I would like to know about anyone using Pay Pal invoicing. I thought it looked like an easy alternative to offer my clients (when I get up and running) rather then having to write a check.
If you do offer this service, how many people clients have paid you this way vs a regular mailed check? i.e. is it worth the time to set up/ I have been reading and it looks like not to many people use this method to pay. Thank in advance for the replies.

I think it all depends on the client. If your client likes to pay with a credit card then paypal is a good option, because there is no minimum monthly service fee as with other merchant accounts. Obviously it is faster than a mailed check.

So far it hasn't been an issue, I email my invoices from QuickBooks and in the cover letter I tell them to contact me if they would like to pay by credit card. If they contact me and state they want to pay by credit card then I re-send them an invoice from PayPal. If I knew someone wanted to pay via credit card on a regular basis then I would just send their invoices from PayPal.

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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services

Hi there,
I used to accept direct deposit *and* Paypal but found the direct deposit resulted in too many 'oops my bank made a mistake' situations where I was getting paid late.
Now, I invoice directly through Paypal every two weeks, plus 3.5%. It's fast, easy, and never ever gets 'lost' etc.
It takes about two minutes to set up a Paypal account and link it up to your checking account (so you can deposit the money from Paypal directly into the bank)
I love it, it simplifies my life, and there's always an additional digital record of payment (or not, as the case may be...)

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I'm a newbie as well. I have always belong to paypal through my ebay shopping days. It's not hard to set up. I'm trying to paste the link to my microsoft live basic website but I'm having trouble, that way, a client can click and apply if he wants. It's really easy to apply.

Good luck.

www.virtual-mygirlfriday.net

Tess, 2 questions, are you charging an extra 3.5% for using pay pal? And is is there a link directly to my account to put on my site, or can they only access thier payments thru an invoice?

I do charge an extra 3.5% - Paypal charges me that almost that much (up to 2.9%) to receive payments and I pass it on to my clients. My rates are low enough that I don't feel the need to absorb that cost - clients don't seem to mind...

The way I invoice is by sending a PDF of the current invoice via email and then sending a money request via Paypal - that way we all have a record of what's been paid already and what's still not reconciled. When you log in to your account just hit 'request money' and fill in the blanks It emails the money request to your client directly.

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I acutally use a service through paypal that has worked perfectly for me.. I can create my own invoices and add a pay now button then send it to the client via email they see the pay now button click on it and have several options which include logging into their paypal account and paying, paying via credit card, and paying with their bank account.

Since I started using this tool I get payment much more quickly and it is actually cheaper than using a merchant service through my own bank to accept credit card payments.

You can find this tool by logging into your paypal account and clicking on merchant services. The tool is completely user friendly and works with Outlook, Outlook Express, and other invoicing tools as well.

Thanks ladies,
I have the paypal set up now. When I checked into the costs of taking credit cards through my bank, I was not going to accept them. Then I found the Paypal. I found their information on there kinda iffy, and not to clear.

Okay - I went to paypal and checked everything out, but I'm not quite sure if the business account is the one I should sign up with. I was trying to figure how you got 3.5% Tess. Could you please let me know.

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Be Well,
Carla
www.bwellbusinessservices.com
virtually meeting your needs

On average I'm charged up to 2.9%, I think 2.1% is the lowest rate - when the payments I'm receiving are less than a certain amount it actually costs me more to receive them...3.5% was the "average" I came up with to ensure that I cover those fees. There was a chart on Paypal but I have no idea where to find it now...if I can I'll post the link for you.

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