PayPal Donations
Another hot topic is always PayPal donations. While we have posted from time to time letting you all know that PayPal donations are not allowed, I don't know that we have ever offered a complete explanation of WHY they aren't allowed. So, let me explain...
First, I want to make it clear that there is not a technical issue with accepting PayPal donations. I've already written the code needed for us to use PayPal and have integrated PayPal capabilities into the donation center. Being that my specialties are tech and donations, as certain people have attempted to make very clear lately, I can assure you all we have the skills and technology necessary to accept PayPal. The issue is with PayPal and their ridiculous policies.
There are a few issues with PayPal itself. First, Sythe.org is based out of Australia. Australian PayPal accounts work differently than those in the United States and have different policies. Second, to accept the amount of transactions we want to we would need a business account. Australian PayPal business accounts tend to require verification and proof of incorporation, which we do not have. Ultimately, Sythe.org is a personally owned website and not a business. Using a personal PayPal account is incredibly difficult because it's easily susceptible to fraud and, when people file disputes or charge-backs, we always lose.
We have accepted PayPal donations in the past, but have always had to stop using PayPal within a week or two because of transaction issues. Sythe is currently in the process of trying to work some of these issues out in Australia, but that takes time. Sythe is a very busy person outside of Sythe.org and has a lot going on in his life. So, it may take some time for everything to get ironed out. Believe us, we would love to accept PayPal because of how much donation income it would bring. If we could accept PayPal we definitely would. Unfortunately, at this point, it is not a viable option. What's important for you all to know is that we are working on getting PayPal set up and will do what we can to have it available as soon as possible.
Edit: For a conclusion regarding some of the conflict mentioned above, see this thread:
http://sythe.org/showthread.php?t=1225155
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