Why you should ONLY use CC for eBay/Paypal

I ran across this in eBay's Paypal forum. This is why you should always use a credit card when paying for an eBay auction with Paypal. Some buyers pay for their winning auctions with PP, but don't use a credit card, and have been getting ripped off by some scam sellers. It's interesting because usually it is the seller who gets screwed by PP on eBay. Here's how it works:

-- Buyer pays for auction item with PP account funds.

-- Seller uses PP generated shipping label for USPS, which gives a number that shows the seller made the label and will be taking the item to the PO soon for shipping.

-- Time passes, and after a week or ten days, the USPS email tracking info never changes from the initial "will be dropped off at PO" message.

-- Repeated attempts to contact seller by user email and eBay mail system for tracking numbers, etc., are not answered. After 2 weeks, buyer files claim for non-receipt of item with PP. Seller then immediately sends item via UPS with tracking number, and it arrives on time.

-- Upon opening the package, the item is not what was expected, or the box contains worthless junk. The seller furnishes PP proof of delivery, and they settle the non-receipt claim in the seller's favor. However, since a buyer can only file one claim per transaction, and cannot change the claim type once it is filed, that is the end of PP's involvement in their 'Buyer Protection' services.

This loophole can be avoided by using a CC as payment to PP, since you can go through the CC issuer and file a chargeback. So keep your PP balance low and pay for your purchases with a CC.

Ha ha ha ha...this happened to me! Only time I've ever been ripped off on ebay, and thankfully it was on a cheap video game (sub $20). Instead of the game I won, he sent another game (which wasn't exactly junk, was able to turn it around and sell it for $14).

Boy, was I mad, though. Just the principle of the thing.

Hmmmmm... I hate using my CC though. :bow: Definatly thank you for the informative post. Even though I don't like it... :ironic: Informative none the less. :goodjob:

Something like this really shouldn't be allowed to happen. A loophole in PP's dispute rules is allowing some sharp sellers who have a thorough understanding of how PP's process works, to take advantage of buyers who are supposedly "protected" by PP's buyer protection scheme. The fact that a buyer cannot file a SNAD claim because he has already filed an INR claim is ridiculous. Even if unscrupulous sellers were not taking advantage of this weakness, it could still easily happen legitimately.

Seems to me that the feedback system should help moderate this. I think your chances of getting taken by a seller with hundreds of positive feedback is unlikely. I would certainly agree that dealing with a seller who has little or no references with a credit card is a smart choice.

Fraudulent buyers can do the same...
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1239197&postcount=5

Also posted similar information (about sellers doing that) here, but it my post about that seems to have "disappeared"...
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=121544&page=4&pp=30

This part is important...I've been reading the ebay PP forums referenced in the first post for the last several years. Folks there say that the buyer must file a claim with PP first...then, if that claim is denied, they file the credit card chargeback. People are saying if you don't attempt to file with PP first, the credit card company will refuse the chargeback. This will, of course, vary from one credit card company to another but it appears to be fairly widespread.

JM-99

Sellers with good feedback will burn you if the price is right. Some of them create a good feedback record to set people up for a big score. Then they get a new ID and start over. If you keep your feedback private you can sell a lot of small items for chump change and build up your feedback pretty quick.

i got scammed from an e-tailer (eBuyer.com), i never got my money back even though i reported it to discover card and paypal.

Another good reason to buy from costco

Paypal denied me the use of the CC option when I bought a laptop two years ago. They didn't offer an explanation, other than they owed me none. So while you think CC is *always* an option, paypal can deny the method at their "discretion". Yeah right. Paypal is the root of all evil.

at least PayPal stopped emptying bank accounts with impunity (pre-eBay take over)