skeith Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 after my recent problem on ebay - I was wondering if it makes more sense to purchase using paypal. Their website says it is free, but others have told me it is not. Any comments on pros and cons appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 after my recent problem on ebay - I was wondering if it makes more sense to purchase using paypal. Their website says it is free, but others have told me it is not. Any comments on pros and cons appreciated. To pay with a credit card via Paypal is free. If you want to receive money, paypal takes a cut. So if you want to pay for something with a credit card because you can always tell them that you didn't receive the merchandise, then using paypal to pay with a card makes perfect sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 Paypal is great! Never had a problem with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 It seems to me that Paypal has one great advantage over credit cards. Using credit cards lets the supplier PULL money out of your account. Using Paypal, you PUSH the money out of your account to the supplier. The supplier doen't have to know anything about your account to get your money, just like when you go into a shop and pay cash. I don't suppose for a moment that suppliers are dishonest, but it seems to me that the risks of information being intercepted and used against you are much less with the Paypal system. I don't pay a penny for my Paypal account. I understand you have to pay if you want to use your account to receive money. Don't know how much that is. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 paypal is great!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 As a buyer Paypal is great, don't know as a seller since i'm more in the business of buying than selling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 As mentioned above, Paypal is great for buyers, as it lets them use credit cards, opening up the chargeback (disputing charges) method if mdse isn't received. Note: Paypal's "Buyer Protection" (or whatever it's called) reads like complete bullshit (IMO), so chargeback appears to be the way to go. As a seller, I find Paypal's vig a PITA, but it's worth eating because it allows buyers to use credit cards, thus enlarging the universe of buyers. Of course, I only sell CDs; sellers of big-ticket items may object more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 I've never had a problem with PayPal. Their 2% money collecting fee for sellers is OK, if you don't forget to factor it into the selling price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeCity Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 I like PayPal a lot. I've used it mostly as a buyer, but recently sold a couple of saxophones, and recieved payment via PayPal. It's a bit of a drag to have to pay the fees, but I negotiated a prices with my two buyers that basically resulted in us splitting the fee. Also, my saxophone quartet started selling some merchandise at cafepress.com, and the profits from our meager sales are automatically put into my PayPal accound on a quarterly basis. Very easy and convenient! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 As a seller, I find Paypal's vig a PITA, but it's worth eating Er... (Two nations divided by a single language) MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 As a seller, I find Paypal to be a good thing, very convenient, and I've yet to have a problem. The fee is comparable to the fee that merchants pay to credit cards , and I don't have a problem with that. It's just the cost of doing business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 MG, Pain In The Arse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 FWIW, a happy paypal user. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 MG, Pain In The Arse Perhaps "vig"=vigorish was the problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 I've only used PayPal to buy things from Ebay & on-line purchases, and I've never had a problem. Very satisfied with this part of PP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 I have a "business" account with Paypal, I get a small fee charged to me when people pay via credit card, but it's nominal. What I enjoy is the Paypal debit card which works just like an ATM card, I often use this when making purchases online. That way I'm not spreading my CC information all over the place. It's also handy because you can transfer money back and forth into your checking account. I'm a happy paypal camper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 MG, Pain In The Arse Perhaps "vig"=vigorish was the problem... Thanks both. I much prefer to write out things like "pain in the arse" because they have more impact than an abbreviation ever can. AFAIK is shorthand; PITA is euphemism. Which is why I didn't get it. Never heard of vigorish, which may seem strange, because my father was a top bookie in the thirties and forties. But he never talked to me about the business. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 AFAIK is shorthand; PITA is euphemism. Which is why I didn't get it. Huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 AFAIK is shorthand; PITA is euphemism. Which is why I didn't get it. Huh? I know "vig," but never've heard of PITA(except the bread). 'Splain, por favor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 Paypal is great, but the one thing that really bugs me is that they only give you a $2,000 spending limit unless you give them your bank account info (including the codes for them to electronically dip into your account). To date, I have refused to give them my bank account info, and as a result - some 6 years after I first started with them -- I have spent all but the last $35 of my $2,000 spending limit. (Actually, this happened once before - probably 3 or 4 years ago. And after I got down around $75, one day my limit magically went back up to $2,000 again. I keep waiting for that to happen again, but it hasn't in over 6 months of waiting.) I suppose I could start a new account, but that would require using a new e-mail address, and I'm really not wanting to tie my Paypal account to my work e-mail address (nor do I want to start some hotmail account just for this either). Anybody know of any other workarounds?? Other than giving them my bank account info, of course, or is that my only option?? Am I being silly for not wanting to give that to them?? You can dispute credit card purchases, but I'm assuming it's much more difficult to dispute unauthorized bank account withdrawals if you've given somebody (some 'entity') permission to access your account. On the plus side, though, effectively not having Paypal has really helped reduce my eBay spending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 How about a special Paypal-only account at the bank? Transfer money in when you need to use it, otherwise its empty or nearly empty. Then there's no risk involved of Paypal identify theft of some sort, if there's no money for them to steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejp626 Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 How about a special Paypal-only account at the bank? Transfer money in when you need to use it, otherwise its empty or nearly empty. Then there's no risk involved of Paypal identify theft of some sort, if there's no money for them to steal. I think it depends a lot on your bank and its fees for small accounts. Chicago is dominated by big banks that generally discourage keeping low-balance accounts, even savings accounts, though I am sure it could be done if you really wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 How about a special Paypal-only account at the bank? Transfer money in when you need to use it, otherwise its empty or nearly empty. Then there's no risk involved of Paypal identify theft of some sort, if there's no money for them to steal. This was my solution. I had a credit union account that I wasn't really using much anymore, and it typically has only $20-30 in it. I do have to pay a dormant fee of $1 every month there's no account activity, but I'd rather do that than give Paypal access to my main checking or savings account. I've heard too many stories about sellers who have had money sucked out of their accounts by Paypal after a buyer received goods and then filed a bogus claim with Paypal. Since Paypal isn't subject to banking regulations, you really have very little recourse if they decide to take money out of your bank account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 AFAIK is shorthand; PITA is euphemism. Which is why I didn't get it. Huh? I know "vig," but never've heard of PITA(except the bread). 'Splain, por favor. PITA is, as Lon explained on p1, "pain in the arse" (or "ass", west of Ireland). Someone saying "pain in the arse" is trying to be rude to or about someone/thing. Reducing it to a set of initials takes away the rudeness. So it's a euphemism. I don't usually do euphemism. I'm much more likely to call it a fucking shovel. Which is why it didn't immediately occur to me that PITA meant "pain in the arse". See? MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 21, 2007 Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 In the online world, anything may be shorthand, regardless of whether or not it has a euphemistic effect on the communication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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