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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Tess-

Is the addtional 3.5% to cover the fees that PayPal charges? I am currently looking for a way to recoup that monies since I lose out on that when getting paid.

Originally Posted by Tess

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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All the best,
Jennifer Gallaher, Virtual Assistance by Jen - Owner

PayPal costs range from 2.5% to 3.5%. I don't charge the extra to my client, but consider it the cost of doing business. I will accept checks, but find that clients respond well the the convenience of PayPal--and it's fast. There is an old old saying I heard from an econ prof: "Sooner money is gooder money"

Has anyone tried dwolla? Transactions under $10 are free, all others are 25¢.
If you've tried it, please let us know how it worked.

Leanne

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WorkSmart, Administrative Assistance
When one of you is not enough

Originally Posted by Tess

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...)

Hi Tess,

Do you strictly use PayPal? And your 3.5% is that to cover the service fees for PayPal? - if so how do you word that into your contract? I like the idea of having everything done through PayPal and would like to convert to this method - any feedback would be so much appreciated!

Patricia

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Patricia Loehn : Owner / VA
American Virtual Associates

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.