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Bonus Bonanza!?

September 28, 2024 04:42PM
So, I get the email with this subject and when I bite, it just contains a list of shops with fees that are not bonused. Hmm, foiled again. So I log in to the MSC to see if the bonuses are hidden within the shop details, only to find that I cannot see anything until I sign up for YET ANOTHER THIRD PARTY PAYMENT SYSTEM!
I do remember getting an earlier notice about that but I haven't used this MSC in years. I don't think I'll miss anything, they just haven't had jobs that interest me.

I'm really not crazy about all these third parties. At all. Bill.com, Tilapia (I know I know), Stripe and I think there were another one or two besides Paypal. How about I just post my banking details on Google so every internet company can have it? Seems like that's what's happening.

Vent over.
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More About Bonuses
September 28, 2024 07:41PM
Last year, Informa decided to change payment to the third company since we began our relationship, I sent them a notice that I would not be a part of remitter #4. Enough is enough.
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September 28, 2024 07:51PM
I think of Tipalti as Tilapia, too.

I think it's perfectly fine for an MSC to use a non-Paypal payment system. What is NOT ok is when it keeps switching payment vendors. We shoppers are not guinea pigs; our time and data security are valuable. When an MSC repeatedly changes its payment system in a short period, it makes me wonder whether the MSC did its due diligence.
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September 28, 2024 09:35PM
I'm not sure it's always a due diligence issue. Just like some consumers do bank account churn, the MSCs could be doing their version of payment system churn. Either they're offered a bonus to switch from system A to system B, or system B says, "Hey, switch to us, and we'll give you exactly what you're getting with system A, but for $XXX less."

If they don't put much thought into treating ICs fairly to begin with, showing concern for our data privacy won't even be a blip on their radar.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
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September 28, 2024 10:17PM
I think, if I were to be forced to give my information to yet another payment system I would use a separate account at a completely separate bank from the one that I use for everything else. The only payment system I actually trust is Paypal. I've used Tilapia (lol) successfully, but I do not trust them, and I'm afraid I'm going to forget how to collect money from them again if I ever work for that company again. So I think, I may put this new bank account I just opened to work for me collecting money from folks that don't need access to my regular bank accounts.
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September 28, 2024 10:25PM
Checkbook.io is another one. If they can't bother to get a dot com address, I'm suspicious of them.
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September 28, 2024 10:32PM
One that hasn't been mentioned: Checkbook.

It's like they come crawling out of the woodwork.

Edited: Susan beat me to it.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2024 10:32PM by drdoggie00.
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September 28, 2024 11:21PM
Actually I don't trust PayPal. Too many stories of them just taking people's money without explanation with some vague reference to TOS. But I agree having to keep up with so many in unmanageable. Knowing me I probably have $20 from some one-off shop sitting somewhere I have completely forgotten about.
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September 29, 2024 12:38AM
Funny thing with PayPal. When I pay my PayPal credit card from any source, PayPal or my bank, they take a day or two to actually credit the payment.

Now a day doesn't kill me, but how many millions of users are they using that one day float of money from?
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September 29, 2024 08:17AM
@shopperbob

did you terminate Informa? Or just waiting until they change again to something you like?

BTW< i still call them Informa too. I won't call them by their goofy new name either.

Informa is probably the only company I am willing to jump thru hoops for.

Tipalti is lame because each MSC has their unique login. Paypal is easy because it doesn't matter who pays you, it's 1 login and you can see your activity.

Only time I was pissed with Paypal was in 2017 when the Dodgers make their first world series in 29 years (from 1988). I had been selling my season tickets for 10+ years with them and constantly getting payments of $50-$200 per game. World Series time and now tickets are like $1000 to $1500 each. So I'm getting huge payments and they want to put a hold on my money. I fought it and proved I had the season tickets. I told the clowns, you think i've been running some small time scam for over 10 years to finally do something stupid like this. I showed them the invoice for my season seats and they released the money immediately. Best year of selling my seats was that year. $36K in profit for the 4 home games at dodger stadium!!!

@shopperbob wrote:

Last year, Informa decided to change payment to the third company since we began our relationship, I sent them a notice that I would not be a part of remitter #4. Enough is enough.
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September 29, 2024 12:24PM
Daddy, I am still with the company. Below, is a recap of my pay experience.

Originally, it is my recollection, they paid through PayPal after the discontinuation of checks. Then there came the switch to Zelle, As my bank was a member of that remitter, I did not anticipate a problem; I was wrong. There existed a cell phone requirement the bank was unwilling to waive. I decided the fees were worth opening an account with a member bank that did not require a cell. Next, after a few years, Tipalti entered the scene. Had my work for Informa not been lucrative, I would have bailed. IF another switch occurs, I am finished.

Aside from the above, in the 15 or so yrs. of our relationship, all has been well. I understand their decisions were business.
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September 29, 2024 01:18PM
@mystery2me wrote:

Actually I don't trust PayPal. Too many stories of them just taking people's money without explanation with some vague reference to TOS.

Best I can tell, those issues are only for those who sell stuff and use PayPal to receive payment. They've made it to easy for the buyer to file a claims negating sales. I used to sell music gear on eBay, but with the PayPal changes, I've moved to Reverb, a music-dedicated site with a much better system to protect both buyers and sellers.

I've been with PayPal for decades, fully using all their services/products. Never had a problem...

Have synthesizers, will travel...
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September 29, 2024 10:18PM
PayPal has saved my bacon more than once. They've gotten my money back from scammers, they've blocked folks trying to steal my money. No other payment provider does that.
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September 30, 2024 02:57AM
@CoolMusic wrote:

@mystery2me wrote:

Actually I don't trust PayPal. Too many stories of them just taking people's money without explanation with some vague reference to TOS.

Best I can tell, those issues are only for those who sell stuff and use PayPal to receive payment. They've made it to easy for the buyer to file a claims negating sales. I used to sell music gear on eBay, but with the PayPal changes, I've moved to Reverb, a music-dedicated site with a much better system to protect both buyers and sellers.

I've been with PayPal for decades, fully using all their services/products. Never had a problem...

No, there's quite a few examples that have nothing to do with sellers. It's all over the web. Often its just a simple mistake, and once it happens the money is frozen for months and there's no way to get an explanation from PayPal. After 6 months, if you are unable to successfully dispute it, they just keep the money.
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September 30, 2024 03:03PM
Anytime I have a problem with PayPal, I call and talk to a representative and it's fixed before I get off the phone. Which has helped them save my bacon at least twice. I'll give you the phone number if you like, it's not a private number.
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September 30, 2024 03:21PM
My association with PayPal began in 1997. During that period, I never experienced any problems nor do I recall hearing from known others or reading of such on the Internet. I would guesstimate their transaction count in the billions. If I am correct, it is reasonable to conclude that PP has, upon occasion, erred, but were the errors successfully resolved? Until I learn of a reason to be concerned, I feel comfortable with PP.
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September 30, 2024 08:43PM
For those of you who were not e-Bay sellers several yrs. ago, Okie forgot to mention a very important point. Until a few yrs; back, PP and EB had not just a buyer, but also a seller relationship, whereby they immediately fronted money from sales. As he stated, he sold multiple high priced items in a short period and after being inactive. Those actions definitely raised a red flag and today may even be cause, until he produced acceptable records, for a temporary suspension from EB.

The wild west days of e-Bay are over, but it was profitable while it lasted.
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September 30, 2024 11:10PM
@Okie wrote:

...but I make it a habit to zero out my PayPal balance...

That's the law around these parts. I transfer as soon as I receive notice of the payment.

And I NEVER do the instant transfer option. The free method shows up much quicker than the quoted 3-5 business days. If I transfer early enough in the AM it sometimes hits my checking account by close of business, and certainly by the next day 99% of the time.

Their credit products are administered by Synchrony, with whom I do lots of business. As referred to in my route discussions, being able to get 6 months interest free on my hotel stays through PayPal Credit is one of the key ingredients to making my route strategies work from a cashflow standpoint.

I also have a PayPal MasterCard that is solely used for fixed monthly expenditures such as insurance, utilities and storage space rent so I can get 2% back. And that gets transferred to my bank immediately when I redeem from my card to my PP balance.

Have synthesizers, will travel...


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2024 02:19PM by CoolMusic.
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September 30, 2024 11:37PM
Coolmusic, how is Paypal credit different from the Paypal Mastercard I have. I never could quite grasp how I would use it to pay for things.

I used their 4 payment no interest option when I bought my phone but I feel I'm missing something.
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October 01, 2024 12:20AM
Regarding the instant transfer, the little button below says, "Not now" but I mentally change it to, "Not ever" which is the thriftiest option.
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October 01, 2024 01:03AM
This isn't PayPal related, as they are no longer linked the eBay, but I recently had almost a thousand dollars frozen by eBay without explanation. I hadn't sold for a while, and sold a high dollar item because I needed some quick cash. That quick cash ended up taking almost two months to get. (I could have gotten more but I didn't want to wait.) I got zero explanation from eBay. Every time I called, it was your account is suspended, we won't tell you way, you can't appeal, and the decision is final. We'll mail you a check in six weeks, if we feel like it. When the six weeks was almost up my account was unsuspended without explanation. I got the money but didn't need it as badly any more. Never again with them.
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October 01, 2024 02:18AM
Paypal makes their money off of the float of funds. Whether its the day or two we're transferring our money out or the 6 months they froze your account. Compound interest.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2024 02:23AM by wrosie.
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October 01, 2024 02:19AM
A couple million dollars at 1or 2% adds up
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October 01, 2024 02:27PM
@wrosie wrote:

Coolmusic, how is Paypal credit different from the Paypal Mastercard I have...

It's a totally separate account, but still a Synchrony product. Some merchants allow for the delayed payment options, others don't.

I use the Pay In 4 spread out over a bunch of credit cards to even out cashflow and crank some rewards when I buy my vitamins/supplements and make music and software purchases.

The 6 Month Interest Free deal is for travel stuff, and represents my single best cashflow opportunity. When I travel for family visits/events I put my Southwest ticket on the 6-month plan and about a week later I get a check from my mom to cover it.

Yup. Things are that tight around here...

Have synthesizers, will travel...
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