Paying for auction items

I think most everyone would recommend using Paypal.

Chatter163 posted this on May 22, 2003 09:03 AM
"if you paid through PayPal, you may speak with them regarding a refund, but your claim MUST be within thirty days of the original transaction. On day 31 you are SOL."

I checked Paypal's website and here's what they have in their policy;

Protection Policies

What is the Buyer Complaint Process?

PayPal's Buyer Complaint Process helps protect PayPal members when a merchant does not deliver goods as promised. If you have been unable to resolve a dispute with a seller, you may file a Buyer Complaint Form (go to the Security Center link in the footer of any PayPal page) to initiate an investigation. PayPal will investigate your complaint and attempt to recover any funds you are owed. You will be entitled to the return of any funds PayPal is able to collect on your behalf. However, fund recovery is not guaranteed.

Additionally, buyers who qualify for eBay's insurance policy (currently limited to $200) may recover up to an additional $200 of protection from PayPal if their purchase was made from a verified PayPal seller.

" Fund recovery is not guraranteed ".

So it seems i am not totally secured even paying through PayPal.

Does anyone know if i can just call credit card company to file a dispute ?

thx,
Pc527

Since I've never had any actual experience in this area, I'm not qualified to provide an accurate answer. In case no one else responds you might want to click on "search" at the top of this page. In "Search Words" enter "credit + card + refund" (without the quotes. Click on the "Subject" field. You'll find some other discussion on this.

okay, thx Rick.

pc527

1) It is more convenient to see my eBay credit card charges in one central location, rather than having to search here and there for various transactions.

2) The "My eBay" page indicates "paid" as the transaction status, whenever you use PayPal. This is quick and convenient, plus you receive an e-mail receipt for each transaction.

3) I like the option to debit from my bank account for small items (which most of my eBay wins are). This frees me from accumulating too many cc charges.

4) Some sellers are enrolled in the eBay protection program, though only some are. But there is always a measure of protection through PayPal, which is good when I debit from my bank account.

5) PayPal is very convenient when you win multiple auctions from the same seller, or when you have another transaction with the same seller, as it retains the seller's e-mail address and makes for faster processing when typing in information.

6) I also find that most sellers who are accustomed to dealing with PayPal tend to ship immediately upon receipt.

When you use PayPal with a credit card, you will find that your credit card company only receives the info that it is a PayPal-posted eBay charge. They have no info about the seller, and since it is a third-party charge, they will take no action, referring you back to PayPal. But I would prefer that PayPal (now part of eBay) has my cc info, rather than the seller.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Going off topic, i recently been looking to buy a sony camcorder on ebay. Placed a few bids but haven't won a auction yet.
This morning, i rec'd this email from a ebay user.


To member: pc527
From member: 4t5man

--------------------


Dear eBayer,

I've noticed that you bid on a SONY DCR-PC120BT .I'd like to inform
you that I am in the position to offer you the same model for a fair
price including S&H.
The products I am selling are brand new (not used) and they come in
their original factory sealed packages. They are covered by factory
warranty.The reason I have this great price on this product is because I am
ordering them directly from one of the biggest european distributors
located in Germany and I don't pay duty taxes either. Therefore my price
becomes unbeatable.
The postal charges are included in the price.Shipping will be made via
UPS or DHL and a tracking number for the package will be provided as
soon as the package has been sent.
I prefer not to list my product on Ebay because lately I have lost a
lot of money by listing them on this site due to the
NPB(non-paying-bidders) and indonesian buyers. I also get to save the eBay fee this way.
You can buy from me with confidence ,I am a verified eBay user .To
check out my feedback click on the link
below:http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=4t5man
,You can also contact me through eBay ,just click on my username and you
can send me an email.
If you are interested in placing an order for this product email me at
robem@seznam.cz.

What do you guys think ? possible fraud ?


thx,
pc527

I've always avoided these, unless I've had several successful dealings with a seller. ebay takes a very dim view of this, and you can probably understand why.

You have no protection, you can't even leave feedback.

Considering your concern about Paypal versus credit card, you sound like a cautious person. If it was me, I'd only go thru ebay. I'd much rather spend some extra money and not have to worry about being ripped off.

IMO

P.S. They only have 230 positives from 209 unique users.

k. thx again.
pc527

I'm guessing that you are far safer giving a credit card directly to a seller than going through Pay Pal, assuming that you are giving your credit card number to someone that has as legitament account with, say, Mastercard, rather than someone who is stealing creditcard numbers.

Pay Pal does not make this clear, but it looks to me as if it acts as a filter for rights that you would have against the seller. As I understand it, if you pay the seller directly you can through writing within 30 days of the creditcard statement in writing--not a phone call, has to be in writing--instruct your creditcard company not to pay, such to resolution of any disputes. Creditcard companies do not like to tell you this, and I am sure that sellers and PayPal do not either, but this is a very strong right under Federal consumer credit law and I personally have found it to be very effective in getting a seller or a service providers attention. However, in those circumstances the creditcard company has a contractual relationship with the seller. In the Pay Pal situation the relationship is between the creditcard company and Pay Pal. The creditcard company does not have the ability to protect itself from seller evildoers, unless Pay Pal is standing behind every seller, which it does not seem to from what it says. The status of verified seller on Pay Pal may give some further protection, I do not know.

Thus, I am guessing that you are hugely more at risk going through Pay Pal than paying a seller directly with a credit card. I do it all the time, of course, but I bet you are hugely more at risk.

It would be interesting to hear a comparison by Pay Pal of relative rights. I wouldl love to know that I am wrong. Of course, the creditcard company would probably rather you go through Pay Pal. It gets its fee regardless, and gets rid of any liability.

Channing

Channing,

I don't mean to sound indecisive, but you make an excellent argument. If the seller is on ebay, and has respectable feedback and they take credit cards, perhaps you are safer giving them a credit card then using Paypal, at least, if you're concerned about a refund.

Chatter also provides some good reasons in favor of using Paypal.

Channing writes:

>>As I understand it, if you pay the seller directly you can through writing within 30 days of the creditcard statement in writing--not a phone call, has to be in writing--instruct your creditcard company not to pay, such to resolution of any disputes.<<

In fact, there is no standard policy; neither is there any federal law governing how a credit card company must handle disputes. Such policy varies from creditor to creditor, and is based on the terms of agreement that one signs when one accepts a card from a given creditor.

Similarly, I dispute that one is "hugely" more at risk using PayPal. I suspect that in terms of security, the risk is probably similar in either case (meaning that it is almost always easier for the seller than the buyer). The point that can be inferred from Channing's post is that PayPal does assume the role that the seller would otherwise have, i.e., it is to PayPal with whom a creditor must deal in a dispute, rather than the seller. But PayPal also has its own resolution process, which does not seem any worse than most credit-issuing institutions, with the exception of American Express.

I use PayPal for its convenience, rather than its security. But I do not think it is any riskier, especially since it was acquired by eBay, who now has a vested interest in that convenience.