I have someone who wants to potentially pay me for a commission, but he said Paypal was a no no. Something about money orders... sounds kind of fishy. Are there alternatives to Paypal that'd be good?
There is AlertPay. Or...
If this person is in the same country, then you can do an Interac bank transfer. I am not sure if it works internationally though.
WTF is wrong with paypal? If he doesn't want to pay you the way you ask, then he doesn't want your commission. I'd tell him that. YOU'RE the artist: YOU define how you conduct business.
It's like... Tim Hortons doesn't accept Visa at their outlets. Whoopie, bring cash, debit or Mastercard or you can find a coffee and donut somewhere else.
Im not really in a position art wise though to turn customers away just yet lol. No one commissions me, so just trying to figure out if broadening my window of 'safe' options is possible.
: Naetholix April 13, 2012, 10:58:07 -06:00
WTF is wrong with paypal? If he doesn't want to pay you the way you ask, then he doesn't want your commission. I'd tell him that. YOU'RE the artist: YOU define how you conduct business.
It's like... Tim Hortons doesn't accept Visa at their outlets. Whoopie, bring cash, debit or Mastercard or you can find a coffee and donut somewhere else.
This is a very polarized issue, please be careful how you approach it.
Personally, I'm
NEVER going to get a PayPal account if I can help it because of all the high-handedness they've been pulling.
Because they're not a bank (which have fairly strict rules regarding how accounts can be terminated and/or suspended), they don't need much reason to kill an account, and they have practically no reason to reverse the damage, which means they don't try very hard to help you if they made the mistake.
Anyone familiar with Money Orders?
Yeah. They are easy to deal with. The most common are Western Union and Canada Post ones. The customer buys them for the amount you charge (they have to pay the fees associated with purchasing the order) and then it gets sent to you. It is pretty much the same thing as a cheque then, except it can not bounce.
Just make sure it is a Canadian/International one.
There are also e-transfers available through most banks online as well. Seems a lot of people use them. I'm no expert as i havent tried it yet. I will let you know how it goes as one of my clients wants to pay me this way.
As Zenia said, you can get money orders from the post office. The person has to fill it in correctly and mail it to you. I've had someone send me a money order and they filled it out wrong. Bank couldnt cash it. There should be "how to's" for all clients to look at online to make sure they do it right. imo, do not take cheques as it can screw over your credit rating as well as theirs if they fuck up.
I know a lot of people dislike paypal, but it really is convenient. and as Neox said, your are the artist. You state how you want to be paid. You can decline things all you want. It doesnt matter if you are a starting artist or a vetran. it is -your- choice on how people pay you and whats easier for you. I had to get an alert pay account to pay peritian and a few other artists since they wont take anything else. I wanted their art enough to do it. I know paypal has been fairly douchey for quite some time (its paypal... lol ), but its still mainstream. As long as you are careful about what you do with it, how you use it, its fairly easy and safe. If the person wants your art enough and you arent comfortable with money orders, then they either pay you via paypal or they dont get art from you -shrugs- :/
-sorry for the spelling errors and bad grammar. To tired and in pain from tonsilectomy to care about fixing lol-
: Temrin April 14, 2012, 08:34:58 -06:00
There are also e-transfers available through most banks online as well. Seems a lot of people use them. I'm no expert as i havent tried it yet. I will let you know how it goes as one of my clients wants to pay me this way.
It is really easy. The person sending the money logs into their bank account online. There will be a link called something like "send money" or "interac online" or something like that. The person then enters the recipients email address and sets up a question/answer for verification, then they send it off. It costs them about $1.50. The recipient gets the email (sometimes up to 30min later) and they click a link and are asked to choose their bank, then they login and answer the question and presto, the money is in the account.
Blue (a user here) has paid me twice this way, and one of my roommates gives me her utility money this way.