eBay items and attitudes

[yorkie_chris]

I've noticed this a fair bit, you want to buy something on eBay that is a buy it now... you want a few and are prepared to pay cash.

In the few experiences I've had nobody seems prepared to give a discount for cash/card/cheque//BACS/whatever instead of paypal.

Because I'm awkward if they say this I pay by paypal... they won't play a reasonable game f*** em they can pay the fees and have the risk of chargebacks etc!


I find this attitude confusing, when I sell stuff paypal is an absolute last resort and I far prefer cash or BACS as there's no risk of charge backs if they play funny buggers, and no fees.

Why would they not offer a discount of say half the paypal fees (in this case about a fiver off) and get a bit of a better margin?

[Bibio]

paying the paypal fees is sometimes easier than cash etc.etc as far as the seller is concerned plus you have to sell a certain amount to get a lower rate.

i usually contact the seller and ask politely for a discount and 9 times out of 10 i get one. ebay and paypal are the same company and get a bit uppity if you start dealing behind their back this is why i usually like people to pay as 'goods' rather than 'gift' as i have already had a few polite warnings.

[Fallout]

Why would they not offer a discount of say half the paypal fees (in this case about a fiver off) and get a bit of a better margin?

Best guess is they can't be arsed to work it out. They just want it all automated and handled online so they don't have to worry about it.

[flymo]

also there is no mechanism to offer a discount through the transaction as far as I'm aware, meaning that the eBay transaction shows as having been carried out at the displayed price. This wouldn't accurately reflect the price paid.

Its just hassle. Also with BACS, many people are unfamiliar with it and do not like to reveal bank account/sort code information.

[dizzyblonde]

Possibly because giving every man and their whippet discount every time they ask, isn't going to make them money. Perhaps they make no profit in doing so?
Think about it Rodders, Delboy only thinks about the pound signs.

Probably sat there reading your request for a discount and thinking 'stingy Yorkshire monkey, I'm trying to run a business not a charity'

Now if you were buying Persian rugs, you probably get more of a chance to barter ;)

[squirrel_hunter]

also there is no mechanism to offer a discount through the transaction as far as I'm aware, meaning that the eBay transaction shows as having been carried out at the displayed price. This wouldn't accurately reflect the price paid.

The seller can adjust the total at the invoice screen so it is possible to offer a discount there.

Its just hassle. Also with BACS, many people are unfamiliar with it and do not like to reveal bank account/sort code information.

Agreed. The whole point to PayPal and its link with eBay is account details are not shared, making it more secure and easier (one click payment).

Where I sell stuff I prefer PayPal as its simpler to manage. Yes there is a fee, but I know and accept that. If someone wants to pay by another means its normally more hassle than its worth. However for bigger items I would consider a discount avoiding fees if paid with cash, but its not going to be huge. And as for the other payment methods I wouldn't touch a cheque with a bargepole, I'm not going to give some unknown person my bank account details, and I like I'd imagine quite a few others don't have a way of processing a credit card payment (which also incurs a fee).

But good luck trying to find that discount, after all if you don’t ask you don’t get.