Attention Pay Pal Users!!

[DonMercer]

The other day a friend and I were discussing how many sellers who accept Pay Pal, put in their ads that you must include 3% to cover Pay Pals charges. Well, guess what?? This is ILLEGAL! Plain and simple, Federal law says merchants can not charge consumers for credit card or online payment type services (Pay Pal, Bid Pay etc) fees. It is the seller who is wanting payment by these convenient methods, they are 100% resposible for the fees involved. So, next time you consider making a purchase from a seller wanting these fees, enlighten them to the legality of their request. Just say NO!

 

[MarcAntony]

I have to admit that not a lot turns me off on an ad faster than that last line saying "PayPal, add 3%". I see it in ads from all types of sellers. I have seen ads for animals that took my interest, from respectable breeders, and as soon as I see that surcharge, I lose interest. I realize that there are costs involved with PayPal. The are also costs involved in any payment type you take. Some costs are more obvious than others. In any case it is called "The cost of doing business".
  In case anyone was wondering, even though I am not a large scale dealer, the occasional times I do deal over the net, I prefer to take PayPal. I see the money right away, and it is relatively simple for me to access that money. I consider that 3% (or whatever it works out to) as a convenience fee for that ease of receiving payment.
 I have a hard time understanding someone risking losing a $250 sale for the sake of another $7.50. If you are cutting your margins that close, ask $260 for the animal. Personally, from a psychological standpoint, I find that less offensive than the PayPal surcharge.

 

[Rob @ RK Reptiles]

I personally love PAYPAL and accept it all the time. One thing, yes it is illegal to charge a customer for using paypal, but the law allows for the seller to impose a surcharge of up to but not more than the fees charged by the credit card company or processing company.  I do not charge my customers this charge as I think it is the sellers responsibility and not the customers.  The reason I know about the legality of charging a surcharge is I went around and around with the credit card companies and PAYPAL about this and they all agreed that a surcharge is legal.  I know it is kind of a grey area and the sellers charging the fees should stop.  When I purchase something from someone that says they charge the fee, I never add the fee. I only send them the selling price.

 

[kim felts]

how about the nice people that dont mention the fee until youve sent the monies or purchase price and then all of a sudden they ask..how about the extra 3 percent..?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>?
i HATE HATE HATE seeing ads begging for the extra charge..
and yes..i will avoid buying from those that ask for it.
i think it stinks..
not much can get to me as fast as an ad that requires 3percent surcharge and i believe it says on the paypals agreement you agree NOT to do it.

 

[Neil Gubitz]

Guys.... you're missing a point here.... it's not that the 3% is "illegal".... it's that not charging for the 3% is part of the "contract" you signed with PayPal when you first signed up??? Didn't you guys READ THE RULES??? lmao
If I'm interested in an animal from a dealer that has that in his ad.... I basically tell him that I'll buy his animal, but he can take that surcharge fee and, well, you know!....

....Neil

 

[Arboreals of the Rainforest]

This has been a hot topic many times.  Take a look at past conversations.

paypal talk #1

 

[Arboreals of the Rainforest]

Chat #2

 

[Ken Harbart]

Adding the 3% actually isn't a violation of Federal law- the sun had set on that staute several years ago. It is however, a violation of various state laws, as well as the TOS that PayPal sellers are obligated to abide by.

 

[Bryan Self]

As Ken pointed out it is state laws. The part that will get most people is that it is either state. For example I live in CA. If you charge the fee to a resident here you are violating the law even if you are in another state. And I feel that it is a safe assumption that most peolpe do not know the laws of states they do not live.

 

[Adam Block]

Neil, what the hell are you talking about rules?  Do those apply to me TOO!!  I thought that was for everybody else.

Anyway, charging 3% is flat out ass-in-ine (is that the spelling).  There have been times I've forgotten my money and only had my PayPal card that when I left home was at a zero balance.  I've already just tried it on a long shot and it's worked from an auction payment or something I just got.

Point is, the main one that enjoys the ease of use is the seller.  If you can't take the 3% hit for that don't offer it.  Plus, if you use your PayPal card you get 1.5% of that back.

Well, it takes all types to makes a world so I guess they're just doing their part

Adam Block

PS I wouldn't do business with anybody surcharging me either..

 

[Neil Gubitz]

Adam.... I don't think you have anything to worry about?? These RULES only apply to us "LOWLY SHEEP"!, NOT for the TOP DOG??? I thought you would have realized that??

Oh no!! I'm talking about something YOU wanted me to talk about!!! You little manipulator, you! lmao

....Neil

 

[Adam Block]

Well, I like to be manipulated too sometimes  Holy cow did I just say that out loud?  No I fully understand the rules apply to even myself.  The damn point is that only a greedy fool would ask for the 3%

The Black Sheep (Dog),
Adam Block

 

[SPJ]

Personally, I will not make a purchase from anyone that says you need to add 3% for using paypal.
I have seen several animals I would have bought in a second using paypal and passed on them when I saw that the seller wanted 3% added to the price.
I like it simple. Let me know what the shipping cost is and the price of the animal. Don't make me have to figure out what else to add to make up the 3%. It's tacky.
The best sellers in my opinion are the ones that list a single price. I know that paying that set price gets the animal to my door. I am not above haggling on a price but if the transaction starts with a "good feel" with no surprises, I will make the purchase for the asking price.
Anyway, to sum it up, some people have lost me as a customer as soon as I see they charge the extra fee. Others have gotten my business by making it simple and not making it look like they were trying to "squeeze" more money out of me.

 

[Darin Chappell]

Shopkeeper:  And how would you like to pay for that?

Customer:  With my Visa.

Shopkeeper:  Fine.  We accept Visa, but they charge us a small percentage fee for the use of their cards as payment, so we have to charge you that much as well.  It will be the purchase price plus 3%.


That OK with anyone at SEARS or WalMart?  I don't think so, and it shouldn't be OK with anyone buying snakes online either.  Legal or illegal, I have no idea, but it IS a dishonest thing to tell PayPal that you will NOT charge others for the use of their service, and then blatantly go ahead and charge your customers anyway.  It's lying, and I don't tolerate liers at all.  So, such ads do not get my attention, let alone my money.

 

[Neil Gubitz]

What most of these guys don't understand, is that for every $100 that someone spends, that's only $3 taken out?? You mean to tell me that if you raised your price $5!!! Someone is going to turn the animal down and not buy it?? Doubtful! Sure, I know full well what boxes and styrofoam inserts and heatpacks and snake bags in various sizes and plastic pre-holed deli-cups in various sizes and PayPal fees and KS fees and Fauna fees cost!!.... I just received over $300 worth of that exact stuff TODAY! I don't OVERTLY charge for any of that! Anything you ever see from me, includes everything.... one price, SHIPPED! Period!

Stop charging those ridiculous 3% fees! You'll end up with a lot more business in the long run! Besides.... that 3% fee is TAX-DEDUCTIBLE!!! You're not losing a PENNY!!

....Neil

 

[NEWReptiles]

I will not conduct any business with anyone who tries to soak for Paypal fees. To me its a joke.

 

[Rob @ RK Reptiles]

Here is the exact regulation from PAYPAL on these charges. You can charge a handling fee, but that handling fee can not be more than it would be for other payment methods. Which means you can not charge a handling fee just to Paypal users. Period.  Anyone that does this will be soon losing their paypal abilities for violating the terms of PAYPAL.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">No Surcharges. Under Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express regulations and the laws of several states, including California, merchants may not charge a fee to the buyer for accepting credit card payments (often called a "surcharge"). You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as payment. This restriction does not prevent you from imposing a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services, as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge (in other words, the handling fee for transactions paid through PayPal may not be higher than the handling fee for transactions paid through other payment methods).
</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

 

[turtleman1]

i dont think that anyone should charge a paypal fee
i will suffer the loss of the 3% just for the convince of pay pal, and i try to use pay pal to buy all i can it is so much eazyer to click a few keys than mail a check go fet amoney order, if 3% is going to make or break you you need to get payroll job  check out wal mart      gene
C.G.Arnold   turtleman 1