Mike Carter
Well-Known Member
I agree that I like the idea of Gpal and I do wish they would get their act together. But, I cannot afford to sell knives and have the money go to Gpal and I have no confidence that I will ever get my money.
PayPal, GunPal, GPal, who's yer Pal? Aaaarrrggghhh! Not again?!
- Thread starter Jarrettknives
- Start date
Cliff Fendley
Well-Known Member
I agree, I hate Ebay and Paypal's stance on firearms and other things but I'm not opening a Gpal account until they have their act together.
Mike Carter
Well-Known Member
It is now November 1 and the money I transferred from my GPal account to my bank account on September 13 still has not shown up.
Steven Janik
SUPERMOD & AWARDS BOSS
My gunpal balance is at zero. I will keep it open for emergencies, but I won't actively use it.
Steve
Steve
BRad704
Well-Known Member
Well... This thread answered some questions I had about going to Gpal instead of my old Paypal acct... I think Mike said it perfectly with this... "I don't like PayPal or Ebay's (they are one in the same) big brother attitude and their banning of perfectly legal items because they don't fit their politically correct model. However they are the big players in the game at this time."
Cliff Fendley
Well-Known Member
It is disappointing. I was really hoping Gpal would be the answer because of Paypal and Ebay's stance on items. Hopefully Gpal will still get their act together but it seems to me this would have been enough time to at least make some improvement.
Mike, I had the same problem (not that long however). I sent an email with the transaction number, waited a few days and got an answer they would address it, a few days later the money came through. I have made 4 other transfers to my bank account with out a problem. It does take about 7 to 10 days. I sure wish it would be getting better. We really need these guys to make it.
Mike Carter
Well-Known Member
I have had email correspondance with them and they say they are addressing it but nothing happens. It's not much money at this point but I can't afford to have my cash flow at their mercy if I were to use them on a regular basis.
Jim Adams Customs
Well-Known Member
I use Paypal almost exclusively. I do wire transfers some. In some cases Bank transfers. I never had a transfer put on hold. The name on my ebay business is Blacktoe "Knives" and my Email is Sales@blacktoe"knives".com. It is obvious what my transactions are. I deal with Jantz "knife Supplies, US "Knife"makers, and "Knife" Kits.
I feel like a lot of hate for Paypal is just Fear mongering. I have never once worried about getting paid.
I feel like a lot of hate for Paypal is just Fear mongering. I have never once worried about getting paid.
Chuck Gedraitis Knives
Well-Known Member
Mike,
I'm in the same boat as you. I have been waiting for 2 deposits, one since Aug and the other since Sept. I have emailed a few times using the ticked that I opened and have gotten no response. I even tried calling and was on hold for over an hour. Their waiting music really sucks too.
I'm in the same boat as you. I have been waiting for 2 deposits, one since Aug and the other since Sept. I have emailed a few times using the ticked that I opened and have gotten no response. I even tried calling and was on hold for over an hour. Their waiting music really sucks too.
I requested a withdrawal on Aug 22, 2010 and have yet to see the money deposited into the account. I have emailed several times and again tonight. I could live with 90 days "IF" it would be so. The last email I replied to a couple of weeks ago has not even been acknowledged yet. I will probably keep the account open but will not use it till I am "SURE" their problems have been resolved.
Ryan Minchew
Well-Known Member
I'm still looking into it, but I was emailed a link for a 60 dollar device and an application for Ipads and Itouch devices that will scan credit cards. I'm hoping that it will also process cards if I type the number in, example a customer calls me from states away and reads me his card number over the phone line. I don't have an itouch but my wife does, so it might work out. I'll just have to see how receptive people are to reading card numbers over the phone. I've done it many times for orders.
Mike Carter
Well-Known Member
It has been over two months now and my money still has not been transferred from GPal. I did receive the following email from GPal today:
Dear Michael Carter,
As some of you may be aware of, GPal has been experiencing growing pains that are typical of a startup business in an industry that banks are often are hostile to. As a result, a small number of GPal customers have experienced delays and extra requests for information related to their transactions, involving our Automatic Clearing House (ACH) bank withdrawal payout system, affecting the timely dispersal of funds outside of GPal.
Please note that credit cards and GPal-to-GPal transactions have not been affected, and that most customers at GPal are completely unaffected. Only a small number of customers that have had transactions occur at critical times have seen these delays, however we felt it important to notify our customers about these issues.
We at GPal know that this letter has been a long time coming and we sincerely apologize for any delays or inconveniences regarding this matter. While we cannot get into particulars due to pending litigation, we can give our customers a summation of what has been going on and what we are doing to fix it.
The Situation.
When we founded GPal, I knew life would be difficult for a firearms-friendly and otherwise pro-rights payment processor because banks generally do not like working with payment processors, especially ones that cater to the firearms community. Combining the two proved to be a non-starter for years.
Eventually, we were connected to Bank 1. Bank 1 agreed to take on our business but only with with a substantial cash reserve, which I funded out of pocket. Gpal utilized this bank’s processing services for several months and with excellent results. Then, one day, we received a notice that our ability to disburse funds via ACH had been cancelled. It was found later that our ACH access was cancelled a week prior and without notice. This caused a noticeable delay in funding and thus the first "ripple" that GPal experienced.
After finding out about Bank 1, we quickly moved to using Bank 2, a bank we were already in negotiations with. Within two weeks, the ripple was over and ACH disbursements continued but my team had to complete each transaction by hand until Bank 2 finished our back-end integration. This process usually takes a grueling 6 months or more but we were ready in less than 20 days.
Within a short period of time, Bank 2 unceremoniously shut us off. At that point, we decided to begin issuing paper checks to our customers, a solution that cost many thousands of dollars in mailing and printing fees out of my own pocket. We used an established third-party payment vendor to print and send these checks but many of the banks who received these checks told our customers they were fakes. After many teleconferences, all of the banks eventually reversed their opinions and concluded the checks were real, thus allowing our customers to access their funds.
Soon after new banking agreements were signed with Banks 3 and 4 and 5, we stopped issuing paper checks and went back to conducting transfers through ACH. This went well for about a month, until Bank 3 shut off our services, less than 30 days later.
We expanded our operations to Bank 6 and Bank 7, who initially accepted our business then reversed their acceptance less than 30 days in. We posted notifications on our Withdrawl Money page, and our support pages, to notify customers that there may be problems affecting a small portion of GPal transactions.
We now continue to operate with Bank 4, Bank 5, and two new banks Bank 8 and soon Bank 9, as a risk-mitigation move. However, the total amount of processing reserves on the outbound side, plus processing reserves on the inbound side, are significantly larger than we expected. In addition, our credit card processing banks scrutinize each transaction, often asking for secondary validation information before releasing (or holding) funds. This is a normal activity and the reason why we occasionally ask you for a tracking number or some other proof of delivery for a product or service.
Credit card fraud is rampant in this day and age, and GPal has seen this first-hand. We were able to build a sophisticated munti-aspect fraud mitigation system, and while we are below industry averages, we have taken our share of fraud related losses. This affects the terms of our relationship and funds required on deposit with our credit card processing banks.
Finally, several individuals hostile to our business have made threatening calls to GPal customers, impersonating GPal staff, and taken other actions against us, which further hurts our ability to conduct business. Please note that GPal will only call you from our support number, and will only communicate with you via support@gpal.net.
Thought all of this, GPal has fought tooth and nail to continue to bring it’s customers the services they need, and we continue to disburse money to our customers within the bounds of bank requirements. It is our aim to provide you the best pro-rights payment processing possible, and we will not waiver in that commitment.
What we are doing about it.
GPal depends on banks both to take in and send out money. Most of what we do is provide a conduit between these banks so that our customers can transact business. We are at the mercy of these banks and their requirements in order to bring you the GPal product, and since banks are involved in both ends of a transaction, we sometimes are asked for more information.
The various banks that GPal processes with need security. To do that, they retain a varying portion of the funds we transmit. At first I financed many of these reserves with my own funds so when the banks would not pay out you received my money. However, I am unable to do that forever, so GPal is expanding.
- GPal is growing it's operations and shoring up it's banking relationships with additional funds.
- GPis is establishing new strategic partnerships that will increase volume and capability of GPal to process payments.
- GPal is going to offer a Debit Card so that our customers can access their funds in realtime, without depending on the long transit time of ACH.
- GPal is hiring more email and phone support staff to help deal with the increased level of customer service requests.
How you can help.
You can help by:
1. Promptly providing confirmation information when GPal Support asks for it (usually this is tracking numbers, description of goods, and personal or business identity documentation.)
2. Please keep issues confined to one email ticket by replying to that same ticket, and do not repeatedly call GPal’s 800 support line so the line can be kept clear for new issues.
3. If you are interested in other avenues of helping, please contact GPal support at support@gpal.net.
In order to get back on our feet and fully recover, GPal must expand it's offerings, including but not limited to offering a Debit Card for easier and immediate funds access for our sellers and expanding our processing base. To do so we need your help.
GPal remains absolutely committed to providing the only RKBA and firearms-friendly payment service in the world.
Sincerely,
Ben Cannon
Chairman/CEO
GPal, Inc.
Dear Michael Carter,
As some of you may be aware of, GPal has been experiencing growing pains that are typical of a startup business in an industry that banks are often are hostile to. As a result, a small number of GPal customers have experienced delays and extra requests for information related to their transactions, involving our Automatic Clearing House (ACH) bank withdrawal payout system, affecting the timely dispersal of funds outside of GPal.
Please note that credit cards and GPal-to-GPal transactions have not been affected, and that most customers at GPal are completely unaffected. Only a small number of customers that have had transactions occur at critical times have seen these delays, however we felt it important to notify our customers about these issues.
We at GPal know that this letter has been a long time coming and we sincerely apologize for any delays or inconveniences regarding this matter. While we cannot get into particulars due to pending litigation, we can give our customers a summation of what has been going on and what we are doing to fix it.
The Situation.
When we founded GPal, I knew life would be difficult for a firearms-friendly and otherwise pro-rights payment processor because banks generally do not like working with payment processors, especially ones that cater to the firearms community. Combining the two proved to be a non-starter for years.
Eventually, we were connected to Bank 1. Bank 1 agreed to take on our business but only with with a substantial cash reserve, which I funded out of pocket. Gpal utilized this bank’s processing services for several months and with excellent results. Then, one day, we received a notice that our ability to disburse funds via ACH had been cancelled. It was found later that our ACH access was cancelled a week prior and without notice. This caused a noticeable delay in funding and thus the first "ripple" that GPal experienced.
After finding out about Bank 1, we quickly moved to using Bank 2, a bank we were already in negotiations with. Within two weeks, the ripple was over and ACH disbursements continued but my team had to complete each transaction by hand until Bank 2 finished our back-end integration. This process usually takes a grueling 6 months or more but we were ready in less than 20 days.
Within a short period of time, Bank 2 unceremoniously shut us off. At that point, we decided to begin issuing paper checks to our customers, a solution that cost many thousands of dollars in mailing and printing fees out of my own pocket. We used an established third-party payment vendor to print and send these checks but many of the banks who received these checks told our customers they were fakes. After many teleconferences, all of the banks eventually reversed their opinions and concluded the checks were real, thus allowing our customers to access their funds.
Soon after new banking agreements were signed with Banks 3 and 4 and 5, we stopped issuing paper checks and went back to conducting transfers through ACH. This went well for about a month, until Bank 3 shut off our services, less than 30 days later.
We expanded our operations to Bank 6 and Bank 7, who initially accepted our business then reversed their acceptance less than 30 days in. We posted notifications on our Withdrawl Money page, and our support pages, to notify customers that there may be problems affecting a small portion of GPal transactions.
We now continue to operate with Bank 4, Bank 5, and two new banks Bank 8 and soon Bank 9, as a risk-mitigation move. However, the total amount of processing reserves on the outbound side, plus processing reserves on the inbound side, are significantly larger than we expected. In addition, our credit card processing banks scrutinize each transaction, often asking for secondary validation information before releasing (or holding) funds. This is a normal activity and the reason why we occasionally ask you for a tracking number or some other proof of delivery for a product or service.
Credit card fraud is rampant in this day and age, and GPal has seen this first-hand. We were able to build a sophisticated munti-aspect fraud mitigation system, and while we are below industry averages, we have taken our share of fraud related losses. This affects the terms of our relationship and funds required on deposit with our credit card processing banks.
Finally, several individuals hostile to our business have made threatening calls to GPal customers, impersonating GPal staff, and taken other actions against us, which further hurts our ability to conduct business. Please note that GPal will only call you from our support number, and will only communicate with you via support@gpal.net.
Thought all of this, GPal has fought tooth and nail to continue to bring it’s customers the services they need, and we continue to disburse money to our customers within the bounds of bank requirements. It is our aim to provide you the best pro-rights payment processing possible, and we will not waiver in that commitment.
What we are doing about it.
GPal depends on banks both to take in and send out money. Most of what we do is provide a conduit between these banks so that our customers can transact business. We are at the mercy of these banks and their requirements in order to bring you the GPal product, and since banks are involved in both ends of a transaction, we sometimes are asked for more information.
The various banks that GPal processes with need security. To do that, they retain a varying portion of the funds we transmit. At first I financed many of these reserves with my own funds so when the banks would not pay out you received my money. However, I am unable to do that forever, so GPal is expanding.
- GPal is growing it's operations and shoring up it's banking relationships with additional funds.
- GPis is establishing new strategic partnerships that will increase volume and capability of GPal to process payments.
- GPal is going to offer a Debit Card so that our customers can access their funds in realtime, without depending on the long transit time of ACH.
- GPal is hiring more email and phone support staff to help deal with the increased level of customer service requests.
How you can help.
You can help by:
1. Promptly providing confirmation information when GPal Support asks for it (usually this is tracking numbers, description of goods, and personal or business identity documentation.)
2. Please keep issues confined to one email ticket by replying to that same ticket, and do not repeatedly call GPal’s 800 support line so the line can be kept clear for new issues.
3. If you are interested in other avenues of helping, please contact GPal support at support@gpal.net.
In order to get back on our feet and fully recover, GPal must expand it's offerings, including but not limited to offering a Debit Card for easier and immediate funds access for our sellers and expanding our processing base. To do so we need your help.
GPal remains absolutely committed to providing the only RKBA and firearms-friendly payment service in the world.
Sincerely,
Ben Cannon
Chairman/CEO
GPal, Inc.
James Terrio
Well-Known Member
Boy what a mess. I sincerley hope it works out for you guys and for GunPal as well, a service like thiers is needed. In the meantime I'm staying the heck away from the whole mess. 
Mike Carter
Well-Known Member
Past the two month mark now and nothing but excuses.
Chuck Gedraitis Knives
Well-Known Member
I'm almost at the 4 month mark!
jdracing
Gold Membership
yeah,i know this to be true.
a guy sells a case of blueblock sunglasses on ebay.
the buyer gets the case and whines to ebay that they are
not as described.
rather than review the complaint paypal(ebay) takes it upon
themselves to give the buyer a refund as soon as he returns the
sunglasses with a tracking number.
they keep a record and see when the pkg. arrives back at the
sellers and then refund the buyers money.
well,the seller opens the box to find 2 cans of green beans and
a note saying thank you.lol.
the seller reports to ebay and they say too bad because you can't
prove that the sunglasses were not in box when it was returned.
he is now out of 99.00 and a case of sunglasses.
he tried for over a month to get his money with no luck.
i had trouble with them myself.
i think it has alot to do with the buyers who are aware of
how easy it is to rip someone off.
they know what they are doing,and it is really getting scary
trying to sell anything on ebay for that reason.
before i was a knife collector i was collecting slotcars.
i decide to get rid of most of my collection when i lost my
job.
i listed a large lot of over 50 resin ho scale slot car bodys
on ebay.
i stated that they were not perfect,but at least 50 were good
enough to build nice looking slot cars.
i listed them for 159.99 buy it now with free shipping.
this greedy a-hole jumps right in there thinking he was
getting 20.00 a piece resin bodys i guess for less than 3.00 ea.
i send he whines that they are not what he was expecting.
paypal(ebay)sends a refund without my consent and i didn't
even have it in my account.
i had to list more stuff just to send paypal the money for
the refund.
when i got the bodys back in the mail i counted them and was
57 total bodys.
only 4 of the 57 was not what i would call acceptable as good
casting bodys.
but i listed as 50 bodys in first place.
this guy got the 57 bodys and take them home and look
at them for few days for free.
i got them back and listed them one at a time on one
of the slot car forums and sold 15 or more for 10.00 ea.
so i came out better and still had several bodys left over.
the thing was that i only listed them so cheap for quick
sell because i needed the fast money for paying bills.
i go to pay the bills and my card is rejected and my bank
charges 35.00 for every time it has an over draft.
i don't,or didn't have overdraft protection because i
always made sure i had enuff funds in there to keep
from getting a fee charge.
you know on topof all this bull the a-hole leaves me
negative feedback.
even after he gets his refund,etc.
i contacted ebay and they would not remove it because it
was not breaking any of there rules.
all this started after the ceo meg whitman resigned in 2003,or 2004.
they don't have anyone smart enuff to keep it going like it
should since then.
i only use it because i have to sometimes.
they are greedy,money hungry animals in my book.
sorry for the rambling on,
jd
12345678910
Well-Known Member
That had such promise...
Postal Money orders are looking better and better, even with the $5 fee...
Lots of sellers are very unhappy with paypal. I know merchant accounts can be a pain but if you are selling full time it would be a good idea. The option of using Square for the iPhone/iPad might be a good option. https://squareup.com/ You would have to take the credit card info over the phone or can swipe cards at shows.