Paypal question

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Posted By: warshawlaw

Does anyone have any experience with using credit cards to pay for Paypal lots and then disputing the charges when the lots are fake

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Posted By: Charles Prawdzik

I purchased a $300. vintage wrist watch using a credit card and PayPal. The watch was received with a shattered crystal not described or visible in the photo. The seller stated the watch was in near mint condition. The watch was double boxed with no damage during shipping. I advised the seller that I would keep the watch if a $30. partial refund would be provided to pay for the cost of a new old stock crystal. The seller refused to provide any refund or take the watch back. We exchanged negative feedback. Seller was a Square Trade member and we exchanged emails with the arbitrator. Seller then agreed to refund $30. to get both negative feedbacks removed from our records. I received a $30. credit into my PayPal account which I was able to use for another purchase. I did not attempt to use my credit cards buyer protection policy or dispute the charge on my card. I would advise to first try to resolve with the seller, then take advantage of the square trade or paypal buyer protection plan as this will facilitate removal of feedback and provide a neutral arbitration. I personally will not purchase any ebay item of significant value without a buyer protection plan.

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Posted By: jay behrens

You can only use Square Trade if the seller is a member, otherwise they are useless. PayPal wants you to use them on the first step of the problem, but people have had problems with that. If you want a quick response and resolution, go thru CC company. PayPal will bitch, but there is really nothing they can do about it.

Jay

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming --- WOW, What a ride!

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Posted By: Amy

If you want a quick response and resolution, go thru CC company. PayPal will bitch, but there is really nothing they can do about it.


Paypal will freeze your account if you go through your CC company.

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

Adam, Paypal will side with you first and put the burden of proof on the seller, if it was anything like my situation. But Paypal might only require the the auction in the auction is shipped to you. That is why it might be best to go thru your CC company and not go thru that hassle. Paypal has all sorts of rules hidden in there fine print and not explained very well when you do find what you are looking for, so there could be some surprises non of us are aware of.

It looks like more of the fine print has popped up if freezing the account is the case. Another paypal special. I hate necessary evils.

Lee

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Posted By: Howie

1) Try to resolve problem with seller.
2) Try to resolve problem through paypal.
3) If 1 and 2 fail simply contact your credit card issuer and the problem will go away.

PayPal can get nasty if you don't attempt to resolve the problem through them first and could terminate your account. You violate the user agreement when you bypass them and go straight to your card issuer.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I think I know why you all are reporting different outcomes and different rules. The problem is that Paypal's rules are in a constant state of flux and are often in conflict as a result. Take a look at their rules and you will see over a dozen patches and changes. Not all of them harmonize. They have a February 2003 rule about freezing your account if you use the credit card charge back provisions without using their buyer protection program but a later rule bulletin that says that it is your choice to use the credit card charge back or paypal's resolution framework. I assume that the later set of rules would control in the event of a conflict but they never make it explicit. The other thing to note is that as far as I can tell, their most recent buyer protection scheme does not apply unless the seller meets the following criteria:

1.The seller's eBay feedback rating is at least 50;
2.At least 98% of the seller's eBay feedback is positive. The percentage calculation for this purpose includes feedback from repeat users, and therefore may be higher than the unique positive feedback percentage displayed on eBay;
3.The seller is a member of PayPal in one of the following countries: U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K.
4.The seller has a Verified Premier or Business PayPal account;
5.The seller's PayPal account is in good standing.

Obviously, most of the fly by nighters who cheat people are not going to meet these criteria. In my prior case, it would not have helped me at all.

Since I do not trust their mechanisms to do anything after my recent problem with fake cards, I will always buy an expensive item with my CC over paypal and if there is a problem, opt to go with the credit card.