There’s a little known benefit available from PayPal for those that hold more than one PayPal account. It’s been confirmed via Monroe on a recent eBay call, and verified with account managers that you can link two or more accounts for the purposes of volume discounts.
If you have a PayPal (either Premier or Business) there are volume discounts available if you process more than £1500.00 per calendar month. Discounts can lower fees from 3.4% down to as low as 1.9% for those processing more than £55k per month. By linking accounts the your PayPal account with the lower discount level can receive the same discount as your account with the larger monthly processing volume.
Quite how this stands with PayPal’s stance that members can have one Personal and one Premier or Business account isn’t clear.
PayPal allows members to have one Personal account and one Premier or Business account.
PayPal, like eBay, have never quite acknowledged that someone may operate several distinct businesses with separate banking arrangements and be different entities in law. It’s not unusual for users to have multiple PayPal accounts although PayPal themselves state that it’s against the rules, although famously even the then head of PayPal Geoff Iddison was unaware of this rule when asked at an eBay university.
At eBay Live! we specifically asked the question and the answer given was “We won’t mind so long as you don’t do anything you shouldn’t”. Or in other words have as many PayPal accounts as you like, but don’t get caught doing something you shouldn’t.
By linking accounts for the purposes of discounts (and quite frankly I think as a Business PayPal are mad to give discounts on accounts that otherwise wouldn’t qualify), PayPal are acknowledging that their own rules are out of date and need reviewing. Both eBay and PayPal need to allow businesses to open a true “Business” account tied to a company and not in the name of a particular employeee.
In the mean time if you do have more than one business entity each with it’s own PayPal account then speak to your account manager, ask for a “fee override” and get them linked for discounts.
5 Responses
Very informative. I guess that also clears up the micropayments issue since I couldn’t see how that was compatible with that same rule.
Excellent, thank you! I was concerned that starting multiple DBAs (doing business as) would not scale in terms of processing rates with Paypal.
In theory its good, in practice then :
The ‘one out – all out’ rule will apply – ALL PP accounts could be ‘frozen’ if you have an issue on any one of them, also if a PP rep ‘goes by the book’ you could find yourself spending hours/days trying to unravel the mess
Been there. done that – got the scars 🙂
What Eddie said.
Been there – got the blankety blank cheque book & pen.
Been there done that too!
I learned very early, that you dont poke a vicious dog with a stick