Alternatives to Paypal?

[David A]

Hi folks, firstly this question isn't specifically related to listing gear for sale on SNA, but is more of a general question related to selling items online.

 

I recently closed my Paypal account after concerns about changes to their policies in the last 1-2 years, and extreme frustration with their so-called "support" (read: AI robots). So just wondering if SNA'ers have had good experiences with any other payment providers?

 

The main criteria are that the service can handle personal payments in Australia for sale of items (preferably with some level of seller and buyer protection), have fees atleast no higher than Paypal (but preferably lower), an easy UI, and good hastle-free customer support. Cheers.

 

Edited September 14 by David A
typo

[David A]

Well, based on the response from members it appears there is no alternative to Paypal .

[cafe67]

On 21/09/2024 at 1:25 PM, David A said:

Well, based on the response from members it appears there is no alternative to Paypal .

Credit cards ?.

[David A]

59 minutes ago, cafe67 said:

Credit cards ?.

 

Banks offer a chargeback process, but as far as i'm aware that only applies to businesses.

 

Some people prefer to take the risk and not pay the Paypal fee when dealing with a seller with a good selling history and reputation. But most punters want buyer protection (especially for more expensive items). And Paypal is the only platform i'm aware of which provides that option, hence posting this thread. It's certainly the most widely used as reflected by SNA's own recommendation in the Classifieds "How to" guide.

Wise Bank is apparently a good option for paying for goods in another country due to having generally lower fees than banks/credit unions, and has good feedback. Though as far as I can tell they don't offer comparable buyer protection to Paypal. Another platform i'm looking into is Square.

 

Anyway, i'd be keen to hear if any other members who have had good experiences with another payment platform offering similar buyer/seller protection to Paypal? Cheers.

 

Edited September 23 by David A

[Cloth Ears]

On 24/09/2024 at 1:42 AM, David A said:

 

Banks offer a chargeback process, but as far as i'm aware that only applies to businesses.

 

Some people prefer to take the risk and not pay the Paypal fee when dealing with a seller with a good selling history and reputation. But most punters want buyer protection (especially for more expensive items). And Paypal is the only platform i'm aware of which provides that option, hence posting this thread. It's certainly the most widely used as reflected by SNA's own recommendation in the Classifieds "How to" guide.

Wise Bank is apparently a good option for paying for goods in another country due to having generally lower fees than banks/credit unions, and has good feedback. Though as far as I can tell they don't offer comparable buyer protection to Paypal. Another platform i'm looking into is Square.

 

Anyway, i'd be keen to hear if any other members who have had good experiences with another payment platform offering similar buyer/seller protection to Paypal? Cheers.

 

To what are you referring? If you make a purchase using a credit card and the item is not what was advertised or is fraudulent or is not fit for purpose - then the credit card provider will generally refund your money and chase the merchant for funds. They are basically the safest way to purchase. But, it does require the person/business you're purchasing from is a merchant and not a private seller - which is where Paypal provided some forms of protection.

So I try to pay cash in hand, where possible (as I see myself as a good judge of people), or purchase from someone who will take a credit card (in Australia).

[David A]

2 hours ago, Cloth Ears said:

So I try to pay cash in hand, where possible (as I see myself as a good judge of people), or purchase from someone who will take a credit card (in Australia).

...neither of which are an alternative to Paypal. But thanks for your comment.

[cafe67]

I'd say it's paypsl or credit cards , as you say chargeback only relates to businesses- paypal helps with private sales - caveat emptor ? 

[David A]

22 minutes ago, cafe67 said:

I'd say it's paypsl or credit cards , as you say chargeback only relates to businesses- paypal helps with private sales - caveat emptor ? 

I'm rapidly concluding there is no alternative to Paypal for personal purchases where the purchaser wants buyer protection. That I suspect is why SNA strongly recommends Paypal. However their TOS and 'customer service' is a real PITA imho.

[sir sanders zingmore]

haven't looked at it for years but do any escrow services still exist for individuals - perhaps they might be closer to what you're after?

[rantan]

2 minutes ago, David A said:

I'm rapidly concluding there is no alternative to Paypal for personal purchases where the purchaser wants buyer protection. That I suspect is why SNA strongly recommends Paypal.

 

Agreed.

My only caveat being, that when I am a seller, I am very careful about who I am prepared to allow PP as a form of payment to me.

There are as many cases of buyer fraud as there are seller fraud.

I know of several people who have been ripped off by buyers telling PP that the goods were not in  the box or it was  not working or any number of untruthful claims and PP almost always sides with the buyer so it really is a two way street. Be careful with whom you deal as  a seller and not just as a buyer.

[Bronal]

On 14/09/2024 at 3:49 PM, David A said:

I recently closed my Paypal account after concerns about changes to their policies in the last 1-2 years, and extreme frustration with their so-called "support" (read: AI robots).

 

May I ask what changes to PayPal policies were of concern to you?

 

As regards AI robots, I regret to say you are fighting a losing battle there.  I think it's more a question of which large businesses don't already, or won't shortly, have them.

[David A]

4 hours ago, Bronal said:

May I ask what changes to PayPal policies were of concern to you?

As that may stray into political discourse, i'd rather not say.

 

5 hours ago, Bronal said:

As regards AI robots, I regret to say you are fighting a losing battle there.  I think it's more a question of which large businesses don't already, or won't shortly, have them.

 

Well there are no AI bots involved in someone handing me cash or doing a bank transfer to pay for gear. Paypal is more trouble that it's worth.

[Nickelle]

5 hours ago, David A said:

Paypal is more trouble that it's worth.

 

l have always found PayPal to be Fair and open with all my transactions as a Buyer & a Seller.  I personally feel protected and valued as a customer, I have been with them for many years. 

5 hours ago, David A said:

 

[David A]

8 hours ago, Nickelle said:

 

l have always found PayPal to be Fair and open with all my transactions as a Buyer & a Seller.  I personally feel protected and valued as a customer, I have been with them for many years. 

Then i'd guess you're not 'on the list'.

[rantan]

14 hours ago, David A said:

Paypal is more trouble that it's worth.

 

So the solution is simple.

Just don't use it.

It would seem that here are no like-for-like alternatives so the choice is yours.

[David A]

14 minutes ago, rantan said:

 

So the solution is simple.

Just don't use it.

It would seem that here are no like-for-like alternatives so the choice is yours.

Well that's helpful. But as things stand right now, I couldn't use Paypal if I wanted to.

[rantan]

16 minutes ago, David A said:

Well that's helpful. But as things stand right now, I couldn't use Paypal if I wanted to.

 It was not intended to be un helpful.

I was just making the point that as consumers of products and services, we all use what works best for our individual situation and it seems that PP is no longer a viable service/product for you, so unfortunately nobody has actually come up with an idea  for an equivalent solution.

[David A]

17 minutes ago, rantan said:

 It was not intended to be un helpful.

I was just making the point that as consumers of products and services, we all use what works best for our individual situation and it seems that PP is no longer a viable service/product for you, so unfortunately nobody has actually come up with an idea  for an equivalent solution.

Fair enough. Though the point of this thread was to ask for feedback about any viable alternatives to Paypal. I don't think it's time to throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet.

[metal beat]

If u don't want to use PayPal or have been banned,  pretty simple. 

 

 Do your research first, then pay via international money transfer from your bank or accept payment via IM.

 

  

Edited Thursday at 04:55 AM by metal beat

[StereoNET]

I've been using Paypal for 20+ years, in fact, maybe as long as PP has been around. I was an early adopter.
I've used it as a personal buyer, a commercial seller thousands of times. In all those transactions some have gone wrong, but only once was I ever brought unstuck and it was my own fault.

I took advantage of Buyer Protection, for an item on ebay that was not received as advertised. Followed the dispute process, and had to return the item and keep PP up to date with receipts and tracking etc. The seller messaged me via ebay with the return address. Unknowingly, the return address on their PP account was different. So as I shipped back to the address provided by the seller, and not what PP instructed me to do (the address on their account), PP declined by buyer protection. It hurt, and was over $1000 which was a lot of money to me back then. But I should have followed the instructions!

 

Other than that, I cannot fault the service at all.

 

To answer the OP's question. I don't believe any of the alternatives survived, PP got market share and killed them off. That said, I have a feeling Stripe is moving into that space as well, so there might be a new competitor coming.

[David A]

2 hours ago, StereoNET said:

I've been using Paypal for 20+ years, in fact, maybe as long as PP has been around. I was an early adopter.
I've used it as a personal buyer, a commercial seller thousands of times. In all those transactions some have gone wrong, but only once was I ever brought unstuck and it was my own fault.

I took advantage of Buyer Protection, for an item on ebay that was not received as advertised. Followed the dispute process, and had to return the item and keep PP up to date with receipts and tracking etc. The seller messaged me via ebay with the return address. Unknowingly, the return address on their PP account was different. So as I shipped back to the address provided by the seller, and not what PP instructed me to do (the address on their account), PP declined by buyer protection. It hurt, and was over $1000 which was a lot of money to me back then. But I should have followed the instructions!

 

Other than that, I cannot fault the service at all.

 

To answer the OP's question. I don't believe any of the alternatives survived, PP got market share and killed them off. That said, I have a feeling Stripe is moving into that space as well, so there might be a new competitor coming.

 

Thanks Marc for your feedback on your interactions with Paypal over the long haul. I was already moving toward getting my account unfrozen following the advice from SNA'ers. Their AI-powered 'customer service' drives me crazy, and i'm not a fan of some of their policies. But as you said for now they have the monopoly.

 

So I think i'll persevere in working through getting my account unlocked (no fault of my own btw), with the intention of offering Paypal as a payment option as recommended when I start to sell my current system. If the buyer is happy to pay the Paypal fee for the peace of mind, with Rantan's caveat, i'm all for it.

[Nickelle]

PayPal used to hve an Australian phone number, I have called them a few times, they are very helpful, I have not used the phone for a while, it may still be around?

[StereoNET]

I'm fascinated how/why your account was frozen?

[David A]

11 hours ago, StereoNET said:

I'm fascinated how/why your account was frozen?

I guess people want to know. Though I don't feel comfortable getting into that level of detail about a personal account on a public forum sorry. Suffice to say i'm not at fault, but it will be a pita to get resolved.

[David A]

11 hours ago, Nickelle said:

PayPal used to hve an Australian phone number, I have called them a few times, they are very helpful, I have not used the phone for a while, it may still be around?

They still do, but their Call Centre is in the Phillippines. That's how I found out my account was frozen.

 

Edited 4 hours ago by David A