[Todd Gibson]

As time goes by, we’re seeing an increasing percentage of shoppers on our website purchasing with PayPal. I’m curious about why that is and if there’s anything we could do to make the PayPal checkout process easier for those of you who choose to pay that way.

So, for those of you who prefer to buy with PayPal, would you mind answering a couple questions for me?

First, why do you prefer to use PayPal instead of a credit or debit card? And, second, have you purchased from any other sites that have an easier PayPal checkout process than the one we do where you’re redirected to PayPal’s site to provide your payment info? If so, what was easier about how their PayPal process is done?

[juliamom2009]

Hi Todd – I’ve recently started an on-line fabric shop, and we are using Paypal to process our credit/debit card orders.

Maybe people who pay with Paypal have a line of credit with Paypal, or they have money in their Paypal account from selling on eBay or Etsy or something like that?

Just a thought!

[mrskanuckles]

I prefer PayPal, because I already have all of the credit card information set up and I dont have to pull out my card and type in all of the data. Most sites will also just ship to my default mailing location on paypal, so I dont have to retype that data either.

So, mine is strictly about laziness.

Also, they have a department that will help you resolve disputes which is nice with some sites.

[sayiamyou]

My husband and I use PayPal because it feels more secure. We are only entering our credit card information once, to PayPal. If we do make purchases from sites that do not offer PayPal we always go through our bank’s site and create a “shop safe” number – essentially, it’s a “fake” number with a credit amount that we set. So, if this number is snagged then we have set the amount that can hit it as well as having the knowledge that the number is only good for 30 days. If I’m not mistaken, PayPal will also notify you of “suspicious” activity on your account very quickly as well, but most banks should do this too.

Additionally, as juliamom said, if my husband buys or sells via eBay then all the transfers of monies happen from one central location, PayPal. I can’t recall having issues with your site, or ever feeling frustrated when trying to make a purchase. So, as far as “ease of purchase” is concerned I hope you’ll continue offering PayPal as an option.

[Jess M.]

I’m with MrsKanuckles—I already have my info in there and I don’t have to type it in a second time. Plus, on a bonus side, I may have a balance, so I can use that if it’s there without a huge hassle.

[Nicole]

I still have to fill in my address on the o+s site. On others,one is simply directed to PayPal as they have your details.

Not a biggie,just thought I would mention it.

~Nicole~

[sarahb]

Paypal is my “fun” money, and I rarely purchase anything craft-related with a credit or debit card. I try to keep it that way for budgeting purposes, but also because it’s so easy to just use PayPal rather than get up, bring my card to the computer, and (most importantly) remember to put it back in my wallet. Most checkouts I’ve used PayPal with do direct you to PayPal, so it’s not an extra hassle to me.

[icicle]

Wow, so glad I’m not the only one too lazy to get up and walk across the room to get my card info 😉

Seriously, on smaller company web sites, I like the added protection of not having to send my personal banking numbers to be processed. Paypal is an added layer of security from hackers and unvetted small mom and pop shops.

As far as I remember, O+S’s pp checkout was the same as every other small site, so I’m no help there.

Thanks for asking, though!

[LisaMM]

Agree with previous posts. Just too lazy to go grab the credit card and re enter all the card details.

[Pink Zipper]

I’m with the lazy crowd, but also Paypal provides buyer protection. Not for here but smaller lesser known companies/businesses. I had one time where a purchase did not arrive. I worked through paypal resolution centre and all turned out well, just a simple misunderstanding. But it certainly was helpful to know that I could refer back to paypal for help.

I always stir my husband saying you can’t buy anything that we can’t pay for through Paypal.

[philippa]

I use Paypal most days – both for business and home. Most of the sites that offer Paypal have the facility to select Paypal as a method of payment BEFORE you need to enter any name and address details; all these details are linked to your Paypal account and are automatically uploaded onto the web page ordering form once the password has been entered in the usual way. The default delivery address can be changed, but of course for downloadable products this is not an issue, and should not really be requested…

The main reason for using it for business purchases is the buyer protection (their resolution center is excellent), and I guess this would apply equally to my personal purchases.