Paypal policy update email today?

[amya4295]

Did anyone receive this Paypal policy update in their email today?

"If you don't agree to the fee changes, you may terminate your relationship with us by closing your Account before April 13, 2016, and won't be bound by the amended terms." •

[lady.stark]

Yep, just received it a few minutes ago. I guess it was bound to happen, since PayPal is now seperate from eBay... I just think those increases are really high! I hope eBay will give us more options for receiving payments... I know there are some that already exist, but they do not work! Like ProPay... just useless...

[Anonymous]

A 1% grab for NO reason.

And yet, in my e-mail, it says this:

".... UA and the Pro/VT Agreement to update the fees that apply to Canadian sellers selling to buyers located in the United States. These fee changes will go into effect on April 13, 2016, but do not apply to you..."

So the fee changes apparently do NOT apply to me?

Back to the 1% grab

Consider a typical 10% margin on electronics (which I have stopped selling long ago)

This unwarranted fee grab reduces your margin by more than 10%. because of course, it applies to the shipping costs.

I'll have to consider writing to PayPal legal after April 13 if the fee for my activity actually does change, because according to the e-mail they sent me, it won't!

Curious what other people's e-mails showed.

There'll be a lot of noise on this one, but I'll bet their legal dept has advised it's okay to jack up the fees by 33% to 50% because it doesn't affect 'domestic' commerce as covered by Canadian legislation.

[dutchman48]

It is only a .8% grab selling to the US.

[ypdc_dennis]

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@Anonymous wrote:

And yet, in my e-mail, it says this:

".... UA and the Pro/VT Agreement to update the fees that apply to Canadian sellers selling to buyers located in the United States. These fee changes will go into effect on April 13, 2016, but do not apply to you..."

So the fee changes apparently do NOT apply to me?

 

---

Perhaps you've been grandfathered, since paypal.ca didn't exist when you started selling. So you're probably still connected to the .com backend and the folk at paypal don't want to try unraveling your token American status.

[amya4295]

"our UA and the Pro/VT Agreement to update the fees that apply to Canadian sellers selling to buyers located in the United States. These fee changes will go into effect on April 13, 2016."

I guess it applies to me. Wonder why it doesn't apply to everyone?

[brassanchor]

Your serious in that these fees dont apply to you? holy smokes i sure got shafted then i wonder who else is excluded this is my policy: 

• We have made changes to Section 8.4(b) of the UA and Section 2(e) of the Pro/VT Agreement to update the fees that apply to Canadian Sellers selling to buyers located in the United States. These fee changes will become effective on April 13, 2016. If you are a consumer, these changes will be implemented on March 14, 2016 and will also become effective on April 13, 2016.

1. (b) US Purchase Payments (effective as of April 13, 2016).
    

   Activity	Purchase Payment Fee
   Sending (buying)	Free*
   Receiving (selling)	Standard rate:	3.7% + Fixed Fee***
   Merchant rates**:	Monthly Sales Volume  $0.01 - $3,000.00  $3,000.01 - $12,000.00  $12,000.01 - $125,000.00  Over $125,000.00 ss-Border Payment For receiving payments from buyers outside Canada. Rate effective until April 13, 2016: 1.0% (added to the Transaction Fees for payments received from International Sales (excluding the US) Rate effective as of April 13, 2016: 0.8% (added to the Transaction Fees for US Sales) 1.0% (added to the Transaction Fees for International Sales (excluding the US))

[brassanchor]

i would like to know also

[pjcdn2005]

Americans have always had to pay an extra 1% Paypal fee when anyone outside of the U.S. (including Canadian buyers) made a purchase from them.  That 1% has always been waived for Canadian sellers when the buyer was in the U.S. but we did have to pay it for other international sales. But it looks like we will soon have to pay more for U.S. sales  + .8%. 

It's too bad that it is changing but I'm not totally surprised.

[pocomocomputing]

My understanding of the current PayPal rates for low volume sellers is

Canada 2.9% + $0.30

USA 2.9% + $0.30

International (outside Canada and the USA) $3.9% + $0.30

The new rates will be

Canada 2.9% + $0.30 (no change)

USA 3.7% + $0.30 (new in April)

International (outside Canada and the USA) $3.9% + $0.30 (no change)

I just want to confirm what I understand the current rates are and new rates are to be.

[lady.stark]

---

@pocomocomputing wrote:

My understanding of the current PayPal rates for low volume sellers is

Canada 2.9% + $0.30

USA 2.9% + $0.30

International (outside Canada and the USA) $3.9% + $0.30

The new rates will be

Canada 2.9% + $0.30 (no change)

USA 3.7% + $0.30 (new in April)

International (outside Canada and the USA) $3.9% + $0.30 (no change)

I just want to confirm what I understand the current rates are and new rates are to be.

---

I think your breakdown is correct, except for International sales: the new rate will be 4.9% + $0.30. At least, that's the way I understand it, because it says there is an increase of 1%.

[pierrelebel]

No.

The international rate (outside the USA) remains at 3.9% (regular 2.9% plus 1.0% cross border fee)

[dianequeenofstuff]

I did not receive the notice, but I'm with .com, have been since 2000.

I seem to slip through the cracks when it comes to notices. Rarely do they arrive in my emails and I have to check my messages.

It's a glitch I've learned to deal with since tinkering with my preferences does no good.

Two of my 3 .ca sites did receive the notice.

What really twists my gears out of shape is their comment: 

"If you don't agree to the fee changes, you may terminate your relationship with us by closing your Account before April 13, 2016, and won't be bound by the amended terms."

This is a hostile business practice IMHO. Much like when eBay made sure we could not accept any other payments than electronic /Paypal payments (a few years ago) by blocking any listing mentioning checks or money orders.

Where does that leave us if we don't agree? Unemployed?

Sure suck it up and jack up your international handling fees to cover this grab. 

What I am wondering, does this apply to both sales in CAD and USD to US customers or just sales in CAD?

Is there not something in the North American Trade Agreement that has prevented them from charging us the same rates they charge the other international sellers?  If so they are breaking the agreement by charging us more.

Think we need lawyers to make sure we are not being taken for a ride?

[pierrelebel]

" If so they are breaking the agreement by charging us more."

In fact, with the changes, PayPal will be charging LESS to Canadian sellers than it charges American sellers.

Since 2000 PayPal has been charging American sellers 3.9% (including 1.0% cross border fee) when selling to Canadian buyers while no "cross border" fee was charged to Canadian sellers when selling to American buyers.

The changes coming in a few months still leave Canadian sellers paying a bit less than American sellers (3.7% vs 3.9%) for cross country (Canada/USA) transactions.

We had a great deal for fifteen years.  Now it is gone.

"Where does that leave us if we don't agree?"

If you do not wish to pay the PayPal fees, you will have to use another method of payment acceptable to eBay.

[amw0825]

I should know this, but which other electronic payment methods are acceptable to ebay?  

[love.from.toronto]

What if I have an RBC bank account based in the US (Florida) denominated in USD, etc.  Do these changes apply to me?

[lady.stark]

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@pierrelebel wrote:

No.

The international rate (outside the USA) remains at 3.9% (regular 2.9% plus 1.0% cross border fee)

---

That is not the way I understand it... I see it as an increase of 1% on the actual rate for International... PayPal has to make it clearer I think.

[lady.stark]

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@amw0825 wrote:

I should know this, but which other electronic payment methods are acceptable to ebay?  

---

There is ProPay. Unfortunately, the only 2 times I used it as a buyer, it never worked properly.... 😞

[pierrelebel]

Once again:

The international rate (outside the USA) remains at 3.9% (regular 2.9% plus 1.0% cross border fee)

The message from PayPal is pretty clear.  The changes apply only for shipments to the USA.

[pierrelebel]

"What if I have an RBC bank account based in the US (Florida) denominated in USD, etc."

Where you bank is not an issue here. The currency used for a transaction is not an issue either.

The "cross border" fee has always applied to all PayPal sellers whenever goods were shipped outside their country with one exception: Canadian sellers were not charged the "cross border" fee when shipping to the USA.

This was a small concession arranged by eBay for the exclusive benefit of Canadian sellers.

Now that eBay no longer owns PayPal, that benefit will go away.

Nobody likes to pay more.  I do not like to pay more.  But it is the way it is.