Everyone charging paypal fees

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

I think sellers who do this are not realizing they are shooting themselves in the foot with a certain percentage of prospective buyers.

Myself I don't want to do a bunch of math to determine what I'm paying for an animal and I doubt anyone buying from me does either. I care about the bottom line, what's it going to cost to get the animal in my hands.

I've seen ads like this
$100 for the animal
+ $50 shipping
+$10 box charge
+$2 for heat pack
+3% if using paypal

When I see this I just move on without another thought, whereas if they'd advertised the animal for $165 shipped I would have given it more consideration.
In the end all anyone cares about is what it will remove from their bank account to get the animal. Personally I think, using the above example that you would get more interest saying the snake was $165 and shipping was free. To each his own though.

As for the paypal fees being added on, that just irritates me and I generally ignore such ads on principle.

I fully agree with most of that, but I keep the actual charge of shipping seperate because shipping to Ohio is a heck of a lot cheaper than shipping to California for me. Also the actual cost of shipping is a legitimate business expense when I itemize. Boxes and heat packs are bought in bulk and itemized. Paypal fees and credit card fees also are legitimate business expenses.

In the end though everything except the actual shipping cost should be factored in. I would hate to loose a local sale cause my base price is as high as someone else off the internet with shipping.

Originally Posted by Gloryhound

I fully agree with most of that, but I keep the actual charge of shipping seperate because shipping to Ohio is a heck of a lot cheaper than shipping to California for me. Also the actual cost of shipping is a legitimate business expense when I itemize. Boxes and heat packs are bought in bulk and itemized. Paypal fees and credit card fees also are legitimate business expenses.

In the end though everything except the actual shipping cost should be factored in. I would hate to loose a local sale cause my base price is as high as someone else off the internet with shipping.

I have no problem listing shipping costs as a separate charge. I advertise both ways, sometimes with a price shipped and sometimes with a price plus a certain amount for shipping. I have no real reason why I choose one over the other when composing an ad.
I have on a number of occasions had someone semi local reply to an ad with a price that included shipping and asked what would be the cost if they met me locally, so I don't think advertising them that way has cost me sales.
I just don't like a laundry list of menial charges to have to try to add up to see what I'm going to have to pay for an animal. If you list a flat rate for shipping, then calculate in the cost of materials etc. If you want the 3% for paypal then add a few dollars to the price of the animal.

I suppose with me when it comes to the paypal fees I don't mind paying the extra to cover the fees, if it's part of the asking price, it's just when I see the "plus 3% for paypal" in an ad it just bugs me to the point I will keep looking. It just comes across as petty.
Just a pet peeve I guess.

I made a mistake and gave in not too long ago. I payed the fee after agreeing on paying the full, four digit price and received a snake that was a little under advertised weight, light scrapes down the back and a raw nose. Luckily, I knew all this would shed out and it did, but the lesson learned is, if there is a red flag, act on it appropriately. I will never give into that beast again.

I agree with pretty much everything. When I open an ad for a snake that I am interested in, I want to see a price and either a flat shipping cost or a message that says email me for shipping cost. I have an idea, and can add $50-$65 in shipping, but if a snake is listed at $795 + $75 shipping, + 3% paypal fee I dont look any further. They should list it for sale for $890 shipped, or $825 plus shipping. It does make the seller seem greedy and un professional. Or maybethey are just way ahead of the curve, maybe Wal-Mart will start charging their 3% per card swipe fee they pay to the banks to the customer. Maybe I should be quite before someone at Wal-mart sees this and thinks it is a great idea

Originally Posted by BallsDeepPythons

Or maybethey are just way ahead of the curve, maybe Wal-Mart will start charging their 3% per card swipe fee they pay to the banks to the customer. Maybe I should be quite before someone at Wal-mart sees this and thinks it is a great idea

You don't have to worry about that happening. It's against the rules the charge card companies hold the merchants to, to charge a specific fee for using a credit card would risk their losing their merchant account.
Ten states actually prohibit those charges by law, your state of Oklahoma is one of them.

That being said, you can be sure you are paying the fees anyway as it is factored into the price of the item. It's just that everyone pays it, including those who pay in cash so it isn't a violation of the rules of the account.

Paypal also has the same policy and has the option of terminating a sellers account if they so choose after being notified of them adding that fee.
I think the main reason so many people charge the fee is paypal just doesn't know they're doing it.