Asking for the 3% PayPal fee

Has the policy changed on asking the buyer to pay for the 3% PayPal fee? I've seen more ads today asking for this fee than I have all year. IMO, asking the buyer to pay a 3% fee to use a method of payment that is obviously accepted by the seller ... seems unprofessional. If 3% compensation is such a concern, why isn't this already factored into the asking price?

I know I may have stepped on some toes with this statement, however, I turn down ads when this is fee is mentioned. Figured it would be beneficial to mentioned parties unless this is a Nick-specific issue

You are not alone Nick. I skip ads that specifically ask for the fee. Isn't it against Paypal's policy anyways?

The seller should understand the fee is the cost of using the benefits of the service and if it's that much of a deal breaker, factor it into the sell price up front. (I kind of feel the same way about people that want to charge the box fee.)

I will add on some extra when I pay just because I think it is a nice gesture.

If they ask for the fee, they don't even get considered as someone to buy from.

I agree, I skip any ad that asks for the Paypal fee. I'm pretty sure it is against Paypal's TOS like April said. And, as a seller, I don't worry about it. I choose to accept Paypal because it's convenient for me and probably for many buyers as well. And, even if I accepted and processed credit cards myself, I'd still have to pay some sort of fee anyway so it's not a big deal to me as a seller.

Unprofessional, and tacky. I skip over ads that mention it.

Like April, I do add on a little bit to paypal payments I make, because I do feel it's a nice gesture. And even then some sellers refuse to be compensated for the fees. But I'd never do it if I were asked to.

And yes - it is still against their terms.
https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?c...locale.x=en_US

Specifically, section 4.1 and 4.6:

4.1 Receiving Personal Payments. 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.

4.6 No Surcharges. You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method.

To me, it is aggravating when someone either has the 3% requirement posted with the add OR if they tell you up front before even agreeing on a price. But I do understand the sellers point as well. You have the cost of the snake, which goes into the buyers pocket, but the shipping and pay pal expense does not. If you have a $650 snake plus $50 in shipping, then $19.50 in pay pal fees and then consider how many times a seller/buyer gets into negotiations, it can come out to much less. For instance,you find a snake that is listed at, lets say $350 plus shipping. Seller gives you a quote on shipping for $65 to your zip code, so your looking at $415. How many times have you do you think somebody will say, how about $400 shipped? I see it all the time. So there is $15 lost, then $12 for pay pal and the seller ends up with $323. It's not a big deal to everyone, but to some people that adds up. If you are selling a litter of 12 babies at this $350 price to help compensate for all of you costs through the year, that's $276 you could potentially loose in sales. I am just trying to see it from both ends here. I personally, have at times asked for the 3%, but a lot of it depends on if there were any negotiations, or if its a return customer. I don't sell a whole lot, in fact, haven't in quite some time, but it is something I at times will consider asking for.

I'm actually glad to see this brought up and the opinions on it. Ive seen adds asking or had people ask me when the deal is made to include extra for the paypal fees which I had thought was abit tacky myself, but I generally included it. Ive also included alittle extra when not asked like the aforementioned nice gesture.
I've never asked for it myself though, when selling and never expected it, but as its becoming more prevalent I have been wondering if it wasnt becoming a hobby "standard" to make sure the seller gets his/her full asking price and buyer eating the extra fee. Thanks for bringing this up to discuss.

Jeremy, if a seller is negotiating with a buyer, the seller should take into account the fees/charges, etc when determining their bottom line. At least IMO

Box, Styrofoam liners, snake bag, heat pack (if needed) and paypal fees are all part of selling. If you want to cover those costs, then negotiate them into the price of the snake. Same goes for credit card fees. It is against the terms of service to charge extra for them, so it should be built into the price.

Also, I've had a sellers complain that I did not send them Paypal money as a gift to avoid the fee. Not sure if there is any protection at all if that happens.