Bad Purchase

[silver]

I really don't want to extand the discussion but I do have a question.....I also thought that if you used paypal that you were ok, that you could get your money back. But I thought that uforgot did that and it was ruled in her favor, BUT that she STILL was not able to get her money because there was no money in the seller's account.

This definately challanges my confidence in safety net of using paypal for such transactions.

Is this true, you still didn't get your money back? I think this is good information for us to know.

I know I had to challange a transaction this fall, but the seller did come through, just two weeks delayed. I put a challange into paypal and they were examing it. But the seller sent the items and apologized for the delay.

[GLC1968]

Silver -

It's true...if the seller pulls the money from the account, the buyer cannot get it back.

From the other side of it: My husband sold a laptop on ebay using paypal. He received the money from the buyer in his paypal account, so he boxed the laptop up and dropped it off at our local FedEx place. He then sent an email to the buyer with the tracking #. That same evening, he got an email from either ebay or paypal (I forget which) telling him that that the buyer was under investigation for something. My huband quickly checked is paypal account, and sure enough...the money the guy had sent had been pulled out! AFTER he got the tracking #! My husband immediately called the FedEx place and the driver had not yet picked up the package for shipment, so he was able to get it back. He would have just sent a laptop to some guy for free.

Now, when he sells a big ticket item, he tells the seller that he won't ship until the payment CLEARS paypal (and he moves the $ to our bank account). It protects the seller...but yes, it can make a buyer nervous.

I don't know how this is different if a person uses a credit card through paypal. In the above case, it was a cash transaction.

[uforgot]

No, I did not get my money back. If I had used a credit card through paypal I could have taken the issue up with my cc company. I had paypal funds, so I used those. If the seller doesn't have anything in their account, or closes it, then they can't recover the funds. They indicated that there was some kind of alert on her account so if funds ever do become available, they will credit my account.

I think that from now on I'll use a credit card, double protection, or single if you consider that paypal said "okay, you win, you can have your money back. Oops! No money there and nothing we can do about it!"

[smilingcat]

Well I may be out of $$. Paid through paypal. Looking at the user agreement, Paypal makes it look like you are protected to $200 for basic and $2000 for premium whatever. But there is a section that says and in one lone sentence, "the fund must be available in the sellers account."

So the $200 protection or the $2,000 protection is totally meaningless and misleading. They do go to great extent when its $200 or $2000. If the fund isn't in the seller's account, too bad.

Well, the guy I purchased the item had 135 points with 98% rating. Then I find that he has several really bad negatives. how did he get the 98%?? I'm not sure how they calculated the percentages.

Bad day all around... getting honked at by an irate driver because I don't mash the gas pedal to the floor on the highway transition. And again on the surface street when the light turned green... Don't they know its not a race.

just coming to realization that I been ripped off by more than $100...

Sorry to steal the thread from uforgot.

so if you are e-bay seller make sure high $$ item has insurance and tracking number pay out of your own pocket even if you have to. and for the buyer, not sure what you can do???

not so smilingcat

[uforgot]

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. That is quite a bit to lose! As for the 98%, I figure for every negative, there are three people who were unhappy but didn't want retaliatory feedback. Personally, I wouldn't bid on something over $10 if someone had 98%. Since 1998, the only time I wasn't careful was on the item this thread is about. I have 908 fb comments, and I have never been "taken" on ebay. Here are my personal rules.

1. On big ticket stuff, I try to stay at 99.8% and above. I read all feedback first. So far, I have not had any problems on ebay.
2. If he has any problems as a seller, I may buy something if it's not expensive, and it wouldn't be a problem if the deal fell through. Sometimes they have bad feedback because they only had 50 transactions and didn't pay for one as a buyer. Or their product is good, but shipping is slow. Make sure you read those comments.
3. If they leave nasty comments in feedback to others I pass. Sometimes a seller sincerely tries to make it right, and you can tell.
4. If they come across in their auction description as nasty and rude I pass. You know, things like "Don't bother bidding if you can't pay", etc.
5. Look at the pics. You can tell if someone takes care of their stuff or not. One time I saw an ad for a couch and there was laundry and toys all over it. Or you will see a bike in a garage and there is crap all around. I don't go there.
6. Use a credit card. I know I learned this one from Sandra when she bought her last mixte. She doubly protected herself and I thought, "now THAT'S a good idea".

Why don't you check with your Post Office to see if you can do something about it as mail fraud? I also think that if the seller has buyer protection, (mine didn't, something else I would check for on big ticket items) paypal will refund the money from their own pockets.

Of course, it's kind of laughable that I'm giving advice when I'm the one that started this thread!

As for the highjack, I kind of like this thread turning to online buying safety. That's really helpful to others. I honestly let my guard down because it was TE, but you know what? I will still continue to trust, whereas I don't on ebay. I've made several purchases on the TE for sale thread, and all (but one) were good.

[DeniseGoldberg]

...I kind of like this thread turning to online buying safety. That's really helpful to others. I honestly let my guard down because it was TE, but you know what? I will still continue to trust, whereas I don't on ebay. I've made several purchases on the TE for sale thread, and all (but one) were good.

I wonder if it would be worth adding a feedback thread for items sold here in the forum.

I participate in a photography forum that has a sticky thread in the Flea Market / Sales area of the forum titled "Positive Feedback Thread (post/search here)". It's for posting positives, not negatives. Take a look at the explanation and see if you think something like this might help here too: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=7739. The postings there show feedback from (and for) both the seller and the buyer.

--- Denise

[Velobambina]

Denise's idea is a good one. Positives only.

[uforgot]

Found her. I am relentless. She has a new blog so I mailed her and here was her reply: I took out any info that may identify her.

Just to make things clear, I didn't intentionally rip you off. Rather, I have not been able to pay you back because I was scammed. My 401K is gone, my checking account is about negative $1000 dollars, my savings is gone, and my Visa card is maxed out (and then some, but we won't go there).

If you'd like to think I'm a thief that's fine, but believe me, I didn't spend 42 hours bussing back to ****** after cleaning houses to earn the money for a ticket, to move back in with my parents for giggles. And most of my stuff is still in ******* - I made it back with one suitcase of clothing.

You know, there's a way for you to view the account information and see that you are the first and only person who has had a problem with me in the 5 years I've had the account.

I understand you're upset; I hate the fact that I couldn't get you taken care of, I hate the fact that the person who was supposed to help me get you taken care of is the same person who ripped me off (and yes, we're talking going in my purse and taking my Visa card out of my wallet kind of ripped off).

In spite of what you might think, I would honestly love to get the $35 back to you. I'm not sure if PayPal refunded it to you already and I'm in debt to them, or if I'm in direct debt to you, but I will see if I can get my parents to help me resolve this.

However, as obviously frustrated as we both are by the situation and what happened, I will state, very frankly, that I don't sppreciate being Googled and then called a thief.

SHE doesn't appreciate being googled??? I guess not, since I can still find and contact her. Paypal says they are still working on it, but I wonder if there is anything else I can do since I know her name and where she lives?!?!?!

[mimitabby]

take her to small claims court.

good for you for tracking her down. It's always someone else's fault, isn't it?

[teigyr]

Excellent use of the internet

Y'know, small claims isn't a bad idea.

So in her blog, does she mention all these unfortunate events? ie does what she say happened appear to have happened?

[uforgot]

In her blog she mentions only that her computer had problems, she just got an ipod and oh, she has two digital cameras. I like the small claims court idea. Can you do it state to state? You can tell I've never had anything that I would need a small claims court for!

[sandra]

I had no idea. I was just thinking that Claudia was going to have to let it go and let karma get her. She's 23 years old and probably thought she could get away with it. I never have dealt with this or anything like small claims court!

Not only does she have cameras and an ipod, she works with the following: Photoshop/Image Ready 7, Apophysis, Panasonic Lumix FZ7, Epson flatbed, Intuos3 tablet.

And she KNITS and maintains websites.

But the poor girl doesn't have $35 to replay Claudia.

[mimitabby]

you probably have to do it in her state. I'm sure there's online info about it.

[uforgot]

It's not really about the money anymore. I may spend $200 to travel to her state to recover $35, but think of the fun!

I'm picturing it...K.K., me and Judge Judy. K.K. starts in..."but my computer was locked in the car and I was being held hostage..." and Judy goes "Did you or did you not take this woman's $35????" I wonder if I can get on TV??? I need to find that face souffle pretty quick, and lose 25 lbs. Yeah, this could be fun. Sandra, do you want to stand next to me as my witness? You'll need to just answer the questions because you know how Judge Judy gets when a witness embellishes. I've seen the show maybe twice, so I'm kind of an expert...

[sandra]

Not I. I'm shy.

And I hear you look bigger on TV, so I better pass.