[Leica] EBay Paypal sting - off topic

[jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)]

Hi Howard,

Sorry to hear of your problem, Howard, but I do appreciate the alert.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "H&ECummer" <cummer at netvigator.com>
To: <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2010 10:36 AM
Subject: [Leica] EBay Paypal sting - off topic


> Hi Luggers
> Since some of you, perhaps many, buy things from and sell things on  
> Ebay and use Paypal. I thought you might benefit from my cautionary  
> tale.
> Over the last two years I have been liquidating my model train  
> collection and selling the occasional unused lens (some Leica - to  
> slip back on topic).
> In just under 100 transactions and over $16,000 in sales I have not  
> had a problem until now. In early August I sold an N gauge model train  
> to a buyer in the south of France. He elected to have cheap sea  
> shipment as the engine wasn't very expensive, paid his money to Paypal  
> and I shipped the train, including a Canada Post tracking on August 5.  
> By August 19 the tracking number didn't show any movement from the  
> post office and the buyer put a hold on his funds. On August 24 the  
> tracking picked up again and showed the parcel had left Canada. I  
> asked the buyer to release the hold and he said he would after the  
> goods arrived - not cricket but what can one do? On Sept 6 he advanced  
> the hold to a claim. I gave all the info I had to Paypal, including a  
> scan of the Post Office receipt and on September 9, despite the  
> information about the length of time a sea shipment could take, they  
> reversed the funds in my account and gave him his money back! So, in  
> the next weeks he will receive his train for free and I have very  
> little recourse because I only get 10 days to dispute the pay back and  
> the only proof I can give is delivery of the package which may not  
> have happened in that time. I have complained loudly to Paypal (IN  
> CAPITALS) and they have answered with anodyne lawyer approved boiler  
> plate.
> To add insult to injury the buyer has left me negative feedback for  
> non delivery and there goes my 100% positive rating! That hurts more  
> than the money!
> So, some words to the wise. Don't deal with anyone who uses a hotmail  
> address. Don't deal with anyone with several neutral ratings (funny he  
> didn't have any negatives in nearly 600 transactions but several  
> neutrals with complaints) and take out your money for every  
> transaction as soon as it is deposited. Paypal is not the seller's  
> friend.
> Older (day by day) and wiser (only once in awhile).
> With regret,
> Howard
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 
>