posted on July 28, 2001 10:18:22 AM new
Just arriving at this board it is extremely scary to read all of these threads "at once".
I'm preparing to put up an online storefront using PayPal's shopping cart to handle transactions. Now I wonder if that is an idea/project that will basically get me killed
If you could offer some (any) input I'd be most grateful. Are PayPal problems for sellers so common it basically is a bad idea to use them? Do the big sellers here often experience these problems? Are there any other means to put to use?
I'm a starting eBay seller with so far just about 50-70 sales in 6 weeks, most small items.
posted on July 28, 2001 11:10:41 PM new
Do some research on eBay. Look at your competition in your catagory and see what the other sellers are doing. The last time I looked of the 7 top sellers on eBay 5 of them accepted PayPal.
I've used PayPal for over 18 months and I have no regrets.
posted on July 29, 2001 04:16:52 AM new
I have used Pay Pal as both and buyer and seller with zero problems and total satisfaction with their service. I think the majority of Pay Pal users are satisfied with the service and would recommend it.
There are clearly issues some sellers have with Pay Pal, mostly related to chargebacks, etc., which the average Pay Pal user might never experience. You are always more likely to see unhappy Pay Pal users posting to this board. You should not make any conclusions about the overall performance of ANY service (e.g., Pay Pal, Auction Watch Auction Manager, AMpro, etc.) based on the boards as you would get the impression that everyone hates everything about every service!
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
Edited for run-on (and on and on) sentences.
[ edited by NothingYouNeed on Jul 29, 2001 04:18 AM ]
I think being prepared for the possibilites and having a good understanding of the online payment process will help you immensely when embarking on this journey.
There is a very expansive thread running currently on the eBay Safe Harbor forum about the chargeback issues; I believe investing a little time viewing it could educate you about the possiblities you should guard against as a seller.
It looks as if the Paypal rep who normally posts a lot here has had his hands full the last couple days.....
My personal advice....
If you're going to accept PP as a verified member, open a bank account exclusively for that purpose and even open a low-limit credit card to tie to the account. Don't use any of your normal personal/business accounts/cc's.
Sweep funds from your PP account daily.
<edited to add that you should sweep the funds from the PP-tied account at your bank daily as well>
Always ship to the confirmed CC billing address and make sure your DC gets scanned at the PO (or use another delivery method trackable online). I would only make an exception on the billing address if the buyer was known to me and had a good payment history with no chargebacks.
Peruse this forum and others for current developments in this emerging marketplace.
As uaru said, there are lots of PP customers with no regrets and you shouldn't be disuaded from using this payment tool. I'm only suggesting that being aware of the possible pitfalls can forearm you if the unfortunate and unlikely strikes home...
Good luck with your online sales!
Pat
[ edited by camachinist on Jul 29, 2001 10:13 AM ]
posted on July 29, 2001 10:13:30 AM newYou should not make any conclusions about the overall performance of ANY service (e.g., Pay Pal, Auction Watch Auction Manager, AMpro, etc.) based on the boards...
I disagree entirely.
While you should probably not make any conclusions based solely on message board posts, they can still be considered a kind of "feedback" on the company in question, at least with regards to how they handle customer service issues.
The fact that those posting here having problems with their PayPal accounts have very little success in getting any assistance from PayPal's customer service department (regardless of the total number of complaints PayPal receives) speaks volumes about the company's attitude towards their customers.
Does every PayPal user have problems? Of course not, but some do, and you can see a little bit of what they are going through in the posts here (and elsewhere). You need to weigh the benefits you might get from being able to accept credit card payments against the risk you take of damage to your business if you happen find yourself among those posting their woes here.
As an example- how many people do you know who had their house burn down last year? Most likely, none. Still, they probably all considered that it could happen, and paid for insurance to cover the possibility, even though remote.
Can you absorb a loss of $2000, as one seller appears to be possibly facing? Can you afford to continue shipping merchandise to customers who have paid into your PayPal account, even though it has been locked, and you cannot access the money? Would you be satisfied if you called PayPal to discuss your locked account, and they could not connect you with anyone who could give you any information? Can you... would you?
Maybe it's no big deal- everything will be fine, and you'll have no worries. But then again... just because it hasn't happened to you yet, doesn't mean it won't- it's up to you to figure out if the risk is worth the reward.
posted on July 29, 2001 03:22:46 PM new
I agree with you mrpotatohead about evaluating a service and that issues raised on the board are something to be considered. I don't agree, however, that one can draw the conclusion that a service is bad because of a couple of issues tossed around on these boards.
We rarely get the whole story...the person with the problem may not even know or understand the whole story. We have no way of knowing if he is telling the truth, or leaving out some important details, or is just a plant from Billpoint! Just like you don't know that I am not a plant from Pay Pal.
You wouldn't decide (I hope) what type of fire insurance to purchase based on what some strangers said to you. Similarly, if you have a lot to lose and are really concerned about the risks of a service like Pay Pal, talk to someone you know and trust at your bank...don't make a decision based on anecdotal "evidence" presented anonymously on a bulletin board.
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
[ edited by NothingYouNeed on Jul 29, 2001 03:24 PM ]
posted on July 29, 2001 03:32:46 PM newI don't agree, however, that one can draw the conclusion that a service is bad because of a couple of issues tossed around on these boards.
If you think I said "that one can draw the conclusion that a service is bad because of a couple of issues tossed around on these boards", you misunderstood my post.
posted on July 29, 2001 03:46:13 PM new
Well...when you said in your first post that you disagreed "entirely" with my statement that one shouldn't draw conclusions about a service based on message boards I am not sure what I was supposed to think. In any event, it is clear that we're not connecting on this thread and should probably give it up!
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
posted on July 29, 2001 04:03:33 PM new
OK- you've convinced me. I've changed my mind. I now agree with your comment...
You should not make any conclusions about the overall performance of ANY service (e.g., Pay Pal, Auction Watch Auction Manager, AMpro, etc.) based on the boards...
that one should not make any conclusions based on posts made on these message boards.
Next question:
If one is not going to make any conclusions based on message board posts, what is the point of reading these posts?
posted on July 29, 2001 06:45:05 PM new
I don't know about you, but I read the boards to reassure myself that I am not the dumbest man alive. Besides which, I have the illusion that people actually listen to me on the boards whereas in real life I can't pretend.
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
posted on July 30, 2001 06:40:20 AM new
Why rely on a payment service like PayPal for an online storefront? It's not well-known outside the auction community.
An internet merchant account is easy and inexpensive to set up (if you have good credit). It's the way to go if you hope to draw buyers from outside the auction pool.
I do offer both on my web site. While I've had hundreds of people pay directly with VISA or Mastercard this year, I've had three pay by PayPal.
Be scared, be very scared. I will come to your site and buy thousands of dollars worth of stuff and then do a charge back and paypal will lock up your account and not let you have any money for months. They will side with me and there is nothing you can do about it hahahahahahahaha.
You know I have never had a charge back at PayPal, Billpoint or anywhere for that matter just got taken once for $40.00 by PayPal and had I known what I know now taht would not have happened.
I would agree to use a simple shopping cart program with a real merchant account. In the long run it will save you money and headachs for a web site. If for some unknown reason you do get a charge back againsed you you can fight it yourself and not automatically be guilty like I have heard PayPal does and is supported by the posts you read here.
posted on July 30, 2001 02:02:47 PM new
Well, as long as things run smoothly, PayPal is a fine service. You'll get your money faster, and be able to ship faster as a result. No worries about bounced checks.
However, once things start to go wrong, LOOK OUT! Customer service is absymally poor. Non-responsiveness to e-mails and phone calls is the norm. Inaccurate and inconsistent information is provided when you do finally get ahold of someone. PayPal will basically say or do whaever they need to in order to get you to go away. Just ask the poor guy whose $10,000 account has been locked for no reason for about 3 months now. They have not even been willing to explain why...much less resolve the problem. Can you afford to have your money tied up like that?
I'd advise you to find another way to collect payments.
