Ebay.

[Morbownz]

Hi

Just need some advice. This weekend I sold my PS4 through Ebay. My ebay/paypal accounts are quite old (2004) but I very rarely use them. 17 Transactions since registering on Ebay and only once before did I sell something, the rest were my purchases.

Paypal seems to have updated since I last used it. The buyer (with no previous Ebay history) insisted that I create an invoice through my paypal account to request the payment which the buyer would then recieve through email. I recieved an email from paypal informing me that the payment had been made to my paypal account, followed by a request for me to send the package within the next 24 hours. The invoice that I sent originally wasn't answered, the buyer seems to have created a new invoice because they wanted to upgrade the postage option. When I log into my Paypal account the money hasn't been payed and the invoice status is still pending.

At the bottom of the messege it says reply with the tracking code for the parcel, basically advising me to send the parcel out before the payment is in my bank. I am pretty sure this is a scam because it doesnt sound right. Is this a big issue with Ebay? I must admit that I am not very familiar with ebay or paypal.

Appreciate any information from someone that uses Ebay often.

Thanks

Morbow

[Payday]

So you received the agreed upon payment? Did his change in shipment option cost you more money? If not, ship him his package. If so, make him pay you more money before shipping his package. Am I missing something here?

[Morbownz]

Sorry if I wasnt clear. I recieved emails from paypal saying the payment was made (not sure if the emails are legit) and that I should send the parcel out in the next 24 hours. I log onto my paypal account and it shows absolutely nothing, no payment, no recipt or anything to suggest that any transactions have been made. The original invoice that the buyer was sent is still pending.

[Laraven]

You Paypal should show when a payment is made. Don't send anything until you confirm.

I would contact eBay and see whats up.

[-aiko-]

If this is one of your first eBay sales, eBay will have PayPal hold on to the funds for up to 21 days until the package is received by the buyer. Yes, you read that right, they hold on to your money until the item is shipped and received (via tracking number) for up to 21 days. It's bullshit but they will do it. This will go away as you receive positive feedback and become a more respected seller. From PayPal's own policies:

When some sellers receive payments, we may hold the money in their pending balance for up to 21 days. We want to make sure that there are no problems with the orders, such as disputes, claims, returns, or chargebacks. After we determine that the order was fulfilled and the customer is satisfied, we may release the money earlier.

Pretty stupid. I'm a powerseller now so I have nothing like that to deal with anymore but it is a huge deterrent to new sellers.

Edit for clarity

[Zippoflames]

Dude, I wouldn't send shit even if you have the money because the buyer will do a did not receive claim regardless.
Re-list it and say cash on collection, The item is worth too much money to throw away.

[daytonbrown]

How much is it? If it's over $250, make sure you send it with signature confirmation. Otherwise, you have to send it with some kind of regular online tracking. Once it shows delivered, your money is released.

Paypal is acting like an escrow service for "new" sellers. Yeah it sucks, but newer sellers used to scam people by taking their money straight up and never sending anything.

[-aiko-]

That's an absolute bullshit policy for sellers.

It's just ridiculous. I was lucky enough to not have this happen to me when I first started and I have no idea what flags a person for having their funds withheld in the first place. I asked my account manager from eBay about it once and he said it happens to all new users. However I did not have it happen to me. On the forums one person said eBay told him it was because their PayPal account wasn't verified. Another said eBay told him it was because of his country.

In short, eBay doesn't know shit about it and it seems to be random.

Sorry for the tangent, I continue to use eBay but their support is a joke and PayPal has the most ridiculous policies ever. I had to refund a buyer because they disputed the charge with PayPal, even though my tracking number CLEARLY said it was delivered safely and it was not a fragile item that could break (it was a cast iron pot ffs).

[Netherspark]

Yeah... this sounds like a scam.

Tell him to make a payment though the proper channels that YOU requested, if he refuses cancel it and have Ebay refund your Final Value Fee.

[daytonbrown]

Sorry if I wasnt clear. I recieved emails from paypal saying the payment was made (not sure if the emails are legit) and that I should send the parcel out in the next 24 hours. I log onto my paypal account and it shows absolutely nothing, no payment, no recipt or anything to suggest that any transactions have been made. The original invoice that the buyer was sent is still pending.

I didn't see this update. Absolutely don't send anything until you see it when you log into your paypal account. It sounds like a fake payment email, a common scam.

[-aiko-]

I kind of let my rage blind me to the update there. Check the email, any email from PayPal would be service@paypal.com. Usually you don't even receive an email from PayPal but you should have since you did an invoice. Until the payment shows up in your PayPal account though do not ship. If the payment in your PayPal shows up as Pending you are okay to ship, because of the reasons I addressed above. Check your history carefully.

[xindralol]

transfer the money to your bank before you send the money. 24h sure sounds suspicious ...

[jasoncb]

What email was it sent from? It should be something like member@paypal.com.

[lockedout]

How much is it? If it's over $250, make sure you send it with signature confirmation.

If you don't use signature confirmation they can just say they didn't receive it and you are screwed, no way around it.

- - - Updated - - -

transfer the money to your bank before you send the money. 24h sure sounds suspicious ...

Paypal can take the money from your bank, hell they can freeze your ENTIRE bank account.

[N-7]

If it shows in your paypal account but held by paypal. You will have to send and then you will receive your money within 21 days if the buyer doesn't put a review. To be sure send it using a signature confirmation and tracking mail service. Best of luck.

[Yunru]

Ask the buyer to use a diferent type of payment. I suggest mastercard.

Sellers may offer to accept PayPal, credit cards including MasterCard/Visa /Amex/Discover, debit cards and bank electronic payments online for eBay purchases. Sellers may also offer to accept bank-to-bank transfers, often known as bank wire transfers or bank cash transfers. Sellers may accept COD (cash on delivery) or cash for in person transactions. Sellers may offer to accept personal checks, money orders, cashier's checks, certified checks and other negotiable instruments. Please see the "Some Examples" section of this policy for those evaluated payment services permitted in the eBay marketplace.

Not permitted on eBay.com: Sellers may not solicit buyers to mail cash. Sellers may not ask buyers to send cash through instant cash transfer services (non-bank, point-to-point cash transfers) such as Western Union or Moneygram. Sellers may not solicit payment through "topping off" of a seller's pre-paid credit or debit card. Finally, sellers may not request payment through online payment methods not specifically permitted in this policy.

Also:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/methods.html