Chris -- maybe you can clarify something. Did you say the payment was deposited into your PayPal account, and you were charged a fee? It doesn't matter if you conduct your business with credit cards or not from your end. What should matter, as I understand it, is whether the payment was funded with a credit card or not. If the sender DID NOT use a credit card (that is, he used his PayPal balance or an eCheck from his bank account), and he called it a gift, you should not be charged a PayPal fee.
Robert