I can see how this is advantageous to the seller – passing Paypal commission onto the buyer. But does it also mean that there’s no protection/recompense for (e.g.) goods not delivered?

If it’s a gift, you’re not buying anything though, are you?

If you use Paypal funds or bank account (ie. not credit card) there are no fees at all.
Of course you can only use it with trustworthy (STW) folk cos you can’t expect Paypal to back you up with a claim.

I’ve never really understood paypal and it’s fees. Am I right in thinking:

1. If you pay for something with paypal (balance, bank account or credit card) you don’t pay any fees.
2. If you receive any payment then you do pay a fee. (Do you pay more if the payment is from a credit card?)
3. If you make a payment as a gift from account balance or bank account then there are no fees, but if your payment is by credit card you have to pay a fee but the receiver doesn’t.

1. Correct
2.pay fee unless it is a gift .. you can only pay by a card if they dont have your bank account… the fee is the same if debit ir credoit I think
3. first bit correct – with gift by card it tells you the fee and asks who will pay iy and the sender chooses to pay it or let the recipient pay

PS it is a really poor system for buyers and sellers and I generally avoid it- try and contact them or Ebay

2. You don’t pay a fee for a Personal payment if the payment is paid by paypal funds or direct from bank account. Credit card will always incur fees.
3. By credit card, the payer gets to choose if the fees are paid by them or by the payee.

Just log in and try it, you don’t have to complete the transaction!

Cheers, that helps.

I think Junkyard sums it up nicely with ‘it is a really poor system for buyers and sellers and I generally avoid it’

I do have an account but try and avoid it if at all possible.

I sold something recently, got paid with paypal as gift, still got charged a fee…..

I always use bank transfer if possible.

No fees and if you get scammed then I imagine it’s easier for the old bill to trace the criminal.

‘it is a really poor system for buyers and sellers and I generally avoid it’

Maybe for those that don’t understand it.
It’s a great system, which is why it’s got so massive. Now you can avoid fees, it’s even better.

DezB
NOT understand it … erm yes that putting in an e-mail address – selecting an amount to send ..sayingwhat it is for… christ is their a support tutorial somewhere for me?
great system…..all those happy people who paid Will JC before the hack now sitting there safely with there money returned and Paypal bending over backwards to help them and the police get this serial fraudster then !!!!
Best avoided IMHO
http://www.paypalsucks.com/index.shtml

…..all those happy people who paid Will JC before the hack now sitting there safely with there money returned and Paypal bending over backwards to help them and the police get this serial fraudster then !!!!

And if we’d paid via balance transfer? how much difference would there be?

Junkyard, I undertand IT, but not your post.
cheers.

3. By credit card, the payer gets to choose if the fees are paid by them or by the payee.

Really? I pretty much always pay by credit card and have never been asked this.

Couldn’t be much clearer.

Ah I see, you get asked that if you’re making a gift payment.

If you just say it’s a purchase of goods (as I’ve always done previously) then the receiver always pays.

Ah I see, you get asked that if you’re making a gift payment

I assume you didn’t read the rest of the thread then

I may be wide of the mark, but I assume some of the police’s disinterest in chasing up fraud claims via paypal is because its just as difficult and frustrating for them to deal with Paypal as it is for us.

I assume you didn’t read the rest of the thread then

Pretty much, it just wasn’t very clear that for non-gift payments you don’t get to make the choice.

Ho hum.

Sorry DezB it is largely sarcasm
1.Using Paypal is pi55 simple
2. If it goes wrong they are not much help
Daffy Fair point – not much better but which is easier to set up (and trace) a fraudulent bank account or a fraudulent Paypal account?
Banks are regulated by FSA in UK Paypal is not … they made efforts to make sure they were not as well.