Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • How easy is it for a buyer to rip off/scam the seller with Paypal?
  • zero-cool
    Free Member

    Looking for some advice.

    I’m currently selling the GF’s bike and a potential buyer wants to use Paypal and have the bike couriered to them, how hard/easy is it for them to rip me off?

    Are Paypal good at protecting the seller if he claims it never arrived or ‘not as advertiser’s or just keep it and get his money back?

    Previously I’ve always sold as collection only so dealt in cash but this buyer lives up country.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    There’s a couple of scams you see on eBay, the best way to avoid them is to take payment via PP and send via courier, it’s when you deviate from that you run into trouble. (Well apart from cash on collection I suppose).

    Once you get past the fraudulent buyer and into dodgy buyer bit it gets harder – be VERY clear about anything detrimental, however minor or you’re opening yourself up to the ‘partical refund’ types – they’ll contact you a few days after purchase “oh the tyres are worn” “the fork needs a service” “it’s got scratches” etc etc etc – they’ll ‘kindly’ offer not to hit you with negative feedback and whatever else if only you refund the value so you sell a shock for £200 and they want £80 for a service (even though a shock with a fresh invoice for a service would be worth more” or a pair of tyres at RRP etc.

    I’ve been done a few times like that – now my stance is “sorry it’s not what you expected, please return for a full refund”. They still argue.

    I take photos of everything including serial numbers, I don’t want someone’s knackered kit back in place of my stuff because they’re trying to pull fast one.

    mtbtomo
    Free Member

    I sold a bike on eBay and about a month after I sold it, they claimed the frame was cracked. I wanted some photos of the crack and it took a few days for the photos, and the photos GPS data suggested they were taken at the opposite end of the country to where I’d sent the bike and where the bloke maintained he lived and rode. I even offered to drive 200 miles to inspect the cracks but he was either away for work or going on holiday and didn’t have time. The seller wanted a refund but I wasn’t giving it to him until I got the bike back. He got PayPal involved and they sided with him, but he only got his refund after I’d got the bike back. But he’d swapped the bars and I complained to PayPal and eventually they offered me £100 to accept back the bike with these different bars.

    Anyway, it all turned out ok for me, as I got a new frame on warranty as it was a known issue. A load of hassle but I suppose I was protected as the seller to an extent. I just didn’t take enough photos myself before sending the bike, so I couldn’t prove if the buyer caused the cracks or whether they were already there.

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    rob1984p
    Free Member

    Paypal always seem to side with the buyer; I avoid accepting it on anything over about £100 if I can. Plus it’s 3.4% + 20p so another expensive fee to add to ebay’s 10% charged on both sale price and postage charged.

    Fagus
    Free Member

    If you ask them to send via PayPal gift then Paypal won’t get involved. Gifts are for non trading transactions, and if they find that the buyer is doing that they won’t like it because they miss out on the fees. Hence they give no protection to the buyer.

    jayx2a
    Free Member

    PayPal will always side with the buyer unless they pay via PayPal gift. To me they seem lazy and just go with the easiest outcome.

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    As above.

    But, it depends. Whenever I buy off the classifieds here, or elsewhere, I’ll use PayPal goods and I’ll cover the fees. In my mind its all about trust.

    For all of the genuine good people selling stuff there will always be arseholes. Anything over £100 and it would be cash on collection, we meet up, or the buyer arranges their own courier. That way if it turns up damaged or not at all it’s their courier at fault. But I will take loads of photos and I’ve included photos in the box showing the condition as it was packed and how it was packed.

    I’ve been on the other end of dodgy sellers too. Empty boxes, damaged goods, etc. PayPal works for the honest people, but the chancers will abuse any system.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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