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Buying an Amp on TV--Paypal issues

L

LBass

Sep 23, 2008
80
0
Los Angeles
#1
EDIT: just realized I wrote "TV" instead of "TB" in the title. Dooh!

Hey All,

Not sure if this is the right place for this but...

I agreed to buy a bass amp from a fellow TB'er. I sent payment over papal that was linked to my bank account so it should have been an e-check that only cost him $5. I told him ahead of time this was my plan for payment.

He ended up refusing the payment and asking for me to send the paypal money as a "gift" so he could avoid fees. He said paypal charged him $25.

I declined and the deal fell through. He has several good transactions on TB and a link to his band in his signature. I Just felt nervous sending out around $800 with zero buyer protection (yeah, I know paypal is often useless even in the best of circumstances).

I have no interest in naming him as he seems like a nice enough guy, but as I have not bought a ton of stuff through TB I wanted to see if this was standard practice or was unusual. Was I being overly paranoid or prudent?
 
#4
I do quite a bit online both buying and selling. Here is how I work PayPal. I have one CC for PayPal. I always pay thru PayPal with that credit card. Never from my bank account. I get double protection that way. I also create a paper trail of emails displaying questions and answers and any pictures. In the comments box when I finally pay I include a summary of the sale. Serial numbers, model numbers, my name, seller/buyers name...address all with a little note that says all agree. I have been beat but only by actual crooks that do charge backs after they pay for something. The CC companies work better on your behalf if something goes wrong. As soon as I get paid I withdraw the $$$$ from PayPal so they cant take it or freeze the account if somebody bitches. That works for me. I choose not to accept e checks because I dont want to wait.
 
#6
Never EVER gift money. I've been scammed that way (i accidently hit gift instead of goods (STARTED WITH A G!!!) and the guy noticed, and never shipped anything. When i opened up a dispute they pretty much said tough luck and i was out $80


another time i shipped someone something and they said they received a book instead (***?) a book that was worth like.. $60, lol.

They opened a dispute with paypal and with NO EVIDENCE other than "Hey its a book, ***" they got a free $100 yoyo (I'm a world ranked yoyo..er :D)


anwyay.. lameness prevails if you use paypal. I ONLY Buy using paypal now, never sell.
 
#8
Did the you and the seller agree to use PayPal? If so, the seller should have been aware that there would be fees involved (a little self-eduaction on the PayPal site would have cleared that right up). If you receive payment via PayPal, it's part of the price of doing business. Per TB policy, he can't add PayPal fees after the fact, but if it's a concern for him, the fees should be built into his selling price.
 
#10
Could you clarify something? When I go to send money I only see 2 options: credit card or instant transfer from my Bank Account. I don't see a third option for eCheck. How do I choose eCheck?

I couldn't figure it out from the PayPal help center. Thanks!
 
#12
Gifts only charge the buyer a fee if the buyer pays with credit card. A gift from a linked bank account is, indeed, free.

That said, gifts are for gifts, and paypal provides a service that they should be paid for. We're free to debate whether that fee is appropriate, but if you're gaming the system by sending a gift, you can definitely get burned.
 

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