PayPal fee ??

This is probably a odd question but I looked and couldnt find any answers so I am asking. On behalf of myself and a couple others.

Is it normal when a breeder advertises a snake for sale, gives a price, then quotes you a price for shipping.... Then after you say you will buy the snake at that price and pay the quoted shipping..... Do Any breeders send the 'bill' but have added a 4% paypal fee to the total cost??

With all the breeders I have bought from, I have only had one do this to me and I was shocked. Is this a normal practice or just this one breeder?

Thanks for any help I can get on this matter.
Dee Anna Hazen

I myself have had 1 person ask to do that, most otherones will eaither eat the difference, (like what is done when someone uses a creditcard at the store) or will ask you to send it as a gift.

Thank you very much. I have only been asked once for the fees so I didnt know if it was something new or just new for me.

thanks for explaining it

Yeah, it really depends upon the seller. I personally have just been eating the cost, but I can understand why a seller would want to charge the fee. It is an additional cost. Granted, you're paying for the convenience of being able to accept credit cards without going through the paperwork yourself, but I can understand why some sellers would include the fee. I'd rather just eat the cost than have to deal with personal checks or money orders myself.

Originally Posted by snowgyre

Yeah, it really depends upon the seller. I personally have just been eating the cost, but I can understand why a seller would want to charge the fee. It is an additional cost. Granted, you're paying for the convenience of being able to accept credit cards without going through the paperwork yourself, but I can understand why some sellers would include the fee. I'd rather just eat the cost than have to deal with personal checks or money orders myself.

This exactly.

I always thought it was against Paypal's terms for sellers to pass along the fees to the customer. I did a quick search on paypal and found this:

"You cannot charge a "surcharge" however, you can charge a "handling fee". For example many online Ticket Sales sites charge a processing fee.
The "surcharge" scenario is explained in the User Agreement.
Go to the link below and do a search on "surcharge".
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...a/USUA-outside

It's about semantics, as the term surcharge in the credit card world means you charging a fee to recoup the credit card fees you pay. Whereas charging a "handling fee" can be for additional processing costs not related to credit card fees. Basically, one cannot say or advertise that any additional fees for covering your credit card fees."
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/...Fee/td-p/19050

Personally, as a seller, I eat the fee, it's part of the cost of doing business and using the convenient service of accepting payment through paypal.

As a buyer, a few times I've added an extra 3% to cover the fees but wasn't asked to. I don't know, if it wasn't disclosed up front, I would probably walk away if the seller was asking for the extra $... just my opinion.

A seller cannot charge an extra fee for accepting payment via PayPal. A "handling fee" can be charged...but it cannot be any different than the fee assessed on non PayPal purchases. If a seller tries to charge the fee, advise them that it is against the terms of their PayPal User Agreement- and, if they tell you they won't sell to you (or that they will not accept PayPal) unless you pay it - save the communication and turn them in to PayPal.

Also - some sellers try to have people send payment as "personal/gift". Doing so eliminates ANY buyer protection you might have, as you are stating that there is no purchase...you are giving the person money. (Also, if you make such a payment via credit card, you will likely be charged at cash advance rates).

A seller knows what the fee is, and should plan accordingly when setting a price and negotiating.

Very good to know!

Harold is very correct. Here's an article I wrote about that for artist commissions, where "pay the fee" and "send it as a gift" are rampant:

I commission a lot of artists. In commissioning, I have noticed a slightly disturbing trend: many artists have started asking their buyers to send the payment as a "Gift" or a "Personal Payment."

I would like to caution both buyer and artist against this practice for the following reasons:

1) Asking a buyer to send a personal payment via PayPal for a service is against the PayPal Terms of Service.

Reference: PayPal User Agreement http://www.deviantart.com/users/outg...locale.x=en_US

"4.2 Receiving Payments for Commercial Transactions and Personal Transactions.

b. If you are selling goods or services, you may not ask the buyer to send you a personal payment for the purchase. If you do so, PayPal may remove your ability to accept personal payments."

If you have an unhappy buyer (for legitimate reasons or not), what's to stop them from reporting your transaction to PayPal to have your account disciplined?



2) If the buyer sends a payment as Personal, the buyer has no recourse if the artist chooses to default on the artwork owed, or exceeds a reasonable time for the commission.

Reference: PayPal User Agreement http://www.deviantart.com/users/outg...locale.x=en_US

"13.3 Ineligible items

Personal Payments"




3) PayPal fees are a cost of doing business. When a business swipes a credit card for a sale, the credit card company charges them a fee for the convenience of accepting their credit card as payment. PayPal is offering a service (allowing you to easily access customers by giving them a safe and secure way to send you payment via the Internet) and it is rather rude to try to circumvent payment of using their service, which is what the fee functions as.



It is my personal opinion that asking a buyer to send a payment via Personal/Gift is insulting to both the buyer (by giving them no recourse if the transaction were to go bad) and to PayPal (by trying to circumvent payment for their useful service).

Thanks for reading.

Thank you everyone! I am very glad I asked because I really was unsure how to handle the matter. I would never want to take advantage of anyone but I dont want to be either.

It may not have been an issue if I was told upfront of a small additional charge but to have it added on at the end and be not such a nice surprise... that is what made me wonder. For me? its kinda like lieing.