paypal's eye in the sky

[AndrewBird]

Google Checkout has even higher fees. It's 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. PayPal is just 2.9%. That's if you are selling $3000 or less per month. Not sure how it is above that. I know PayPal drops to 1.9 or something.

I do like their cart better then PayPal though.

[NigelStu]

I checked out the Google checkout today. Looks like the exact same fee structure as PayPal... can someone verify this? I'd like a better option for my biz. Data systems are pricey and not a great profit margin.

[george graves]

Can anyone explain the basics of Google CheckOut? If they don't charge a commission, how do they make money?

They make it up in volume. (it's a joke - an old SNL bit)

IIRC google check out isn't for person to person transactions. I'll put it on my todo list to check it out.

[Massive Lee]

3% adds up to alot if you are receiving a good amount of $$$$. My customers either send as a gift or mail a personal check. Paypal can eat a box of dicks.

When a customer orders a $4500.00 front and rear kit and shipping, 3% is $135.00usd
Make a few sales like that in a week, and it pays for a secretary or somebody to make boxes and ship.

[Massive Lee]

Can anyone explain the basics of Google CheckOut? If they don't charge a commission, how do they make money? Would Google CheckOut be a better option for businesses (no fee, based on credit cards), while Paypal is perhaps geared toward individuals.

[NuthinFancy]

I still do everything old skool (through mail) and it has been keeping me from buying a lot from this forum, kinda sux I would like to buy more but everyone and their mom has paypal. That said im looking into both paypal and google checkout. I gotta get with the program. Since im just starting off with one of these systems would anyone have an opinion on which is more Noob friendly?

[ZM Blue Devil]

Big fan of google checkout, love the auto transfer to bank account. On the new ecommerce site we will accept, google checkout, paypal, and credit cards.

The only complaint I have about google checkout vs paypal is I like how I can just do shipping straight from paypal if Im using a major carrier. Google check out just offers to add the shipping info.

[browntown]

I got a nastygram from paypal a month or so ago because I sold a firearm (all legally, sent to a ffl), and the buyer reimbursed some of my expenses via paypal. Paypal is strictly anti-gun and because the buyer mentioned something gun related in the notes section - they suspended my account till I e-signed something saying I wasn't doing anything against their policies.

The firearm community is very anti-paypal because of these things and gunpal was gaining quite a bit of popularity. Now gunpal (gpal.net) has caused quite a shitstorm on gun forums for holding peoples money hostage.

I use paypal almost everyday. I have no complaints besides their anti-gun policies. That being said, if I was in business and wanted to accept credit-cards === I would definitely use google checkout like blunt. It really is a slick system that I've used many times as a buyer.

[Good & Tight]

3% adds up to alot if you are receiving a good amount of $$$$. My customers either send as a gift or mail a personal check. Paypal can eat a box of dicks.

[Wh33lhop]

Paypal buyer protection is worthless, as long as the seller has a tracking number you are SOL. To Paypal, it doesn't matter if they sent you a box of dicks or a car part, as long as they sent SOMETHING to your address they are off the hook, cut and dry, done. If they sent you something different than was advertised you have to take different avenues of attack. The main part that bugs me about sending money as a "gift" is there is no record of a transaction to show that you paid for anything. If you send gift money that you explicitly state is a "gift" to some random chode and then complain to the authorities that he didn't send you your parts, you will get laughed at.

That said, seriously who is selling parts out of their backyard and bitching about 3%? Some guy awhile ago asked for me to send my $12 payment as a gift, I just added the 40 cents and sent it normally. I can understand if you're running a business with smallish profit margins, but if you're just selling parts off, 3% of $100 is 3 bucks. That's not even enough to get a decent burger. Nobody likes paying fees or taxes, but as long as you're not running a business it's not the bloody murder that people are making it out to be.

[z31maniac]

I paid blunt using the Google checkout system last year for a bunch of parts.

Works just great, no problems. But I'm sure most of that is because blunt handles his business.

[SpoolnDaapex]

You buy something from me and pay me with PP's Gift method. I don't send you [insert cool euro part here] but instead send you a bag of dicks.

You are obviously angered and want your money back.

You can't claim through PP that I sent you [insert cool euro part here] and get your money back through their buyer protection.

You are now out $$$ and have a bag of dicks with no return address anywhere to be found.

edit: BTW I'm pretty sure the guy meant that the buyer will be unprotected vs the seller being unprotected. Unless he did. Now there's a riddle.

this

[Massive Lee]

shit. i only accept money as gifts so i dont have to eat the fees. im expecting this email to hit my inbox very soon.

Honestly, there's not much Paypal can do. You cannot be held responsible for the buyer sending you the money the way he prefers.

I know that Blunt uses the Google method. Maybe he can chime in. I believe that charging 1% fee is already a lot. 3% is over the top. So is 4% I get charged on transaction with Europe, plus 2% on exchange rate.

[Dj Buttchug]

shit. i only accept money as gifts so i dont have to eat the fees. im expecting this email to hit my inbox very soon.

[Massive Lee]

A customer sent me $185 for some parts on Dec. 07. Parts are shipped. Then on Dec. 30th I receive a notification that a dispute is going on. I asked the buyer if anything was wrong with the part. Basically, I received $185 but Paypal took $851 out of the clients bank account... Therefore, the problem is strictly between Paypal and the bank, while $185 is frozen from my account. Not a big deal as I have a lot of money traffic, but I just don't think it's cool that I be involved in a situation where I have no responsibility. It's not the buyer's fault though.