Question About PayPal Fees and Paying a Writer...

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27
Hey guys,
If I tell a writer that I would pay him X amount for an article, should I send him a couple extra cents so that he receives the exact amount I advertised after PayPal takes their fees?

Hypothetical example: If I were to pay someone $1 for "Goods/Services," in reality they would only receive around 67 cents (2.9% plus .30 cents in PayPal fees). Kind of messed up, I know.

If you were in my position as the employer, would you view this as your responsibility to ensure that the writer gets every single cent I advertised? Or would you simply say, "Oops, sorry. I'm keeping my end of the deal. Whatever happens in PayPal fees is beyond my control."

Perhaps the answer is completely up to the employer (me).....but what would you do, personally?
#off topic forum
  • In my opinion it would be a dick move if you did not make sure he received every dime you agreed upon.

    However, with that said. Good business is not always about being fair.

    Personally, I like to sleep well at night, so I always do the math in there favor.
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    • When you go to a store and purchase something with a credit/debit card, do you have them add on a little extra so they get the full purchase price?

      Electronic payment fees - paypal, merchant account, gateways - are just a cost of doing business. If your writer needs to recover those costs, he/she needs to raise their prices.
  • Banned
    No, certainly not.

    Like anyone running a business, your service-provider has some business expenses involved in handling such transactions and banking the money. Those are his business, and his problem, not yours.

    When I was writing articles for people, and collecting the money by PayPal, they paid the agreed amount, and the fact that it then cost me something to transfer those funds (however often and in whatever-sized units I chose to do that) to my bank was my issue, not the customer's. Sometimes I didn't even do that, anyway: I sometimes even spent them from PayPal without banking them.

    I'd have been both amazed and amused if a client had ever added my PayPal costs onto his payment!

    If you buy something by check, you don't add anything to cover the recipient's bank charges, do you?

    You're not an "employer", though, are you, in the example you've given? You're a "customer".

    It would never occur to me, at all, to pay more than the amount quoted/invoiced.

    .
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    • It's funny how everyone has a different outlook on things.

      I guess the honey moon is over ... This is the first time I know of
      that I don't agree with your view point.

      Its about time
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  • Bingo!
    Two completely opposite opinions, both great answers. This is exactly why the very subject has me thinking and sweating, LOL.

    I guess the official answer is something among the lines of, "I am not legally required to pay the extra money, but it would be a nice gesture."
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    • Two of my best clients always paid the fees - the freelance fees and the paypal fees. It was their idea and one of them told me it was meant to keep me happily writing for his 30+ websites.

      It's up to the client and the provider. Everything is negotiable. I think offering to pay the fees is a great move once you find a worker you like and want to keep using.
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  • I think that over time if you like their work, then pay the fees. Also, tip them or bonus them
    separate. A specific gesture of appreciation goes a long way. (I just bought my hotel housekeepers new vacuums to make their jobs easier and I'm sure they get that it's cause I like their work.)
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  • Lots of interesting opinions from both sides, thanks guys -- they really did help

    I will likely not cover PP fees for very tiny projects, but I will cover them for bigger projects as a token of gratitude. Best of both worlds.

    Thanks!
  • I commented before even skimming the entire thread, my bad.

    Whether you cover your writer's fees is entirely up to you, obviously. I wouldn't do it as a matter of course, but for someone whose services I valued I might, and would think of it as a bonus for the service provider as appreciation for great service. I would also let them know my reason for doing it so they are aware that they're being reward because their services are valued.
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    • I think you're getting two opposing views because some responses are written from the point of view of a professional writer's advertised rates. In such circumstances, any processing costs will have already been taken into account in those rates. However, the question in your OP was phrased from a client's perspective, stating the client's price:

      If you, as a client, are advertising a specific price for the job, I can understand why you'd ask about the processing costs. Nevertheless, in practice, most experienced writers would not expect you to add any extras to the quoted figure.


      Frank
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  • I guess maybe you referring to outsource writting to filipinos. I suggest you stick with the Paypal fee but you can paid extra for good work as tips. That much better.
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