ebay & paypal--does something smell? (was: collusion?)

[yodedude2]

i received an e-mail that says ebay will soon stop letting buyers pay with money orders or checks...are there any other decent auction sites online? thanks, ron

[bongomania]

I'm not sure what you mean by collusion, since Ebay owns Paypal. I didn't get that email though, and I have two accounts on each, so I'd be suspicious that the email you got was a forgery (not really from Paypal), especially if it asked you to log in from the email or anything like that.

[yodedude2]

good points all, sir. of course it's not collusion; i simply think it stinks.

i double checked my ebay messages, and the e-mail i got is legit. here's an excerpt:

"Driving more sales with a more consistent buyer experience
We're taking other steps to ensure buyers keep coming back to eBay:

Limits on shipping and handling charges
Big seller rewards for free shipping, including free subtitle, a boost in search results, and double PowerSeller fee discounts
No more checks and money orders
New seller standards: Minimum 4.3 on all DSRs"

lots more here. later, ron

Originally Posted by bongomania

I'm not sure what you mean by collusion, since Ebay owns Paypal. I didn't get that email though, and I have two accounts on each, so I'd be suspicious that the email you got was a forgery (not really from Paypal), especially if it asked you to log in from the email or anything like that.

[tplyons]

Wow, that's a bit of a racket I'd say. Well, not really, but it feels that way. This way they're sure to get fees out of you three times instead of twice.

I've always preferred Paypal for convenience, but not when I'm forced to use it.

eBay, I'm out. Done. Never again.

[playinpearls]

yeah, that kinda crappy. I mean, what else is there other than paypal...nothing. LAME!

[JacoLesFlea]

I'm sure we all got the email....ebay users atlest. here it is.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/August2008Update/Overview/

[RWP]

In reality how are they going to stop people from paying with a check or money order?

[brem]

Payment by check or money orders are not safe anyway. That's how scammers get most fishies... I guess you guys like to have the freedom to choose to use an unsafe mean of exchanging money, but in all honesty, who really used money orders? Fools?

[baba]

Originally Posted by brem

Payment by check or money orders are not safe anyway. That's how scammers get most fishies... I guess you guys like to have the freedom to choose to use an unsafe mean of exchanging money, but in all honesty, who really used money orders? Fools?

There is no safer method of payment I can think of, other than cash, than a USPS Money Order. You receive it, take it to the post office, they scan it to authenticate, and give you cash if it's real. If you get cash, you ship. No waiting for things to clear or bite you later like a bank money order.

On the other hand, I've had buyers try to screw me using Paypal and almost succeed.

[RWP]

Originally Posted by baba

There is no safer method of payment I can think of, other than cash, than a USPS Money Order. You receive it, take it to the post office, they scan it to authenticate, and give you cash if it's real. If you get cash, you ship. No waiting for things to clear or bite you later like a bank money order.

On the other hand, I've had buyers try to screw me using Paypal and almost succeed.

This is so true. Paypal will almost always side with the buyer and force the seller to refund payment. The seller will not be asked, the money is just taken from the paypal account period. If the money is not available in the paypal account I think they can take legal action. The seller then has to jump through hoops to prove his case. I recently sent an item to Italy and had the item stopped in customs because the buyer would not pay the taxes. Paypal refunded ALL the money to the buyer and FORCED me to eat all the shipping cost to and from Italy. So if you do business with paypal you have to except their rules and decide if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Also be EXTREMELY careful when shipping out of the US. Many countries have strange and unbelievable laws in regard to banned and taxing imports.

[Lorenzini]

Having a best friend who's already been screwed by Paypal, and myself, who was screwed by Paypal some months ago, I already refuse to use them.

Now, I really refuse to use them

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by RWP

This is so true. Paypal will almost always side with the buyer and force the seller to refund payment. The seller will not be asked, the money is just taken from the paypal account period. If the money is not available in the paypal account I think they can take legal action. The seller then has to jump through hoops to prove his case. I recently sent an item to Italy and had the item stopped in customs because the buyer would not pay the taxes. Paypal refunded ALL the money to the buyer and FORCED me to eat all the shipping cost to and from Italy. So if you do business with paypal you have to except their rules and decide if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Also be EXTREMELY careful when shipping out of the US. Many countries have strange and unbelievable laws in regard to banned and taxing imports.

However, if the seller INTENDS to scam you, they can get away scot free by emptying their account.

I still have two open disputes dating back to 2005 and 2006 that I have been told I will receive a refund, but will not because their accounts have been emptied.

I will never refer to Paypal as safe. Money orders, very much so.

[Big Joe]

Helpful Paypal tip to buyers:

Always use a credit card. If you get ripped off or jerked around, don't go through paypal or ebay. Call your credit card and let them deal with it.

Worked like gangbusters a couple of times with my Discover card.