stupid paypal !!!

shredmaster · #1 02-01-2009, 11:16 AM

long story short, i sold one of my lenses online, which was mint. i rarely used it, have the original box and packing etc. the jerk who bought it says it wasn't mint and was broken upon receiving it. he also said there were a couple scratches on it. this is insane. that lens never left my house and was a dup of one i used as a main shooter, which was also mint. it was my canon 17-55 mint lens some of you may know i just sold. it was in the molded styrofoam block in the box from canon, and that box was inside a heavily-padded box with peanuts, etc. he has been threatening and i have been in constant contact with him. i think he just doesn't want the lens. now he wants a full refund, which i can't and won't do, and has reported me to paypal. those idiots froze my assets / account tied to it / until this is resolved. so, should i buy a guitar and then claim the neck was broken in transit? just to get stuff for free? this is crazy! he has not furnished any photos of anything either. he claims he went to 2 camera shops to verify it was broken. first off, what camera shop.....they usually don't know anything. 2nd, if you have to go to a camera shop to see if something is wrong, then there probably isn't. i think this jerk dropped it. sorry for my rant. i'm done with paypal and scammers. any of you ever been in this boat?

**jemsite** · #2 02-01-2009, 02:23 PM

bummer steve, i use both e-bay and paypal alot but i'd like to believe i also protect myself quite carefully. For example i take many high quality photos of the items for sale as visual proof. You might want to look into shipping insurance if it was in fact "broken" and paypal demands a return of lens and funds.

unfortunately the law favors customers who lie and place no burden of proof on them. For example if he dropped it or damaged it then the store/seller has little recourse unless they prove it was "mint" when shipped. Good luck... glen

jb4674 · #3 02-01-2009, 03:35 PM

Did you specify that all sales were final and all merchandise was "as is" and there were no returns? If you did that, then the a-hole who's trying to pull a fast one on ya shouldn't have anything to argue about.

Jimmy

Dino · #4 02-01-2009, 04:05 PM

It's been talked about alot already. Anyone still using fleabay/paypal for sales is just asking for it. The scammers have all switched from sellers to buyers now because of the new policies.

Darin · #5 02-01-2009, 05:43 PM

Set up a separate bank account for internet use, paypal amazon etc.

Sell stuff and accept checks or money orders only. Tell buyer to wait till check clears. No fees, no problems.

I hate paypal, I prefer checks or money orders.

DJR · #6 02-01-2009, 06:46 PM

Yep... this is just another reason why paypal (and by default, e**y) sucks ass....

http://www.paypalsucks.com

and e**y have the nerve to make accepting paypal compulsory. I had my auction taken down because my description included "cash on collection only, no paypal for this auction".

Like I said in my rant thread about it. The mighty will fall. It's a natural cycle.

**jemsite** · #7 02-01-2009, 06:54 PM

Not to defend paypal, but even if steve processed Visa/MC thru a merchant account he is not much better protected in the case of customer fraud. Especially if the terms were not clearly specified and followed 100%.

There are so many out clauses for a customer if you don't specify things the card will WITHHOLD FUNDS immediately and often the merchant will suffer CHARGEBACKS in the disupute. I posted about this a while back. Just read the Visa/MC merchant agreement.

What Steve needs to do is prove to the arbitrator (who always favors customers) that he shipped this as per his terms and the customer is acting in fraud. Not easy

... glen

shredmaster · #8 02-02-2009, 08:43 AM

yeah it's not going to be easy. it's unreal, as this lens was beyond mint. IF anything is wrong with it, it happened in shipping, but how i packed it...i just don't see it! DJR, you're right, and i have had an auction taken down for the same reason...pay**** and e**** are in bed together and there isn't anything you can do about it. i am going to sell my brand new 50D body and get either another 5D or 5D mkII very soon. i am going to state cashiers check or money order (there is fraud with that as well) or credit card. i do take credit cards with a merchant account, as glen said, for my photo studio. if someone feels safe giving me their card info, i can do that. the only other thing is craig's list and i won't go there, filled with weirdos. bad place. i did submit my case, that the bastard failed to provide me with photos of the lens and the packaging. he also won't get statements from the camera stores he supposedly took it to and hasn't tried taking photos with it. it's ridiculous but i will get out of it. i do have a separate account for these transactions and i don't have plans on putting any money into it. if he wins he will only get 50% of the cash, which still ticks me off. even if it's $10... it's the principle. i will keep you posted.

Rotti · #9 02-02-2009, 08:55 AM

Sorry to hear about this. I hope it works out in your favor.
Sure makes me think twice about selling things on the bay.

btw, Have you considered selling your 50D on Fred Miranda? They have a feedback system now and you can choose who to deal with and who not too. It is really an excellent resource for buying and selling photo gear.

shredmaster · #10 02-02-2009, 09:05 AM

hey Rotti, maybe i will check it out, never heard of that site. it's mint, and hope to find a good buyer.

Rotti · #11 02-02-2009, 09:14 AM

If you do decide to sell it on FM I'll vouch for you in the thread. I have some feedback there.

shredmaster · #12 02-02-2009, 09:18 AM

cool man, thanks. i will check it out later....

shredmaster · #13 02-03-2009, 10:46 AM

just an update. of course not even 2 days goes by and i get an email from paypal saying they're going to favor the buyer. we all knew that would happen. i need to place funds in my account to he gets credited....let me get right on that! he is to send it to me and as soon as paypal receives the tracking number they will credit him. ridiculous! paypal works on the weekend? they reviewed the case with all the documentation i provided? i don't think so. i'm not about to hand money over anytime soon, if at all.

DJR, i did check out that paypalsucks site....very informative and unfortunate for all those people.

Dino · #14 02-03-2009, 01:27 PM

You should freeze your bank account they may be able to run a charge through and overdraw it. If they have not already done so. Also dispute with your bank any charges that has made to your account without your permission. You will most likely get an empty box back from that buyer, or the lens will be smashed out of spite.