• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Hey Rich

M

Mech

Resident Demon
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Hi Rich,
Hey ya know it’s not really easy for me to give your site money.
I don’t know why but that is my take on this.
I have no problem piching in other than using PayPal.
I kinda hate using that.
Probably not the only one with those thoughts.
I actually thought that once it is set up you would just “tap it” as needed.
I just now found out I was not a contributing member the other day.
I pay membership fees on several sites like Spotify, audio books and several others like that.
Any chance you could make it easier?
That would totally be cool.
It might help.
Thank you.
Andy
 
Mech said:
Hi Rich,
Hey ya know it’s not really easy for me to give your site money.
I don’t know why but that is my take on this.
I have no problem piching in other than using PayPal.
I kinda hate using that.
Probably not the only one with those thoughts.
I actually thought that once it is set up you would just “tap it” as needed.
I just now found out I was not a contributing member the other day.
I pay membership fees on several sites like Spotify, audio books and several others like that.
Any chance you could make it easier?
That would totally be cool.
It might help.
Thank you.
Andy
Click to expand...

What methods for payment are those other sites you frequent using for that purpose?

I really do wish there was a realistic alternative for PayPal, but I sure don't know of one.

Thanks.
 
Mech said:
I actually thought that once it is set up you would just “tap it” as needed.
Click to expand...

Somewhere around here Rich posted an explanation of why he doesn't do recurring memberships anymore -- IIRC, it was an issue with people forgetting they signed up for a recurring membership and then getting hysterical when their PP got charged a year later.

Mech, if you don't mind me asking: you can pay for a membership here without having a PayPal account -- the page where you plug in your CC number just happens to have a PayPal logo on it. Is there something about having PP as the credit card processor that is worse than having some other financial institution handle it?
 
CyndiWard1827 said:
Venmo is a good source for payment as well. We use it for our business.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

bcr229 said:
Venmo is just PayPal F&F rebranded.
Click to expand...

Yes, it appears that way.

Venmo is a service of PayPal, Inc., a licensed provider of money transfer services (NMLS ID: 910457). All money transmission is provided by PayPal, Inc. pursuant to PayPal, Inc.’s licenses. © 2018 PayPal, Inc.
Click to expand...

And it appears to be an app for IOS and Android only. Might be a while before I trust doing any financials on my smartphone. Plus any links from this website to any such service are not provided in the base code, so it would need to be custom programmed in.

The only modules that I can see that come native in this message board code are the following:

  • Paypal
  • NOCHEX
  • Worldpay
  • Authorize.Net
  • 2Checkout
  • Moneybookers
  • CCBill

Of course, this is rather old code, for reasons I have explained before, so maybe even some or all of those except PayPal are no longer in service. Never tried to look into them, since it didn't make sense to do so unless they were heavily favored and used by the membership.
 
Socratic Monologue said:
Somewhere around here Rich posted an explanation of why he doesn't do recurring memberships anymore -- IIRC, it was an issue with people forgetting they signed up for a recurring membership and then getting hysterical when their PP got charged a year later.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was in the forum exclusively for contributing members. So I'll cut and paste the pertinent text here for public viewing.

Yeah, I tried that under prompting by some people. vBulletin does have the option to set up the subscriptions as an optional renewing payment through PayPal. So I set it up. Admittedly it's not all that easy to notice, as it is noted by a simple asterisk on the subscription page, but it WAS optional. After about a dozen of so people filing claims with PayPal when the automated renewal took place, claiming I had stolen funds from their account and made an unauthorized withdrawal, I had had enough of that. I'm sure each and every one of those has to put a black mark on my record with PayPal. How many before they would have yanked my account?

Here are some threads showing what I am talking about:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492383

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=500546

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=548748

So no, not willing to go through that again.
Click to expand...
 
WebSlave said:
Yeah, that was in the forum exclusively for contributing members.
Click to expand...

For the record, this is the thread that stuck in my mind, in the public help and feedback forum:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492383

WebSlave said:
So today I get another member claiming with PayPal that I have made an unauthorized charge to their PayPal account. Apparently some people forget that they set up an automated subscription payment plan with PayPal when they set up a paid membership or sponsorship within this site. Rather than contact me about it, they go ahead and file a claim with PayPal. Or perhaps it is just being done maliciously by someone who got a bug up their butt about this site over something.
Click to expand...
WebSlave said:
As such, I have removed ALL instances of recurring payments for all sponsorships and paid memberships.
Click to expand...
 
2ww

So I spent a little time thinking about this and “wow”just “wow”.
It can’t easy by any means and I respect you on this.
Sometimes life sucks and you are a decent guy so it sucks for you to be at this spot.
I am not sure how to sugar coat this but I think a few tweets might help
It kinda seems like you are in a tight spot and I mean that humbly.
I mean an automatic re-charge to an account will no doubt bring you some headaches as I have read.
As a person that is just about to retire it hits close to home.
I would never want your position.
A missed opportunity (like mine) hurts as well.
What are your thoughts about using a regular credit card?
Do you think it will cost more?
I would pay the extra.
The web sites I mentioned earlier take all the major cards and by agreeing to the terms you are in and “golden”.
This works for me on about 4 web sites.
Could you possibly take checks?
Could you possibly consider to have a program that informs us that we are needing to pay because your terms are about to end
I don’t know the answers but I stand by my statement that it is not easy to pay
you and I’d be more than happy to do that.
All the best.
That said please please don’t close this forum to the general public.
Your work here is outstanding and I dig it.
It is such a special spot and I don’t want to see it gone.
Rich could you please,find a way to make this work?
Losing the BOI will hurt.
Thanks Bud.
Andy
 
I used to take credit cards with my SerpenCo business before retiring it, and quite honestly it was a pain in the butt. And it was becoming an even bigger pain in the butt rapidly. The credit card companies started demanding all sorts of security audits (on my dime, of course), plus all kinds of new red tape they wanted to implement, for security purposes. There fees and red tape were just getting more and more unbearable. I didn't have an accountant on the payroll just to handle all that BS they were throwing my way. So I was glad to just tell them to stuff it, as I didn't need their services any longer.

To go back to that headache is not an option on the table. I would imagine that with new federal regulations on the books concerning establishing a business, it would be an even bigger pain in the butt now just to try to establish an account again. I just got over wrangling with PayPal concerning verifying the business address for FaunaClassifieds. Seems they don't like the fact that the business address is SOLELY a post office box. I think I got that resolved, finally, after spending an hour on the phone with someone, but with PayPal, it's hard to tell. Just because one of their representatives tells you something doesn't necessarily mean the rest of PayPal is going to agree to it, much less know about the resolution. I STILL see the notices in my account about verifying my business address...... :bandhead0

Maybe restricted choices in payment options have been an issue all along. But when I see all the members who previously were able to pay successfully in the past who have declined to do so when renewal time came along, I kind of doubt that this is a particularly high hurdle for people to negotiate. No, they CHOOSE not to contribute, not FAIL to because of some roadblock. IMHO.
 
Mech said:
So I spent a little time thinking about this and “wow”just “wow”.
It can’t easy by any means and I respect you on this.
Sometimes life sucks and you are a decent guy so it sucks for you to be at this spot.
I am not sure how to sugar coat this but I think a few tweets might help
It kinda seems like you are in a tight spot and I mean that humbly.
I mean an automatic re-charge to an account will no doubt bring you some headaches as I have read.
As a person that is just about to retire it hits close to home.
I would never want your position.
A missed opportunity (like mine) hurts as well.
What are your thoughts about using a regular credit card?
Do you think it will cost more?
I would pay the extra.
The web sites I mentioned earlier take all the major cards and by agreeing to the terms you are in and “golden”.
This works for me on about 4 web sites.
Could you possibly take checks?
Could you possibly consider to have a program that informs us that we are needing to pay because your terms are about to end
I don’t know the answers but I stand by my statement that it is not easy to pay
you and I’d be more than happy to do that.
All the best.
That said please please don’t close this forum to the general public.
Your work here is outstanding and I dig it.
It is such a special spot and I don’t want to see it gone.
Rich could you please,find a way to make this work?
Losing the BOI will hurt.
Thanks Bud.
Andy
Click to expand...
What is your issue with paypal?
 
Heck, I have an issue with PayPal ongoing right now.

I have the account tied to this site as a business account. Apparently they want some sort of address verification. Yeah, I've only had that PayPal account set up for, oh, 14 years or so, and am still at the same address I've always been at.

Well I sent them some images of various documents, such as my bank account, my documentation with the IRS, and my LLC. All of which are using my post office box as the address info. Which is exactly the way I have done it from the very beginning. Well, they are saying that a post office box is not acceptable as an address. And I have to provide PROOF of a physical address tied to my business name.

Well, sorry Charlie, that is all there is. This is an online business. It is 100% and solely ONLINE. There is no physical address associated with the business, as per advice from one of my attorneys. Never has been, and at this late date, never will be.

So I called them on the phone on 01-31 and talked to a guy and explained the situation about the post office box. He seemed to understand the situation, and asked me to set up my cell phone to receive a text message with a code in it. Why that would mean anything escapes me, because I gave him the phone number then and there, so I could have been anyone. But when I quoted back the code number, he said that I was now verified. I asked him if that satisfied the nag-o-grams about the business address, and he said "yes".

Well, I am STILL getting that notice when I go to my FC PayPal account. So apparently not. They are yammering at me that I have until 02-11-2019 to get verified. So I'm not sure what is going to happen after that. Quite honestly, if this site winds up not being able to accept payments via PayPal, then I guess the site will be real and truly dead at that time.

So yeah, guess I have to call them back again on Monday. And likely get yet another Pakistani sounding guy named "Melvin" on the other end. And I'm sure I am going to have to explain everything all over again, too.
 
They want a physical business address for process servers, so give them that one.

I also use it as little as possible but they snubbed me first because I sell guns.
 
WebSlave said:
if this site winds up not being able to accept payments via PayPal, then I guess the site will be real and truly dead at that time.
Click to expand...

Are your other sites set up similarly?
 
bcr229 said:
They want a physical business address for process servers, so give them that one.

I also use it as little as possible but they snubbed me first because I sell guns.
Click to expand...



They want documentation showing the business name associated with a physical address.

On 1/31/2019 3:58 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> Dear FaunaClassifieds L.L.C.,
>
> Thanks for helping to keep your account secure by providing documents to support your business identity.
>
> Unfortunately, we do not accept PO Box address for verification.
> Please log in to your account and check your notifications. Find the notification that asks you to provide documents to confirm your business identity, then follow the link to upload the documents shown below.
>
> The business name and address shown on your documents should match the business name and address on your PayPal account.
>
> Proof of Business Address:
> - The first page of a bank or credit card statement, utility or phone bill, insurance document, tax statement, or government-issued business license or permit dated within the last 12 months or Certificate of Good Standing dated within the last 90 days showing your full legal business name and address and active status. Please note that we do not accept PO Box address for verification.
>
> Thanks for being a valued PayPal customer.
>
> Sincerely,
> Omar Ariff
> PayPal
>
> Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and click the Help link in the top right corner of any PayPal page.
Click to expand...

No such documentation exists because I have ALWAYS used the post office box for anything related to FaunaClassifieds.
 
Lucille said:
Are your other sites set up similarly?
Click to expand...

I have two other sites linked to a different paypal address, but I believe that PayPal account was set up as a personal account.

I guess when I call them if I can't seem to be making any headway, I'll just request the "[email protected]" account to be converted to a personal account. Of course, they might have some "rule" against doing that as well. If that is the case, then I will just have to congratulate them for putting me out of business online earlier than I had planned on.
 
Still wrestling with PayPal. Not sure where this is going to go, but I am sorely tempted to see if my programmer can force the contributions made through this site using the "friends and family" option for payments. If PayPal wants to hassle me that the proof I have provided of being a business is not sufficient, then who am I to argue? I can stop being a business and make this a friends or family gathering. We are all friends here then, right? :hehe:

Heck, if I could do that, then perhaps I would re-institute the automatic yearly renewals again, since I wouldn't be hassled with people who forgot they used that option trying to put dings on my record with PayPal by filing disputes.

Might be worth looking into.
 
What about Venmo or Zelle? Venmo is just PP F&F rebranded, and Zelle also doesn't permit chargebacks. I don't know if they can be integrated into web site payment platforms though.
 
bcr229 said:
What about Venmo or Zelle? Venmo is just PP F&F rebranded, and Zelle also doesn't permit chargebacks. I don't know if they can be integrated into web site payment platforms though.
Click to expand...

Well, there are some problems with considering an alternative. The foremost is that if most of the membership isn't using it, then it won't do much good here. And the second hurdle will be implementing it in this old vBulletin code. That is even assuming that an alternative service will be set up for such transactions.

Honestly, PayPal has one of the worst customer service departments I've even run up against. Emails are a complete waste of time. I just get canned responses that don't even have anything to do with the problem I am relaying to them. And the couple of times I got someone on the phone, nothing they said they had done, or were going to do, ever actually came to pass.

So yeah, options are pretty limited. :eek:
 
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