Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another?

samstephens · 02-18-2009, 04:14 PM

Hi all,

I have a client looking to purchase an existing business from the current owner.

It includes a membership that is currently being paid through Paypal.

Does anyone know of a way to move those existing subscriptions from the existing Paypal account to my clients account?

Naturally I want to avoid them having to cancel and signup again, though I'm not sure if there is any way around this....

Thanks!
Sam

Jamie Iaconis · 02-18-2009, 04:23 PM

That's quite a question Sam... but
to tell you the truth I don't think
you can get around it in any way.

How can you even know for sure that the customers
will want to stay customers "under new ownership"?

Great question, I'd like to hear answers too!

Jamie

Neil Morgan · 02-18-2009, 05:04 PM

Hi Sam

As far as I am aware, there isn't a way around this.

I've occasionally advised people on here to consider this issue when setting up recurring payments - what if you want to sell your business in the future - you can't sell your PayPal account with it.

Let us know if you find a solution.

Cheers,

Neil

Austin Delaney · 02-18-2009, 05:51 PM

Surely a business should have a 'business account' with paypal? and if the business is sold then the account would go with it?

Neil Morgan · 02-18-2009, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Surely a business should have a 'business account' with paypal? and if the business is sold then the account would go with it?

I don't know if that's possible. It would seem logical to assume it would, but then this is PayPal we're talking about.

Part of the problem is that one PayPal account can be used for many sites and services run by one company and if you sell one of them, but not the others, you're stuck.

Cheers,

Neil

Ann Bedwell · 02-18-2009, 05:59 PM

Have you guys had alot of problems with Paypal? I detect a note of it in your posts...
a

Neil Morgan · 02-18-2009, 06:09 PM

Hi Ann

No, I've not.

But I have always been aware that if I set up a subscription model, I'd use something else for it, just in case I get an offer I can't refuse for that part of my business.

Cheers,

Neil

samstephens · 02-18-2009, 06:13 PM

I haven't had any problems with Paypal, and in fact I'm quite a big fan.

I'd considered perhaps getting my client to buy the Paypal account as well, I figure if you can just change all the details to my client's (or client's wife's) details, it would in effect become his.

The problem, though, is I believe that Paypal account is already in heavy use by the seller, not just for that product.

I might try and dig up Paypal's phone number, and see if they have any ideas...

cheers
Sam

rondo · 02-18-2009, 06:17 PM

Let us know what they say Sam.
Most people don't think about this issue in advance.

Andrew

samstephens · 02-18-2009, 06:31 PM

I just gave Paypal a call, and from what they've said, it's impossible to transfer a subcription from one Paypal account to another.

They just said subscriptions need to be cancelled, and then re-established in the new account.

I'm not sure if there is another way around this, but I'm guessing not.

The support was just first level support, basically reading from FAQ's, so there's still a slim chance there is a way around this, but probably not.

You're right, Andrew, most people don't think about this in advance. It'd be handy if we could register more than one business/premier account, then you could just sell the account with the business.

So I guess if you're creating a membership site that you're planning on selling, Clickbank may be a better way to go!

cheers
Sam

JOHN_RODRIGUEZ · 02-18-2009, 06:37 PM

Sam,

Anytime your subscribers have to cancel one subscription and sign up again, you're going to lose some subscribers.

Offering them a "bonus" to stay with you may help.

John

rondo · 02-18-2009, 06:46 PM

Thanks Sam.

"It'd be handy if we could register more than one business/premier account, then you could just sell the account with the business."

For projects we might wish to sell one day it may be worth creating a new business entity for that project so we can have a new Paypal account. That's fairly easy to do here in Oz but I don't know about other countries.

Andrew

samstephens · 02-18-2009, 08:23 PM

Great idea John - I told my client to expect to lose some members, but the bonus is a great idea.

I might create a special offer where those resigning get a month free, or something similar. If they've been enjoying it, then with the free month he should be able to keep most of them.

That's a good point Andrew - I haven't tried it myself, but are you saying each Business entity can have their own PP account without breaking the TOS? This makes sense, and it's a good idea.

Might be handy to do that anyway, if you're running multiple businesses.

cheers
Sam

Mark_Saenz · 02-18-2009, 08:29 PM

I know another guy who used a bonus and it worked! That was going to be my suggestion too! Good luck w/PP.

02-18-2009, 04:14 PM	#1
samstephens DLGuard.com War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Central Coast, Australia Posts: 6,199 Thanks: 67 Thanked 257 Times in 117 Posts Social Networking	Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Hi all, I have a client looking to purchase an existing business from the current owner. It includes a membership that is currently being paid through Paypal. Does anyone know of a way to move those existing subscriptions from the existing Paypal account to my clients account? Naturally I want to avoid them having to cancel and signup again, though I'm not sure if there is any way around this.... Thanks! Sam
	DLGuard v4.6 Now Released! Full integration with Amazon S3 for authenticated large file and high bandwidth downloads. www.dlguard.com Where size doesn't matter!

02-18-2009, 04:23 PM	#2
Jamie Iaconis Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 3,276 Thanks: 1 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts Contact Info	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? That's quite a question Sam... but to tell you the truth I don't think you can get around it in any way. How can you even know for sure that the customers will want to stay customers "under new ownership"? Great question, I'd like to hear answers too! Jamie
	Learn How To Install PHP Scripts... -->> PHP/mySQL Scripts For Dummies <<-- ...17 Easy-To-Follow Tutorial Videos!

02-18-2009, 05:04 PM	#3
Neil Morgan Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Lanarkshire UK Posts: 2,487 Thanks: 98 Thanked 314 Times in 223 Posts Social Networking	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Hi Sam As far as I am aware, there isn't a way around this. I've occasionally advised people on here to consider this issue when setting up recurring payments - what if you want to sell your business in the future - you can't sell your PayPal account with it. Let us know if you find a solution. Cheers, Neil
	AutoResponse Plus ~ June early-bird special @ProjectARP4 ~ all-new AutoResponse Plus ~ delivering deliverability

02-18-2009, 05:51 PM	#4
Austin Delaney WordPress Cognoscente War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cheltenham , United Kingdom. Posts: 478 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 55 Thanked 244 Times in 82 Posts	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Surely a business should have a 'business account' with paypal? and if the business is sold then the account would go with it?
	Clone Your WordPress blog - WF blog post

02-18-2009, 05:59 PM	#6
Ann Bedwell Warrior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 20 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Have you guys had alot of problems with Paypal? I detect a note of it in your posts... a

02-18-2009, 06:09 PM	#7
Neil Morgan Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Lanarkshire UK Posts: 2,487 Thanks: 98 Thanked 314 Times in 223 Posts Social Networking	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Hi Ann No, I've not. But I have always been aware that if I set up a subscription model, I'd use something else for it, just in case I get an offer I can't refuse for that part of my business. Cheers, Neil
	AutoResponse Plus ~ June early-bird special @ProjectARP4 ~ all-new AutoResponse Plus ~ delivering deliverability

02-18-2009, 06:13 PM	#8
samstephens DLGuard.com War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Central Coast, Australia Posts: 6,199 Thanks: 67 Thanked 257 Times in 117 Posts Social Networking	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? I haven't had any problems with Paypal, and in fact I'm quite a big fan. I'd considered perhaps getting my client to buy the Paypal account as well, I figure if you can just change all the details to my client's (or client's wife's) details, it would in effect become his. The problem, though, is I believe that Paypal account is already in heavy use by the seller, not just for that product. I might try and dig up Paypal's phone number, and see if they have any ideas... cheers Sam
	DLGuard v4.6 Now Released! Full integration with Amazon S3 for authenticated large file and high bandwidth downloads. www.dlguard.com Where size doesn't matter!

02-18-2009, 06:17 PM	#9
rondo Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Australia. Posts: 5,444 Thanks: 125 Thanked 174 Times in 156 Posts	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Let us know what they say Sam. Most people don't think about this issue in advance. Andrew
	Web hosting coupons Save up to $50 Cheap reseller hosting

02-18-2009, 06:31 PM	#10
samstephens DLGuard.com War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Central Coast, Australia Posts: 6,199 Thanks: 67 Thanked 257 Times in 117 Posts Social Networking	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? I just gave Paypal a call, and from what they've said, it's impossible to transfer a subcription from one Paypal account to another. They just said subscriptions need to be cancelled, and then re-established in the new account. I'm not sure if there is another way around this, but I'm guessing not. The support was just first level support, basically reading from FAQ's, so there's still a slim chance there is a way around this, but probably not. You're right, Andrew, most people don't think about this in advance. It'd be handy if we could register more than one business/premier account, then you could just sell the account with the business. So I guess if you're creating a membership site that you're planning on selling, Clickbank may be a better way to go! cheers Sam
	DLGuard v4.6 Now Released! Full integration with Amazon S3 for authenticated large file and high bandwidth downloads. www.dlguard.com Where size doesn't matter!

02-18-2009, 06:37 PM	#11
JOHN_RODRIGUEZ HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New York, NY Posts: 392 Thanks: 49 Thanked 65 Times in 54 Posts	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Sam, Anytime your subscribers have to cancel one subscription and sign up again, you're going to lose some subscribers. Offering them a "bonus" to stay with you may help. John

02-18-2009, 06:46 PM	#12
rondo Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Australia. Posts: 5,444 Thanks: 125 Thanked 174 Times in 156 Posts	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Thanks Sam. "It'd be handy if we could register more than one business/premier account, then you could just sell the account with the business." For projects we might wish to sell one day it may be worth creating a new business entity for that project so we can have a new Paypal account. That's fairly easy to do here in Oz but I don't know about other countries. Andrew
	Web hosting coupons Save up to $50 Cheap reseller hosting

02-18-2009, 08:23 PM	#13
samstephens DLGuard.com War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Central Coast, Australia Posts: 6,199 Thanks: 67 Thanked 257 Times in 117 Posts Social Networking	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? Great idea John - I told my client to expect to lose some members, but the bonus is a great idea. I might create a special offer where those resigning get a month free, or something similar. If they've been enjoying it, then with the free month he should be able to keep most of them. That's a good point Andrew - I haven't tried it myself, but are you saying each Business entity can have their own PP account without breaking the TOS? This makes sense, and it's a good idea. Might be handy to do that anyway, if you're running multiple businesses. cheers Sam
	DLGuard v4.6 Now Released! Full integration with Amazon S3 for authenticated large file and high bandwidth downloads. www.dlguard.com Where size doesn't matter!

02-18-2009, 08:29 PM	#14
Mark_Saenz Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: USA,USA , . Posts: 67 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Anyone know of a way to move subscriptions from one Paypal account to another? I know another guy who used a bonus and it worked! That was going to be my suggestion too! Good luck w/PP.