I myself prefer the business way and I don't mind having my fees taken out. I want to protect the buyer and myself so no problems arise.

I do sell on this forum....People send checks or use paypal....
I sell very cheap and if people need to pay with paypal I tell them that I will give them the exact amt and then add the EXACT paypal fees on to that. They are very minimal, but if they paid, and then paypal took out fees on me that would be cheaper merchandise and I end up loosing more. If I charge more for my items to make up for fees, then the paypal fees are higher. No Win situation.
I have no idea how that person marks the send money....ex. goods, etc. It never shows up on my side. I'm sure it is not listed as "GIFT" though. I would hope someone would not do that.

I use the goods option.

I agree. When we sign up to receive $ through paypal we agree to pay those fees for the service. If I were selling something and being paid through paypal account I would simply factor that cost into the selling price! dah.........!

I've purchased things when the seller has specified "bank account only, no credit cards"....I can see they don't want to pay any fees and this states it clearly

I go through spirts of selling things on ebay. One year I made over $700 in a week just getting the closet clean.

I would not ask someone to pay the fees that i agreed to pay when I signed up for Paypal. If you don't want to pay the seller fees, then don't offer to accept Paypal.

As always, ladies and gentlemen, Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy.

BTW, what a great thread! :D

I've used paypal about a thousand times - both buying and selling. Yes, there are fees - paypal makes money on transactions - it's their business. I've never asked anyone to send money as a "gift" and nobody has asked me to do it either. It would be lying, wouldn't it? Just my thoughts. If someone is asking you to do this, can you trust the transaction? I'm just saying..........

When it comes to ethical questions, if you have to ask...you already know the answer.

I would be very leery of doing business with someone who advocates skirting the law even for something that seems minor. ethics carry through to all areas of personal and professional life...

This! Think twice when someone asks you to skirt the rules.