using paypal family and friends?

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luv2uke

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I haven't bought or sold any ukuleles so far, but I can foresee in the future that it will probably happen. My question is in regarding payment for the ukes. I see people pricing their ukes and asking for payment with paypal friends and family. Is that a standard practice? It seems that the buyer takes a big risk if the ukulele does not live up to its description or if it is not even sent. Is paypal the way most transactions are handled or are there other methods?
Thanks in advance for your answers.
 
I have bought and sold several ukes on this site and have used PayPal exclusively for payment. Some of them I have used the Friends & Family option and some I have not. Much of it depended on the individual with whom I was conducting the transaction. There are several people I have interacted with outside the forum via email, ukulele events, Facebook, etc. whom I trust, so I sent them money via Friends & Family to save them $ on fees. But I am completely aware that the fees THEY are saving is costing ME security, so I need to be completely comfortable with them in order to do this. I have that same respect when I sell a uke. If the individual does not know me or does not want to give up the security that comes with a traditional PayPal transaction I am not going to force them to do so. It's 3%, so it hasn't been a big deal on the ukes I have sold.

Other payment options I have seen are the traditional check or money order, but IMHO, PayPal is MUCH easier.
 
WCBarnes said:
I have bought and sold several ukes on this site and have used PayPal exclusively for payment. Some of them I have used the Friends & Family option and some I have not. Much of it depended on the individual with whom I was conducting the transaction. There are several people I have interacted with outside the forum via email, ukulele events, Facebook, etc. whom I trust, so I sent them money via Friends & Family to save them $ on fees. But I am completely aware that the fees THEY are saving is costing ME security, so I need to be completely comfortable with them in order to do this. I have that same respect when I sell a uke. If the individual does not know me or does not want to give up the security that comes with a traditional PayPal transaction I am not going to force them to do so. It's 3%, so it hasn't been a big deal on the ukes I have sold.

Other payment options I have seen are the traditional check or money order, but IMHO, PayPal is MUCH easier.
Click to expand...

Great description. The 3% fee is cheap insurance on the sell/buy.
 
Thank you WCBarnes and Doc_J for your insight.
 
The whole point to using PayPal is the security that it provides, so if you don't personally know the seller, you are definately taking a gamble.
I don't buy Family & Friends from any stranger.
 
Doc_J said:
Great description. The 3% fee is cheap insurance on the sell/buy.
Click to expand...

I agree with this VERY strongly. I have bought and sold many ukes and I never do family and friends. The 3% is peanuts for the peace of mind you get. Paypal even covers the item if it was lost in transit. I alway send it registered which requires a signature at time of delivery. Both parties are fully protected.
 
DownUpDave said:
I agree with this VERY strongly. I have bought and sold many ukes and I never do family and friends. The 3% is peanuts for the peace of mind you get. Paypal even covers the item if it was lost in transit. I alway send it registered which requires a signature at time of delivery. Both parties are fully protected.
Click to expand...

Dave
PayPal charge a stiff currency exchange rate plus service fee if you are not buying in the same country as the seller.
 
I have used PayPal several times, without problems even when I had to apply for a refund; on the other hand, I once had money lost when paying through a bank transfer and never receiving the goods.

I try to avoid PayPal these days, though. Part of it has to do with who the company supported financially during the last presidential election, part of it with the 3% fee (usually for the seller) and part of it with the profit they make on currency conversion.

It's not the only system for transferring sums online with a warranty - I just used www.transferwise.com which worked like a breeze and charges less.
 
SoloRule said:
Dave
PayPal charge a stiff currency exchange rate plus service fee if you are not buying in the same country as the seller.
Click to expand...

Ok so how are you going to sell something to somebody you don't know and make sure you and them are protected. Doing business costs money, which selling privately still is.

I know you only think of buying because you don't sell but the OP asked about both senarios.
 
The cost of PayPal fees is, at best, noise-level stuff. Most ukes sold here are in the US$100-500 range. That makes the fees in the US$3-15 range proportionately. For the convenience of PayPal alone it's a minor cost. I can't see trying to beat PayPal out of making a couple bucks for the service it provides.
 
I have bought and sold many times through this marketplace and almost always use Friends and Family, as long as the seller is an established member of this forum. I've found longtime members here, are honest trustworthy.
 
Pay the fee, but just include it in the price. Some give the buyer the option of paying the fee or accepting friends and family option.
 
In addition the protection it provides, I believe that if I am going to use the Paypal service, I should pay the fee.

Mitch
 
I appreciate and thank you all for sharing your advice and experiences. I sure it will come in handy in the future.
Aloha.
 
ukulelekarcsi said:
It's not the only system for transferring sums online with a warranty - I just used www.transferwise.com which worked like a breeze and charges less.
Click to expand...

Good tip on transferwise. We use it when we purchase string material overseas and it's a great service. They're ramping up a program called "borderless" that will allow for transfers within countries as well. In the U.S. there are only about 10 states that aren't in the mix. Unfortunately Louisiana is one of them (wouldn't you know!)
 
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I also think there's some dollar threshold (which is personal to each of us) about how much risk we're willing to take by using the Friends & Family PayPal option. Is that $100 or $200 or $500? I guess it depends on the person.
Like UkerDanno said above, if it's a longtime member here, I have no problem usually.
 
Thanks again everybody for your advice and experiences, and to ukuelelkarcsi and southcoastukes for the alternative to paypal in recommending transferwise.
 
I've bought a half a dozen ukes here from the marketplace and have paid with Paypal Friends and Family exclusively and never had a problem. They were all established members of the UU community and usually had references from other buyers praising their integrity.
 
Same experience here with the one uke I bought from the marketplace, Trader Todd. The seller did not ask me to use F&F, but was reputable and established, with videos of the instrument for sale, and I was pretty sure it was exactly what I was looking for, and at a very fair price. I figured the seller should get to keep as much of the payment as possible, since the instrument was almost new.

bratsche
 
Agreed with others- after a recent buying experience that wasn't very smooth, I'm more convinced than ever that paying an extra fee for insurance and support is well worth it. I would not buy unless paying the fee (or an equivalent through another service), and I would insist on paying extra for it if needed, if I really wanted an instrument and the buyer was advertising F&F only. Plus as others have mentioned, I personally feel it isn't right to avoid the fee and cut PayPal out of what they deserve based on their pretty clear cut terms of service.

I do use friends and family all the time, but that's genuinely to send money to actual friends and family.
 
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