My apologies to 90% of artists out there– this does not apply to you. To the other 10%, guess what? I’m not your mamma! It’s embarrassing that I have to post this!

Artists, is the email address associated with your PayPal account up-to-date?

It may seem like a small matter, but if the only email address associated with your PayPal account is invalid then how will you receive the e-book or e-list item that you purchased?

I receive a lot of payments via PayPal for e-books, e-lists and e-services, automated purchases made in my webstore.   Once a payment is received into my PayPal account the item is sent within minutes of purchase to the email address provided by PayPal. That’s it. That’s the only email address that I receive. I have no idea if the email address is invalid or valid. I don’t automatically know your other active email address when your PayPal email is invalid. How would I? Once the item is sent, I never receive any notice that the email address is invalid! This stuff is automated. In case you still don’t understand I’ll try to explain.

About 10% of artists who purchase an e-item in my webstore will invariably contact me that they have not received the item. I have to tell each one in a separate email that the item was sent to the email address provided by PayPal. Predictably, they don’t know what that email address is and usually it is to an old, invalid, inactive or obsolete email account address. Once they realized this, they usually will sheepishly request a resend and provide me with a valid email address. I kindly resend the item to the new email address provided.

The craziest artist yet contacted me saying she had not received an item purchased from my webstore. When I told her it was sent to her email address provided by Paypal, she had to go check. Days later she replied that her email address on her PayPal account was invalid and that it was “irresponsible of you to send the item to an invalid email address!” (I have no way if knowing that her PayPal email address was invalid!) Her name, Kathy Smith or something equally common and perhaps there are thousands with the same name. I asked her if she expected me to search every K. Smith online and spend hours contacting each one to ask them if they had made the purchase and to request a valid email address? Get real!

Please stop the insanity and update your PayPal accounts with an active email address! Your account details are your responsibility not mine! I know others who sell online using PayPal who have to go through this same thing over and over! Make sure your PayPal account has your newest email address. Your email address may have changed since you opened your PayPal account.

A thank you to those many artists who have their account details up to date!

Best wishes