Paypal - "Personal" vs. "Premier" - fees and use

Okay, so I was sniffing around the paypal site to figure out what the fees are for me to take paypal payment and not lose money on a transaction.
I find out that its 30 cents plus 2.9%.
Well I also find out that I am somehow a "premier" member. Apparently this lets me accept payment by credit card (did not know that was available), and some other shit that is absolutely useless to me.

Sniff around some more and there is a "personal" account that seems to have all the send and receive powers (other than credit card payment) with NO fees at all.

Am I missing something?
Is the personal account good enough?
How did I end up at "premier" status - this is bullshit if I coulda been free all along (not that I sell that much shit, but their fees are high).

Anyone else have a "personal" account and sent and received money without fees? What is the catch? Do you pay a fee to take money out? There must be a catch.

Don't know if I can really answer your question, but this is my experience: I signed up a month ago on paypal (to pay for some skis from splat). Normal "personal account". I payed for skis, but then wanted to buy some more stuff. The total amount then became more than the max limit (750 usd). I wrote to them and asked when the 750 usd limit would be reset. Answer; it will not - not ever. Your total sum accumulated amount to buy for is limited to 750 usd. If you want to pay for more, you will have to sign up for "expanded use program".

So as far as I am concerned, the "personal account" thingy is only a teaser, to get people into the "expanded use program". I don't know about the costs of the expanded use program, though, but would like to hear this and also other experiences with paypal.

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Originally Posted by KANUTTEN

...but would like to hear this and also other experiences with paypal.

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Most companies only have one website hating on them; paypal...

www.paypalsucks.com
www.paypalsucks.org
www.aboutpaypal.org

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Originally Posted by Arty50

Most companies only have one website hating on them; paypal...

www.paypalsucks.com
www.paypalsucks.org
www.aboutpaypal.org

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Makes me feel GREAT about my new account.:cussing:

Sounds like Splat should change his payment system...

All three anti-Paypal websites are sponsored by the same credit card processing company (CardService International). Proceed with caution on those sites.

Yes, PayPal does screw over people from time to time by freezing your account and your money. If you want to use it, you need to protect yourself by:

1) Connecting your payments to your credit card, NOT your bank account. You have no recourse when they pull money out of your bank account. With a credit card, you can dispute the charge, etc.
Of course they make it much harder to use the credit card, since they get charged a bigger fee than for EFT from your bank. Do it anyway.

2) NEVER leave any money in your Paypal account. The minute you get any, have it transferred to your bank (this is free for US accounts). If you run a balance, they can freeze your account for up to 6 months!

Banks cannot do this -- but Paypal has so far been able to avoid being regulated as a bank, despite the fact that they perform banking functions like maintaining your balance, issuing debit cards, etc.

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Originally Posted by Spats

..
1) Connecting your payments to your credit card, NOT your bank account. You have no recourse when they pull money out of your bank account. With a credit card, you can dispute the charge, etc.

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So if I have already connected my paymentss to my bankaccount, should terminate the bankaccount and open a new one???? Closing the paypal account is also doable, I hope.

What is the risk, really?

I have conducted over 200 transactions using PalPal to send and receive money using a personal account. No problems, no issues. Never purchased anything over $750. I do not accept credit cards...

PayPal cannot take money from you bank account unless you authorize the transaction on the site specifically. I have held money in the PayPal account for several months and never had an issue using it to pay for more stuff...I do use my credit card to purchase through PayPal when I am concerned about being ripped-off by the seller or the purchase is a significant amount.

I'm anxious to hear about this as well, Spats. What about just "Removing" the bank account from the PayPal account. Wouldn't that work as well to remove their access to it? Maybe it won't display as "Verified" anymore but that would be OK if some of the PayPal nightmares I've heard about can be avoided.
I also noticed that, in addition to all of the other charges they stick you with, they also charge another $1.50 to mail you a check. So, there's another penalty if you don't hook up your account with your checking account.
They screwed me out of about $300 a couple of years ago because I didn't produce some documentation they wanted within their timeframe. I don't like their power.

Problem with it is once you go premier they ding you with the 2.9 ON EVERYTHING and you can't go back.

The other problem is they push people to pay with credit card in turn pushing you to go premier. So then you are stuck with the 2.9 even on cash transactions.

They will try to switch you at every turn and you have to be very dilligent to prevent it. I advertise ebay sales as paypal or other cash transaction NO CREDIT CARDS. All the invoices go out with credit card options very prominent and every guy so far has tried to pay with a card despite me stating in my ad and every email that no credit cards. Then I have to decline the payment and get back to the guy to re-explain what NO CREDIT CARDS means.

I used paypal to avoid the old billpoint that was owned by ebay and then ebay bought paypal. aaaahhhhhhggggg it went bad from there.

My paypal days are over. Someone got a hold of my credit card info and started using my card. I'm convinced it came from paypal. It gets hacked more than you know.

Walter Sobchak cancelled his account when he had a problem.

And last but not least was one of my sister's good friends. She provided editing services to a client and he payed her via paypal. He then called paypal and told them that he never received a product from her, despite the fact the contract was for services rendered. WITHOUT contacting her to get her side of the story, they pulled the money back out of her bank account. It was something like $10k. She's involved in a huge lawsuit over this, and it's totally fucked. All they had to do was contact her and get her side of the story. Instead, they just trusted one party on faith. No other financial institution handles disputes like this. It's ridiculous.

OK, getting paid for services via PayPal is a bit silly, IMHO. Send a check. I like a paper trail, especially when the Taxman gets nosey.

I have used Paypal since its inception, and have it linked to my Bank acct. with the option (drop down menu) of using a card instead for a purchase. I have had exactly ONE problem with someone hacking my account because my password was stupid easy to figure out (see my Name.) They did an inquiry and I got every penny back within 2 weeks, recommending that I change my password every month or so and to make it longer. The only money the thieves could pull was what was in my bank account, which was a grand total of $150. I have a specific account for Paypal that is NOT my primary bank account. It's still in the same institution, and i can transfer funds electronically into it if I need it.

I have had WAY more Credit Card fraud than Paypal fraud -- mainly from folks stealing my account number from carbon papers (back in the day) to simply writing down my info when I hand the waiter a card at a shady restaurant, retailer, etc.

OK, so this thread was very valuable to me. Thanks for the info, maggs. I accidently switched my PP account recently to a premier account (whoever said you have to be diligent to avoid switching was right).
I didn't know those jerks were going to charge me for receiving AND sending money from now on with that type of account. I just opened up a new personal account so I can go back to the way it was before.
I was just about to send someone some money after verifying my new account with a credit card. I've looked all over the PP site and I can't see anything about whether money that I send from a credit card will be treated like a charge (no cost to me) or as a cash advance (too much of a cost to me).
Does anyone know the answer?

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Originally Posted by Endlessseason

OK, so this thread was very valuable to me. Thanks for the info, maggs. I accidently switched my PP account recently to a premier account (whoever said you have to be diligent to avoid switching was right).
I didn't know those jerks were going to charge me for receiving AND sending money from now on with that type of account. I just opened up a new personal account so I can go back to the way it was before.
I was just about to send someone some money after verifying my new account with a credit card. I've looked all over the PP site and I can't see anything about whether money that I send from a credit card will be treated like a charge (no cost to me) or as a cash advance (too much of a cost to me).
Does anyone know the answer?

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Pretty sure it's just a charge as that's the only way I can get money into my paypal account unless I've sold something and left it there.

Scratch that. They transfer from my bank account. I don't think I've used a card that way.

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Originally Posted by Tippster

OK, getting paid for services via PayPal is a bit silly, IMHO. Send a check. I like a paper trail, especially when the Taxman gets nosey.

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Paypal does give you a paper trail. And why is sending a check for services fine, but sending a check for a pair of skis is bad? A check is a check. It clears or it doesn't. Paypal's "resolution" service can fuck you much worse.

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Originally Posted by Endlessseason

I didn't know those jerks were going to charge me for receiving AND sending money from now on with that type of account.

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Last I checked, paypal only charges the recipient on a transaction. It's free to send money.

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Originally Posted by L7

Problem with it is once you go premier they ding you with the 2.9 ON EVERYTHING and you can't go back.

The other problem is they push people to pay with credit card in turn pushing you to go premier. So then you are stuck with the 2.9 even on cash transactions.

They will try to switch you at every turn and you have to be very dilligent to prevent it. I advertise ebay sales as paypal or other cash transaction NO CREDIT CARDS. All the invoices go out with credit card options very prominent and every guy so far has tried to pay with a card despite me stating in my ad and every email that no credit cards. Then I have to decline the payment and get back to the guy to re-explain what NO CREDIT CARDS means.

I used paypal to avoid the old billpoint that was owned by ebay and then ebay bought paypal. aaaahhhhhhggggg it went bad from there.

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Just found this in the PayPal Policy Updates page...

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Use of PayPal on eBay
Notice Date: July 14, 2005
Effective Date: August 19, 2005
Beginning August 19, 2005, if you sell on eBay and offer PayPal, your PayPal account must accept all forms of payment including payments made via credit card, regardless of whether you display the PayPal logo with credit card icons. You must have a Premier or Business PayPal Account or be willing to upgrade from a Personal PayPal Account to a Premier or Business Account if you receive a credit card payment. You may not communicate to eBay buyers (e.g. via your eBay item description) that you only accept, or will not accept, specific forms of PayPal payment.

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Originally Posted by spanky

Last I checked, paypal only charges the recipient on a transaction. It's free to send money.

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Oh. Good. I guess that part is not as bad as it sounded. ;)

So...yeah......the new policy forced on everyone is nice. Let me see if I understand this now: I decide to sell a PDA on Ebay that I paid 400 for when it was new three years ago. If it sells for $50, the final Ebay cost for me to sell it is 8.50 and then I lose another $1.80 if the buyer uses a credit card and another 1.50 if I want PayPal to send me a check. I get 38.20. Yeah, Ebay and PayPal. Cool. :rolleyes2

Crap, man.
I forgot all about the thread I started.
I have been taking paypal pmts on the wrong account and been getting boned even though I have been getting paid from buyers with a paypal balance.

I actually have 2 paypal accounts - 1 personal, and 1 linked to a bank acct that got converted to "premier" somehow

But I have been using the wrong account to take payments.
I suck.

FYI, heres the current fee schedule
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/we...=_display-fees

Apparently they'll go at you for using two acounts as well. They have some rule against that too. Just saw the post quoting me with the update about having to accept all payments. I didn't know that but I'm sure I've done it since then.

They also do currency conversions before it goes on your card so they can suck their own excessive conversion spread. I really try to avoid them and will be happy when Google payments gets going. (I think it's coming).

From what I have read regarding the Truth about Paypal, there is always a catch, and it's usually a very pricey one at that.