PayPal RIP OFF

iieee

Don't use paypal, use a cheque. That way you can't return the item full stop if the seller is uncooperative. Or in fact buy from ebay sellers abroad at all in most cases.

soolin

iieee wrote: »

Don't use paypal, use a cheque. That way you can't return the item full stop if the seller is uncooperative. Or in fact buy from ebay sellers abroad at all in most cases.

Um, not sure I quite follow. If you pay for an overseas item by cheque how does that help you get your money back at all ? Surely then you are completely reliant on the sellers goodwill for anything back at all, plus of course you have all the charges associated with buying a US dollar cheque

chja

iieee wrote: »

Don't use paypal, use a cheque. That way you can't return the item full stop if the seller is uncooperative. Or in fact buy from ebay sellers abroad at all in most cases.

Paying by cheque offers no protection to the buyer - once it has debited your bank account, you have no come back on the seller at all. You are also likely to wait much longer for your item as sellers will usually wait until it is cleared before posting.

Cheques are also not a good idea for buying from abroad - they will be expensive for the seller to accept (if they will at all) and lord knows how long you will need to wait until the items is shipped.

If accepting cheques from abroad, bear in mind that different countries rules are different from ours. For example there is no time limit on a US cheque (check) being returned for fraud.

Paypal offers buyers the best protection, but you do need to bear in mind the cost of returning the item for a SNAD dispute.

Touch wood, I have never had a problem buying from the US, but would certainly pay extra attention to the sellers feedback before bidding.

Brooker_Dave

chja wrote: »

Paying by cheque offers no protection to the buyer

Paying by cheque offers you much more protection than using paypal.

If you pay via paypal all you get is some throw away email addy.

If you pay by cheque you get a proper address.

Paypal have done a good job brainwashing the sheep that paypal is the *only* safe way to pay for anything.

You only need to look at all the cases posted here from people who used paypal and then didn't get anything back when things went wrong.

HTH.

soolin

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Paying by cheque offers you much more protection than using paypal.

If you pay via paypal all you get is some throw away email addy.

If you pay by cheque you get a proper address.

Paypal have done a good job brainwashing the sheep that paypal is the *only* safe way to pay for anything.

You only need to look at all the cases posted here from people who used paypal and then didn't get anything back when things went wrong.

HTH.

You're not very good at this are you?

Please explain then in this instance how having paid by cheque the buyer could get a full refund without having to return the item? The OP has already said that the seller is refusing to co operate.

codger

Sympathies to the OP, who obviously entered into this transaction in all good faith. But this is a textbook case of how not to buy on eBay:

1) Purchase from a long-distance seller at risk of incurring substantial P&P charges for product return;

2) Purchase from a seller not subject to UK Distance Selling regulations nor any other form of UK consumer protection;

3) Purchase from a seller whose feedback is sufficiently poor to warn any eBayer to keep well clear of a long-distance transaction;

4) Issue a neg before a dispute / claim is resolved, thus ensuring that whatever goodwill the seller may have had goes entirely out the window.

At least the OP seems to be showing good sense in one area, which is to ignore all the daft posts on here about paying by cheque, because if he'd done so in this instance he really would be in deepest doo-dah (you can't bring a small claims action in the UK against a US seller, for starters.)

As many a naive eBayer has found to his / her cost, an address given by a seller for receipt of a cheque can as well be a pick-up point in a house in multiple occupation as a genuine residence.

As for PayPal's alleged failure: it is no more responsible for someone's buying habits than a High Street retailer and has even less cause than a retailer to offer any kind of recompense for costs incurred in returning something for exchange or refund.

Sorry, OP.

iieee

soolin wrote: »

Um, not sure I quite follow. If you pay for an overseas item by cheque how does that help you get your money back at all ? Surely then you are completely reliant on the sellers goodwill for anything back at all, plus of course you have all the charges associated with buying a US dollar cheque

Sorry, didn't word that very well. I meant you won't be able to buy from sellers who are abroad, as most wouldn't accept cheques due to bank charges. And the rest was sarcasm. But clearly not done very well. *goes back to hole*

Brooker_Dave

soolin wrote: »

You're not very good at this are you?

Please explain then in this instance how having paid by cheque the buyer could get a full refund without having to return the item? The OP has already said that the seller is refusing to co operate.

Why would you not return an item for a full refund?

chja

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

Why would you not return an item for a full refund?

You could return it, but how do you (cost effectivly) enforce the refund - the buyer has your money and so is in control.

frivolous_fay

Dave, got a thread here begging for your expertise:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1383815