[Semi-OT] eBay question: PayPal required?
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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:39 am 
 

Beyondthebreach wrote:If you print your labels online (simply by clicking the "Print Shipping Label" option under your "My Ebay Sold" items" delivery confirmation is FREE for Priority and only 13 cents for Media Mail).


I wish I had investigated this earlier!  Thanks so much for the information.  With rates going up (for the most part) in May, it's time to learn the system.  And to think I can avoid waiting in line at the post office!  I'm off to study the USPS website...


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:45 am 
 

FormCritic wrote:One factor that DOES tend to ring alarm bells in my head is if the seller does NOT take PayPal.

I have done three deals where the seller did not take PayPal.  All three turned out to be shifty or otherwise hard to deal with.  One (a seldom-visitng member here) didn't bother to leave me feedback.  Another claimed my check never arrived and canceled the transaction.  The third was a genius with a deceptively worded auction (fortunately, for a small amount of money).

Now, when I see that the seller does not take PayPal I figure that they have either got legal troubles or they are a maverick who wants to beat the system...which means they will want to try to take advantage of me (which makes sense to a genius because he regards those who play by the rules as suckers).

I just avoid those auctions.

Mark   8)


I completely stay away from auctions not accepting Paypal.  It's a general warning sign that they have something hinky going on, either they ship late, don't package well, charge too much shipping, selll inferior products, whatever.  

Mike B.


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:52 am 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:Either way works, although adhesive is (obviously) a little bit easier. The USPS even recommends certain brands of labels, so all you have to do is order from whichever vendor you prefer and — bam! — you're all set up.

As BtB mentioned above, the combination of free shipping supplies, official postage that comes out of your own printer, and the carrier-pickup service is a three-way combination that can't be topped. Here's the highest compliment I can give the USPS: I would have quit selling on eBay at least two years ago if they didn't provide these great services. I was just that sick of shipping being such a hassle ... now, in an ironic twist, shipping is, by far, the easiest part of the eBay process.


I've always been stymied with printing out postage. Plus, I live about a minute from my local post office, and about five minutes from a post office that is open until midnight, so I've never had any problems hauling everything up there a few nights a week, never any line.  My local carrier...or carriers, there are three of them working different days...are all moronic fools.  If I left something for them on my doorstep it would probably arrive at it's destination with a bite out of it, or urine all over it.  
  Anyway, when I did print out postage, I noticed I seemed to blow through printing cartridges.  Of course since I use my printer for everything it could have been any number of factors. But I agree the greatest thing about the USPS....free postage supplies.  

Mike B.


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:56 am 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:That's not the issue, though.

My initial post (which, as I look back on it, could have been clearer) was an effort to seek information on making a PayPal account a requirement for my bidders. But it's possible to use that requirement and still accept other forms of payment (unless I'm greatly misunderstanding this eBay help page I'm currently looking at).

Basically, as Crazy One-Eared Cat Guy :wink: mentions above, I just want to know that I'm dealing with a real person with a real address. This is only possible by making a PayPal account a prerequisite (due to their confirmation procedures).

I'll use my current cyberstalker a**hole as an example: he is using the name of a famous movie character and the address of a famous movie location: patently false contact information, in other words. He slipped through the nets and managed to win two of my recent auctions for the express purposes of not paying, forcing me to relist, and leaving me negative feedback. Why should I have to deal with any of that?

My mind is pretty much made up, actually. I think I'll keep MO's for now, but add a PayPal account as a prerequisite. I'm leaning towards dropping checks, though ... I think it's only pure luck that I've yet to be burned by someone writing a bad check.

Thanks for the input, everyone.


I always hate to close off any avenue of sales....and over the years I've had repeat customers that simply for one reason or another don't have Paypal accounts. But I can understand the need to filter out the loonies.
I love checks and money orders, once it clears, no chargebacks...I'd rather have either of these for a large order than paypal, not to mention the savings in fees.

Mike B.


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:20 pm 
 

I will say that after getting a "non-paying" bidder alert today I might just bid on Paypal only stuff.

I won an auction that only took MO/check/cash on a Saturday, sent out an ebay payment email that I would send it out ASAP, it went out wednesday afternoon and I get this today. I have no control over how long an envelope takes to get from Mass to Cali but you would think the  Chode whould at least shoot me off an email first to see when it was sent before filing a complaint  :roll:

  


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:35 pm 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:I know we have a few sellers here who use the "PayPal account required" function in their listings, and I'm wondering what the general consensus is. Does it seem to work for you? Does it maybe weed out a little bit of the riff-raff? Do you ever get complaints from would-be buyers claiming they can only pay with a check?

It's not that I have a big problem with checks or money orders; I've accepted them for more than eight years now. But the simple truth is that practically no one is using them any longer; my rate of payment via PayPal is well over 95 percent of my auctions.

So, with that being the case, I'm wondering if I should just simplify matters and go with PayPal only (well, that and I had a psycho-lunatic-asshat cyberstalker win some listings recently and I could have blocked him simply by requiring PayPal).

Thanks in advance.


I will add that although I don't like to cut out potential bidders, I went to the Paypal requirement on my auction about a year and half ago because of both the Keepontheborderalnds incident where he shilled an auction of mine and KJ32's just to give us each a neg(that Ebay eventually removed) and also the other moron who was going after all the resellers like Guido and Juliabulia at about the same time .

The best part about it though is that even if you place the requirment on your auctions, Ebay will still allow you to make exceptions for specific buyers by putting them on your "buyer's exemption" list through My Ebay.  That way if someone is looking to bid on your stuff, it forces them to email you first before bidding.  That way you can take a look at their other bidding activity, location, feedback, etc., before deciding whether or not you want to allow them to bid.  It has worked for me pretty well so far, especially helping to avoid the headaches. :)

Also, in the time since I made the switch, I think that I have had only perhaps 5 bidders(or so) ask me about it.  Now, there likely has been some others that saw the requirment and just moved on without asking me about it, but I can say with some confidence that in the long run it hasn't cost me much if any business at all doing it that way.  I can imagine that the amount of headaches that I have saved myself from by doing it that way has far outweighed any possible monetary losses that I might have missed out on by having the requirment in place. :wink:


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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:08 pm 
 

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone — when I entered the original post, I thought that maybe I'd get like five replies, so it's been fun watching the responses roll in.

Not that anyone was holding their breath or anything,  :) but I went ahead and added PayPal as a buyer prerequisite. Going off of what BC just mentioned, plus my own experiences, has convinced me that there's just too much riff-raff on eBay (especially in the last couple of years). It might not be a perfect system, but at least PayPal requires a potential bidder to have a legitimate name and address. That alone is enough to weed out at least 90-percent of the socially-retarded mouth-breathers and scam artists, I'm thinking.

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Post Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:16 pm 
 

Note that PayPal requires you to have a legitimate name and address at the poit at which you sign up. There is a BIG difference between a 'confirmed' PayPal address and your standard redneck PayPal address which anyone in a cyber cafe can sign up for, and PayPal doesn't allow you to block unconfirmed PayPal addresses.

So don't ever send anything to anyone who has not got a confirmed PayPal address unless you are willing to kiss goodby to your item and your money.

PayPal also does not protect you against any transactions at all that are not wholely withing the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. Any other transaction YOU take full responsibility for.

Anyone can change the name and address on a PayPal account any time they wish. Only a confirmed PayPal address has been checked by PayPal as being authentic, and only a confirmed PayPal address is covered by PayPal protection.


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