Is Paypal's buyer protection fairly safe?

[yhelothar]

I just won $2500 worth of camera+lens+accessories on ebay for $850.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7534670959

This guy only has 5 feedback score so it makes it feel like a too good to be true scam.

Secondly when I asked the guy about the reserve, he said he was going to close the auction if I'm willing to pay the reserve. So he wanted to do this under the table.

Third, when I sent him the money with paypal, I accidently sent it with an echeck, instead of the money that was in my paypal account. I asked him to refund it, and he said he couldn't because I sent it to his mom's account and he doesn't have access to it.

Instead, he asked me to send him a money order!

But then I replied that I will only send paypal since I have the buyer protection with that.

He later does give me another paypal account. But now I'm starting to feel that this is a scam. Is paypal pretty good about getting your money back if you get scammed? Or is there anyway for the seller to cheat the system? What if the seller transfers the money to his bank account right after he receives the money, and 3 days later, I find out he's a scam. Is it too late since he already has the money in his hands?

 

[FoBoT]

as long as your definition of "fairly safe" == " you may lose all your money and your dog and pickup truck to anyone that decides to scam you"

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
as long as your definition of "fairly safe" == " you may lose all your money and your dog and pickup truck to anyone that decides to scam you"

 

[Saint Nick]

it won't be too late. just make sure when the paypal transaction goes through that it says something about buyer protection eligible. even if he transfers the money to his account, paypal has his info and they'll take it up with proper authorities to get your money back. takes a bit but you will get your money back no matter what if he does not send the camera.

try not to sweat it bud, been there done that.

 

[ender11122]

If its in his account, paypal can pull it out. If it is linked to his bank account, I think they can pull out of there as well. This doesnt help you though because all the money that they pull out for scams PAYPAL keeps. They never usually return money to the person that got cheated.

 

[bonkers325]

scam, get out of there now

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: ender11122
If its in his account, paypal can pull it out. If it is linked to his bank account, I think they can pull out of there as well. This doesnt help you though because all the money that they pull out for scams PAYPAL keeps. They never usually return money to the person that got cheated.

are you serious? How is it lawful for them to keep the money?

 

[jpeyton]

Did you pay by CC linked to your PayPal account? If so, you can always do a CC chargeback.

If you try to use PayPal's BPP, they may or may not recover your money.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Did you pay by CC linked to your PayPal account? If so, you can always do a CC chargeback.

If you try to use PayPal's BPP, they may or may not recover your money.

Nope, I have 684 in my paypal account, and I was going to send him an echeck for the rest.
My CC only has a $600 limit

 

[mindmaniac]

I believe paypal only offers the protection with sellers that have been verified and are somewhat established not an account with one previous transaction. If he does rip you off be prepared to get no help from either paypal or ebay directly. You'll end up emailing them both many times and get an automated response. They really know how to take care of people.

 

[daveshel]

Paypal nor ebay will be there to protect you.

 

[rudder]

There is this paypal disclaimer:

We may not always be able to recover funds.

 

[EyeMWing]

You're REASONABLY safe compared to him - Paypal affords NO protection WHATSOFREAKINGEVER to the seller against shipping the item and then the BPP being invoked.

 

[labgeek]

No "Buyer Protection" on that listing...

Buyer Protection Policy

How can I offer PayPal Buyer Protection to my buyers?

As a seller, you automatically qualify for PayPal Buyer Protection when you meet certain eligibility requirements. You must have:
A Verified PayPal Premier or Business account U.S., U.K., German, or Canadian
At least a 98% positive feedback rating (this includes feedback from repeat buyers and sellers)
An eBay feedback score of 50 or more
PayPal as a payment method during the eBay listing process (PayPal Buyer Protection only covers items paid for with PayPal)
A PayPal Account in good standing
Items listed on eBay.com, eBay.com.au, eBay.ca, eBay.fr, eBay.de, eBay.it, or eBay.co.uk

To take advantage of PayPal Buyer Protection, the buyer must also meet a set of requirements.

If you qualify for PayPal Buyer Protection, the PayPal Buyer Protection Logo will display automatically on your eligible listings. There is no need to turn on coverage.

 

[EyeMWing]

Also, a money order is RIDICULOUSLY safe, especially if you go through the US Postal Service.

Scamming someone that pays with a postal money order is mail fraud - which is a federal PMITA crime, and tends to be investigated quite vigorously, especially for the sum you're talking about here. So, who do you want, the protection of the federal government, or the protection of a company that pretends to be a bank but isn't even insured.

 

[jamerdean]

CANCEL THE ECHECK FROM PAYPAL WHILE YOU STILL CAN

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Secondly when I asked the guy about the reserve, he said he was going to close the auction if I'm willing to pay the reserve. So he wanted to do this under the table.

My question is... did you actually go through with the auction or did he end it? Buyer protection might not apply.

 

[PawNtheSandman]

If the auction didn't end through ebay your screwed.
PayPal cannot take money from your checking/savings account, all they can do is freeze it. But by the time they do this, the scammer has already taken your money and is long gone.

You are being screwed. PayPal is useless. Do whatever you can to get your money back asap, like canceling the eCheck.

 

[labgeek]

Reread through the thread...

Even if it did end through the ebay auction, the seller (yes the SELLER does matter) DOES NOT QUALIFY for "Buyer Protection Policy" coverage. He does not have 50 or more feedback.

Buyer Protection Logo shows up on auction listings that qualify. This one does not have the logo, and the buyer is not covered by "BPP"

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Also, a money order is RIDICULOUSLY safe, especially if you go through the US Postal Service.

Scamming someone that pays with a postal money order is mail fraud - which is a federal PMITA crime, and tends to be investigated quite vigorously, especially for the sum you're talking about here. So, who do you want, the protection of the federal government, or the protection of a company that pretends to be a bank but isn't even insured.

QFT

USPS may take its own sweet time, but you'll get your money back for sure

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
I just won $2500 worth of camera+lens+accessories on ebay for $850.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7534670959

This guy only has 5 feedback score so it makes it feel like a too good to be true scam.

Secondly when I asked the guy about the reserve, he said he was going to close the auction if I'm willing to pay the reserve. So he wanted to do this under the table.

Third, when I sent him the money with paypal, I accidently sent it with an echeck, instead of the money that was in my paypal account. I asked him to refund it, and he said he couldn't because I sent it to his mom's account and he doesn't have access to it.

Instead, he asked me to send him a money order!

But then I replied that I will only send paypal since I have the buyer protection with that.

He later does give me another paypal account. But now I'm starting to feel that this is a scam. Is paypal pretty good about getting your money back if you get scammed? Or is there anyway for the seller to cheat the system? What if the seller transfers the money to his bank account right after he receives the money, and 3 days later, I find out he's a scam. Is it too late since he already has the money in his hands?

Safe? BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHHAAHAH

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
I just won $2500 worth of camera+lens+accessories on ebay for $850.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7534670959

This guy only has 5 feedback score so it makes it feel like a too good to be true scam.

Secondly when I asked the guy about the reserve, he said he was going to close the auction if I'm willing to pay the reserve. So he wanted to do this under the table.

Third, when I sent him the money with paypal, I accidently sent it with an echeck, instead of the money that was in my paypal account. I asked him to refund it, and he said he couldn't because I sent it to his mom's account and he doesn't have access to it.

Instead, he asked me to send him a money order!

But then I replied that I will only send paypal since I have the buyer protection with that.

He later does give me another paypal account. But now I'm starting to feel that this is a scam. Is paypal pretty good about getting your money back if you get scammed? Or is there anyway for the seller to cheat the system? What if the seller transfers the money to his bank account right after he receives the money, and 3 days later, I find out he's a scam. Is it too late since he already has the money in his hands?

paypal is absolutely horrible in those cases. If the scammer moves the money out of paypal, they can't do anything. ALWAYS ALWAYS use CC so you can dispute charges.

 

[jpeyton]

PayPal and Safe shouldn't go together in the same sentence.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: jamerdean
CANCEL THE ECHECK FROM PAYPAL WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Doesn't matter, I don't have $875 in my bank account anyways, it's going to bounce.

Also, a money order is RIDICULOUSLY safe, especially if you go through the US Postal Service.

Scamming someone that pays with a postal money order is mail fraud - which is a federal PMITA crime, and tends to be investigated quite vigorously, especially for the sum you're talking about here. So, who do you want, the protection of the federal government, or the protection of a company that pretends to be a bank but isn't even insured.

Source? Are you serious?

 

[shilala]

Paypal buyer protection is a hoax.
Check the lawsuits.