PayPal Surcharge


I have noticed alot of people add a (3% or so) PayPal fee to their items and I wonder if everyone is aware, that is against the user agreement. It seems that PayPal looks at sellers as "merchants". This is cut from the Paypal website:

-No Surcharges. Under Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express regulations and the laws of several states, including California, merchants may not charge a fee to the buyer for accepting credit card payments (often called a "surcharge"). You agree that you will not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as payment. This restriction does not prevent you from imposing a handling fee in connection with the sale of goods or services, as long as the handling fee does not operate as a surcharge (in other words, the handling fee for transactions paid through PayPal may not be higher than the handling fee for transactions paid through other payment methods). Nor does this restriction apply to Pound-denominated transactions by sellers residing in the United Kingdom listing items for sale on a UK-based website.
dill
Of all the points of view brought up,nobody has brought up the fact that with paypal and you are trying to buy a hard to find item;or maybe this is the hottest price (you want it bad) Paypal can be used to lock you into the deal.--- And the shipping process gets started faster.So once in a while,Paypal is good for the buyer.
I want my 3% back from all you crooks who sold me stuff. And if you plan to use a credit card, please add 3%.

Charlie
Reminds me of the "do not remove this tag under penalty of law" tags on furniture and mattresses. Rules for merchants that cannot be imposed on private parties... Hmm
But if it was the RIAA, woo-whee baby, they would be on YOUR trail and getting court orders to see all the 'goN's Email history...
Cadmaniac: Why is it illegal if it is simply against PayPal's rules? PayPal's rules are not exactly the U.S. Code when it comes to settled law. Besides, I still maintain that such a "law" would unenforceable and moot, since the seller would just decide to factor the value of PayPal into the cost of their items, if necessary.
MEZMO: What law is this you say it is against to charge 3%-- would you cite a reference of some sort so we can go look at it, please? I've never heard of such a thing and I'm pretty curious about it now. Is it part of the federal code dealing with banking or ???

CADMANIAC: I'm having a hard time hearing you, since you are way up there on that high horse. Paypal said in the beginning, when I originally agreed to their TOS, that they'd never charge a fee, because they made their money on interest on your funds while they held them preparing for transfers. Any of you other 'goners remember the explanation they had up on their site about how Paypal would work and not cost us $$? They lied, then they changed the rules, and the bottom line is, if a deal does or does not include the 3%, that's the business of exactly 2 people, the buyer and the seller, your self-righteous platitudes notwithstanding. If there is some obscure law about a surcharge being illegal, I'd love to see it for the curiousity value, but they can just try to get me.