Someone above pointed out that it is against Paypal’s rules for a seller to ask the buyer to pay the Paypal fees. Unfortunately, a lot of seller’s ask/require that buyers do pay the Paypal fee, or circumvent the fee by asking the buyer to pay via friends and family. To head this off, before I send a Paypal payment I try to remember to inform the seller that I will be paying for goods and services, and I add up the price and any shipping. This gives the seller a chance to "correct" the final price, and gives me, the buyer to back out or renegotiate. Usually, if someone tries to stuff in last minute charges, I walk away on the basis that they have not been honest. And what if something goes wrong; I don’t want to have to deal a person like this if the item arrives with shipping damage, etc. On walking away from a deal, rarely is a deal a 'must have' deal for me. Letting your acquisitiveness cloud your judgement regarding safety is bad idea. (Acquisitiveness is a mortal sin for Catholics!) Another 'must have' item will probably show up for sale soon, I have learned.
Paypal Friends and Family versus paying for Goods and Services (or merchandise): If you don’t understand the difference, there are no fees to send funds to friends and family. Some sellers of merchandise want to be paid via this method, as it saves them Paypal fees. It is also fraud against Paypal. If you are okaying defrauding Paypal, think about this:
you pay good money for something and pay via the Friends and Family method. The seller sends you a brick. Try going to Paypal and getting them to return your money. They will say, "what merchandise?" They would at least put a check on your account as someone who doesn't follow their rules, and who, knows? They may kick you off.
End of rant. Sorry, if I had more time I would write a shorter pos
DrSteve
Paypal Friends and Family versus paying for Goods and Services (or merchandise): If you don’t understand the difference, there are no fees to send funds to friends and family. Some sellers of merchandise want to be paid via this method, as it saves them Paypal fees. It is also fraud against Paypal. If you are okaying defrauding Paypal, think about this:
you pay good money for something and pay via the Friends and Family method. The seller sends you a brick. Try going to Paypal and getting them to return your money. They will say, "what merchandise?" They would at least put a check on your account as someone who doesn't follow their rules, and who, knows? They may kick you off.
End of rant. Sorry, if I had more time I would write a shorter pos
DrSteve