I know, this is 13 days old, but I just had to comment (plus I just read
it):
<< Did anyone, besides me, find that the BidPay/WU 'stalls' their
payments? >>
I have received many a BidPay payment over the last year. Before they
went to computer generated mailers, they were a bit slow stuffing the
envelope with the money order. But the real delay was the New York City
post office! BidPay issues some checks from Miami, but Florida mail is
very slow, too, especially Miami.
Presently, with their volume down due to PayPal and Billpoint
competition, BidPay is about on par with the time it takes Billpoint to
credit your account with a buyer's credit card payment (5-6 working
days) - at least for getting a payment to a western US address. I think
they were swamped with work about a year ago and had delays as a result.
Their approval lag time sure has improved!
For customer service, BidPay really comes through. That is important to
volume sellers, who will always run into occasional problems. PayPal
customer service has reportly been like pulling teeth, if not dead on
arrival. And really, how long can a company give away its venture
capital?
My prediction: Billpoint will rule over the long haul. They DO accept
certain non-USA credit cards, BTW. PayPal got out of the starting blocks
fast, but they won't continue to get the record amounts of ventue
capital they have had to raise, their business plan for making a profit
is suspect (I haven't heard of a profit, yet), their deposits (vs.
individual transactions) are NOT insured, and they are at a disadvantage
in not being integrated onto the eBay auction pages like Billpoint, an
eBay subsidiary. PayPal is great if you are both buying and selling.
But 800f eBay transactions are by dealers. I doubt that many have the
time to search and buy stuff on a regular basis, so they are forced to
constantly request payments from PayPal. I wonder what the current lag
time is for getting such payments?
For the cheapest fees, explore good old USPS C.O.D. ($4.00 up to $50.00
value, $5.00 for $51.01 to $100.00, $6.00 up to $200.00, $7.00 up to
$300.00, etc.). You don't have to insure or delivery confirm, so that
offsets some of those fees. The seller gets their check or money order
in 7-12 days.
Regarding marking "Gift" on a Custom's form: try also enclosing a
birthday card that costs 10 cents from a thrift shop and gift wrapping
the item. Who's going to argue that?
Gary Reese
Las Vegas, NV
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