PayPal

[jpmcwjr]

Just tried to make a payment to a fellow piper for a purchase, and found out there's a wee problem.
Aaaaach! My PayPal account got locked, probably not unlock-able for 5 days. Reason: A $15.00 payment in January to a Canadian piper was refused by my bank because the idiots there did not immediately find my street address, and policy is to not send foreign exchange without same. Xxxx-xxxx's Office doesn’t recognize street addresses, so everyone has a P.O. Box. (!) Anyway, have since moved and now have a street address, bank updated, etc. But the nice girl at PayPal couldn’t move things forward and all the supervisors were “busy”, there may be a delay, though a supervisor is supposed to call me within 24 hours. The fellow in January got the funds, though, so at least part of it went right.
Raises also the question if credit cards are a better deal with PP. Seems that I’d get points on the CC, but wonder if there’s a downside? Will post in forum this little snafu to see if anyone has a view on the CC thing. Also wonder why PP didn’t contact me about an outstanding balance, rather than just locking the account- which I didn’t know till today when I tried to make a payment.

 

[mrenglish]

They most likely locked the account for "security" and then it gets farmed out for someone to call you at a later date. Banks do this all the time. Heck, a local bank here will close your card and then mail out a new one and never bother to let you know they closed it to begin with.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, huge security risk - $15.00!!! And they never called nor even sent an email. I'd dump them in a minute if there were a better option.

 

[warren]

I use debit/credit cards for on-line transactions. I earn interest, minimal but still interest on my balances, have Federal protections in case of misuse or theft, for me it's a winning situation. I enjoy having the bank pay me a wee bit of money for the use of my moneys. Every bit of income counts!

 

[bnichols23]

Ouch, jp. That would burn my feathers too. Hope they get it sorted out for you PDQ. }

 

[sasquatch]

I think security on some of this stuff is being tightened up, and I think banks and entities like Paypal are trying to hold our money a little longer for the $.34 it generates them. It took 9 days to clear an e-cheque a few weeks ago, and just last week, I pulled some money out and got a 48 hour security hold (then the 2-5 days to clear it). Like the payments were clear, this was money sitting in the account. But they just had to have a special look at it. Yeah right.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yeah, some of it is for actual security, some to try to grow the float. I have to laugh when I have say $5,000 in an account, and deposit $100 they make a big deal that I can't get at the hundred until it clears. But I believe in FIFO.

 

[cerfer]

In April, PayPal raised its fees for international payments. So now it costs $2.99 to send a FF payment to CA from the US. Sending to the EU is higher. Of course I didn't read the EULA and so was stunned by a FF payment costing more than the usual. Everywhere I turn, nothing will be cheaper than it is today. . .

 

[jpmcwjr]

Try buying common stock if you think nothing will be cheaper in the future.
Prices on commodities will fluctuate. (begging the question are blends of tobacco a commodity?)

 

[foggymountain]

Paypal was better when Ebay owned it, but I still use it instead of credit cards when possible. The reason is that it is easier to get a refund when you have been defrauded.

 

[disinformatique]

Paypal's Customer Service seems horrible in the US. I have had very friendly and helpful interactions with Paypal. My account was frozen twice for security. Its sometimes done randomly or their security patterns lock you down if it feels suspicious to the AI powered ecosystem. Fret not, call them again and explain the snafu one more time. If a guy from India (me) can get it fixed in 5 minute, so can you.
Cheers,

Chris :puffpipe:

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thanks, Chris. It was fixed a while ago, my seller got his funds, and I received the tobacco and pipes. All seems in the past now. I had another transaction after that, and it went fine, without a hitch.

 

[pappymac]

Yes, huge security risk - $15.00!!! And they never called nor even sent an email.

Actually a small amount like $10 or $15 may indeed be a signal that someone is fradulently using your account or card. Happened to me about 4 years ago when someone in Germany made a couple of $10 charges on one of my credit cards. I got the alert that charges had been made and called the credit card company. The cancelled the card and told me that the thieves will make a couple of small charges and then wait a few days to see if the charges cleared. Then they take everything they can.

 

[thomasw]

Paypal was better when Ebay owned it, but I still use it instead of credit cards when possible. The reason is that it is easier to get a refund when you have been defrauded.

Agree 100% with Foggy aka Mr. Dunhill aka The Stain Taster PP is very, very useful if you are a buyer who has been defrauded. I like the fact that PP puts the responsibility on a seller to be honest. If you are a honest seller you have little of which to be wary. The only lame thing is that dishonest buyers can start claims when it is just about buyer's remorse etc. ... but that's another issue. I've been on both sides, and I do prefer where PP puts the onus.
Also if you use PP and fund through your CC, you are de facto double protected. Further, when using your CC through PP there is never a delay.

 

[ssjones]

I've heard the opposite about Paypal, from guys who sell expensive watches on forums. A buyer pays via Paypal, receives the watch, then reports it not delivered to Paypal. Paypal immediately refunds the buyer, leaving the seller out. This has repeated itself quite a bit as detailed in threads on a popular watch forum. Also by my experience, Paypal is pretty quick to stand behind the buyer. Seller? Not so much. I bought a pair of Ray-Bans for my wife that turned out to be easily identifiable counterfeits. I asked for a refund from the seller. He declined. (purchased via a "no refund" Ebay ad). I gathered quite a bit of photo evidence and filed a claim via Paypal They immediately refunded my money, without seeing any of my evidence, all on the detail in my claim email. I asked if they needed to see all the evidence. "Nope, we believe you".

 

[foggymountain]

Al: You must insure items mailed, and let the buyer know it is insured. Retain all PO receipts with tracking numbers. That pretty much solves the problem. After the 2008 recession the credit card costs for my camera store soared. I dropped the cards and accepted only Paypal or cash. Hundreds of expensive cameras were shipped this way without a single loss. I did restrict shipping to a US address at the same time. There had been some fraudulent claims from Russia and China. I took Paypal for 11 years with only one loss of just over $20. The customer asked that I mail to a different address than the one supplied by Paypal, then claimed a violation of Paypal policy and got a refund. Paypal no longer has that policy.

 

[ssjones]

@ Bruce - these watches were fully insured VIA USPS. The USPS tracking shows "delivered", so their obligation ends there and no insurance claim is paid. (ie mail stolen from your front porch, etc are NOT covered, ever). The fraudulent buyer then claims the package did not contain the item and Paypal immediately refunds the buyer. Some folks have taken to video taping boxing up the item, but no one is sure that will help. Paypal is definitely giving the benefit of the doubt to the buyer, leaving the seller stuck.

 

[balkisobrains]

Unless the guy was sending watches with no form of tracking, the shipper would have pointed to the scan and Paypal would have been good with that as confirmation of delivery. I'm just mentioning that because that is actually where the scam starts. What was probably happening is that the buyer was claiming that he never got the tracked & scanned package after it was delivered, probably claiming that the shipper left it on the doorstep & it got stolen. the shipper is out of it since their tracking # is good and says "delivered", Paypal Goods will cover the seller automatically up to a certain value where he has to buy more coverage, the scammer keeps your stuff, and he gets his money back from paypal insurance, unless it is over the covered amount. Then the seller would have to pay either all of it, or the difference, back to the buyer, not really sure on that. Paypal used to only cover up to a couple hundred dollars if you got hit with this scam, until so many sellers were getting hit & being forced to pay out of their own pockets, that they raised the automatic coverage cap significantly & so you don't really hear about it much any more. But pretty much the only way to prevent this scam from starting to begin with, and also to prevent the shipper from actually leaving your package outside & it actually getting stolen if you are sending with no coverage from anyone (not buying more from PPG if needed, or when using PPFF), is to ship with signature confirmation. This is also good for preventing scammer and actual "delvered package getting stolen" issues when sending with no form of coverage at all from anywhere, such as if someone wants to cheap out on shipping with no tracking, or paying with PPFF or some other form of payment with no built-in coverage of its own.
Typing while you were posting, ssjones, so I think I repeated some stuff you said there.

 

[ssjones]

I'll have to post the link, it's really unbelievable. The seller is a guy who sells hundredsof watches annually, not an amateur.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have my PayPal linked to a prepaid Wal-Mart card so no one has access to my primary accounts. Just load how much I want to pay and all is good. Then again, my online purchases are directed to a PO Box so my physical address isn't immediately available.