An alternative to Paypal??
01-30-04, 02:21 AM
#1
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An alternative to Paypal??
Hi everyone.
I do business on Ebay in spurts every once in a while - just enough so that accepting credit cards is necessary.
I used to use ebay payments for them, but since they've acquired Paypal, I've been using Paypal. However, I am all too tired of all the extra charges, and I was wondering if there was a better, safer, CHEAPER alternative.
C2it seems to have gone under and I've found a bunch of sites that require you to have a reseller license etc...
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I do business on Ebay in spurts every once in a while - just enough so that accepting credit cards is necessary.
I used to use ebay payments for them, but since they've acquired Paypal, I've been using Paypal. However, I am all too tired of all the extra charges, and I was wondering if there was a better, safer, CHEAPER alternative.
C2it seems to have gone under and I've found a bunch of sites that require you to have a reseller license etc...
Does anyone have any suggestions?
01-30-04, 07:34 AM
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I've used http://www.auctionpayments.com in the past to pay for stuff I bought off ebay. It's Western Union. Basically if you use this for your auction, the buyer would go online, and send you a money order from western union. I believe with this service, the buyer pays the fees also (not sure fi you get charged or not.)
But may be worth looking into.
But may be worth looking into.
01-30-04, 09:09 AM
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Interesting site, Ben - the buyer pays the payment fees, which, according to the site, start at $1.95. The buyer can use a credit or debit card and the seller is sent a Western Union Money Order. If there's a dispute, this site can't come after the seller. I'm certain this site would be attractive to a lot of sellers. However, I wonder if it also violates Ebay rules, which state that the buyer cannot be charged extra fees over and above shipping and handling. On the other hand, BIDPAY has been doing this exact thing for years (where the buyer pays the payment fees). The main problem I see with this site is getting buyers to trust and use it since not many know about it.
Wonder what happens if the buyer has a dispute and has the credit card charge reversed?
In the past, there was BILLPOINT, which was an Ebay associated payment service that Ebay discontinued using when they bought PAYPAL. CIT2, a direct rival to PAYPAL, has been recently discontinued. I don't know of any others.
Wonder what happens if the buyer has a dispute and has the credit card charge reversed?
In the past, there was BILLPOINT, which was an Ebay associated payment service that Ebay discontinued using when they bought PAYPAL. CIT2, a direct rival to PAYPAL, has been recently discontinued. I don't know of any others.
01-30-04, 09:49 AM
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Bidpay and Auction Payments is the same thing.
Bidpay no longer exists (name change).
It does not violate any eBay rules, as it is a Money Order service. It is the same as buying a money order in a post office. No money orders are free, and eBay cannot regulate that.
It is only illegal for a seller to charge for using a specific payment service.
AuctionPayments/Bidpay will never be as big or as effective as Paypal, however, and most eBayers are unwilling to use it over paypal.
If I were you, I would upgrade to a Premier or Business account (if you haven't already) so you can get the merchant rate, and just live with it.
In all honesty, there is no true alternative to Paypal when it comes to paying online. No one is as big, recognized, or widely used as Paypal.
Good luck!
--LVM
Bidpay no longer exists (name change).
It does not violate any eBay rules, as it is a Money Order service. It is the same as buying a money order in a post office. No money orders are free, and eBay cannot regulate that.
It is only illegal for a seller to charge for using a specific payment service.
AuctionPayments/Bidpay will never be as big or as effective as Paypal, however, and most eBayers are unwilling to use it over paypal.
If I were you, I would upgrade to a Premier or Business account (if you haven't already) so you can get the merchant rate, and just live with it.
In all honesty, there is no true alternative to Paypal when it comes to paying online. No one is as big, recognized, or widely used as Paypal.
Good luck!
--LVM
01-30-04, 10:11 AM
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Paying fees is simply part of doing business. Every time you use a credit card at a store or restaurant, the seller is paying a fee for accepting the transaction - so it's really no different than Paypal.
If you use the Paypal card as a credit card, you can get some of your fees back (1.5%). I also like the idea that now I can simply click on a button and pay my eBay fees directly from my Paypal balance.
If you use the Paypal card as a credit card, you can get some of your fees back (1.5%). I also like the idea that now I can simply click on a button and pay my eBay fees directly from my Paypal balance.
02-02-04, 01:10 AM
#6
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In order to successfully sell on ebay, you would need to accept Paypal. Consider it a cost of doing business...i used to sell for several years, during the last year or so i offered Bidpay as an option....never once used.
If you were only to accept mail payments, surely your items would sell for much less than it would cost you to accept Paypal.
Good luck selling!
If you were only to accept mail payments, surely your items would sell for much less than it would cost you to accept Paypal.
Good luck selling!
