# Ebay warning: Hidden import fees thru paypal



## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

I recently bought 2 items out of the us on ebay thru paypal, and while looking through my bank statement last night, I found IAT charges. These charges did not appear in my paypal account, but they said they were paypal charges.
So I freaked out, called my bank, and told them something was very wrong. They blocked paypal from our checking, and immediately filed to fight the charges. Then I called paypal. The person I spoke to in India (whom I could barley hear over the blaring Indian music in the background) didn't know crap from shinola, so I got nothing from them on this.
So, I went to google and learned this:

1. IAT charges are international transaction fees that can vary wildly from bank to bank. One item it was almost 10 bucks, on another it was almost 20.
2. Paypal doesn't legally have to post these to your paypal account.
3. In a forum for bankers only (was amazed a closed forum appeared on google), bankers were complaining about how the fees this year quadrupled and didn't have a clue on what to tell their customers. There was even a link to a PDF about IAT fees that wasn't meant for the public eye. I read it but it was mostly a lot of legalese.

So, I called my bank back and told them I had learned what they were and to call the whole thing off.

Be warned, buying internationally on ebay with paypal may incur fees that will only show up on your bank statement


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Mail order I buy from Walthers when stuff is on sale. Go over $150 in stuff and free shipping + additional 10% off your order during your birthday month. 

No hassles ever.


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## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

of course, they're in the country. this pertains to canada and other foreign nations


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I get it....I just almost never buy anything on ebay. Too many problems in the past (not as advertised, broken, etc.)


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## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

Credit card transactions though are exempt from IAT. I spose that's because they are international companies


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

I wonder if you would see the fees if you paid with you pay pal balance? I sell a lot internationally, and I haven't heard any complaints about these kind of fees. I haven't bought anything overseas for a long time, the dollar is to weak, so I can't comment first hand.

Larry


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## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

dunno. good point


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## Dano (Aug 26, 2012)

Does this happen when you pay from your bank account? I usually use my PayPal balance or my credit card. There is a prompt that lets you choose.


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## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

yes, I paid from our checking and the total amount was different then when I clicked pay


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Leave it to feebay to figure out some way to screw the people out of more money and not have to tell them about it. This is just another good reason to not use PayPal in my opinion. They got me once but they won't get me twice. Pete


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

A quick google of IAT charges turns up nothing relating to E-bay or paypal singularly. 

Bottom line, it's not them.


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## pookybear (Feb 3, 2011)

I do wonder where everyone has been on this topic. Banks have been
charging these fees for years. And no it is not Paypal nor Ebay making
these charges. The fees originate from the transfer of funds into different
currencies. Basically the banks are the money changers outside the temple
cutting themselves in for a hefty part of the action. And it is the Bank that
puts the charge onto your Paypal account. You need to call Paypal on this
matter because...

under Paypal's rules Paypal will send money anywhere in the world and do 
the transfer of currency into different currencies for FREE! It is Paypal who
is moving funds not the BANK. And thus the BANK has no right to charge
you any fee for what has already been done by Paypal in the first place.
Basically it works down to the BANK is charging you for a service that they
have not provided. 

The fast way to get around this is, as mentioned already, not using any
bank accounts for international business but instead use a credit card for
such transfers.

Pookybear


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

There's also a fee for currency conversion with credit cards. Who gets that fee? You guessed, the same bank that gets the other fee.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

This whole deal really raised my curiosity so I've gone thru all my bank statements for the past 12 months, during which time I've purchased many items from China and have paid for them via PayPal with direct deduction from my checking account.
There have been NO additional fees whatsoever! My bank statement matched the PayPal transaction to the penny.
Could be that some (not all) banks are skimming a tad with some upcharges for that kind of transaction?
Good luck,
Bob


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## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

raleets said:


> This whole deal really raised my curiosity so I've gone thru all my bank statements for the past 12 months, during which time I've purchased many items from China and have paid for them via PayPal with direct deduction from my checking account.
> There have been NO additional fees whatsoever! My bank statement matched the PayPal transaction to the penny.
> Could be that some (not all) banks are skimming a tad with some upcharges for that kind of transaction?
> Good luck,
> Bob


this is the first time it's ever happened to me, and I have bought internationally multiple times earlier this year. that's what threw me off


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

That is why I do not link my bank accounts to pay pal. Credit card only.


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## ggnlars (Aug 6, 2013)

So if I have this correct, if you ad the funds in your pay pal account then there would not be a fee. Even if that money was up loaded from your bank account, before the payment to the overseas location. If not, the bank gets their fingers in it. The question is, how does the bank know what the pay pal demand is for. It could be to pay a debt to a US seller. I agree with a previous reply, sounds like an individual bank is throwing in some extra fees that they have no right to.
Larry


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## DT&I (Dec 6, 2013)

this is how it appeared in my account online (I've blocked out everything else). Actual purchase price including shipping was 28 something. The transaction used the sellers actual name instead of the ebay name, and of course the total was completely different.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've never seen anything like that, and I've purchased a TON of stuff from China on eBay. The numbers always come out exactly as expected, and there have never been any debits to my bank account for oddball charges.

I'm guessing this might happen if you purchase from someone that lists it in a foreign currency, I've only done that a couple of times. Even then there were no bogus charges, but that's the only thing that makes any sense here.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

grjohn,
Same here.....I've purchased lots of stuff from China via PayPal and paid via instant transfer from my checking account.
NEVER a problem or discrepancy in any way.
Go figure!
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'll be looking for it from now on.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

I've never seen anything like that. I've purchased and sold internationally using ebay a number of times.


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