Sellers of high value items on ebay beware!
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 17:53
thoughton wrote:
Smutje I think you missed some key posts in this thread. I already said you don't pay for gifts if you have a positive balance (which covers the amount of the gift), and Mike clarified just when that occurs (i.e. not for international payments).
Smutje I think you missed some key posts in this thread. I already said you don't pay for gifts if you have a positive balance (which covers the amount of the gift), and Mike clarified just when that occurs (i.e. not for international payments).
Sorry
Not too well today and painkillers are kicking in.
Kind regards
SmutjeUK
It's nice to be nice!
Pentax K-5 with D-GB4 Grip, to many lenses to mention by now (serious LBA by now), TC's, Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW, Manfrotto 028 & Redsnapper RS-283 with various Heads plus various Camera Clamps (I collect them). Pentax AF 360FGZ, Pentax AF 240FT, several Metz 45 CT-1 & 5 with stands and 'Blow Up' Soft Boxes, Flash Triggers, and various Macro gear.
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 18:49
Smutje
OK here is my experience, I have been ebaying since 1989, I have had numerous ebay powerseller accounts, my current ebay powerseller account has over 10,000 transactions through it. I have a business paypal account which has seen over 30,000 transactions through it, so I think I know what I am talking about.
I have also had an online store which accepted paypal shopping cart as its check out method.
I have seen many scams on ebay & online trading methods.
I can only also tell you my experience as a buyer using paypal gift which the seller specified. I did not lose out on this transaction being a buyer, my seller on the other hand could have potentially lost £280 & his camera.
This kind of fraud is soon going to be rife on forums like this.
This is how the scam will work...
You have an expensive item for sale, say a K-5 for £700, you want payment by paypal gift.
Scammer joins the forum to buy the camera, he offers to collect the camera & pay by paypal gift when he collects the camera, as there is no buyer protection using paypal gift as it is not meant for sale transactions, so you think that's reasonable.
The buyer goes to your house, likes the camera, transfers the paypal payment using his mobile phone. You check your paypal account on your computer & see the funds are there. You let your buyer go with the camera.
You log into your paypal account an hour later or so & get a warning saying your account has been suspended for suspicious activity, you jump through the security hoops & confirm the account is yours & you have received the payment. Your account is still pending investigation.
A week later the investigation is concluded & the £700 is reverted back to your buyer as you cannot prove this is a gift transaction.
How do you explain to Paypal that it wasn't a gift payment???
How are you going to get your money or camera back???
The seller would have setup the Paypal account using a hotmail address & is long gone with your money & camera.
So unless you know buyer very very well, I would be very weary of offering Paypal gift as a payment method
PPG Wedding photography Flickr
Concert photography
Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released
OK here is my experience, I have been ebaying since 1989, I have had numerous ebay powerseller accounts, my current ebay powerseller account has over 10,000 transactions through it. I have a business paypal account which has seen over 30,000 transactions through it, so I think I know what I am talking about.
I have also had an online store which accepted paypal shopping cart as its check out method.
I have seen many scams on ebay & online trading methods.
I can only also tell you my experience as a buyer using paypal gift which the seller specified. I did not lose out on this transaction being a buyer, my seller on the other hand could have potentially lost £280 & his camera.
This kind of fraud is soon going to be rife on forums like this.
This is how the scam will work...
You have an expensive item for sale, say a K-5 for £700, you want payment by paypal gift.
Scammer joins the forum to buy the camera, he offers to collect the camera & pay by paypal gift when he collects the camera, as there is no buyer protection using paypal gift as it is not meant for sale transactions, so you think that's reasonable.
The buyer goes to your house, likes the camera, transfers the paypal payment using his mobile phone. You check your paypal account on your computer & see the funds are there. You let your buyer go with the camera.
You log into your paypal account an hour later or so & get a warning saying your account has been suspended for suspicious activity, you jump through the security hoops & confirm the account is yours & you have received the payment. Your account is still pending investigation.
A week later the investigation is concluded & the £700 is reverted back to your buyer as you cannot prove this is a gift transaction.
How do you explain to Paypal that it wasn't a gift payment???
How are you going to get your money or camera back???
The seller would have setup the Paypal account using a hotmail address & is long gone with your money & camera.
So unless you know buyer very very well, I would be very weary of offering Paypal gift as a payment method
PPG Wedding photography Flickr
Concert photography
Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 20:04
cabstar wrote:
The only safe method is to accept a normal paypal payment & get your buyer to pay the fees on top of the purchase price, this way you don't break paypal's payment rules & you gain seller protection so you can input a tracking number into paypal for your buyer, this potentially stops your buyer from saying the item has not arrived, if you are really up to scratch you will pay for your tracked postage method through paypal too.
The only safe method is to accept a normal paypal payment & get your buyer to pay the fees on top of the purchase price, this way you don't break paypal's payment rules & you gain seller protection so you can input a tracking number into paypal for your buyer, this potentially stops your buyer from saying the item has not arrived, if you are really up to scratch you will pay for your tracked postage method through paypal too.
Actually not that safe, the seller can be easily scammed using this method .. although I won't go into details here for obvious reasons.
. My Flickr
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 20:12
cabstar wrote:
You have an expensive item for sale, say a K-5 for £700, you want payment by paypal gift.
Scammer joins the forum to buy the camera, he offers to collect the camera & pay by paypal gift when he collects the camera, as there is no buyer protection using paypal gift as it is not meant for sale transactions, so you think that's reasonable.
The buyer goes to your house, likes the camera, transfers the paypal payment using his mobile phone. You check your paypal account on your computer & see the funds are there. You let your buyer go with the camera.
You log into your paypal account an hour later or so & get a warning saying your account has been suspended for suspicious activity, you jump through the security hoops & confirm the account is yours & you have received the payment. Your account is still pending investigation.
A week later the investigation is concluded & the £700 is reverted back to your buyer as you cannot prove this is a gift transaction.
How do you explain to Paypal that it wasn't a gift payment???
How are you going to get your money or camera back???
The seller would have setup the Paypal account using a hotmail address & is long gone with your money & camera.
So unless you know buyer very very well, I would be very weary of offering Paypal gift as a payment method
You have an expensive item for sale, say a K-5 for £700, you want payment by paypal gift.
Scammer joins the forum to buy the camera, he offers to collect the camera & pay by paypal gift when he collects the camera, as there is no buyer protection using paypal gift as it is not meant for sale transactions, so you think that's reasonable.
The buyer goes to your house, likes the camera, transfers the paypal payment using his mobile phone. You check your paypal account on your computer & see the funds are there. You let your buyer go with the camera.
You log into your paypal account an hour later or so & get a warning saying your account has been suspended for suspicious activity, you jump through the security hoops & confirm the account is yours & you have received the payment. Your account is still pending investigation.
A week later the investigation is concluded & the £700 is reverted back to your buyer as you cannot prove this is a gift transaction.
How do you explain to Paypal that it wasn't a gift payment???
How are you going to get your money or camera back???
The seller would have setup the Paypal account using a hotmail address & is long gone with your money & camera.
So unless you know buyer very very well, I would be very weary of offering Paypal gift as a payment method
At the same time, by using your method of letting the buyer pay the fees as a normal transaction:
Buyer pays for camera via Paypal normally (including fees) and comes to house to pick item up. You check that the deposit has been made, see that it has and so hand over the goods. Buyer goes straight home and then a week later you get an email from Paypal saying that a hold has been put on your account because the item has not been received and requesting tracking info .. which of course you don't have.
So you still lose both the camera and the money.
Best way would be cash on collection.
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Last Edited by Mike-P on 31/01/2011 - 20:13
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 20:13
Yes, it's not a great idea to explain to everyone how easily they could defraud us....
Best regards, John
Best regards, John
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 20:19
Blythman wrote:
Happens on other forums John. Surprised it doesn't seem to here. Especially given how many new members, or members with very few posts offer goods for sale
Happens on other forums John. Surprised it doesn't seem to here. Especially given how many new members, or members with very few posts offer goods for sale
And the reason I will always ask a new member to send first.
If they aren't willing then I walk away, another will be along at a later date.
It would help if we had a rating system for deals here though.
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Last Edited by Mike-P on 31/01/2011 - 20:20
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 21:12
Last year I bought a lens face to face, the buyer had prepared a short document with description of the lens and its status, his confirmation that he would take it back if I was not satisfied, and my confirmation of receipt ot the lens, we both signed it and we were both left with a copy.
Wouldn't that protect you in case you were paid by paypal and collection was in person?
Giorgio
Pentax Photo Gallery
Wouldn't that protect you in case you were paid by paypal and collection was in person?
Giorgio
Pentax Photo Gallery
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Posted 31/01/2011 - 21:19
The simplest thing is to stick within the rules and not deviate no matter how pressed. No collections, ever.
Best regards, John
Best regards, John
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johnriley
Pentax User Team
Tyldesley, Manchester
If not then I'm out of pocket for no reason.
The reason is that you offer a service to your buyer that makes your item more attractive to buy and easier to pay for.
Best regards, John