Conversely now, do you think offering ONLY paypal would be a turnoff?
I assumed that was the point of this thread. There aren't many people who would object to anything as an additional payment method. Certainly I was talking about sites using PayPal as their primary credit card payment processor.
I think it should be implemented as with my link to www.mrfunkleberry.com above. You don't know until you buy something. No time to be disgusted by the cheapness!
That's just more or less a standard PayPal shopping cart implementation. It can be made even more invisible than that - I know because mine is
I use Paypal as the credit card processor on my non-tshirt site because the prices are the lowest. I try not to shout that we use Paypal, but I don't hide it either
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Conversely now, do you think offering ONLY paypal would be a turnoff? Paypal is able to accept credit card and what not so do you think that only having it is a turnoff?
For me it is a turnoff. I don't have a problem if it is a secondary form of payment, but if it is the only choice, then the company usually loses a point with me in terms of professionalism. I know that might sound snooty, but it's just one of those gut reactions I get. I guess I percieve non paypal credit card payments to be more credible. It's kind of like when a company is structured as an LLC or a corporation. You know that there's a certain extra length of effort and investment that the company had to go through. Having Paypal as the only option makes it seem like more of a fly-by-night type company, IMO. Also, I've had problems using Paypal in the past and have my own personal biases against it, from that standpoint. I'm sure there is a certain percentage of people out there that feel the same.
[quote=Vectro]It's kind of like when a company is structured as an LLC or a corporation. You know that there's a certain extra length of effort and investment that the company had to go through. QUOTE]
Ouch. Heh. My interactive company is structured as an LLC. There are actually excellent reasons for being a LLC vs a corporation (for one thing, the tax structure is much more flexible [you can get money out and avoid some of the double taxation that occurs with corporations). Anyway, I digress...
Paypal is a turn-off for me if it's the only form of purchase. It's irritating to be bumped to a secondary site for the purchase process. I feel more comfortable/reassured when a site is self-contained and completely integrated.
Paypal has an interesting option that may resolve most customers woes. It's called paypal website payment pro. Basically customers using credit cards stay entirely on your site and paypal acts as a normal merchant account and gateway (hidden from your customers). If they opt to use paypal then they are re-directed to the paypal site as normal. Sounds like the best of both worlds but is currently only offered to those in the U.S. Something to consider.
This is exactly what I'm planning on doing.. It's honestly not worth jumping through the hoops otherwise- especially for a start-up.
It's nice to go through the trouble of forming an LLC and having your own CC merchant account but we're talking about T-shirts here. I think a customer will make the leap to spend $20-40 dollars through PP.. I wouldn't expect them to do so if I was selling high end cameras or jewelry at $500-$3500 ea.
I don't think purchases are lost through Paypal, they're lost when the site isn't integrated well or is designed poorly.
If that's in reference to my post... actually, my LLC has nothing to do with t-shirts. I run an interactive company that produces DVDs, video games, etc.
It's kind of like when a company is structured as an LLC or a corporation. You know that there's a certain extra length of effort and investment that the company had to go through. QUOTE]
Ouch. Heh. My interactive company is structured as an LLC. There are actually excellent reasons for being a LLC vs a corporation (for one thing, the tax structure is much more flexible [you can get money out and avoid some of the double taxation that occurs with corporations). Anyway, I digress...
Paypal is a turn-off for me if it's the only form of purchase. It's irritating to be bumped to a secondary site for the purchase process. I feel more comfortable/reassured when a site is self-contained and completely integrated.
Honeyflip, what I meant is that having a company as an LLC or corporation makes it look more professional. LLC's are a good thing.
Anyways, I guess the real question of this post is whether Paypal is enough of a turnoff to lose potential sales. I think with your everyday, average tshirt designs, the lost sales would be marginal (if any at all). This would be a good marketing experiment.
One thing that is a definite plus about paypal is that you will 'lose' sales from people who are trying to scam you, since you actually have to pay if you want to check out.
I dont think the paypal cart will scare away potential customers at all. If your site is well designed, that is more inportant than the cart you use. I would rather have a well designed site with a paypal cart than a crappy site with a programmed shopping cart any day.
Re: Do you see Paypal as a turn off? 
Re: Do you see Paypal as a turn off? 
Woops. Sorry, Vectro! I'm brain dead. I completely misread your post.
