Online Sellers Use PayPal But Rate Google Wallet Highly

by: Anonymous Annie

Re: PayPal's ''popularity'' score...

I think it's important to note that ''popular'' and ''ubiquitous'' and ''only-option'' are not synonymous.

Because PP is (for all practical purposes) the ONLY payment source permitted on eBay, it's difficult (or impossible) for any eBay seller to determine with any accuracy PayPal's actual ''popularity''.

That's like saying that PEPCO is the most ''popular'' electric company in my town because everyone uses it!

by: KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THEM ALL!

Amen Annie.
In my experience pay pal is every bit as hated, dispised and mistrusted as ebay, (and rightly so) and is the absolute LAST choice any seller chooses to accept as a payment processor unless FORCED to.
(But of course they are the FIRST payment method choice for all the online SCAMMER/THEIVES who know they can work the pay pal system and force a refund AND get to keep the product if they pay through pay pal as pay pal and ebay actually ENCOURAGE, PROMOTE and basically BEG buyers to commit on line theft from sellers)  

by: Leafgreen

Wow, wow. I gotta believe that the low PayPal *versus* Google Wallet is just habitual hate of PP. I've been selling with both for as long as each have been around.

I hate GW much, MUCH more than PP. GW is buggy. Right now on my cart, GW isn't totally working well. GW customer service is non-existent. Every try calling GW??? No phone number. PP I can get on the phone in 2 minutes. Their web support team in excellent.

GW has at least a 15 minute delay after the customer places the order until it's authorized, and sometimes 2 hours. No delay with PP.

Sure PP has caused some issues for some eBayers. But, none for us on eBay or our cart.

by: Tula

One interesting thing I've noticed is that 80% of my buyers on ArtFire use Amazon Payments. I've had no trouble with it at all. I suspect there are simply a lot of people who would rather use an account they already have, like Amazon, over signing up for yet another service like Paypal. Google has less "brand awareness" in terms of a payment option among the buyers I've spoken with, whereas just about everyone has an Amazon account.

by: Anonymous Annie

-- ''But, none for us on eBay or our cart.''

It's just not your turn yet. You've been very fortunate in that regard.

Although I get where you're coming from, I'm afraid I'll have to take issue with your phrase ''habitual hate''. To use such a phrase is to suggest that those who ''hate'' PP do so in a mindless and unthinking manner... and that their feelings toward PP are unjustified and without merit. And in that regard, I must say that you've completely missed the mark.

I find it incredible that any online merchant who has a website or shopping cart would voluntarily choose to use PP... much less, to use PP exclusively. ~ Sheer insanity!

What an incredible risk the merchant takes with their entire business! Of course there's the risk associated with PP's scammer-friendly policies, but there's also the risk associated with random holds, shutting down accounts, and overriding a merchant's refund/exchange policies.

Additionally, when a small online merchant offers ONLY PayPal, then it really makes their site and business look unprofessional. Sophisticated online shoppers see that and they know immediately ''here's a merchant that isn't professional enough to get a merchant account, or perhaps their cash flow is so tight that they're running their entire business as an underfunded hand-to-mouth venture... and who knows if the business will be here tomorrow.''

Frankly, that's not the impression that I want to give to MY customers. In fact, because of my own ''habitual hate'' toward PP, there's not even a place for them at my table. I refuse to even offer PP as an alternative payment option.

Ultimately, PP's reputation is something of their own making. To mangle the words of Dickens... the weight and length of the strong coil they bear grows every year. They labor on it tirelessly... It is a ponderous chain!

by: elpereles

I'm not a PayPal fan, but I don't understand how Googgle beat it in the Fee Structure because both have similar fees.

Sorry, but the ''hate'' factor looks like the reason that PP gets lower numbers in that category. Because as far I know. I said it again the fees are similar.

PayPal Fees
https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content
_ID=merchant/merchant_fees

Google Fees
http://checkout.google.com/seller/fees.html

Also another comment. As a seller, the Google Checkout is only available to USA (50 States) and UK sellers. The rest of the sellers can't use it.

by: Anonymous Annie

It may be accurate to state that the ''fees'' for PP and GW are comparable... but only as an invoiced line-item or per-transaction cost.

It's likely that many people consider OTHER costs (risks and losses) as part of the overall ''fees'' associated with PP... and when they look at the ENTIRE PICTURE and their own real-life experiences, they discover that there's more involved than just looking at a comparison matrix of ''fees'' and ''prices''.

by: elpereles

Sorry, but I consider that "risk and losses" aren't part of the "fee structure". I can consider it as part of the headache of "Resolution Process" and "Account Holds, rolling, reserve, etc".

by: Anonymous Annie

Yes, I take you point... indeed those things are not literally ''fees''. But, smart sellers look beyond the fee matrix and consider the entire cost of doing business with PayPal.

For those sellers who consider all aspects of PP (fees + losses + holds + hassles + risks + interference + uncertainties + their own business reputation, etc) the bottom line is this: PP is not the bargain that PP would have everyone believe it is. (Nor is it the ''most loved'' or ''most trusted'' payment method either.)

It's the same type of ''cost of ownership'' analysis that many people apply when selecting a new car. When choosing between automobiles that are comparable in price, size and features... yet one of those vehicles gets lousy gas mileage and is constantly in need of repairs, and puts the driver at risk of being stranded on the highway... the choice between the two becomes clear.

Likewise... PayPal is simply not a good value anymore.

by: Philip Cohen

As I am not a merchant, I did not take much notice of this survey, but, PayPal receives highest rating for “Customer Popularity”! Of course, sellers are here talking about how they think that their customers rate PreyPal, but how would sellers know how buyers rate PreyPal other than by the fact that many buyers use it. Indeed, on that basis PreyPal probably should be rated 9.5.

Of course, PreyPal is popular with buyers, even I, as a most vocal critic of these two most unscrupulous commercial entities, use PreyPal because of its convenience (and, of course, its hard-wired “buyer protection”, although I have never had reason to call on it).

Watch for PreyPal’s press release on this win for “customer popularity”; it will be totally disingenuous as usual. They’ll overlook entirely the fact that sellers gave PreyPal the lowest ratings in every other category.

This survey is supposed to be from the merchant’s point of view and therefore is not this “customer popularity” finding somewhat misleading and pointless? If I was an off-eBay merchant and Visa’s V.me was available, I would not touch PreyPal with a forty-foot pole, no matter how popular PreyPal appeared to be with buyers..

Come on, V,me, come on …

eBay / PayPal / Donahoe: Dead Men Walking

by: elpereles

@Philip Cohen, lets face the truth. The ''V'' will not make a difference in the war against PayPal if they don't manage to become something better than Google Checkout.

by: Philip Cohen

@elpereles,

Do you know who Visa is? Or MasterCard? Do you think merchants have as much trouble with a real bank issued merchant account as they have with PreyPal? Believe me, when V.me is up and running, PreyPal, except for its effectively mandated use on the eBay marketplace and for those who could probably not get a bank-issued merchant account, PreyPal  will disappear so fast …

The fact is V.me will work exactly the same as PreyPal; the only difference being Visa is a professional operator, a child of the real banking system, whereas PreyPal is a clunky, unprofessional, unscrupulous, middleman, “merchant of sorts”. There simply will be no comparison. PreyPal’s off-eBay operations are doomed, just like the latest joke that eBay has wholly financed at Home Depot: "PayPal: The New Way To Pay In-Store" …

Next time you drop into Home Depot, ask the check-out chick if anyone has yet used (the wholly eBay-funded roll out of) PreyPal to make a point-of-sale purchase. PayPal Here has got about as much future as PreyPal at Home Depot—absolutely none!  

Donahoe has been too long on the tit of eBay's “tied house” merchants; apparently, he is laboring under the delusion that, even off eBay, he can mandate the uptake of his latest clunky PreyPal products. Good luck John, you are going to need it.

And, while we are at it and just for a laugh, some comments on "PayPal: The New Way To Pay In-Store", PayPal Digital Wallet, PayPal Debit MasterCard, PayPal Here, PayPal Local and Watch With EBay ...
 
http://forums.auctionbytes.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24
611
 
eBay / PayPal / Donahoe: Dead Men Walking

by: elpereles

I'm not surprise that Visa is behind an online payment service. With all respect, but it is time to open your mind for a moment and drop the fanatic PayPal thing. Visa is just other big evil company trying to eat part of the cake.

Sorry, but I read some comments. It like we are under Godzilla attack every day. We need a ''Savior'', then came King Ghidora, and we believe it is the ''good'' guy because is fighting Godzilla. Hello, wake up! Both are monsters that like to bring destruction. For politicians/history fans maybe I can compare V.me like Fidel Castro, the ''savior'' from the evil dictator Rafael Trujillo. Some people wait for him with hope to see him in the end become other evil dictator.

The point is easy. Visa and PayPal are both companies that are created to made money. Until now I don't know any ''PayPal Alternative'' that wants to be better than PP in favor of the sellers.

What is going to be the difference from V.me and PayPal? Maybe in a future people will get money interest for the V.me holds contrary to PP.

Please just go to ''V.me Terms of Service'' and see the true. They are in ''Beta'' mode. For now is going to be available to only the USA (50 states) for sellers and buyers. And they will change terms without anyone permission.

In the terms. It is very interesting read the following:

''2.CHANGES TO V.ME

Visa may, in its sole discretion, terminate, change, modify, suspend, make improvements to or discontinue any or all aspects of V.me, temporarily or permanently, including the availability of any Service, at any time with or without notice to you. You agree that Visa shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of V.me.''

https://www.v.me/pages/terms

by: Philip Cohen

@elpereles,

Please stop shilling for the eBafia/PreyPal, or at least get them to pay you more so that you can spend the time thinking up better arguments, or just follow more closely the bullet points supplied to you by your eBay Dept of Spin …

The difference between the “evil companies” as you call them is that Visa/MasterCard/the banks are professional, prudentially regulated, FDIC-insured financial institutions, whereas PreyPal is a clunky, effectively unregulated, disingenuous, unscrupulous, “merchant of sorts”, and not a licensed financial institution; PreyPal is somewhere licensed only as a “money transmitter”, like Western Union, and even then they are habitually in breach of the statutory provisions that apply to such a licence.

The difference between V.me and PayPal is simple. V.me is a daughter of Visa, a regulated financial institution, and PayPal is a daughter of eBay, both unregulated, clunky, unscrupulous, commercial entities.

“Changes to V.me …”

Now I know that you are reading from an eBay script. Do you really think that V.me statement is peculiar? Try reading the PreyPal UA: it’s about 100 times more draconian than that and you have no banking ombudsman or other regulator to complain to either; although I understand that state authorities are now receiving an annoying number of complaints about PreyPal’s “holding” of funds due to many payees.

If there is any truly “evil” here it is your eBay and its ugly adopted daughter, PayPal.

Now, please give me a break, and go back to your PayPal cubicle …

eBay / PayPal / Donahoe: Dead Men Walking

by: elpereles

It so sad to see some people is living in a house and see the world just by the keyhole.

If you want to continue your fanatic ideas against a company. It is your problem. It is a shame that the best defense is to accuse anybody that is ''promo guy'' or a ''fotutero'' from a company.

I saw it in the past. Thanks to fanatic people like you. The real problems of the people get lost in the Internet and any comment is consider just spam.

The banks are regulated and they are friendly. Yeah, right! Are you talking about the same banks that are accused of stole billions? And also made people protest in the USA.

by: Philip Cohen

@elpereles,

If you are indeed not an eBay shill but still you prefer to leave your funds "on deposit" with the PreyPal faux "bank", so be it, and good luck to you ...

eBay / PayPal / Donahoe: Dead Men Walking