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Info PayPal Myth - Beware

USPS Money Orders

I only take USPS Money Orders, you can also call and verify the MO.
I'm glad to see this thread because although I do not accept Paypal, I do use it to buy Reptiles. So far the only issue I have had was with Crickets, the company never sent them and decided to close their Business and kept saying that the Crickets were "on their way".. Paypal quickly closed the case and reimbursed the funds to my Account. Unfortunately there are no full proof options, the key is to research the seller, talk to them over the phone and get references.
 
Bill said:
I only take USPS Money Orders, you can also call and verify the MO.
I'm glad to see this thread because although I do not accept Paypal, I do use it to buy Reptiles. So far the only issue I have had was with Crickets, the company never sent them and decided to close their Business and kept saying that the Crickets were "on their way".. Paypal quickly closed the case and reimbursed the funds to my Account. Unfortunately there are no full proof options, the key is to research the seller, talk to them over the phone and get references.
Click to expand...

I only take money orders that are overnighted. I used to let people just mail them. Then I had someone tell me they sent the MO and I never received it. They then proceeded to present me with a lowball offer because they were out the money for the first one. I'm pretty sure they were full of it, but what could I do without looking like a jackass over a piddly sum.

You do lose sales only excepting money orders too. I guess you have to weigh the lost sales with the possibility that someone might scam you with credit cards with Paypal.
 
I suppose given a company as big as PayPal, there might be employees willing to work with someone harder or even bend their own rules. At the same time there are employees who follow the letter of the law too.

I am curious if you have a Paypal reference that can help support this statement?
treeboa said:
... but if they fail to ship, they fail to ship it doesn't matter what the good is...
...Plenty of people have won disputes on this situation.
Click to expand...
I ask not in a "prove it" way, but rather so that the rest of us if needed could call PayPal out on their own policies.

In the real world, I own a business. I offer a warranty on my work. Sometimes I cover issues outside of the written warranty because of the cost vs. benefit to me ie. customer satisfaction, referrals, etc. However, when the cost greatly out ways the benefit, I will put my foot down even at the expense of losing a customer.

Point being. I wonder if PayPal has or is willing to handle "live animal" disputes of failing to ship when dollar amounts are low. Once you hit $500, $2000, etc. then the "letter of law" kicks in and you are screwed??
 
P.S. for those reading along, I fall into the category of a buyer who used PayPal and was shipped a $50 snake instead of a $1,000 snake. So the same idea as the box of marbles.
 
Outside of eBay transactions, PayPal really doesn't care about your satisfaction...and the protections are limited. Don't fool yourselves into thinking otherwise.
 
I guess I should be official, too...
The longer this thread goes, the less it is relevant to this forum. It really is more of a General Business Discussion topic.
 
hhmoore said:
The thing is, scammers will scam. PayPal isn't without its faults; but many legitimate buyers will balk at having to use a different option, because PayPal has the name recognition. Faced with having to call somebody to make payment, or purchase from somebody else with PayPal...most of the time I'm not going to pick up the phone.

(PayPal processes payments, and doesn't provide the details to the seller. How comfortable are you just giving random people your name, address, credit card number, expiration date, and magic 3 digit code?)
Click to expand...


^^^^^^
This is why paypal will always remain the first choice for payments in the reptile community. I have refused to buy from people who will not take paypal, and I know if I decided to refuse to take paypal as payment I would loose a LOT if not the majority of my business. The price of maybe I get scammed once in a blue moon is worth it to me. Better to sell easily and get scammed maybe possibly someday, than to struggle to sell at all. The risk of a scam if to low and the risk of lost business by not taking paypal is to high.
 
hhmoore said:
Outside of eBay transactions, PayPal really doesn't care about your satisfaction...and the protections are limited. Don't fool yourselves into thinking otherwise.
Click to expand...

This is true of credit card companies, too. If you think about it, it has to be that way. Otherwise, all you would have to do to get around a company's return policies is to say you weren't satisfied in some way. It would open a huge can of worms. I'll PM the cases of people winning with Paypal for non-delivery if I can find them.
 
Here's a couple BOI threads I found. One thread someone was not happy with roaches (live animals?) and didn't send them back and got a refund from PayPal. Second thread buyer didn't like waiting for better weather, asked filed a Paypal dispute for non-delivery of the snakes and won. I know I remember others, but they're hard to find. The word Paypal in a search brings up alot of junk to sift through. Anyway here's the links:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339410&highlight=paypal+disputes

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209771&highlight=paypal+disputes
 
Robert Walker said:
P.S. for those reading along, I fall into the category of a buyer who used PayPal and was shipped a $50 snake instead of a $1,000 snake. So the same idea as the box of marbles.
Click to expand...
Did you start a BOI thread on the seller?
 
RichsBallPythons said:
WHy anytime i sell something on Paypal. I go right to ATM and withdraw the money so theres nothing in there.

I been scammed too many times via paypal not protecting my sales.
Click to expand...
That will do nothing.
If paypal returns their funds, and you don't have the funds, they will put you in the negative and you'll have no use of paypal until it's paid off.
I sold a pair of bose headphones years back, shipped them, the buyer filed a dispute, paypal put my account $250+ in the negative because I had already pulled the funds.
 
snakesRkewl said:
That will do nothing.
If paypal returns their funds, and you don't have the funds, they will put you in the negative and you'll have no use of paypal until it's paid off.
I sold a pair of bose headphones years back, shipped them, the buyer filed a dispute, paypal put my account $250+ in the negative because I had already pulled the funds.
Click to expand...

What happens when your bank account is attached to the pay pal account? Wont they just take it from the bank?
 
Relatively few transactions are face to face - unless one has an actual storefront, or does the show circuit - but as a seller, cash in hand is the best option. Basic equivalents - postal money order and Western Union. Pretty much any other method leaves the possibility of having the money snatched (or delayed failure), without guarantee of getting the animal/item back.
There is no "solution" for online transactions.

*Western Union is great for sellers....but buyers should be savvy enough not to agree to it. Heck - Western Union even posts warnings against using their service to send payments to people you don't know*
 
Boawhisperer said:
Ok, so don't use paypal, right?
What is the solution or best method, as a seller?
Click to expand...
Paypal has its risks that have been described here.

But one member says this:

AltitudeExotics said:
^^^^^^
This is why paypal will always remain the first choice for payments in the reptile community. I have refused to buy from people who will not take paypal, and I know if I decided to refuse to take paypal as payment I would loose a LOT if not the majority of my business. The price of maybe I get scammed once in a blue moon is worth it to me. Better to sell easily and get scammed maybe possibly someday, than to struggle to sell at all. The risk of a scam if to low and the risk of lost business by not taking paypal is to high.
Click to expand...

Other than cash as Harald described, each payment methods has risks of one sort of another. I suppose it is up to each individual to assess those risks and decide for himself/herself.
Paypal is very useful to me and I use it all the time, but I can see why people would be careful if they were buying or selling a critter online from someone they did not know. It all comes down to trust and reputation then, which is why the BOI can be helpful, and developing a network of acquaintances that you deem honest over the years can be helpful as well.
 
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