Does this sound legit?

[FutrImagineer]

So, to make extra money I have been doing some writing for a website on the side. I was supposed to be paid last week, but one week later with no payment, I contacted the owner asking what the holdup was.

I did sound a little "grrrr" in my communication, and I guess the owner got it into his head that I probably wouldn't work for him anymore if I didn't get paid.

Now he says that he'll go ahead and pay me a certain amount (on the smaller side in $$, but still quite more than what I am owed), but I have to send over an invoice on Paypal and then he will forward the funds.

I am not that familiar with Paypal- I try to deal with it as little as possible- so my question to you is, does this sound legit? He says they need an invoice for their records, but his predecessor used to send me the money with no invoice needed. Also, the owner claims that the reason for the delay was that he thought his business partner had already sent over the money...I was just under the impression that partners would know for sure what the other was doing with their money.

Anyway, this may be a total legit operation, but it just sounds the tiniest bit shady to me since it reminds me of some of the Craigslist scammers (although this guy runs a totally legit website).

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[disneyeveryyear]

No, partners don't always know what each other are doing.

I think he is just irritated that you asked (not your fault, you deserve to be paid), and is just being as difficult as possible.

Why don't you call and speak to the other partner. Tell him you'll mail an invoice if needed, and they can mail you a check.

 

[Bren's Mom]

When you contracted with them to do the work how was it decided you would be paid? If it wasn't specified and you want a check, not PayPal, you can always offer to e-mail or fax an invoice (very easy to create one) instead. And then they can mail you a check but you'd have to wait for it. I would NOT invoice them for more than the agreed upon price. If they send a check for more I would NOT cash it.

 

[AntePrincess]

Yes, it is legitimate to send an invoice through Paypal, and he is absolutely right to ask for one. I send Paypal invoices to my clients every single day to facilitate their payments. It does not share any of your personal information with him, Paypal has the relevant personal information for both of you and keeps it hidden from the other.

To send an invoice, click the "Request Money" blue tab on the very top of the Paypal page when you're logged in. When the page has loaded, click the "Create Invoice" link on the cream-ish colored bar under the tabs. Choose "New Invoice" from the "Create Template" pull down menu. Then fill out the relevant information in the form, checking twice, and click "Continue." It'll give you a last chance to review, then click send.

Once you've sent an invoice, it will appear in your Paypal Overview (the page that crops up when you click the "My Account" blue tab), as a pending payment, until it is actually paid by your employer. If something goes wrong, it will let you know. You can always click "Details" of that transaction to see how things are going.

Hope that helps.

 

[Colleen27]

I works as a freelance writer for extra cash too, and I've worked with several web sites that requested a Paypal invoice for payment. It is really easy to do ( I won't repeat the step-by-step because the PP covered that quite well) and is just the way some editors/site publishers prefer to keep records.

 

[timmac]

Just wanted to add I do plenty of work on the side, too... and asking for an invoice through paypal is not uncommon. It's twofold: on one hand, paypal is easy and keeps a lot of the records for you (esp. when you send the invoice first), and also the invoice in his inbox will be a nice reminder for him.

Personally, I wouldn't be worried about it at all.

 

[3boymthr]

Sounds legit. I've had people request paypal invoices before. As pp noted they can't see any of your personal info. Given the delay in payment I'm thinking they may want a paypal invoice so they can pay you with a credit card as they may not actually have the cash available. At least this way there is no possible expense to you if they are short on funds as there is no check to bounce.

 

[FutrImagineer]

Thanks so much for your help and advice, everybody!