Best Payment Option for ebay buyer protection?

AirCooledHeaven

Hi, I'm planning to buy a mobile phone on ebay, it's £200 so I want to be sure I have the best buyer protection in place. I'm particularly worried about the item not being as described. Some time ago I bought a 'new' mobile that turned out to be refurbished, the buyer and paypal would not help.

Specifically, do I have better protection if I use my credit card to fund my paypal purchase? As far as buyer protection is concerned, what are the pros and cons of funding my paypal purchase using a credit card, or using my paypal balance?

Thanks

KarleyMarie

If something is not as described, you will be told by paypal to send it back via a trackable method and refunded by paypal.

Using a credit card means you do have another avenue to claim from but not necessary if you use paypal properly.

kgreel

I bought a phone on ebay which turned out to be faulty. I followed the paypal process and I still lost the case as the seller claimed it was not returned in the same condition.

I have no phone and no refund.

I will never rely on eBay buyer protection again.

I now have to try a section 75 claim against my credit card - more hassle.

forgotmyname

Its risky. Been several cases of phones getting locked after a while.

Sometimes even a year later.

People insure the phone, sell it and then later on report it lost or stolen. You have a useless brick that you paid a lot of money for.
You cannot risk selling it in case the police come knocking.

Crowqueen

I would avoid eBay altogether, to be quite frank, and save a bit more money towards something from somewhere else, particularly if you have had a problem in the past.

eBay is great for certain things but not terribly good for others.

Also, IIRC you can't choose whether to use a Paypal balance or a cc to fund a purchase. If you want to buy something, withdraw the money to your bank account first and then pay.

martindow

kgreel wrote: »

I now have to try a section 75 claim against my credit card - more hassle.

I think section 75 claims are likely to fail as Paypal is an intermediary - you are not directly paying the seller with your card.