Ebay auction won, but not?

[xKAKASHIx]

And yes, those fees are just one of the many costs factored into the final retail price charged to the customer.

thank you.

[Wolfette]

And yes, those fees are just one of the many costs factored into the final retail price charged to the customer.

Obviously that's the case. I also know about the fees that retail businesses have to pay for everything that you stated previously. Anyone who thinks it's free for the retailer is very mistaken.

But, at the same time the businesses do not demand that you pay a surcharge for using a credit card (illegal in the USA), nor do they advertise the fact that the price is built in to their retail prices *specifically* to offset those CC fees.

Personally, whenever I sell anything (either on or off ebay) I know that 90% of the time I'm going to be taking payment through paypal, since I prefer to accept it that way.

As far as anyone tacking on 5.00 (or whatever) to their sale price because of the chance that they'll get payment by Paypal - I have no problem with *that* - how is anyone to know that's the case unless the seller advertises it as such?

[darksuzaku]

And yes, those fees are just one of the many costs factored into the final retail price charged to the customer.

Well, that's true for most stores, specially if you can more or less put the price to the merchandise you sell, but there are some kind of bussiness that have prices fixed by the gov. , and the gov. doesn't have these minor details in mind.

You are not allowed to charge a fee to the customer for this service.
You are allowed to offer discounts to customers using another form of payment.

Well, don't know if it's like that on the US, but i can tell that in Spain and many European countries you are not allowed to offer directly to the customers a discount if they pay with a form of payment different than CC. The most they can do is offer an "indirect" discount in form of "points", and when you reach to certain number of points you can exchange them with items or similar.
Even on sale periods the regulations say that if an store offers the posibility of CC payment during non-sale periods, they must also accept it during those same sale periods without any kind of fee or penalty for the buyer.


Anyway, all of this talk is perfectly applied to stores, but if you apply it to the ocasional seller who sells on ebay which is probably the case of people on this board, it's understandable that many of them they would want these fees to be paid by the buyer or even believe that it's the buyer's responsability.

[irmgaard]

But, at the same time the businesses do not demand that you pay a surcharge for using a credit card (illegal in the USA)

That is what I intended to communicate in this line:

You are not allowed to charge a fee to the customer for this service.

I apologize if it was unclear or misleading.

[Wolfette]

but if you apply it to the ocasional seller who sells on ebay which is probably the case of people on this board, it's understandable that many of them they would want these fees to be paid by the buyer or even believe that it's the buyer's responsability.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you on this. I have passed up many auctions, and not just on cels, where the seller states the buyer must pay Paypal fees. It was the sellers descision to upgrade to the premier account, and they should not make their "customers" pay for that decision.

[irmgaard]

Well, don't know if it's like that on the US, but i can tell that in Spain and many European countries you are not allowed to offer directly to the customers a discount if they pay with a form of payment different than CC. The most they can do is offer an "indirect" discount in form of "points", and when you reach to certain number of points you can exchange them with items or similar.
Even on sale periods the regulations say that if an store offers the posibility of CC payment during non-sale periods, they must also accept it during those same sale periods without any kind of fee or penalty for the buyer.

The discount is treated a premium for the cash/check buyer, and not as a fee to the credit buyer. That is established with clearly displayed retail prices. I believe in Europe you also have to display the sales tax on your price tags (or it's added into the total price), whereas we can pretend it doesn't exist until we give the customer the bill.

Anyway, all of this talk is perfectly applied to stores, but if you apply it to the ocasional seller who sells on ebay which is probably the case of people on this board, it's understandable that many of them they would want these fees to be paid by the buyer or even believe that it's the buyer's responsability.

So very true. So this is a peek into the exciting world of retail sales!

[klet]

You are allowed to offer discounts to customers using another form of payment.

Of course, that perk is thrown out the window when the store has its own credit card. *cough*Mervyn's*cough* In such a case, it is encouraged to use the credit card, because the money the mother company makes in interest offsets any transaction fees. In fact, I believe individual stores don't have to pay as many fees for the use of an instore credit card.

I have passed up many auctions, and not just on cels, where the seller states the buyer must pay Paypal fees. It was the sellers descision to upgrade to the premier account, and they should not make their "customers" pay for that decision.

I only have a personal account. I rarely sell on ebay, so I have never seen any reason to upgrade my account. On my auctions, I accept mo, checks, paypal, and bidpay. Bidpay offers a way for buyers to use their credit cards, and it is free to sellers, b/c the buyer pays for the fee. Basically, you're buying a mo online.

I state in my auctions that I will not accept credit cards via Paypal, and if you want to buy, you can use bidpay to pay using a credit card. I consider it equal opportunity. Unfortunately, Ebay does not. It's actually against ebay policy to state that you will not accept any form of paypal payment. Which I found out when they removed my listings a while back. But you know what? That just made me not want to upgrade my Paypal account even more. If they had sent me an email asking me to revise the listing, I probably would have upgraded my account, and they would be making more money now.

Ebay told me that the reason they won't let me list like this is that Paypal wants to be fair to all and provide many methods of payment. Bull!! Why can't an individual choose what they want to accept? Just like a store can choose. When you come right down to it, they just don't want people like me to find fee loopholes. In my view, I've already provided enough ways for buyers to pay. What do you guys think?

So, whenever I list something on Ebay, it's like gambling. I never know if they're going to catch me or not.

[xKAKASHIx]

off the record bottom line...cuz this isnt worth arguing over...

A buyer shouldn't come out literally "buyer must pay paypal fee"

I do think its ok for a buyer to raise their reserve or starting price to help cover the fee or they may raise the S&H fees to lessen the burden of PP fees.

[Wolfette]

I only have a personal account. I rarely sell on ebay, so I have never seen any reason to upgrade my account.

I agree, there should be no reason for you to upgrade in your instance. Personally, any time I pay for something with Paypal its through checking account - I don't have my "real" credit card on file with them - only my checking & Visa debit card. So I'm perfectly happy buying from someone with a personal account.

Bidpay offers a way for buyers to use their credit cards, and it is free to sellers, b/c the buyer pays for the fee. Basically, you're buying a mo online.

Do many people actually pay using Bidpay? I tried that out, and people really didn't ever use it.

I state in my auctions that I will not accept credit cards via Paypal, and if you want to buy, you can use bidpay to pay using a credit card. I consider it equal opportunity. Unfortunately, Ebay does not. It's actually against ebay policy to state that you will not accept any form of paypal payment.

Now *that* is surprising. This is the first time I've heard of that, and I've seen it a lot on auctions. They're basically trying to force you to upgrade your PP account. Bullshit, I'd just not say that you take PP on your auctions and only state Bidpay. Then when the auction is over, you can contact the buyer and say "Hey, by the way - if you have Paypal and can send money from your bank account you can pay that way too"

[klet]

Bidpay offers a way for buyers to use their credit cards, and it is free to sellers, b/c the buyer pays for the fee. Basically, you're buying a mo online.

Do many people actually pay using Bidpay? I tried that out, and people really didn't ever use it.

I've never received a payment that way, but I leave it up to give people the credit card option. But hey, like I said, I don't do it that often.

Bullshit, I'd just not say that you take PP on your auctions and only state Bidpay. Then when the auction is over, you can contact the buyer and say "Hey, by the way - if you have Paypal and can send money from your bank account you can pay that way too"

Good idea, but at the same time, I'd hate to drive away bidders who only pay via Paypal. The first time my auctions were cancelled, I relisted stating in my auction text that I would take Paypal, but didn't select the option when listing. I got no complaints that way, and everyone who won their auctions paid me within a few days using Paypal. That might be the way to go from now on. You can actually select Paypal as a payment option when you are sending an invoice to give buyers the easiest checkout possible, regardless of whether you selected it when you originally listed.