Having been a member of Ebay for the last 10 years and Paypal after they insisted that this should be the primary method of receiving money for sold goods and paying for purchases, I have begrudgingly suffered Ebay fees with the attitude "how else could I reach such a wide market?" Until now, I was not aware that Paypal were taking their slice of the pie as well every time I sold something! I sold a boat on Ebay for £900 last December to a chap from Edinburgh for which I received £869.20 credited to my Paypal account. That is a whopping £30.80 commission charge to Paypal. Take off the Ebay fees as well and I was lucky to clear £775! Okay, so I was aware of the Ebay fees, but the Paypal charges? If the purchaser chooses to pay by this method then surely he should pay this outrageous 3.5% charge? I will be insisting on payment by cash, BACS transfer or cheque for such higher value items in the future, or alternatively charge a 3.5% Paypal handling fee as do the budget airlines and many ticket offices for credit cards.
... View more
