PayPal as a Gift

[otismalibu]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

all of that said, shouldnt the buyer assume some of that responsibility then? it seems like paypal is as much of a service for the buyer as it is for the seller. it also saves them a trip to the bank or the post office

So should eBay buyers have to kick in a little for the seller's listing fees? They're both using eBay.

[ferro39]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

im not validating anything. im giving my side, which apparently other collectors agree with, and am trying to understand the other side in all of this.

if you dont like what i have to say, that's fine. granted, it's the nature of message boards, but there's no need to be smug with me

and talking this out, has given me a solution--higher asking prices and offering a 3.5% discount to anyone who wants to pay with a MO or bank check

[otismalibu]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

higher asking prices and offering a 3.5% discount to anyone who wants to pay with a MO or bank check

There you have it. You charge enough to cover your expenses (eBay, Paypal, etc.) If someone makes a purchase that doesn't involve eBay or Paypal, then you always have the option to reflect your reduced costs in their purchase. price.

[ferro39]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

a random question that just popped into my mind: why arent collectors who ask for "help" with getty images or MLB TV screen caps subject to criticism?

there are never any shortage of threads asking for pictures because people either dont want to foot the bill for a high-res image or because they dont want to subscribe to MLB's online service.

double standard or no?

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

a random question that just popped into my mind: why arent collectors who ask for "help" with getty images or MLB TV screen caps subject to criticism?

there are never any shortage of threads asking for pictures because people either dont want to foot the bill for a high-res image or because they dont want to subscribe to MLB's online service.

double standard or no?

I think the people who find Gettyimages or MLB screenshots are just helping folks. These are jpegs, not hard copies and there is no money involved.

[ferro39]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

I think the people who find Gettyimages or MLB screenshots are just helping folks. These are jpegs, not hard copies and there is no money involved.

but those pictures also belong to getty and that video belongs to MLB and not to the people who are helping others. both parties charge for their services and a lot of people pay for those services.

does the fact that no money exchanged negate the fact that their product is being stolen and given away for free?

thanks to the search option on this board i think i have my answer. oddly enough, some of the same people who seem to be very outspoken against sidestepping paypal are ok with robbing from image sites and major league baseball and giving away their property for free

[trsent]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

but those pictures also belong to getty and that video belongs to MLB and not to the people who are helping others. both parties charge for their services and a lot of people pay for those services.

does the fact that no money exchanged negate the fact that their product is being stolen and given away for free?

thanks to the search option on this board i think i have my answer. oddly enough, some of the same people who seem to be very outspoken against sidestepping paypal are ok with robbing from image sites and major league baseball and giving away their property for free

You are correct, people steal images from Getty all the time and make bootleg photos that they have athletes autograph. Very common practice.

Someone stealing from Getty Images is not the topic and is not comparable with the concept of sellers demanding PayPal as a gift.

The concept of PayPal is to protect both the buyer and the seller. If a buyer sends money as a gift, they have nothing to protect them if the seller doesn't ship or ships the wrong item. Demanding a gift or money order leaves the buyer with zero protection.

If someone won't accept PayPal as payment, I ask them to ship me the item in advance and I will then forward them payment. I guess after 25 years in the industry I feel I have the right to ask for this. The seller also has the right to refuse this to me, but if they won't offer me protection I have to protect myself, my family and my business.

PayPal as a gift is meant to be used for sending money to family, friends, etc. when they need money. Maybe to save on fees from a company such as Western Union. It is PayPal offering good faith transfers for customers with a balance in their account.

Sellers demanding PayPal gifts are just as wrong as gas stations that charge extra to accept credit cards. Figure your price with all fees, and if you get lucky and someone offers to send you a gift or money order, enjoy the extra revenue.

Do not derail the discussion comparing stealing from Getty Images or MLB's game footage with sending PayPal gifts. They have nothing in common and are just a tactic to confuse the discussion which should have been started long before Friv started it because it is wrong and against PayPal rules and common sense.

[ferro39]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

Someone stealing from Getty Images is not the topic and is not comparable with the concept of sellers demanding PayPal as a gift.

i have never demanded that a seller send payment as a gift nor do i condone it. i was just offering my opinion on why as to why i GIVE THE OPTION if a buyer wants the cheapest possible price. when i did that, a bunch of people jumped on a bunch of us and accused us of stealing and using a service and not paying for it.

and the fact that "paypal" and "getty images" could be interchanged in a bunch of different posts in this thread, makes them extremely comparable, imho

if collectors feel so strongly about things like integrity and not stealing intellectual properties, perhaps a little more consistency would go a long way in not making certain people sound like complete hypocrites--openly sharing getty images in one thread and labeling people as thieves for accepting paypal gifts in another?

as for derailing the thread, that wasnt my intention, but the thought of this obvious double standard irked me and i felt it needed to be pointed out.

maybe another thread is in order?

[otismalibu]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

PayPal as a gift is meant to be used for sending money to family, friends, etc. when they need money. Maybe to save on fees from a company such as Western Union. It is PayPal offering good faith transfers for customers with a balance in their account.

When I first started selling on eBay, my Paypal payments received never had any fees associated with them. I'd say my first 20 -30 payments must have been from a balance and thus had no fees. Back then, there were no fees if you were paid from a balance. Eventually, someone would pay via CC. Then to accept that payment, you had to upgrade your membership (premiere?) and from then on, ALL payments were subject to fees, whether from a balance or CC. It was a great run, while it lasted.

I assume the Gift option is a way to let people have this freebie option, when maybe they don't need buyer protection.

[frikativ54]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

i have never demanded that a seller send payment as a gift nor do i condone it. i was just offering my opinion on why as to why i GIVE THE OPTION if a buyer wants the cheapest possible price. when i did that, a bunch of people jumped on a bunch of us and accused us of stealing and using a service and not paying for it.

and the fact that "paypal" and "getty images" could be interchanged in a bunch of different posts in this thread, makes them extremely comparable, imho

if collectors feel so strongly about things like integrity and not stealing intellectual properties, perhaps a little more consistency would go a long way in not making certain people sound like complete hypocrites--openly sharing getty images in one thread and labeling people as thieves for accepting paypal gifts in another?

as for derailing the thread, that wasnt my intention, but the thought of this obvious double standard irked me and i felt it needed to be pointed out.

maybe another thread is in order?

Honestly, I think that GettyImages and screenshots are different topics altogether; it's hard to make a comparison between these things and PayPal gifts. The issues raised by them are different, plus there are several concerns about PayPal gifts that have absolutely nothing to do with ethics. If someone wants to make ethics-based claims about GettyImages, I think that would be better left for another thread.

[Tedw9]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

I found this same topic on another board I visit. A couple of members there received this email from Paypal within the past week or so.





We recently changed our pricing so that all PayPal customers can receive
money from friends and family within the US/CA for free. PayPal
merchants receiving money as payment for a purchase, continue to incur
fees.

We’re not sure if you are aware of this, but we noticed that some of
your customers are sending you personal payments for purchases.
Unfortunately, this violates our rules, and we need your help correcting
this. Please don’t ask or allow your customers to use personal payments
to pay for their purchases.

If we continue to see such activity, we may have to disable your ability
to receive personal payments, and then you will pay fees for all money
received through PayPal.

You can find more information about payment types and fees in our User
Agreement – just click “Legal Agreements” at the bottom of any PayPal
page.

If you have any questions, concerns, or think we may have made a
mistake, please contact us at P2P@paypal.com. Thank you for helping us
resolve this matter.

Sincerely,

Laura




A few of the people who have replied to the thread have said that their ability to send or receive gift payments has been terminated.

I'm just putting the information out there for everyone.

[commando]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

Good post, Tedw9.

Paypal is now monitoring the frequency of gift transactions, probably through the use of a simple tracking program. We don't know when the red flag comes up (three gift transactions in a month, five in six months??), but I don't want my account to make the list.

[camarokids]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

Good post, Tedw9.

Paypal is now monitoring the frequency of gift transactions, probably through the use of a simple tracking program. We don't know when the red flag comes up (three gift transactions in a month, five in six months??), but I don't want my account to make the list.

I know I won't be sending gift payments anymore.

[kmantm64]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

I recently bought an item on this forum that turned out to not be authentic. I paid by Paypal gift and now I have no recourse. I'll be adding the fee to my payments from now on to cover myself in the future.

[BULBUS]

Re: PayPal as a Gift

I recently bought an item on this forum that turned out to not be authentic. I paid by Paypal gift and now I have no recourse. I'll be adding the fee to my payments from now on to cover myself in the future.

Did you use you credit or debit card to make the transaction through Paypal? If so, just call them and they can get your money back.

-Chris