Given what I’ve written about eBay Australia and PayPal recently, is it hypocritical to have added a “donate” button to my website which works through PayPal? I don’t think so. After all, I did say that for small businesses setting up online, PayPal is “often the most cost-effective way to accept credit card payments, and the easiest to set up technically”. And it is. I got that “donate” button set up in 10 minutes. The gripe was about eBay forcing its sellers to use PayPal, which they own. What do you think?
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08 May 2008 at 8:58 am
NathanaelB
Nah — I don’t like having to use Paypal either… but it’s really the only practical choice at the moment. Just like Meraki — I often express my disgust at their attitude… but the fact is they’re the “best” provider in that market.
08 May 2008 at 9:33 am
bernard
so a “real” donation, or is this going to be like a “entry by gold coin donation”, ie. obligatory to pay something to see if the gig is any good?
If a “real” donation, don’t see any problem at all; if it is pay-per-view I’ll gate crash (in real life) - unless you have decided on having a very mobile studio and I need to track you down in one of 20 watering holes in a 5k radius…
08 May 2008 at 9:42 am
bernard
ok - tried to make a donation. 1st time using paypal.
didn’t click “update totals” when i first put it in, so it blew out the whole transaction (on the grounds that I had tried to pay zero) and had to start again. From Scratch.
It didn’t bother to check that the rest of the required entries had been completed and were “potentially valid”.
2nd time around, it rejects because I have not entered my home phone number.
I don’t have a home phone number, and I don’t think it will recognise my Skype addy…
I’ll buy you a Mojito next time I see you (which is prob more than the donation would have have been, and waaay more tax effective for you!)
08 May 2008 at 10:17 am
Snarky Platypus
Gin is a more reliable currency than Paypal.
08 May 2008 at 10:23 am
bernard
super poked him a margarita….
08 May 2008 at 10:25 am
Stilgherrian
@NathanaelB: That’s really the core of everyone’s gripe. Because eBay and PayPal have become the biggest global player, they know they can ramp up the price and most will stay and absorb it — offsetting any numbers who may leave. However network efficiencies should continually make i cheaper.
@bernard: The word is “donation”. Consider it a tip-jar. If I do flip this into an onging program then I can seek (totally voluntary) “subscribers”, a la community broadcasters.
PayPal wants to anchor the virtual transaction to some reality. If you’re a member, they’ve already confirmed email addresses and bank accounts, but otherwise it’s all to easy to use a stolen credit card number.
A mojito is an acceptable substitute this time…
@Snarky Platypus: Gin is reliable, indeed, but how do you make it acceptable currency to Vodafone, Energy Australia and the property manager?
08 May 2008 at 12:10 pm
Stephen Stockwell
I’m not going to get started on this one again, Stilgherrian…just yet. We left that other thread at a point where we were really starting to uncover some of the larger societal/philosophical issues behind this eBay/Paypal thingo. I’ve since been letting some of my own inner thoughts rise to the surface and I’ll write about those later.
Right now though, I need to go see my stylist to do something about this angsty fringe. You know how it is.