for. In addition to this forum, I am a member of the Les Paul Forum, which is about Gibson guitars. Sometimes warnings are placed on that forum regarding eBay auctions that are most likely scams. Usually in these cases, the seller recently registered with eBay, has little or no feedback, and does not take Paypal. Not only does the seller's use of Paypal make the transaction easier and faster for everyone, but it also can make it safer.

Please note that this opinion in no way is meant to tarnish the reputation of honest sellers who choose not to use Paypal.
 
$$$$$$$$$$$$

I have run over 50 grand through PayPal without a single incident. In my case I have to use it to keep up with everything. Money is instant, even at midnight on a Sunday night.

This way I dont have to keep track of who paid and with what, only have to go one place to get everything. Good records etc. I guess if I didnt have a full time job I could keep up with other forms of payment.

The fees are difficult when you add everything up including eBay's and PayPal's along with the necessary packing materials. . . Every item I sell has about 30 bucks in it that I can do nothing about.

What pisses me off is the items that sell for nothing and the buyers that expect more than whats described. I have more trouble with 10 dollar items than any of the high dollar items that I sell. Sad thing is that there is 30 bucks already in that 10 dollar item. No more junk or non-working items for me.

I dont keep track of the fees. . . Sometimes it gets kinda crummy when you sell a 400 dollar item and then see what you have left when you do go to PayPal and get your money.

I made the decision a long time ago that if I was going to use PayPal then this cost is a necessary evil. I choose not to bid on items that dont take PayPal, no matter how bad I might want that item. Nothing against the seller at all. It is just too difficult in my case to pay otherwise.

I dont mind the sellers who charge a surcharge, fact is when you add it up and its too high then I dont bid. . . Its all relative, its what actually comes out of your pocket no matter how many fees etc. if it is too high its too high, just that simple no matter if it has a hundred surcharges.
 
Originally posted by Dave918
I don't like it and think that it should just be a cost of doing business for the seller. However, as long as its known and agreed upon up front it would be ok. Not something I would agree to, but at least it would still be an honest transaction. I've had sellers try to add the 3% after I was serioussly looking at a item and even after I had agreed to buy in a couple of cases. That's really crappy and dosen't fly with me.

-Dave
Click to expand...

This is exactly what happened to me when I bought my M100SE on AudioGon.

After several rather long and wordy emails with the guy, getting information and history about the amp, I decided to buy. Well, everything was fine and dandy, I asked him to give me a total for the amp and shipping. He wrote me back with the total, and also said "Oh, and don't forget to add 3% for the PayPal fees!"

I couldn't believe this guy was dropping that on me right at the end, after all the emails and negotiations on price! I almost said the hell with it right there, but then when I thought about how good of a deal I was getting on the amp, I went through with it anyway. Then on top of that, it took him 4 days to finally get around to shipping the darn thing! Needless to say, I never left him any feedback. :D

I don't mind that extra 3% all that much, but it just pisses me off when they spring it on you at the very last minute, without ever mentioning it before or in their descriptions. :uzi:
 
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I've used Paypal since about their beginning.

Hate to see the fees, but it is necessary to carry on business. The majority of my transactions are with Paypal. Items sell faster, and quicker.

I like it for all the reasons you guys have stated above. Record keeping, speed of sale, available anytime. The buyer also prefers the so called safety factor.

To me Paypal fees are no different in terms of cost of doing business than boxes or packing tape.

Credit cards have charged fees to businesses since credit cards like Visa started in the 1960s. There's always been a fee to the business for using them.
Many individuals never knew that until Paypal.
 
Folks,

I'd limit my discussion with buying/selling on Audiogon only. Ebay is different! Like you guys, I never charge 3% to my customer if they bought it thru Ebay since it is their rule and they can ENFORCE it. On Audiogon it is a different ballgame since I use the 3% as handling charge, NOT surcharge .

With that said and since I am just an occasional seller/buyer on Audiogon I do not want to eat the 3% that Ebay forces me to suffer because I am doing business somewhere else. If I am a professional who makes living by selling on Audiogon then I'd think hard about strategy how to make my item attractive and not suffering the 3% charge.

We need to see both sides of the issue. Someone looks at my item and decides whether he likes it enough to accept all the rules I put in the descriptions. He doesn't like them then please go away. If he thinks they are ok then negotiate with me and the rules can be bent if I think the offer is reasonable. Many people have done this and it 's worked fine for the two parties. On the otherhand, the strategy of asking 3% may be nearsighted for sellers on Audiogon, but I have not seen it that way like some folks here claim!

The title is clearly about buyer's complaint only. You can keep complaining about things such as why can't pick up if seller and buyer live in the same town, etc.. well it is the sellers rule and don't do business with them if you don't like the rule, period! Nobody is forcing you. Unless Audiogon forces us to obey Ebay rule then it is a different ballgame because sellers then have no choice... and they may need to move somewhere else.
 
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Hey Don,
I agree with you 100%, it is ALWAYS up to the buyer if they want to business with any particular seller that uses certain rules or surcharges that that particular seller puts in their sale or auction. I have NOT done business with several sellers, especially the ones who say they are not responsible for shipping damage to the items they pack and ship, or the ones who just drop off an item at a UPS store and then charge me the extra $100 or so that UPS charges them, or the seller who doesn't allow for a local pick-up (what are they afraid of?), or the ones that don't allow PayPal as a form of payment, or the ones who's rules are longer than their descriptions, or the ones with no actual pictures, or the arrogant seller (you can just tell from their auctions or sales), etc., etc., etc....
You see, it is ALWAYS up to me as a buyer NOT to buy from certain sellers, but on the other hand, as a seller, to get a better final price on my sale (or to save me the hassle of having to pack and ship something for a local buyer), I am VERY ACCOMMODATING to a potential buyer, and I think that is the problem with a lot of these arrogant eBay and Audiogon sellers in this day-and-age, the customer is always wrong....
Just my $.02



Retro
 
Lots of gas stations give a discount for cash . In my state , all the state local governments charge an extra fee to use a credit card.
Many places have a cash price and a credit card price. Some don’t.
All this has been around for decades.
 
Around here, Car dealers are charging a fee if you pay for service / repairs with a credit card. The Banks charge them a fee, so they either figure that into their pricing (worsening the sticker shock) or give you the option to pay by cash or check to avoid the fee. I don't like it, but.... they are doing it here in CO. Heck, even the State charges a CC fee if you renew your plates on-line and use a CC.
 
Offering a discount for using cash is the same as charging more for using a credit card, it just sounds nicer.

More and more restaurants are adding fees to the bill for credit card payment. What annoys me is they don't ask how I'm paying, they just add it; likely because they are hoping nobody notices since the notice about it is in the smallest print possible on the bottom of the menu. When I pay with cash, If the server wants 3.5% of their tip back they are going to have to redo the bill once we are gone.

It is funny, we stopped at a shopping area and most of the stores had signs on the door saying they don't take cash yet in a different area stores offered a discount for cash. The first one didn't seem like a bad area but I guess it would reduce robberies and burglaries if everyone knows you don't take in cash.

Government offices charging fees for paying with a credit card makes me hesitate because I don't like paying more, but at the same time if they don't then my dollars are going to offset the portion the credit card companies keep of everyone else's payment.
Back to the first posts complaint, charging everyone more, to avoid hurt feelings from it affecting just some people, just means everyone pays more. I'm not sure that is a win.
 
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