Could I be losing customers?

[Demky]

Don't know if that can help you.

I only buy, If I can pay with paypal.
(so yes you loose some customer since i will never buy something from you if paypal not allowed)

[rethreads]

Thankyou for all your replies, I'm going to see how to do Bank Transfers. I must be old fashioned. I shock alot of people when I say I don't have a mobile phone.
Thanks again for your replies.

LOL! I have twice had cell phones that I used so infrequently that the providers took my number away from me. I no longer have one, despite the fact that my son works for Verizon and is always fiddling with his Blackberry. So I'm old-fashioned too.

But with regard to your question, I would suggest that you consider something like Paypal, because they do make life a lot easier, and I don't begrudge them the fee for doing so.

Awhile back, I purchased from a seller who accepts only postal money orders. The items were inexpensive, and with shipping added on, totalled just about the high end of what they were worth to me. Having not bought a MO in ages, I didn't realize USPS now charges $1.10 for them. AND stamps went up earlier this year. So by the time that additional dollar and a half was added in, the cost of the items exceeded what I probably would have been willing to pay. Had I paid through PP, the fee to the seller would have been much less than the MO and stamp, and could have been included in the original item prices. Seller would have lost nothing, and I would have paid less.

In addition, people shopping online generally do want their items quickly, and having to purchase and mail a MO slows the process.

[JaBek1]

You've limited your market by only selling domestically. By narrowly limiting which payment methods you will accept also impacts your sales.

Despite what a lot of people say about PayPal, there are still an awful lot of people that insist on using it.

[gezzelin]

I've edited some of my auctions to accept payment by bank transfer. Another questions for the IT people, how do I edit an an auction to include a thumbnail picture?

[bykimbo]

I've edited some of my auctions to accept payment by bank transfer. Another questions for the IT people, how do I edit an an auction to include a thumbnail picture?

The thumbnail picture is called a gallery picture, and only comes if you select the auction type gallery (when your first added image is used automatically). Since this is chargeable, you can't alter live auctions to add it - no changes which affect fees can be made to live auctions. You have to stop and start again.

[bluebedouin]

....my son.... is always fiddling with his Blackberry.....

I'm sure he'll soon grow out of it!

[rethreads]

I'm sure he'll soon grow out of it!

I wouldn't bet on it. I don't think he even knows what he's eaten in several years. LOL

[deltadelta48]

I only sell in the UK and only accept cheque/postal order. I've very wary of paypal and things like that. I'm self taught when it comes to the internet. Could anybody give me some suggestions of otherways that I could accept payment, but not places that charge fees.
Whether I'm old fashioned, but banks that have my money pay me interest, with the internet payment sites they seem to charge fees.

As the old saying goes, "You have to spend money to make money." Paypal does charge a fee, but it also will pay interest on your account or you can switch money electronically right into your bank account very fast. Saves time and money for everyone.

I accept PP and checks/MO, because my customers (old feebay people) used both those payment methods. Bet 99% of people have PP account and while they may not question why you won't accept it, they will simply pass your stuff by. I hate all the work I have to do with MO, log them in, mark payments rec'd, endorse, take to bank, deposit etc. PP is automatic in 5 seconds flat, money is right in your account.

Since more international buyers use PP, then you are losing more customers by excluding them too. About 1/4 of my customers are international.

I don't think sellers can afford to exclude whole groups of people because they are going to lose sales.

[marschenegger]

The fee PP charges is reasonable, far more reasonable than the Final Value Fees charged by some other auction sites. And PayPal's fees are not unlike the costs that merchants have to pay to accept credit cards. There are things I like about PayPal and things I don't like.

All sellers have the right to accept whatever payment method they want, even if it is plastic beads or bags of raked leaves. Or Bakooza Joe wrappers FCOL lol. Like the saying goes, you have the right to be wrong. Anyhow, those sellers should probably not complain too loudly if they find they make hardly any sales and blame the site for their misfortune.

I don't have a cellphone and I don't consider myself old-fashioned. I consider myself sane. These devices don't improve the quality of life, and thus I don't want one.