INQUIRY: PAYPAL for herps? Good or bad?

[mvite]

I had thought that Paypal was THE best way for sellers and buyers to conduct their transactions. I thought this because my transactions were mostly conducted through ebay.

As I buy, sell and trade herps and read stories here---I hear varying perspectives on Paypal and how they perform during disputes. I see possible caveats with use of Paypal---and I sure don't want to support them as a business if they don't support us as customers.

So---should we as buyers and sellers support Paypal or is there a better and safer way to conduct our herpin' business?

 

[mvite]

Also--for the sake of arguement---let's put the fees aside. I know that a lot of people feel that the fees are the reason not to use Paypal--but the 3% is worth it to me --- even up to $1000 --- to get money fast.

 

[John E Dove]

I think this may belong on the Business Forum but to me it is the ability to pay and receive money fast that keeps me using Pay Pal.
If everyone were able to take Credit Cards that would be a better, not cheaper, method of exchanging funds for goods but as it stands Pay pal is the fastest and easiest.

 

[greg c]

i have a claim filed with paypal right now, they are telling me that the only way they could get my money back is if the purchases are made on ebay, so if you use paypal to buy from any herp merchants and run into any problems with them they will not be able to get your money back using papal, paypal tells me that you are better off using your credit card for purchases that are not made on ebay, so hows that for protection, i will never buy without using my credit card again.

 

[mvite]

I think this may belong on the Business Forum but to me it is the ability to pay and receive money fast that keeps me using Pay Pal.
If everyone were able to take Credit Cards that would be a better, not cheaper, method of exchanging funds for goods but as it stands Pay pal is the fastest and easiest.

I hope I didn't misplace this--my apologies if so.

I started thinking of Paypal as a "seller" because they are providing many of us with a way to pay for our addictions---I mean hobbies.

It is fast and easy. When both parties are legitimate, I don't think there's any better way---but I could be wrong.

I just signed up for Google Checkout as an alternative.

I am leaning towards feeling better to have a credit card company representing me in a transaction -- instead of Paypal.

Of course, Postal Money Orders are a valid alternative, IMO.

 

[mvite]

i have a claim filed with paypal right now, they are telling me that the only way they could get my money back is if the purchases are made on ebay, so if you use paypal to buy from any herp merchants and run into any problems with them they will not be able to get your money back using papal, paypal tells me that you are better off using your credit card for purchases that are not made on ebay, so hows that for protection, i will never buy without using my credit card again.

Sounds like a negative experience with Paypal--crap.

 

[KCRD.com]

From a buyers perspective, I believe that using PayPal is the best way to go weather you use a credit card or just your account. I have used them for going on 6 years now as a seller and have had just one bad transaction with them.

I utilize their service called Virtual Terminal and the first year I signed up for it, I took a payment at a reptile show for some animals I sold at the reptile show.

Almost exactly two weeks later I had a charge back filed against my account. The buyer never contacted me before filing the charge back, she just did it, so I didn't know what the problem was.

I finally got in contact with her, and she said that she basically was having buyers remorse and wanted me to take the animals back and give her a refund, but she saw my purchase policy on my site which stated I don't do refunds so she just filed a charge back stating I never SHIPPED her the animals. So she lied about how she purchased them in the first place, and after debating with PayPal customer service they said that they had no way to verify the animals were sold at the trade show, so they gave her her money back and I never got the animals back.

I didn't let this end here, so I contacted a "higher up" at PayPal and they stated that when I use Virtual Terminal at a show I should state that in the notes section of the payment screen, other wise they assume it is a shipment order, and unless you have a tracking number to verify the shipment was shipped they have no other options but to assume the buyer got ripped off.

Since this transaction took place they have changed the way they track their transactions a little better, and I haven't had any more problems with them since this transaction. I did have a person in a different city, at a different show try to do the same thing and since I put in the comments that the transaction was taking place at a convention they denied them their refund.

 

[greg c]

oh, i forgot one paypal rep told me that you can use your credit card through paypal and that it would give you much better protection, once i did that and had a problem about 5 years ago and what happend was within 2 days the credit card company took the money from paypal and paypal took months to get their money back from the merchant who scammed me and at that time they told me not to ever use your credit card to just go through paypal and they will handle it, honestly if i did not use my credit card i would not have gotten my money back, as for the claim i have filed right now it looks like i will not be getting my money back because i did not use my card through paypal this time, when you lose hundreds of $ like i did , i will never use paypal again with out using a credit card for payment through them.

 

[The BoidSmith]

One of the benefits is that you can pay right away and the buyer can reserve the animal right away and the seller is sure that he is going to go through with the transaction. A safer modification for both parties is probably to send a non-refundable down payment through PayPal (the 3% fee is thus smaller), followed by an overnight (if you are in a rush) postal money order for the difference.

Best!

 

[greg c]

my thoughts are that paypal is a great way to make payments it's the dishonest buyers and sellers that ruin it for everyone, but i think that paypal needs to find a way to extend it's protection service to purchases outside of ebay, just my thoughts.

 

[mvite]

Hey Guys---I agree with all of you(z).

I haven't had problems with my transactions outside of ebay either. I try to communicate like crazy as a buyer/seller/trading partner to be sure everything is ok on my end and the other. But I am scaring myself reading the BOI---and how people can manipulate Paypal. There are some bad folks out there--and they all seem to like reptiles!!!!

(I couldn't find this thread for a moment---I posted it incorrectly in the BOI because I thought feedback for using Paypal would be most viewed there---but at least the thread lives!!!)

Most times when I have seen people "hate on" Paypal---I kind of thought of it like they were post-depression types---thinking the banks were gonna get them some day. But now I am starting to have second thoughts on Paypal as I have been subjecting myself to the masses of KS.com

 

[hhmoore]

I just signed up for Google Checkout as an alternative.

The problem with Google Checkout is that their TOS specifically prohibits its use for live animal transactions. I know of a couple people that started accounts, only to have them cancelled because they sold live reptiles. For sellers that focus primarily on inanimate products, Google Checkout might be a good option. Otherwise, its a problem waiting to happen.

 

[mvite]

The problem with Google Checkout is that their TOS specifically prohibits its use for live animal transactions. I know of a couple people that started accounts, only to have them cancelled because they sold live reptiles. For sellers that focus primarily on inanimate products, Google Checkout might be a good option. Otherwise, its a problem waiting to happen.

rassin'--frassin'---crassin'---rassin'----ARGH!

That was probably explained in all the "blah-blah" that I blindly agreed to.

I bought some BPs from a seller through Google a year or two ago -- I just ASSumed it would be ok......

We spend so much money on this hobby---there will someday be someone who covers us.

Sorta like Fedex "covers" livestock shippers. (allowed because of waiver of liability.) That was another one of life's laughable moments---Fedex Approval. I thought there would be a special team of people wearing khaki and carrying nets or something who delivered Fedex Approved Livestock Shipper packages----but noooooo---it just means they can kill my animal and I can't claim it for reimbursement.

 

[Ed Clark]

So---should we as buyers and sellers support Paypal or is there a better and safer way to conduct our herpin' business?

Paypal is a necessary Evil!

 

[mvite]

Paypal is a necessary Evil!

That's just it---I've never viewed them as evil until reading some of the stories on the BOI!

If peeps don't have money--you can't get blood from a stone. Paypal doesn't seem to be there for non-ebayers.

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

I use paypal for multiple things, and do send money for reptiles through it. Generally though, i try to only buy from trusted people. mostly people that are friends, or friends of a friend.

ive since pretty much, avoided purchasing from anyone i dont know, its just not worth the risk.

 

[The BoidSmith]

One of the benefits is that you can pay right away and the buyer can reserve the animal right away and the seller is sure that he is going to go through with the transaction. A safer modification for both parties is probably to send a non-refundable down payment through PayPal (the 3% fee is thus smaller), followed by an overnight (if you are in a rush) postal money order for the difference.

Best!

Here's an example. Let's suppose you want to purchase a $1,000 snake. Your PayPal fees are $30. You can PayPal a 10 % downpayment ($100) to hold it and the PayPal fee will be $3. Sellers don't usually have a problem with that if you agree to send the rest of the payment right away (if you don't you forfeit your deposit). You purchase and express mail a postal money order for which you will spend roughly $12. The total = $15, you have just cut your fees in half and at the same time paid with a postal money order which in my opinion is safer.

Best,

 

[mvite]

I use paypal for multiple things, and do send money
ive since pretty much, avoided purchasing from anyone i dont know, its just not worth the risk.

I'm getting to that point.

I'm terribly impetuous---I am getting better at it--but it's like "click" and then there's a snake at my door in the AM.....

 

[mvite]

Here's an example. Let's suppose you want to purchase a $1,000 snake. Your PayPal fees are $30. You can PayPal a 10 % downpayment ($100) to hold it and the PayPal fee will be $3. Sellers don't usually have a problem with that if you agree to send the rest of the payment right away (if you don't you forfeit your deposit). You purchase and express mail a postal money order for which you will spend roughly $12. The total = $15, you have just cut your fees in half and at the same time paid with a postal money order which in my opinion is safer.

That's a good idea---as a buyer or a seller.

This way, the 90% MO payment would be covered by the laws that cover Postal Money Orders....

 

[greg c]

paypal claim

you got that right, i just got an email from paypal for my claim stating case closed so i gave them a call and they told me because that because the boa was not purchased on ebay there is nothing they can do, "what a joke" they agreed with me that i had every right to get my money back for what had happend to me but unfortunately that was ebay rules, the rules are ( ANYTHING PURCHASED OUTSIDE OF EBAY THERE IS NO PROTECTION FROM PAYPAL) i told them of the people who use paypal to pay for stuff 95% of the transactions they make are outside of ebay and that you know that so if they are not willing to protect us for those transactions then they should only allow us to use paypal for ebay, but there quick to take there cut of 3% for something they have no protection for.