Auction Instant Purchase Payment

Kaleidoscope27

I'm asking this on behalf of a friend. He opened an eBay account recently and just sold something. Payment came in the form of an Auction Instant Purchase Payment, which I've never heard of. Some quick research made it sound like a mis-directed PayPal payment or something? He doesn't have a PayPal. But the email he used to register with eBay is linked to an old PayPal account from years ago which is in disuse and he can't access.

The item is being collected so we decided the best form of action would be for him to ask the buyer to cancel the payment and pay in cash on collection (I informed him this was the better idea anyway due to scammers etc).

But, out of interest, what exactly is an Auction Instant Purchase Payment?

soolin

It is a paypal payment and as you say will have gone to the address he put in the listing. before he tells you he didn't put it in the listing he must have done as it is not possible to list on ebay without a paypal address, so he definitely put something on there.

Unfortunately if it has gone to a valid address the buyer can't cancel it and will have to go through a dispute to get it back which means your friend is going to look dodgy to both ebay and paypal, not sold for a while, not sending goods and not refunding promptly.

Also you can't insist on cash on collection, so be warned.

Incidentally this unfortunate series of events will make your friend look like a scammer and i suspect his ebay career may well be over before it starts. All he can do is apologise profusely to the buyer, try and gain access to the old paypal account and see if he can just refund the payment.

Kaleidoscope27

He opened up a paypal account for his dad years ago using his email address. He had never used that paypal and I would bet a lot that his dad hasn't used it in years either. But, if the paypal was a valid address, still working and everything, my friend would've got a paypal email wouldn't he? Saying he has funds? Or do paypal accounts become inactive if not used?

Let's say it wasn't a valid address (so no paypal at all linked to that email address), that the old paypal account doesn't exist anymore or had the email changed by his dad or something. What happens then?

soolin

Kaleidoscope27 wrote: »

He opened up a paypal account for his dad years ago using his email address. He had never used that paypal and I would bet a lot that his dad hasn't used it in years either. But, if the paypal was a valid address, still working and everything, my friend would've got a paypal email wouldn't he? Saying he has funds? Or do paypal accounts become inactive if not used?

Let's say it wasn't a valid address (so no paypal at all linked to that email address), that the old paypal account doesn't exist anymore or had the email changed by his dad or something. What happens then?

OK, just in case this is a scam (and asking for cash on collection can bring out the scammers) get him to check on his sold page on ebay and see whether there is a symbol showing that the item has been paid for, it will either show payment made, or sometimes an egg timer thingy for pending. If this still shows as unpaid then buyer hasn't paid, although it is not infallible as ebay can be glitchy.

If however it does show as paid then the payment can only have gone to the paypal address that your friend listed, I reiterate that it is NOT possible (unless it is a car) to list on ebay without supplying an email address that the payment will go to. Whatever email address your friend entered in the payment box is the one that the invoice would have picked up and that's where the payment is.

If it has gone to a completely made up paypal address it will probably show the pending symbol and the buyer cna posisbly cancel it. However they may have to wait a week or so for the payment to actually arrive back with them.
If the address is capable of being a paypal ID or has ever been linked to a paypal account then the money would have been received by that account It will thereofre be sitting there waiting for the seller to get it and the buyer will not be able to reclaim it at all unless they go through a dispute and wait for paypal to refund it.That dispuite will count against your frend and may well be enough to get him suspended.

Only your friend knows what email address he put in the box that asked for his paypal addy, and that's the info you need.

Kaleidoscope27

Thanks for your help soolin. I've passed on what you've said and given him the link to this thread to he can read your comments through properly. I hope it gets sorted but it does sound like its gone to this old paypal account and it'll go through a dispute. See what happens though.

soolin

Kaleidoscope27 wrote: »

Thanks for your help soolin. I've passed on what you've said and given him the link to this thread to he can read your comments through properly. I hope it gets sorted but it does sound like its gone to this old paypal account and it'll go through a dispute. See what happens though.

The important bit to start with is what it shows as on his 'sold' page.

If it does go to a dispute then buyer can't open it until 7 days from payment and will have to wait a further 10 days after that to won. That is going to be one rather cross buyer.

Kaleidoscope27

Thought I'd let you know that the buyer cancelled the payment his end today. I don't know the intricate details but whatever happened, it's sorted and didn't need to go to dispute and my friend didn't have to do anything beyond messaging the buyer and explaining the situation. I don't know what happened and I suspect neither does my friend really but its worked itself out easily. Which is the main thing I suppose! I did advise him to set up a new paypal with a different email if he intends on selling again in the future.

Thank you again for your help! I'm storing all this in case I come across it again