In an auction, additional fees, payment methods and shipping methods should be clearly stated. However, when it comes to PayPal it is hard to be clear because it is against Ebay rules to state that the buyer is responsible for PayPal fees, this is why you rarely see it. If you do see it, it slipped by the Ebay police. This is why a lot of sellers list the usual payment options but then state to email them for additional payment options - so then the subject of PayPal fees can be discussed.
When it comes down to it, PayPal fees are just another subject to be addressed when negotiating a deal, much the same as shipping method/costs.
And PayPal is usually one of many options, not the only method of payment. If a buyer chooses to pay by PayPal using a method (tied to a credit card) which they know will incur additional fees impacting the bottom line, then they should be prepared to pay those additional fees. If they don't want to deal with PayPal fees, they don't have to use it, simple as that.
Of course deals can/will be lost because of this. This is just another in the long line of risks when doing a deal. Both the buyer and seller should take this into consideration. I think that if both the buyer and seller really want to do the deal and act in a reasonable manner, then a middle ground will be reached. It is when people expect something for nothing that problems arise.
Having said all of that, in general on a lower end item I'll suck up the PayPal fees just to do an easy deal, negotiating over a few dollars just isn't worth it. But on a deal(s) that can get up to thousands of dollars (I did an $8,000 PayPal deal in the past), PayPal fees can be a bitter pill to swallow.
When it comes down to it, PayPal fees are just another subject to be addressed when negotiating a deal, much the same as shipping method/costs.
And PayPal is usually one of many options, not the only method of payment. If a buyer chooses to pay by PayPal using a method (tied to a credit card) which they know will incur additional fees impacting the bottom line, then they should be prepared to pay those additional fees. If they don't want to deal with PayPal fees, they don't have to use it, simple as that.
Of course deals can/will be lost because of this. This is just another in the long line of risks when doing a deal. Both the buyer and seller should take this into consideration. I think that if both the buyer and seller really want to do the deal and act in a reasonable manner, then a middle ground will be reached. It is when people expect something for nothing that problems arise.
Having said all of that, in general on a lower end item I'll suck up the PayPal fees just to do an easy deal, negotiating over a few dollars just isn't worth it. But on a deal(s) that can get up to thousands of dollars (I did an $8,000 PayPal deal in the past), PayPal fees can be a bitter pill to swallow.