Post: #1

All right, all you web-based entrepreneurs out there, let's talk commerce.

I despise paypal and constantly have problems with them while traveling.

My buddy who is a wildly successful ecommerce entrepreneur has recommended this to me:

https://stripe.com/

Can anyone comment on this or comment on their ecommerce transaction platforms in general?

Post: #2

Oh god, PayPal is terrible. I'll do everything I can to get a wire transfer, but a lot of times clients will insist on PayPal (ugh).
I've never used stripe, but it looks solid. I'll certainly check it out.

I'm a big Bitcoin advocate though (Check out FlexCoin and the merchant how-to on the BC wiki). I think it's an ideal system for entrepreneurs who are attempting to internationalize and work abroad.

Post: #3

I have lost tens of thousands of dollars because of Paypal. No exaggeration. Two things about Paypal.

- Never leave ANY money in your Paypal account. Transfer it out immediately.

- Never use Paypal for recurring transactions. It is very difficult to fight chargebacks on Paypal. And it's very easy for customers to chargeback recurring transactions. Paypal will almost always rule in favour of the customer and not the merchant.

However,

- Paypal is very easy to implement whether you are using a Wordpress Plugin or a dedicated shopping cart.

So, if you want to get up and running in a matter of minutes, Paypal is really your only option.

For the long term, it is best to try and get your own merchant account from your bank.

p.s. I have never heard of Stripe. But, it looks interesting.

Post: #4

YMG.

The problems you are having with Paypal overseas is due to your IP address.

The best option for using Paypal (and Ebay) overseas is a VPS(Virtual Private Server) in the country your account is registered to. VPN, Proxies etc will only get your account limited. Always log into your PP account from the VPS.

Auctiva is good for Ebay(if you use Ebay) because it masks your IP address so you can log in from anywhere, but there are times you must log into Ebay directly, in which case use the VPS.

If you are an Ebay seller you should be setting up multiple fake accounts should you get a dreaded limitation.

Fake address(Find an address for an empty office building or something)
Virtual credit card(for verification)
Virtual phone number(that can be routed to your mobile)
Fake name(make sure it's a man's name, cos they might call you!)
A new bank account that you haven't used before with PP/Ebay

If you need any more advice give me a shout

Post: #5

(11-12-2011 07:14 PM)ManAbout Wrote:  - Never leave ANY money in your Paypal account. Transfer it out immediately.

Terrible advice. You will get your account frozen if you constantly take all the money out. At the very best, they will make you keep a rolling reserve, like most merchants, in case of chargebacks.

Quote:- Never use Paypal for recurring transactions. It is very difficult to fight chargebacks on Paypal. And it's very easy for customers to chargeback recurring transactions. Paypal will almost always rule in favour of the customer and not the merchant.

There isn't anything Paypal or any other merchant can do with chargebacks. If you are selling a physical product, you better have shipping information to show you shipped the product.

I haven't lost a dispute. Again, they can't do anything when it comes to chargebacks just like any other merchant.

You can fight a charge back but you better have info in terms of product delivery. Nothing you can do if the person claims their credit card was stolen.

Post: #6

(11-19-2011 06:22 PM)Deb Auchery Wrote:  YMG.

The problems you are having with Paypal overseas is due to your IP address.

I never had a problem with Paypal while living overseas. I always contacted them to let them know where I would be. I normally contact all my banks when I am accessing them outside the country.

Post: #7

Yep always best to leave a bit in there and don't take out huge chunks in one go, for example if you have £1000 in an account, take it £200 at a time

Post: #8

(11-19-2011 06:33 PM)Deb Auchery Wrote:  Yep always best to leave a bit in there and don't take out huge chunks in one go, for example if you have £1000 in an account, take it £200 at a time

Personally, I just leave a reserve based on a percentage of my sales. I also have a debit card for my Paypal account and have been using that more and more lately.

Post: #9

(11-19-2011 06:32 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(11-19-2011 06:22 PM)Deb Auchery Wrote:  YMG.

The problems you are having with Paypal overseas is due to your IP address.

I never had a problem with Paypal while living overseas. I always contacted them to let them know where I would be. I normally contact all my banks when I am accessing them outside the country.

Sometimes it's ok, depends on a lot of variables like what you are using Paypal for, the country you are in etc.

When I first started logging in from overseas I got regular soft limitations, where they wanted me to change my password or something. But this could cause very serious problems as any transfers that are taking place get reversed.

Also you could log in from a dirty IP address that a suspended user has used, IE Starbucks.

Would never, ever log in to Paypal from here in Ukraine

Post: #10

(11-19-2011 06:35 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  

(11-19-2011 06:33 PM)Deb Auchery Wrote:  Yep always best to leave a bit in there and don't take out huge chunks in one go, for example if you have £1000 in an account, take it £200 at a time

Personally, I just leave a reserve based on a percentage of my sales. I also have a debit card for my Paypal account and have been using that more and more lately.

Yep I used to have a Paypal Debit Card in the UK, but they stopped the service. Shame cos I could transfer to the card in less than 24 hours

Post: #11

(11-19-2011 06:38 PM)Deb Auchery Wrote:  Sometimes it's ok, depends on a lot of variables like what you are using Paypal for, the country you are in etc.

When I first started logging in from overseas I got regular soft limitations, where they wanted me to change my password or something. But this could cause very serious problems as any transfers that are taking place get reversed.

Also you could log in from a dirty IP address that a suspended user has used, IE Starbucks.

Would never, ever log in to Paypal from here in Ukraine

I lived in Odessa for over a year and had no problems with Paypal. I always logged in from home.

Did they freeze your transfers when you logged in from a different country? I am assuming you told them you were in that country before you logged in.

Post: #12

(11-19-2011 06:41 PM)Deb Auchery Wrote:  Yep I used to have a Paypal Debit Card in the UK, but they stopped the service. Shame cos I could transfer to the card in less than 24 hours

That does suck. I used to love their virtual credit card. I don't know if they ever released it in UK, but here, you could create a credit card that could be used as many times as you want. It was great for purchasing stuff online. I would use it for places that tried to force you into a monthly subscription unless you jumped through hoops to cancel. They just cancelled that bad boy.

Post: #13

Yep I told them for every country I visited, still got the limitations. Yes when you receive a Paypal limitation any transfers that are taking place get reversed

Post: #14

I use Entropay VCC for my Ebay and Paypal accounts

Post: #15

Dwolla™, is an up and coming alternative for sending/receiving money. They are different from Paypal in the sense that they bypass the entire credit card network of making payments. Every time you get paid using Dwolla, they charge you a flat fee of $0.25 per transaction. That's it.

Here's an introductory video:
http://help.dwolla.com/customer/portal/a...-merchants

Here's a full FAQ
http://help.dwolla.com/customer/portal/a...s-it-work-

I came across an article on them in Business Insider (link). I found the idea very interesting and decided to share the knowledge with you guys although I have no experience using their service. Please be sure to do your own research on them.

Post: #16

Yeah I heard about Dwolla literally about fifteen seconds before seeing this thread.

Good post.

Post: #17

Dwolla™ is really amazing. Sucks its only for US/Canada right now.

I need to know more about Entropay VCC - I have less idea on how it works and how much it costs.
Given that I've clients across the world, I need a sustainable and reliable option, which could be easy on my clients as well.

How about Moneybookers?

Post: #18

(11-22-2011 03:42 AM)Ami5 Wrote:  Dwolla™ is really amazing. Sucks its only for US/Canada right now.

I need to know more about Entropay VCC - I have less idea on how it works and how much it costs.
Given that I've clients across the world, I need a sustainable and reliable option, which could be easy on my clients as well.

How about Moneybookers?

On Moneybookers you have to pay a fee every time you deposit into your account and every time you withdraw money. I personally dont recommend moneybookers.

I have been using paypal for many years, however i am looking for a better option. I got charged money by them few times without any apparently reason, they really piss me off.

Post: #19

started looking into bitcoins, anyone experience care to help out? I know there are tons of exchanges but how do you pick a legit on? Also any way to use this to churn cc miles ?