How do you feel about PayPal Express?

[bigcaat]

I'm about to give up on Google until they get their kinks worked out. I absolutely detest PayPal, but I'm feeling as though I may not have a choice until Google offers the option of calculating First Class and Priority Mail.

I guess, until then, my only other viable option is PayPal Express. (I don't want people to have to open a PayPal account.)

How do you guys like PPE? Are any of you using it, and using Google checkout, as well? If so, would you give me the link to your site so I can see it?

As far as PayPal Express goes, what major problems are you having with it? What do you like about it?

Any input you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Like I say, I think PayPal is just a scuzzy company, but I'm feeling as though I have run out of options if I want to get up and running before Christmas.

Thanks,
Caat

[Merlinpa1969]

paypal and google are painted with the same scuzzy brush,
Neither are a bank, neither are true merchants and neither are governed by ANY banking rules.....

best to get a real merchant account

[bigcaat]

paypal and google are painted with the same scuzzy brush,
Neither are a bank, neither are true merchants and neither are governed by ANY banking rules.....

best to get a real merchant account

Not everyone can afford a merchant account when they're first starting out. The least expensive one I've found is $27/month. I can't afford that.

[Merlinpa1969]

I understand that,
was just putting out the information that google like paypal can take your money and hold it without cause

[DrByte]

I guess, until then, my only other viable option is PayPal Express. (I don't want people to have to open a PayPal account.)

Interesting argument. Last time I checked, Google Checkout absolutely requires that customers create a GC account.

[bigcaat]

Interesting argument. Last time I checked, Google Checkout absolutely requires that customers create a GC account.

JC. I'm not making an argument. I don't want people to have to sign up for PayPal because I don't like them. That's my opinion. So sue me.

All I was doing was asking for people's opinion about using PayPal Express. Obviously, that's asking too much here.

[DrByte]

Sheesh -- I was only adding a piece of information missing from your comments.

If you don't like PayPal and don't want to use them, that's entirely up to you.
Personal preference is one thing. Ruling out a segment of customer clientele who *want* to pay via PayPal is another.

You can do what you like.

You asked for sites using PPEC and Google Checkout happily. Sorry, I don't know of any of those. That's why I only commented on the account-creation aspect.

Perhaps the lack of response from others might mean the same thing?

[joebankz]

I think from a marketing standpoint that having a little of everything is wise. Some people LOVE paypal and use it religiously. Google Checkout is becoming such.

I know that last Christmas Google Checkout offered $30 discounts on all purchases made with google through some google checkout merchants like buy.com and a few others. This created a lot of Google Checkout users.

Paypal is the bastion of almost every person who has an ebay account and so useful too.

You don't want to put limits on your customers. Give them every opportunity to buy.

I use Authorize.net as well in order to give the customers another easy way to pay.

Don't let the fact that you don't accept paypal or google stop your customer from buying from you. But likewise there are a lot of folks who don't trust either one for good reasons, so you really need your own merchant services processor too.

Just my 2 cents..

Paul aka Joe

[rginn]

Hi,
I am using Payquake/Authorize.net along with PP Express. I pay $14.00 per month as a base price. Not bad and they have a good reputation.

Regards
Bob G

[tj1]

OK, here's my opinion as I use both services.

Also, first I'd like to mention that I used to use a merchant account, however I find way more convenient to just use paypal and googlecheckout.

Here are just a few reasons why I prefer PP/GC over using a merchant account:
- I don't like dealing with credit cards directly.
- PP/GC are easier to integrate, better automation.
- No monthly fees or other fees imposed by the merchant account issuer.
- No extra charges for accepting American Express/Discover
- Lower discount rates than many merchant accounts (need to process certain volume of transactions)

Reasons why I would want to use a merchant account:
- Take credit cards over the phone, fax or mail. But like I said, I don't like to deal with credit cards directly. I still take orders over the phone, by fax, or mail in orders. I just instruct customers to make payment online using a payment form.


OK, so you say the reason you want to ditch GC is because it's not calculating 1st-class and priority mail? That is an incorrect statement.
GC calculates 1st-class and priority mail rates perfectly. You must have some sort of misconfiguration.
Remember that you need to use SSL if you want to have merchant calculated shipping.

Anyway, regarding GC vs PPE, here's my take. Both have features that the other one lacks, so I give them a tie for the time being.

Pros GC over PP:

- Most important to me. Better seller protection to most countries. PP offers seller protection only to transactions in the U.S., the UK and Canada and only to 'corfirmed addresses'. GC offer seller protection to most countries, even the address is not confirmed, if GC you qualify and you follow their policies, you are protected.
PP seller protection sometimes is worth crap even if you follow their policies. I've only had a few bank charge backs and luckily they were also relatively small transactions. Sometimes PP has reimbursed me, but others not when it should because in all those cases I shipped with signature confirmation and to a confirmed address. But get this, all reversals were initiated by paypal because they thought the transaction might be fraudulent, not because the customer filed a chargeback. All those customers said they didn't file anything and that they were happy with their purchase. When using paypal, it's not really chargebacks by customers you have to worry about, it's reversals initiated by paypal because they feel like it.

- Really nice faster checkout process.
- Lower fees than paypal(and for the time being free). You can also get low fees with paypal, but you have to process a lot of transactions to get a lower rate.


Pros PP over GC:
- Better integration. It's been around longer, it's logical it'll have better integration. I really like the ability to print shipping labels.
- No account creation required. GC does require the customer to create an account, but the process is so fast and easy most people don't mind or even notice. But for those who don't want to create additional accounts, paypal does offer this option.
- Better recognition. Virtually everyone know paypal. Not the case with GC. However, I've had many customers who used to pay using paypal and once they tried GC, they liked it much better they've never used paypal to pay me again.


There are many other points where one has an advantage over the other, but it's late now, I'm tired and can't remember.