Selling on PayPal

Recently I sold something from a forum and the buyer sent me money through my PayPal account. I thought this method would allow me to print out  a shipping label etc, but it does not. is their a preferred way of selling like this, perhaps you can only print a shipping label if the item comes from Ebay.

 

What is the best way of selling to incur the lowest fees, safest etc. Should I send the buyer a invoice?, or just tell them to send the money to my PayPal email address?.

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Selling on PayPal


@bpl521_sell wrote:

Recently I sold something from a forum and the buyer sent me money through my PayPal account. I thought this method would allow me to print out a shipping label etc, but it does not....


You send an invoice to the buyer. They pay it. You can print a shipping label. Paypal will charge their usual fee for selling (0.30+2.9% in Canada). Balanced by discounted shipping.

 

Buyer sending you money does not make shipping available.

 

-..-

 

 

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Selling on PayPal


@ypdc_dennis wrote:

@bpl521_sell wrote:

Recently I sold something from a forum and the buyer sent me money through my PayPal account. I thought this method would allow me to print out a shipping label etc, but it does not....


You send an invoice to the buyer. They pay it. You can print a shipping label. Paypal will charge their usual fee for selling (0.30+2.9% in Canada). Balanced by discounted shipping.

 

Buyer sending you money does not make shipping available.

 

-..-

 

 


A package just came back because the zip code was wrong and they wanted me to send it again so I sent the buyer an invoice through PP.  They ignored the invoice but instead sent the money and marked it as being for a 'service'. There was a shipping link on the transaction so perhaps it depends on the reason given?  Or, is there more than 1 way for them to send money without an invoice?

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Selling on PayPal


@ypdc_dennis wrote:

You send an invoice to the buyer. They pay it. You can print a shipping label. Paypal will charge their usual fee for selling (0.30+2.9% in Canada). Balanced by discounted shipping.

 

Buyer sending you money does not make shipping available.

 

 

 


Does sending a invoice give the seller any protection as opposed to someone just sending money for goods. I wonder about a verified address or is that strictly a Ebay thing?

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Selling on PayPal


@pjcdn2005 wrote:

@ypdc_dennis wrote:

@bpl521_sell wrote:

Recently I sold something from a forum and the buyer sent me money through my PayPal account. I thought this method would allow me to print out a shipping label etc, but it does not....


You send an invoice to the buyer. They pay it. You can print a shipping label. Paypal will charge their usual fee for selling (0.30+2.9% in Canada). Balanced by discounted shipping.

 

Buyer sending you money does not make shipping available.

 

A package just came back because the zip code was wrong and they wanted me to send it again so I sent the buyer an invoice through PP.  They ignored the invoice but instead sent the money and marked it as being for a 'service'. There was a shipping link on the transaction so perhaps it depends on the reason given?  Or, is there more than 1 way for them to send money without an invoice?


I assume if it is purchase payment you get the shipping option, if personal-payment no shipping option.

 

...

 

The payment types for a purchase are:

  • Services: to pay for things like your internet service.
  • Goods: to pay for non-eBay goods.
  • eBay Items: to pay for your eBay purchases.

The payment types for a personal payment are:

  • Gift: to send money as a gift, like for a birthday.
  • Payment Owed: to pay your friend back for your share of a dinner bill, or other item that your friend paid for you.
  • Living Expense: to pay for things like rent or utilities.
  • Other: for other reasons that are not a purchase of good or services.

From: www.paypal.com/ca/selfhelp/article/what-are-the-payment-types-when-i-send-money-faq638

 

-..-

 

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Selling on PayPal

I see then, thanks so then Goods: to pay for non-eBay goods. is what I should be doing and send the buyer a invoice. If the buyer does not have a verified shipping address am I putting myself at risk?

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Selling on PayPal


@bpl521_sell wrote:

I see then, thanks so then Goods: to pay for non-eBay goods. is what I should be doing and send the buyer a invoice. If the buyer does not have a verified shipping address am I putting myself at risk?


I never really pay attention to verified/unverified because in the really old days it was verified for some countries only (like the USA) -- and only meant that the buyer had a bank account attached to their paypal account. These days I think it might be used for seller protection (but since I've never had to use seller protection I'm in the dark). As for risk: if you sell something on the internet you're always at risk.

 

...

 

But it looks like the discounted Canada Post shipping via paypal (for non-ebay purchases) is going away:

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Canada-Post-Shipping-Labels-Announcement/m-p/363174#U363...

 

In theory: Shipping discounts via eBay through PayPal. No shipping discount if direct from PayPal.

 

In practice:  ?? (I have high hopes the programmers and planners will do their usual job of producing malfunctioning code). Smiley Wink

 

-..-

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Selling on PayPal

So as I understand it if I request money from someone via  a invoice I have to pay a percentage fee, but MAY get a discount on shipping, but if receive money from someone and ship without using PayPal I don't pay any fees.?

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Selling on PayPal


@bpl521_sell wrote:

So as I understand it if I request money from someone via  a invoice I have to pay a percentage fee, but MAY get a discount on shipping, but if receive money from someone and ship without using PayPal I don't pay any fees.?


As I understand it (for Canada and the USA):

 

The invoice route has seller fees and (after some experimenting) should still get a discount on some Canada Post services -- but the discount will not be as good as the one for an eBay purchase. If buying shipping via paypal the money is available and doesn't need to be transfered. And there is nothing preventing you from charging the buyer the extra cost.

 

Fees on direct transfers can occur if the buyer wants to use a credit card instead of paypal balance or bank -- but you can have the sender cover those fees. Shipping has to be bought either through the Canada Post website or at the post office/outlet. A free Solutions for Small Business card is good to have for either of those choices.

 

-..-

 

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Selling on PayPal


@ypdc_dennis wrote:


As I understand it (for Canada and the USA):

 

The invoice route has seller fees and (after some experimenting) should still get a discount on some Canada Post services -- but the discount will not be as good as the one for an eBay purchase. If buying shipping via paypal the money is available and doesn't need to be transfered. And there is nothing preventing you from charging the buyer the extra cost.

 

Fees on direct transfers can occur if the buyer wants to use a credit card instead of paypal balance or bank -- but you can have the sender cover those fees. Shipping has to be bought either through the Canada Post website or at the post office/outlet. A free Solutions for Small Business card is good to have for either of those choices.

 

-..-

 


Thanks for the reply, sounds like in the end it balances out cost wise, which is the preference to make it less of a hassle as a seller. Always on the lookout for a buyer that causes grieve, and I suspect sending a invoice puts the ball in the buyers court vs just receiving money and sending the goods. Or maybe it doesn't matter, both the same?

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Selling on PayPal

With the exception of occasional users who get private payments through Paypal, all sellers pay fees to Paypal.

It's a business and what they are selling is their processing.

 

Paypal fees on payments and PP discounts on shipping are two quite different things.

 

The discounts on shipping were for eBay sellers and when the two companies were one, it was possible to get a discounted shipping label for any sale, on or off eBay.

It was probably a small part of thier business.

That seems to be over now that the companies are separate.

 

I suspect that Paypal is moving to set up those shipping discounts for all their clients as soon as possible, since they are one of the many good reasons to deal through PP.

It's just a sensible business decision for PP.

Considering that two early founders were Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, PP has had a lot of smart people involved over the years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal

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