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Thread: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

  1. #1
    Registered User belbein's Avatar
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    Default Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    I'm new to using PayPal as a seller. I'm wondering if any of you can give me a sense of how secure it is? Is there a "float" that I need to be aware of (in the sense of needing to let payments "post" before sending merchandise)? Any other seller's best practices I should be aware of?
    belbein

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    Mediocre but OK with that Paul Busman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    I've used it for international transactions in selling the penny whistles I make. I've had no problems-- they even do the currency conversion. Note that they charge 3% as their transaction fee, and you're not allowed to charge that to the customer according to the terms of service. It is possible to send or receive money from friends and relations with no charge.
    For US transactions, I ask for checks. If a customer asks if I can accept PayPal, I tell them that I can but that I prefer a check because PayPal charges me for their service, and I'd rather keep that 3%. Almost invariably, people have just added that amount to the cost of the whistle when paying without my asking for it.
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  3. #3

    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    It is a double edged sword. Selling on line it is the expected method of payment. There are a couple of others that have popped up in the last couple of years but I have no experience with them. I have some experience with instruments but mainly fly fishing gear (a lot). It is secure, you can log in to paypal and it will tell you the status of the payment. Sometimes it will take a couple of days to clear but usually it is good to go when received. I have not had a bad experience ( a near miss with one person on a mandolin) with paypal but know others who have. They like ebay will side with the buyer. If they say they did not get something or it arrived damaged as a seller you will be on the short end of the stick 9 time out of 10. Since insurance is hard to collect on I have mostly stopped paying for insurance, but on anything starting to get expensive I require a signature. This eliminates someone saying they did not get an item or a thief taking it off the porch. Also I think there is more accountability on the shipper, the guy delivering it is less likely to drop kick it over the fence if someone has to sign for the box? On ebay you have a history to check on a buyer. I think most people on forums like this are great but you do not have any ability to check the history. So I like to talk with someone on the phone (either buying or selling) as you can get a feel for a person.

  4. #4
    Registered User belbein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    Thanks, folks.
    belbein

    The bad news is that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. The good news is that what kills us makes it no longer our problem

  5. #5

    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    They like ebay will side with the buyer. If they say they did not get something or it arrived damaged as a seller you will be on the short end of the stick 9 time out of 10. Since insurance is hard to collect on I have mostly stopped paying for insurance, but on anything starting to get expensive I require a signature.
    My experience (tens of thousands of PayPal payments over nearly 16? years) is the same....

    The vast majority of transactions go smoothly. On the rare case that there is an issue, the seller will normally lose. Not always, but the 9 out of ten sounds about right.

    If the payment shows as "elgible for seller protection" ship immediately, no need to wait. When things go sour, you may not know for months. Just factor the very small percentage of loss into the sale price as a cost of doing business, then roll the dice, knowing that odds are in your favor.
    Robert Fear
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    Registered User ricklmf's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    The whole thing is set against the seller, I am bitter. If you are the seller you have no recourse. They will access your bank account and credit cards,they don't need your permission, your using their service is taken as acceptance of their terms, which allows them to do so. if you close your bank account and credit cards, they will take it to the credit companies and negatively affect your credit rating. My credit rating is over 820, I paid the buyer off for the sole reason of not having my rating hurt. I have 600 perfect transactions, and they turned on me for a rip off artist with 4 over a 6 year period. I lost 3500 dollars and never got my mandolin back. I only buy, and never, ever would sell on ebay again. This is your best bet right here on the forum. I never thought it would happen, but trust me, ebay is not the sellers friend.
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    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    I know it's no help, but sorry that happened to you. As someone who at times buys from ebay, I would never even THINK of ripping someone off, but I wasn't raised to steal. I DO, however, believe in karma, and the thief will eventually get theirs.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    I stopped selling on venues which require accepting PayPal when PayPal changed the time period for filing disputes to be six months long. I learned about this when someone claimed, almost six months adter the sale, that the high-priced nstrument purchased from my friend had undisclosed damage. PayPal took the money back with no warning, and my friend got back an instrument with damage which wasn't there when he originally sold it.

    Now I only advertise locally, and let people wire me money or send a USPS money order if they absolutely insist on a non-local, as-is sale.

    For me, karma won't work fast enough to prevent my potentially getting ripped off the same way as now numerous friends have complained about. I'm not open to assuming that past performance guarantees my future safety, especially if I might wind up stuck with an unsold/returned damaged instrument while paying fees for the privilege.
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    Playing a funky oval-hole scroll-body mandolin, several mandolins retuned to CGDA, three CGDA-tuned Flatiron mandolas, two Flatiron mandolas tuned as octave mandolins,and a six-course 25.5" scale CGDAEB-tuned Ovation Mandophone.

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    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    Wow, some sobering horror stories here make me re-think ever selling anything of value on eBay again. Someone happily enjoys a purchase for just under 6 months, then damages it, and thinks "oh, well, it's been under 6 months, I can send it back for a full refund", as if it's an unconditional warranty, or something. This mentality comes in large part from lack of ethics or morals nowadays, but also in smaller, but also significant, part due to the perception that eBay is some giant, faceless billionaire corporation that sells everything you see there (how many people will say "I bought xxx from eBay"?) rather than a collection of small-time individual sellers who can really get hurt by such criminal action. I remember when eBay just began, I used it to buy and sell in its early days before it became a household name, and I lament that those times are long gone. It used to be wonderful. I'll continue to buy there, but sell? Hmmm...

    Are there any better alternatives to Paypal for selling here in the Classifieds?

    bratsche
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  10. #10

    Default Re: Using PayPal from seller's perspective

    From my experience of 35+ years of retail selling and close to 20 years now on eBay, I will say Paypal makes it easy for the buyer to make a purchase, BUT if anything goes wrong they will side with the buyer and take money directly from the seller's account. With most sales under $100, it is no big deal. However, it is when someone decides to return a $3000 instrument without first emailing the seller that it is an issue for the seller. Yep, the money is pulled out of your account the instant a claim if filed. Many businesses do not keep such a "cushion" in their accounts. As a seller, you need to be in the "driver's seat" controlling the sale, IMHO. IN THE GOOD OLE DAYS when eBay first started you could state NO RETURNS and insist on a US POSTAL MONEY ORDER as payment. You can cash them at the post office, so there is no trail leading to your bank account, eBay, etc. It was a great system from the seller's point of view. IF a dispute came up, you could state on the front end in your ad copy, "I'm sorry, but our policy is all sales are final on used and vintage instruments. No returns." Another one, I remember seeing often on eBay was, "Due to the vintage nature of the items we sell, all sales are final. If you would like to return an item, please contact us within 48 hours by email and we will determine if a return is warranted." I also received a fair amount of payments by Western Union back then, in the days before Paypal. Again, super easy, go to the grocery pick up the check and cash it right there. Then send the instrument to the buyer. Paypal claims all these protections, but in reality, they are all in the favor of the buyer, which in fairness was to instill buyer trust, but in reality, I think I sold a lot more stuff and had fewer returns before Paypal was ever invented. The vintage guitar business was already well-established for years before eBay was created and it was an 80 percent mail order business already. The standard return policy before eBay was 48 hours given by most vintage dealers. eBay has forced the hand of how dealers have to do business. The point I trying to make is that the seller must control the sale and return policy, if any, NOT the buyer. However, if you use somebody's website to sell your stuff, you must follow their rules. Hopefully, the increased exposure results in more sales and balances out the returns. And again, it goes without saying, most buyers are very nice to deal with. Here, we are talking about the horror stories when something goes wrong. I will say eBay and internet forums have created a culture of super fussy buyers who ask about return policies before even looking at an instrument. Didn't use to be that way........there was a time when buyers were GRATEFUL to find a instrument they had on their want list. And not so darn picky. eBay really redefined what "rare" means. (basically, nothing is rare if you can locate it in a 30 second search......) I have customers from 30 years ago who still thank me every time they see me for selling me such and such instrument......you don't get that on eBay. STILL, with that being said, eBay can be great for buying.......

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