For the record, I am NOT an employee of PayPal. I am, however, a happy customer after many years. Most people join PayPal because of convenience and because they either A) can't afford or B) won't pay for an account with the major credit card companies to accept "their" plastic. (Frankly, it's my opinion they should "pay" us to accept and process customers for them! Every time a customer uses their product, we are making them money. But I diverge.....) Western Union costs an arm and a leg to send money. Let's face it, if you accept the real thing like cash, check or money order (the old, slow way), you wouldn't be here. So PayPal is an "option." They tell you up front how much things cost. It's your choice to accept their terms. Once accepted, why complain? That being stated, it still costs to transfer money. PayPal has reasonable rates. The solution is to accept a MINIMUM donation which makes it worth your while to go through the motions of accepting the transaction. If you have another, more economical way, use it. You can always accept checks and money orders, or have money directly transferred to your account with a handling fee tacked on (extreme turn-off to your customer). When you check the fees your bank charges for these things, you'll find the amount charged by PayPal is chump change. The other option is to thank God someone thought enough of you to MAKE that donation, however small. And that 33 cents you paid? You can be proud to know you have an entire staff of people who track your transactions, make sure the money is transferred to the proper accounts and provide you with stellar service. They are respected and well known world-wide AND provide guarantees to help avoid expensive litigation over billing, accounts receivable, statements and collections. Finally, your 33 cents is supporting people who need their jobs right now until you can find a less expensive option. In short, with PayPal, "You got people!" (Sorry H&R Block, but it's true here too!) Hope that helps you put things in perspective. Carol a.k.a. Empowermom
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