I sure could use some help/wisdom of others

[Ireneho]

Does Etsy charge a fee even when you're not buying or selling? I know Ebay only charges a small percentage of the final bid, but no other fees when you don't have any auctions on.

[Catriona]

ah, so that's how you do it. gift instead of payment to avoid fees.

I'm not sure if this working if you have a paypal link but if you send the buyer your account name (your email address that you use for paypal), they can send funds to you that way. As a buyer I would sign into paypal and then click on the tab that says Send Money. You then have the option to send money as a "Purchase" or as "Personal". It will automatically be on the purchase tab which can catch people out. You have to click on the Personal tab then fill in the details. Once you click continue it will take you to a summary page where you have a comments box so you can add the details of what you are paying for.

It is a bit more time consuming but if the buyer is happy to do this it will save you paying the paypal fees.

[RandaGray]

Ireneho, The only time I have to pay fees on Etsy is when I sell something. Just to be a member & look around & buy, no. But it costs $0.20 to list each item, then they charge a small fee when you actually sell the item. A percentage of the price. I think that's why alot of shipping is so high. They don't take it out at the time, they send you a statement at the end of the month & you pay then. I always just use my paypal account before I moved the money from it to my bank, if that makes sense. Not that I sold alot lol