Selling Crafts Online/Paypal
 

Hello!

I just wanted to know if anyone sells their handmade crafts online and use paypal as a seller's payment option. I am new to conducting business online; and I have heard the nightmares of funds being held or withdrawn by paypal. Are there any pros/cons or alternate payment options. Any info you can offer will be appreciated.

Thanks

me too, one day i hope to use Paypal.

This will be an interesting topic.

I have used PayPal for both making and receiving payments for items sold through this board.

There have been a few glitches, but those were mostly user error ones - such as not using the correct "address" for an account.

A buyer pays nothing for the transfer. A seller pays fees - last year (I wasn't able to open the window for fees right this minute) the fees for me were $0.30 per transaction, plus 2.9% of the total payment.

On a $1.00 transaction, this is how it would go:
The sender sends $1.00 to me.
PayPal deducts $0.30 plus $0.03 for it's handling fee.
I ended up with $0.67

The fee was more tolerable on bigger transactions, but it really "hurt" on the very small transactions.

If one has a very high volume of business, the rates are lower.

The plus side - one could get payment right away if the buyer paid right away.
The plus side for a buyer - no postage to pay

what bear said - I have been using it for 15 years, no problem. The problems you hear about are mostly related to scams on Ebay -- you sell a designer bag, buyer says it was a fake, Ebay/PP sides with buyer and holds your money.

I have never encountered anything but the nicest people buying/selling crafts.

yeah, the bad guys are the ones I worry about. They can mess up your account big time. Thanks

I recently bought fabric from an online company that didn't offer Paypal. I emailed and asked about it and was told they used to use Paypal but had problems (PP held onto funds during disputes, I think it was). I understood their position, but I said the reason I use Paypal is so that *I* don't have problems, especially with my own credit cards or bank cards.

I have some "fun" money in Paypal that I use for fabric purchases, and I didn't really want to pay any other way. They opted to restore the Paypal option, and I made the purchase.

I have considered setting up an Etsy store, and while I think maybe they assist in helping you process credit cards (?), I think Paypal is the easiest way to go...

I have sold on eBay before they increase taking 9% out of what I charged for shipping, I have never had any problem selling or paying for items bought here or on Ebay. I think it is the safest way to conduct business with total strangers. If I was doing craft shows and had a smart phone, there are options like the Square when you can swipe a person's credit card. I always ship using PayPal because you get discounts on shipping charges so the delivery notification 19c is then paid for which is real cheap insurance. My friend sells blocks on eBay and she has had a customer saying they never received the package. I always verify a customer address to make sure it is current before shipping. Remember, in most disputes, the customer is usually right from PayPal's view.

My husband is a very highly rated e-bay seller and uses paypal all the time. Never had not 1 problem, not 1 issue. Everything has worked out just great for him so far.

I have also sold & bought on Ebay & Etsy . I use paypal & love the no hassle process .

There is also Google Wallet

You can also use Google Wallet - easy to use..

Been using eBay forever, no problem.

I used Pay Pal for yrs and then this past year it was hacked into and if I hadn't acted so fast I would have lost close to 1,000. I did not like the way they handled it, even though it ended up being proven that I didn't make the charges they still tried to take the money from my bank. When I emailed them trying to find the status of the problem they told me I'd have to log onto my account to find out. When ever I tried to log in after changing my login info they kept asking me to confirm my bank account info (which of course I closed immediately) and I could never get passed that screen because I wasn't confirming anything with the money being in dispute. One account they showed had been cancelled 2 yrs ago so it shouldn't have even showed up. I really wasn't sure if I was even connected to Pay Pal even though I went thru the web to get them, I never click on links in emails. There have been a few offers on here that I would have loved to get but the sellers only wanted to use Pay Pal and I'm not going back there. Good luck with selling your crafts but realize not everyone wants or can use Pay Pal.

I have never sold and used paypal in that way but I have been purchasing through paypal for years and have never had a problem. Very very seldom do I purchase something here or online if I can't use paypal.

Pretty much the same as what others have said.

I have sold items on Ebay and didn't offer Paypal and had huge hassles...never again for me.

If I can't use Paypal I don't sell or buy anything online. I like the protection of others not having my account information.

I have been selling on a variety of sites using paypal for years. I also buy almost everything online and will not buy gifts from sellers who do not use paypal. This is because of the security issues using credit/debit cards. The identity theft/credit hacking issue far out ways any difficulties experienced when a buyer disputes a shipment and paypal temporarily puts a hold on an account. After all, that is their job, to step in and protect both parties in a dispute.
In my 'real' job, I deal with identity theft on a daily basis - it is huge! And everyone has seen the large stores/businesses in the news recently having their systems hacked. One thing I suggest to people who buy with a credit card, either online or at a brick and mortar, is to get a credit card from your bank with a small limit ($300 - $500) and REQUIRE that they do not increase the limit. Use this card for all purchases. If you spend a bunch, 2 days later make a payment on the card and you can go spend more. Then if the number is hacked and/or stolen, the thief will be frustrated with the limited spending.

I have a dedicated, totally free bank account just for PayPal. I only keep about $100 in it at any given time. The lady at the bank who set me up with it confirmed that I was smart for handling it that way and lamented that more people didn't.

I've used paypal for over 10 years now..the full 10 buying and the last 5 selling, too. I have to say..I don't care for the fees, but I guess everybody has to get their share, and I feel that I make up for them through the discounted shipping I get. I have never had a problem with paypal, as a buyer or a seller..I have had a couple of disputes over the years and found them to be both prompt, and fair. I know that it's ebays policy to withdraw the money back from the sellers account and hold it when a claim is opened..I don't see this as a bad thing..I think it protects everyone. Most claims are made for buyer not receiving item( tracking cures that!), or item not as described..(be honest and take lots of pics)..or a damaged item..this one is more tricky because it doesn't pay to insure small dollar items, but I always insist on insurance for anything over 50 dollars...(if you ship priority, the first 50 dollars insurance is included)..Most buyers and sellers are very honest, and most transactions go very smoothly. After you're on for a while..you start to notice the "red flags"...if the pics are too distant to see detail, or they are blurry...move on..seller is trying to hide something!An honest seller will show you good, detailed pics of the item, from many angles.

Have used Pal Pal for 8-9 years and no problems, both for buying and selling.

I sell Prayer Beads on-line and have used Paypal exclusively as the payment processor for 12 years. I've never had a problem and appreciate the fact I'm not responsible for having the purchaser's credit card info. There have been two disputes, both of which were knee jerk reactions from customers not contacting me on a mistake but going directly to Paypal. In both cases Paypal acted fairly. Yes, they charge a fee but all credit card processors do and many are much higher than Paypal unless you have very high sales (mine are less than $8,000 a year).