PayPal Questions

[darktiger]

How much does paypal charge to the seller? I am thinking about selling something and wonder how much to include in the price to cover paypal fee.

[Daniel Bates]

3% is the normal figure.

[lancemoreland]

It's 3%. What should we be looking for in the B&S forum?

[brad]

Originally Posted by darktiger

I am thinking about selling something and wonder how much to include in the price to cover paypal fee.

Sell your item at a fair price and consider the PayPal fee as the cost of doing business. I avoid people who say they will add a surcharge because I want to use something that is convenient to me and them. It makes you sound greedy.

[JamesB]

if the item i am selling is under $200 I dont ask for the 3% fee. What you can do is up your asking price a few bucks if you really want to make up the fee. I typically dont do this

if the item is over $300 I will ask to split the fee, if they are ok with it then no problem.

I sold something a while back ago for over $1,000 and the buyer was more than happy to split the fee with me.

James

[AlexMorse]

I've never asked anyone to split the fee. Nor would I offer to split, or pay for it as a buyer.

Stores don't ask you to split the credit or debit processing fee.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by AlexMorse

I've never asked anyone to split the fee. Nor would I offer to split, or pay for it as a buyer.

Stores don't ask you to split the credit or debit processing fee.

Maybe not split but I've found stores which take AMEX for big ticket items more than willing to negotiate that big AMEX card fee off the top for cash. In fact, I've found rare book and print dealers very willing to negotiate for cash than take the hit for any credit card.

If you ask the most they can do is say, No, but they might not.

[NathanJK]

If you need to re-coup the 3% do it up front by adding it into your sales price. I will never buy from a seller who asks for the extra 3% or even to split it, it just seems silly and chinchy.

[Daniel Bates]

Most everyone on FM seems to require the buyer to pay it, strangely enough.

[Cope]

Originally Posted by Daniel Bates

Most everyone on FM seems to require the buyer to pay it, strangely enough.

If buyers would refuse to pay the fee, the sellers would have to pay it or not sell their items.

[darktiger]

Originally Posted by lancemoreland

It's 3%. What should we be looking for in the B&S forum?

Nothing much, just a Rebel XT...

[brad]

Originally Posted by NathanJK

If you need to re-coup the 3% do it up front by adding it into your sales price. I will never buy from a seller who asks for the extra 3% or even to split it, it just seems silly and chinchy.

Exactly.

Using an example above.. you sold something for $1000 and you're worried about who's gonna pay the $30?

That REALLY makes you look like a cheapskate.

[Larry_L]

I also stay away from someone that expects me to pay the paypal fees. If Paypal had wanted the buyers to pay the fee, then they would have set it up to charge the buyer at the time of the transaction.

[KdLaneJr]

If I recall the paypal fees correctly, they are tied to your type of account. Personal accounts are not accessed fees. Premiere and business accounts are.

e-checks have a flat $5 fee which is why some people prefer you send an e-check when they say the item price is shipped and paypal'd.

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...y-fees-outside

[Duffy Pratt]

The $30 on a $1000 lens is actually pretty significant.

On our own Buy and Sell forum there is a 24-70 L that was on sale for $1000, but has had the price reduced to $950. This price doesn't include either shipping or the paypal fee. If the buyer was going to pay both, the total price would be appox $1050 befor the price cut, and just under $1000 now. You can buy the same lens new, shipped on the net for $1115.

Without the paypal fee, the difference between new and used was either $95 or $145, for a savings of 8-11% for buying used. With the paypal fee the difference is only $65 or $115.

So the paypal fee matters largely because the lenses hold their value so well. If a lens sold new for $1200, and used for only $800, then the paypal fee wouldn't matter so much. But when the savings on used lens is only in the range of about $100 to begin with, the $30 paypal fee matters.

Duffy