modessitt
Volunteer: Encyclopedia Submission Moderator
Just thought I'd mention this here, although it should be stickied at the top of the For Sale and WTB sections.
There have been quite a few problems recently with sellers (such as Davez, Mario99, etc) requesting buyers to use the PayPal Gift feature when paying. This gives the buyer no recourse should the seller send the wrong item, an item that is not in the condition that was offered, or just decides to not even ship anything and runs off with your money.
Well, I have noticed a few posts lately where the seller has requested PayPal Gift or offline purchase (money order, cashier's check, etc) for a shipped item. All buyers should think hard before deciding to do so, as they will not be able to refute the payment should the transaction go awry. PayPal will NOT refund money sent as a Gift.
Now, I have had several people pay me with the Gift option, assuming that my reputation here implies I'm not about to screw anyone - and they're right - but I NEVER ask for PayPal Gift. It doesn't bother me to pay the $1-5 surcharge if they pay normally, and I usually markup the item a few bucks to compensate if the item is low-priced enough that it will eat into the profits too much. And if I'm selling at item at $300 shipped, and I don't want to lose the $9.30 in charges, then I just charge $310 shipped and forget about it.
Whether you feel someone's reputation is worth taking the risk is up to you, but it doesn't hurt to just throw a couple extra bucks in and pay regular PayPal to make sure you get the protection you deserve....
There have been quite a few problems recently with sellers (such as Davez, Mario99, etc) requesting buyers to use the PayPal Gift feature when paying. This gives the buyer no recourse should the seller send the wrong item, an item that is not in the condition that was offered, or just decides to not even ship anything and runs off with your money.
Well, I have noticed a few posts lately where the seller has requested PayPal Gift or offline purchase (money order, cashier's check, etc) for a shipped item. All buyers should think hard before deciding to do so, as they will not be able to refute the payment should the transaction go awry. PayPal will NOT refund money sent as a Gift.
Now, I have had several people pay me with the Gift option, assuming that my reputation here implies I'm not about to screw anyone - and they're right - but I NEVER ask for PayPal Gift. It doesn't bother me to pay the $1-5 surcharge if they pay normally, and I usually markup the item a few bucks to compensate if the item is low-priced enough that it will eat into the profits too much. And if I'm selling at item at $300 shipped, and I don't want to lose the $9.30 in charges, then I just charge $310 shipped and forget about it.
Whether you feel someone's reputation is worth taking the risk is up to you, but it doesn't hurt to just throw a couple extra bucks in and pay regular PayPal to make sure you get the protection you deserve....





(close enough)