PayPal launch 'unwelcome' campaign
18/09/2008 at 17:37
File this one under ‘horrible negative marketing’: PayPal are launching an advertising campaign to ask online retailers if they are sending customers away by not offering PayPal as a payment method, reports Marketing Week. The “unwelcome” campaign shows shopkeepers holding “Go Away” signs, suggesting that retailers who don’t accept PayPal are turning paying customers away. The promotion will run both online and in print, and 2000 retailers are being sent actual “unwelcome” doormats: expect to see a few of those crop up on eBay shortly.
Board_Surfer says
6:17 pm on 18/09/2008
Dear oh dear!
Its a sad day when lame reverse psychology is the best they can do to drum up business.
That said, it will probably work a treat.
Whirly says
6:36 pm on 18/09/2008
#1 I am surprised they even need to bother, it’s the one side of the eBay business that is delivering what it promises to investors.
theknickermafia says
7:28 pm on 18/09/2008
Yes! I hope I get one, its just what I need for outside my front door.
Re the marketing….. if it raises awareness, its good publicity for them, simple as that really.
Jimbo says
8:21 pm on 18/09/2008
I wonder what percentage of PayPal’s revenue comes from eBay?
Whirly says
8:24 pm on 18/09/2008
#3 Not as much as you might imagine.
dave says
8:55 pm on 18/09/2008
Update re Paypal/Ebay performance
http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ebay/417943620x0x229851/18b366ea-452c-4830-bd9f-2bffb7460fa5/ebay.pdf
ebuyerfb says
10:45 pm on 18/09/2008
Do people ever respond well to this kind of marketing? I don’t donate to my University because of stuff like this.
Whirly says
5:55 am on 19/09/2008
I booked a cab online this morning from Stansted for SB 2.0 and paid with Paypal,,
I can use my mobile to tip the driver.!
Jimbo says
7:58 am on 19/09/2008
If I had the choice I would always choose to pay direct with a credit card.
Sue Bailey says
9:04 am on 19/09/2008
Jimbo, you’re not the only one. I have a LOT of buyers who will pay with PayPal on eBay, but credit cards on my website. I don’t think this is so much about particular buyers who are wedded to PayPal, so much as the convenience of the moment: if I don’t have my card on me, or have PP balance I want to use, offering PayPal might win you a sale that you’d lose if you made me get up off my bum and go find my wallet to pay you.
Gill says
9:45 am on 19/09/2008
Actually, since the Cotton Traders thing last year (no fraud here, but my card was stopped by the issuer and a new one issued), I’d always rather choose PayPal on a website if its an option.
Jimbo says
9:49 am on 19/09/2008
On a side note Protx have now intergrated PayPal. In my opinion it is a much tidier way of intergrating PayPal into your website (If you are a Protx customer)
Brian Mitchinson says
10:03 am on 19/09/2008
Hi
Yes, I see what you are saying and I once swore that I would never buy anything on the Internet.
Now I make my living (‘ish!) by selling on the Internet and, to be honest often opt out of buying something if Paypal payment is not an option.
Brian
Sue Bailey says
10:10 am on 19/09/2008
#12 Check the fees, Jimbo – you double them up by taking PayPal through Protx. Expensive way of being neat.
Jimbo says
10:27 am on 19/09/2008
#14 How does it double the fees Sue? I’m on the small business service (I had thought it was saving me).
DavidT says
10:47 am on 19/09/2008
I consider Paypal fees to be excessive, particularly when added to eBay fees; I have no choice but to offer PayPal on eBay but I won’t have it on my own site, even through Protx. I pay Protx a monthly fee which includes 1000 transactions (I wish!) within that fee, I then pay the merchants fees on top of that. The combination of Protx/merchants fees are way, way below what PayPal extorts.
Sue Bailey says
11:03 am on 19/09/2008
#15 You’re charged Protx fees AND PayPal fees (I have confirmed this with Protx support) on PayPal transactions processed through Protx. If you go directly through PayPal, you only get charged their fees. It may only be a small amount, or, as with DavidT, it may be included in your free transactions — in which case, keep an eye on it if you get busier.
Steve James says
11:17 am on 19/09/2008
Hi Sue,
Strange, when I spoke to Protx about this they told me there were no extra fee’s for processing through PayPal. It was the reason I called as there is no point offering PayPal through Protx if it incurs yet another fee.
Jimbo says
11:19 am on 19/09/2008
#17 So in fact it doesn’t double my fees
If your onto the corporate level with Protx it would still make sense in my opinion. You would have a neater streamlined check out (less clutter) + you would have less failed transactions + the number of PayPal transactions would (I suspect) be less as a % than if you had a separate check out routes on your website. The Protx fee per transaction would be .10p
Sue Bailey says
11:25 am on 19/09/2008
Steve… really? As in “processing it through Protx absolves you of PayPal fees”? or nothing extra as in “just the normal Protx fee if any plus just the normal PayPal fee”? The latter is what I was told by Protx support.
Sue Bailey says
11:28 am on 19/09/2008
the number of PayPal transactions would (I suspect) be less as a % than if you had a separate check out routes on your website
Jimbo, that is certainly worth considering. If you’re way off the 1000 transaction limit, then I agree it’s worth doing – if you’re close to that, or on the corporate level with a lot of smallish transactions, I’d go with processing PayPal seperately.
Kevin_T says
2:46 pm on 19/09/2008
This, at a time when Ebay.com is effectively telling buyers who do not wish to pay by electronic means (with particular emphasis on PayPal) that they are unwelcome. I still receive a few cheques from the UK and the USA – I don’t like Ebay sending those customers away.
Oh the irony!
Kevin
Kate says
7:35 pm on 19/09/2008
I have a buyer in Germany who has bought 10 CDs from me this week – but only because I said he could pay by bank transfer. He said he didn’t want to buy them if Paypal was the only option. I’m not willing to lose a sale like that thanks very much.
And bank transfer is much cheaper for me (ie free).
I don’t think German buyers like Paypal very much, this is not the first time that this kind of thing has happened.
I’ve also had a couple of cheques this week, and I don’t want ebay sending those customers away either.
Super Max says
12:27 am on 20/09/2008
Personally I will look else where if paypal is the only option.
As a business man though I do offer it, the more choices the better.
The reasons not to offer paypal as the sole option are simple:
a) They don’t accept several oddly formated cards, for example, some 18 digit solo or maestro cards.
b) Lots of people end up with their paypal accounts frozen or blocked through fraud/misuse and as it takes ages to unblock them often don’t bother, thus are unable to use paypal.
c) Lots of people hate paypal as a company.
ebuyerfb says
3:23 am on 20/09/2008
That is the one great thing about PayPal. However I got tired of locating my wallet so I just memorized the number. I don’t know how it is over there but here it is usually 16 digits + expiration + security number. That is only 23 digits.
ebuyerfb says
3:27 am on 20/09/2008
@ #23
Even eBay Germany doesn’t trust PayPal.
http://www.tamebay.com/2008/06/ebay-germany-boss-doesnt-trust-paypal.html
northumbrian says
8:12 am on 20/09/2008
cant understand why any buyer would even consider paying in any other way than with paypal,
they just about execute sellers if the item does not arrive or is not as described
any buyer who pays via bank transfer is daft
you have got their dosh then
northumbrian says
8:18 am on 20/09/2008
when I buy on ebay
the fact I can use paypal and the security it offers is more important to me than the sellers feedback
I know my money is as safe as it can be,
may be that is why paypal suffers such vitriol from sellers
northumbrian says
8:22 am on 20/09/2008
though as a seller their spanish inquisition attitude pees me off
Jimbo says
9:50 am on 20/09/2008
PayPal is great for eBay but there are a few of things I don’t like.
As a seller: The poor leval of phone support, eCheques, The way disputes are handled.
As a buyer: That you have to link a bank account (after a certain spend). That payment defaults to “PayPal balance”.
For a large value transaction I would always feel safer using a credit card (especially in the present financial climate).
northumbrian says
11:05 am on 20/09/2008
“For a large value transaction I would always feel safer using a credit card (especially in the present financial climate).”
eh?
half the buggers are flapping about like fish out of water, not able to finance their lending
Whirly says
11:54 am on 20/09/2008
Paypal is great for buyers when things go wrong and bad for sellers when things go wrong.
If I could use paypal to make a big purchase like a car etc I would, simply because if the slightest thing went wrong with it I could put the fear of god into the seller in 5 seconds flat. The guys who sell on eBay motors and offer Paypal are stark raving bonkers.
Sue Bailey says
12:09 pm on 20/09/2008
#32: I *did* use PayPal to purchase a car – Mr Biddy went to see it, phoned me and said “yeah it’s fine, pay the guy”. Even though it was straight off my debit card, it came up as an echeque because it was so much more than my usual amount spent with PayPal. How embarrassing was that.
Fortunately for us, the buyer was a very sweet newbie, was utterly impressed that someone with a zillion feedback was buying his car, and said he trusted it would clear. Thank goodness it did!
In the future, I might pay with a bankers draft or cash, I think
Jimbo says
12:38 pm on 20/09/2008
I wonder what would have happened if I had bought an XL holiday with PayPal?
northumbrian says
1:10 pm on 20/09/2008
the same as the poor sods that paid with credit card and were not covered thru ATOL
Jimbo says
1:41 pm on 20/09/2008
Credit Card purchase are automatically protected by the Consumer Protection Act,
FenLex says
1:55 pm on 20/09/2008
Credit card purchases are indeed protected, though via the Consumer Credit Act (not the Consumer Protection Act).
That does NOT necessarily apply to purchases (even credit card funded ones) made via PayPal.
Board_Surfer says
2:09 pm on 20/09/2008
The folk that sell cars and take paypal are actually very smart
vehicles are excluded from PP’s buyer protection.
northumbrian says
2:34 pm on 20/09/2008
Credit card purchases are indeed protected, though via the Consumer Credit Act .
yeah yeah,
and you cant speed, and you cant park on double yellows
garages dont over charge, restaurants only ever serve fresh food
FenLex says
4:43 pm on 20/09/2008
39 – I meant the emphasis of what I was saying to be on the fact that a buyer using PayPal probably forfeits what protection they would otherwise have by using the very same credit card.
It is something that PayPal don’t exactly publicise and is, to my mind, an accident waiting to happen.
But, put it this way, I wouldn’t pay for an airline ticket with PayPal at the moment.
Super Max says
7:38 pm on 20/09/2008
Like north says, most of these guarantees are pretty worthless, but I’m more prepared to trust the consumer credit act’s protection of all purchases over 100 with my credit card more than I am paypal’s.
And believe me i don’t trust my bank much, and i trust paypal less.
(as an aside it was quite funny going into a Halifax branch on Thursday to pay a few thousand in and going to the cashier ‘bet I’m the first person you’ve seen today paying money in’)
northumbrian says
8:38 pm on 20/09/2008
banks, credit card companies, online payment providers
little difference with any of them , most are legalised bandits,
they hide behind small print and legal teams,
there only purpose is to get as much of your dosh as they can
Super Max says
6:02 am on 21/09/2008
#42 north, I just wish i could open a bank, its always looked like a license to print money to me, even the banks going bust the guys at the top have made millions in bonuses.
FenLex says
9:47 am on 21/09/2008
43 – In Scotland and Northern Ireland, banks DO have licenses to print money, which is why LloydsTSBScottishWidowsCheltenham&GloucesterHalifaxBankofScotland will be putting up a brass plate on The Mound in Edinburgh!
Ian Ferguson says
7:27 pm on 02/10/2008
I received one of these doormats yesterday. Unfortunately for PayPal’s marketing team, I was scammed through PayPal a couple of years back and haven’t forgiven them for the lack of customer service I received… so I’ve posted pictures of the Unwelcome mat and had a little rant here.
If anyone wants it, I’m open to offers. Just don’t expect to pay me through PayPal…
Ian Ferguson says
7:31 pm on 02/10/2008
I just posted here but it was marked as spam and rejected
Anyway: I received one of the Unwelcome doormats yesterday. Unfortunately for PayPal, I have a bit of a grudge against them after being scammed one too many times, and receiving a complete lack of customer service.
I have posted pictures of the mat and had a little rant here:
http://ianferguson.blogspot.com/2008/10/paypal-we-want-to-walk-over-your.html