Spread the word about PayPal's sneaky tactics

Since I posted about PayPal's personal account changes last night, I've been thinking a lot about how they've handled the changes. I've come to the conclusion that they are deliberately not telling members about the changes in order to trick them into having to upgrade to the business (read: expensive) account.

Think about it. Now that I know that I can only accept $500 via PayPal this month, I can start asking clients about alternative payment methods, and hopefully avoiding going over $500 (and therefore be able to keep my personal account as is). I have control over the situation, because I found out at the beginning of the month.

Now imagine I hadn't found out when I did. I would have reached $500 by mid-month at the very latest. When I received the payment that pushed my total for the month over $500, I would have been given the "choice" to upgrade my account in order to accept the payment. Which, of course, is no choice at all, because when you are expecting — and needing — the payment, who is going to deny it?

I recently read a book called Gotcha Capitalism, which talks about how businesses use sneaky fees to rob their customers. One of the things he talks about is how credit card companies and banks can send their Terms of Service changes on little itty-bitty slips of paper, and that by doing nothing you are in effect agreeing to them.

That's bad enough, but in my opinion what PayPal has done is even worse. Their Legal Agreements start out by saying:

This User Agreement ("Agreement") is a contract between you and PayPal and applies to your use of PayPal's Services. You must read, agree with and accept all of the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement. We may amend this Agreement at any time by posting a revised version on our website. The revised version will be effective at the time we post it. In addition, if the revised version includes a Substantial Change, we will provide you with 30 Days' prior notice of Substantial Change by posting notice on the "Policy Updates" page of our website. We last modified this Agreement on January 25, 2008.

In other words, they "notify" you by posting changes on their website. It's your responsibility to check for changes. Whether you know about the changes or not, you've agreed to them simply by continuing to be a PayPal member.

This whole thing seems sneaky and a little dishonest to me, and many people are going to have a rude awakening when they hit $500 in incoming payments this month. Therefore I'd like to ask everyone to spread the word about PayPal's policy changes, either by blogging about it or by sending emails to everyone you know who accepts payments using a PayPal personal account.

Time to part ways with PayPal?

I have been a big PayPal fan for a long time. Even when I've heard of instances of PayPal hackers, I've always given PayPal the benefit of the doubt since it's been so good to me.

I'm rethinking that now.

I just found out that PayPal — abruptly and without telling its members — changed their policies. Now, personal accounts (read: free accounts) can only receive up to $500 per month in payments.

On the bright side, personal accounts can now receive up to 5 credit/debit card payments every year. Unfortunately, this change hurts me more than it helps me: I bring way more than $500 through my personal PayPal account most months.

This is how PayPal justifies the changes on their site (though I had to really dig to find any mention of it at all):

Q: Why does my Personal account now have a receiving limit?

A: Personal accounts have always been intended for personal use only and are not designed to be used for business purposes. We have not changed the intent behind the different types of PayPal Accounts, only the enforcement on our account types. PayPal considers the receipt of payment types that include Goods and eBay Items in excess of the Personal account limit to be beyond the normal level of personal use. By requiring Premier or Business accounts for all accounts that receive a large volume of payments, PayPal ensures that all high activity selling accounts are treated similarly.

This irritates me, primarily because eBay has made it clear that they'll stop at nothing to make an extra dime. I knew PayPal was owned by eBay, but until now they haven't been too money-hungry.

My guess is this change is to compensate for the break in listing fees they just granted eBay sellers.

I'm really annoyed. Everyone knows that eBay and PayPal are far from hurting for money, so couldn't they just quit picking on little self-employed folks? Save the fees for the really big earners. It's not fair to hit all of us lowly writers with them.

And it's especially not fair to even tell us about them. I would not have known until I reached $500 for the month, had a client not accidentally paid with plastic.

Favorite quotes meme

Shannan Powell has tagged me to participate in a unique new meme. The goal is to share a favorite quote and dedicate it to three other bloggers. Those three then have to do the same with their favorite quotes.

I didn't have a favorite quote in mind, but I knew the Brontë sisters have some great quotes. Since the Brontës are my favorite classics authors, I started my search there, and found my new favorite quote — one I'm sure I've heard, but have since forgotten:

I'm just going to write because I cannot help it.
-Charlotte Brontë

That definitely speaks to the heart of who I am, since writing is not just my career, but also my identity. I have no doubt other writers will agree, so I'm tagging Kathy, Harmony, and Amy. (Yes, I know a couple of you have already been tagged, but think of it this way — at least you already had to do it.)

Freelance writing job ads

I blogged the other day about my first AdSense check and looking into some other ads. I also promised to let you know if I found anything useful.

Amy commented on the blog post and suggested Indeed.com's job search ads. It sounded like a good idea to me, so you'll notice a new block of ads in my sidebar. I'm going to experiment a bit with placement over the next few weeks, as I have found that where put the ads makes a difference in how much revenue you get. Of course, it's a balancing act, because you don't want the ads to be obnoxious, either.

Let me know what you think of the new ads!

My first AdSense check

I received my first AdSense check today.

Granted, it was just a little over $100, and it took me about a year to get there, but still — there is something delightful about getting a hundred-dollar check for something I do on a regular basis anyway. At the very least, it covers the annual expense of registering and hosting my website.

My Amazon.com affiliate ads accrue earnings much more slowly — only if people make a purchase through my links. I recently discovered that my own purchases don't count (darn it), but that my husband's do.

I'm also thinking of looking into other advertising and affiliate opportunities for my blogs. I'll let you know if I find anything worthwhile!

A meme to break my fast

I haven't done a meme for a little while now, but Dorit from Pieces of Me just broke my fast by tagging me to write 7 random facts about me.

Here we go:

1) I'm working out on the porch right now. It's a little windy, but sunny and about 70 degrees. Gotta love Colorado weather!

2) Speaking of loving Colorado weather, I'm heliotropic. That means that the weather affects my moods. If it's sunny, I'm happy. When it's overcast or rainy/snowy, I have to fight the urge to stay in bed all day. Apparently a lot of longtime Colorado residents are like this, because we get so used to seeing the sun almost every day.

3) I had my first boyfriend when I was four. He was in my preschool class, and he gave me a purple clip-on earring to remember him by. He kept the other one.

4) I kept that earring through two moves. In fact, it's probably still in my childhood keepsakes box.

5) Sushi is one of my favorite foods.

6) My favorite flowers are roses, preferrably peach in color.

7) My favorite color is blue, which caused a lot of problems when I was really little — back then it was supposed to be a boy's color, even more so than now.

According to the rules, I'm supposed to tag seven people. However, I've never been much of a conformist, so I'm going to break the rules, and grant a break to the usual recipients of my tags. Instead, I'm issuing a general tag to anyone who feels like being tagged — just leave a comment on the post to let us know you've blogged about it!

Good advice for newbies

I hate it when people assume that writing is something that "just anyone" can do.

Case in point:

Dear Katharine Sawn,

Hey there..!! First and formost I just want to "Thank You" personally for takeing the time out of your personal schedule for takeing the opportunity to read my following e-mail.

I was putting some consideration on freelance writeing, and I just had a few question's to ask of you.

1. My first question is..I want to write on certin topics, and can I sell my personal views or personal advice..to the public beside's magazines and newspaper articles?

2. I want to sell my articles on my own with my own materials how much should I charge..?

3. How long does it have to be meaning pages..? Can freelanceing go into writeing book's..?

I think thats all the questions I have to ask at the moment until these questions get answered. Again I just want to "Thank You" personally takeing the time out of your busy schedule to read my following questions..

Sincerely Yours,

F.M.

F.,

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, before you attempt to sell your work as a writer, you need to work on your spelling and grammar. There are many errors in your email, leading me to believe that either English is not your first language, or you lack some of the necessary education. Writing is not like flipping burgers at McDonalds: You can't start your career without first getting the necessary education and skills.

Writing is a profession. Please treat it like one. Once you have a good understanding of English spelling and grammar, I'd be happy to advise you on your career.

Sincerely,
Katharine Swan