PayPal's Message to Holiday Shoppers

[jt-libra]

WOW!  Why not encourage shoppers instead by reassuring them that sellers are held to a high standard and that they can shop with confidence using PayPal.  I think this is a very negative and offensive (to sellers) message. --------------------------------------------------

PayPal's Message to Holiday Shoppers - Too Negative? By: Ina Steiner

Not happy with an order? We can help." That's the subject line of PayPal's holiday marketing email campaign sent this week. Inside, it tells recipients, "Shop with peace of mind this season."

PayPal is working to reassure holiday shoppers by telling them it will help them get a refund if their order arrives damaged, is different than advertised, or doesn't arrive at all:

PayPal Purchase Protection helps ensure you don't put a bow on something broken. If your order arrives damaged, we can help get you a refund. (Learn More & See Eligibility.)

(Cue photo showing broken Christmas Tree ornament.) The email continues:

Did you know PayPal Purchase Protection also covers eligible orders that arrive different than advertised or not at all? (Learn More.)

Both URLs link to this landing page where it describes PayPal Purchase Protection and advises shoppers to file a dispute within 180 days of purchase or payment.

The marketing email also includes a link to a landing page where it offers discounts from big brands such as Mattel: "We've stuffed your stocking with great holiday deals from your favorite brands."

Included on that page is the enticing offer, "Return Shipping's On Us! If a gift isn't working out, we can give it a free ride back to the workshop." Clicking through to learn more provides this explanation:

*Exclusions apply. This is an exclusive offer offered to eligible PayPal account owners. With this service you are eligible to receive up to 12 refunds per calendar year (between January 1st and December 31st), and may receive refunds of up to $30 USD per claim. PayPal reserves the right to cancel or modify part of or this entire Offer at any time without notice, for any reason in their sole discretion.

[recped]

How does PayPal effectively hold sellers to a high standard?

PayPal standards are basically the bare minimum and clearly there are still plenty of sellers who can't make the cut.

Is this any different from the massive amount of advertising Amex does that goes on an on about their purchase protection. Payment processors really don't add a lot of value beyond convenience, to stand out in a crowd they need to provide extra incentives to grab market share. Buyer protection is simply that,. an incentive for people to use PayPal.

Did you know that less than 25% of PayPal's total payment volume comes from eBay?

[zee-chan]

What a great way to advertise by suggesting that something could arrive broken right from the start! [/end sarcasm] 

[jt-libra]

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@recped wrote:

How does PayPal effectively hold sellers to a high standard?

PayPal standards are basically the bare minimum and clearly there are still plenty of sellers who can't make the cut.

Is this any different from the massive amount of advertising Amex does that goes on an on about their purchase protection. Payment processors really don't add a lot of value beyond convenience, to stand out in a crowd they need to provide extra incentives to grab market share. Buyer protection is simply that,. an incentive for people to use PayPal.

Did you know that less than 25% of PayPal's total payment volume comes from eBay?

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I stand corrected.  Sometimes I forget that eBay and PayPal have split so the high standards we are held to by eBay have nothing to do with PayPal.

[rose-dee]

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@recped wrote:

Is this any different from the massive amount of advertising Amex does that goes on an on about their purchase protection. Payment processors really don't add a lot of value beyond convenience, to stand out in a crowd they need to provide extra incentives to grab market share. Buyer protection is simply that,. an incentive for people to use PayPal.

---

You are no doubt right, but I still think it's a mistake to focus so heavily on caveat emptor  in the run up to Christmas.   Instead of offers to pay for return shipping for all those goods that are sure to be damaged, why not give shoppers a $10 rebate on their next purchase over $100 using Paypal, or something else to encourage buyers?

With a 180-day return available (which in itself seems ridiculous to me), why not advertise their buyer protection immediately after the holiday shopping is finished instead of enumerating and reminding shoppers in advance about all the ways things can go wrong?

If their hope is to attract more buyers to using Paypal, whether on eBay or elsewhere, I think this downer of an advertisement is counter-productive.  To put it bluntly, what a bummer.  Basically it says -- go ahead and shop, things will most likely go wrong, you'll be upset and disappointed that the gift you looked forward to giving is broken or damaged, but don't worry, you can return everything by next April.  Humbug! 

[recped]

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@rose-dee wrote:

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@recped wrote:

Is this any different from the massive amount of advertising Amex does that goes on an on about their purchase protection. Payment processors really don't add a lot of value beyond convenience, to stand out in a crowd they need to provide extra incentives to grab market share. Buyer protection is simply that,. an incentive for people to use PayPal.

---

You are no doubt right, but I still think it's a mistake to focus so heavily on caveat emptor  in the run up to Christmas.   Instead of offers to pay for return shipping for all those goods that are sure to be damaged, why not give shoppers a $10 rebate on their next purchase over $100 using Paypal, or something else to encourage buyers?

With a 180-day return available (which in itself seems ridiculous to me), why not advertise their buyer protection immediately after the holiday shopping is finished instead of enumerating and reminding shoppers in advance about all the ways things can go wrong?

If their hope is to attract more buyers to using Paypal, whether on eBay or elsewhere, I think this downer of an advertisement is counter-productive.  To put it bluntly, what a bummer.  Basically it says -- go ahead and shop, things will most likely go wrong, you'll be upset and disappointed that the gift you looked forward to giving is broken or damaged, but don't worry, you can return everything by next April.  Humbug! 

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What else should they focus on, providing security and protection to it's users is really the only thing PayPal does. What other reason is there to use their service? Keep in mind that while purchases on eBay are covered by eBay's MBG purchases made on other sites may (and often do) not include any type of buyer protection.

As far as giving people incentives like cash back or coupons to sign up with PayPal.....they offer these all the time to entice new users to sign up.

Ina publishes these silly articles because her "base" loves this type of stuff.

[reallynicestamps]

From time to time we see an upset buyer who didn't use Paypal because he refuses to deal with them.

Any idea why ?

I can see why a seller might object to their fees, if they have never run a retail business and don't know about credit card merchant fees, but PP is free to the buyer, anonymizes financial information, and has a six month dispute resolution period.

I really don't understand the problem.

Tinfoil hats?

[recped]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

From time to time we see an upset buyer who didn't use Paypal because he refuses to deal with them.

Any idea why ?

I can see why a seller might object to their fees, if they have never run a retail business and don't know about credit card merchant fees, but PP is free to the buyer, anonymizes financial information, and has a six month dispute resolution period.

I really don't understand the problem.

Tinfoil hats?

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Former sellers who still have not gotten over how they lost a SNAD claim 10 years ago!

Seriously, Google PayPal Sucks and spend a few minutes reading the vitriol out there. I've gotta say, the eBay/PayPal haters are a dedicated bunch.

[i.am.vivian]

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@recped wrote:

 Google PayPal Sucks and spend a few minutes reading the vitriol out there. I've gotta say, the eBay/PayPal haters are a dedicated bunch.

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There's an actual dotcom website just for that.  LOL!!  Now that's funny! (I wouldn't have thought of it)     🙂 

[recped]

There is one for eBay as well and probably hundreds, if not thousands more for just about every company you can imagine.

The internet has provided a forum for people to wallow in their misery forever and always have a small but loyal following to reinforce their feelings.

It's sad to see people who are so bitter and of course it makes it all too easy for those with legitimate issues to be lost in the din.

[jt-libra]

recped wrote:

Ina publishes these silly articles because her "base" loves this type of stuff.

I take it that the "base" you refer to are those individuals you call eBay/PayPal haters.  And we all know there are many of those.

I read Ina's column from time to time and I find very interesting some of the issues that the U.S. sellers are dealing with, not only on eBay, but Etsy as well.  Many of their issues are the same as ours.  I rarely read the comments section, however, since you see the same names over and over and they really don't have anything positive to say.

Although I get frustrated like many other sellers with eBay's everchanging policies, I am neither an eBay or PayPal "hater"; I was simply disappointed to see a message go out to buyers that primarily focussed on how they could deal with their dissatisfaction upon receipt of their purchases.  The way I look at it is they have little to lose and much to gain by promoting sales and instilling confidence, even if, as you say, eBay only makes up 25% of their business. What harm is there in aiming for 30 or 35%.  I was surprised to read the figure you quoted because I do a lot of online shopping and there aren't that many corporations that accept PayPal.  There are certainly are more and more all the time, but I would have guessed that eBay would have comprised around 50%.

[recped]

In 2015 PayPal's Total Payment Volume was about $250B, total sales on all eBay sites is just over $80B but that includes ALL payment methods. It also includes transactions outside North America where PayPal is less popular and alternatives are available (and eBay legal).