posted on May 17, 2001 08:26:26 PM new
Greetings everyone,
Here is my dillemma:
I sell vintage clothing, most items in the $7.50-$25 range. I state in my TOS that I accept paypal and money orders (and bidpay) only.
Today I found a piece of mail sitting on top of the mailbox in my building addressed to me. Inside was a check for $600 for an unrelated freelance job. Im glad someone left it there, it could have easily ended up in the trash or worse. The address in the window was correct so it was an error by the postmen, he must have dropped it in another slot.
Here is my question. About 40%-60% of my buyers decide to pay by money order. I do not want the hassle of worrying if the MO will find my mailbox and all the ebay headaches that could and would follow.
I'm thinking about just accepting paypal on my next auction batch.
Have any of you tried switching from a dual payment system to paypal only?
Has it affected your bidding, selling and closing prices?
The stuff that I sell most definetly attracts a younger buyer, college age, etc. Someone who might not have access to credit cards. So taking away the MO option seems unreasonable but at the same time dealing with a buyer over a lost or stolen MO could also be a big pain.
Thanks in advance for the suggestions!
Lee
PS Sitting here and writing this got me to thinking. Most of my paypal sales usually come from fast, reputable buyers with good feedback and most of my slow, poorly responsive buyers with low or zero or negative feedback decide to pay by MO. A blessing in disguise?
posted on May 17, 2001 09:31:03 PM new
Well, I can't say that I'm particularly in your boat but do have a circumstance that's making me wonder about going only to on-line payments. I live about 30 miles from my bank and don't get to town on a regular basis.
However, when I think about how my buyers pay--about half and half, I think I'm going to keep the checks/money order option. If I get a bunch of payments I'll drop them in an envelope and mail them to the bank for deposit. Other than this I don't know what to do.
I don't seem to have a pay rate like you do, though. Many of those who send payment through the mail are very prompt and I have it usually within a week of the ending auction. Once in a while someone doesn't pay, but that doesn't happen very often.
posted on May 17, 2001 09:34:47 PM new
Have you considered having your payments sent to a post office box? I do and it works out very well for me. Just a suggestion...
posted on May 18, 2001 06:52:00 AM new
I would think long and hard before accepting ONLY paypal payments. There are many people who do not do paypal, for various reasons. You can read about some of these reasons in the 'buyer beware' section.
While it is true that I do not have a paypal account, I am only telling you this so you can make an educated decision, I am not, in anyway trying to promote or take away business from any company.
