Event Coverage Thieves... And PayPal...

I got used to using PayPal. Never a problem, use a low balance credit card to make purchases.Don’t like communicating by FaceBook, just don’t. I don’t tweet, I’m not a bird, although I would like to fly. A lot of food for though about the Scamming problem. A word to the wise should be sufficient.

 

sad isnt it? I was in Japan a while back and I saw some stuff just sitting around and asked why it wasn't locked up, the reply was "no one will take them!" where did being honest go to? seeing as honesty probably wont make a huge comeback anytime soon things like PayPl will make a nice profit, at least it makes things safe ish if you cant do cash (bit hard from down here BTW)

 

Are you sure it's a "Keneuter" valve? I've got a DELUXE Keneuten valve for a 1932 Henway leaking Marvel Mystery Oil that just might be what you need and I will accept top dollar for this rare item.

All kidding aside, I've resisted using PayPal for years. I've dealt with some real gentlemen on this site who took me at my word when I was with them. In one instance, the fellow I was dealing with agreed to take my personal check and hold the parts until the check cleared. Everything went as it should have. In another instance, I was selling an engine and agreed to deliver it 800 miles away and then get paid on delivery. That deal went just as well as the first. On the same trip, I agreed to buy a car from another Hamber who, when I asked him what he wanted to hold the car, said "Your word is good enough for me". The car was exactly as he described it and the money changed hands right then. Maybe I was just lucky or, maybe I've gotten smart enough over the years to see through the BS.

 

I remember when I first joined the HAMB, never thought of using the classified section for close to a year, just figured it wasn't right unless I'd contributed something. PayPal was something I put off for years!!!!! Still sell a fair amount of crap on (that auction site) and used to wait a few days for the MO to arrive, didn't want to pay that PayPal service fee on every sale. At $34.00 per check for an overdraft fee I finally saw the light and joined PayPal. You can wake up in the morning with money in your account from someone in Australia, the Mid West, or just across the state, it really is well worth having. Bob

 

"Please DON'T send as friends and family. I don't mind the 3% fee and I can print a label thru Paypal that way. Also it gives both of us piece of mind."

This is what I usually post in my replies to things I sell here on the H.A.M.B. I do claim my parts sales as a business income and the fee is just an expense. PS so is the shipping, which is nice as PP keeps track on my expenses for me.

Funny thing is I've been doing this for 20 twenty years and haven't turned a profit yet . I went to school for Accounting (but couldn't stand working in an office, so now I drive a truck) and my wife has a law degree. Just saying...

 

I don't do PayPal. Period. Don't like it, there are scammers using it like everything else these days.

I do cash, hand to hand/face to face. If the part is important enough to me to buy it, I drive to the person selling and pay cash. I want to touch it before I turn over my money. I've been burned a couple times but that gas I wasted was a lot less than the parts I would have been disappointed with.

Face to face. Period. Sold enough parts face to face this last summer to buy a Pete and Jake rolling chassis with all the bells and whistles I wanted, Vintique wheels, tires, Brookville grille shell and insert, Walker radiator, Tanks tank and a nicely appointed New Age Motorsports body. Face to face works fine for me. No PayPal here.

JMO,
SPark

 

☝ PayPal can eat my rusthole. Those assholes are crooks and cost me a lot of money. USPS money order.

 

Maybe we should have a post on reading comprehension....


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As a matter of necessity I begrudgingly embraced PayPal, distance has lots of disadvantages. Just ask us HAMBERS in OZ, UK, NZ, SA and Europe. I need to factor in foreign exchange rate, commission and time delays etc. So far I've never had any issues except years ago when a HAMB purchase was not what it was described as, and wouldn't fit despite what I was told before and after. It was via PayPal to an older HAMBER, lesson learned. Yes I did my research beforehand. Such is life. I still have the part on the shelf and had to have another part machined to make it work as described.
I had more issues with a international bank transfer, no fault of seller or me as the seller's bank just sat on my clear funds, not depositing into seller's nominated account. Eventually 4wks later the seller received the funds from his bank. Damn frustrating when my bank here had to contact seller's bank questioning inordinate delay.
Before PayPal I relied heavily upon international postal money orders and telephone calls as nothing else existed. International bank telegraphic transfers (TT's) weren't cheap either.
Only once did I use Western Union for a Hemmings purchase as the elderly vendor hadn't embraced modern technology. However I was happy to refer his services to others I knew, wanting work to be done once they seen what my work looked like.
You just need to be vigilant and regularly check your PayPal and bank account statements and don't share them unnecessarily. I've linked mine to my bank account and credit card with self imposed restrictions that I can waive for certain transactions. Self discipline, security and common sense are the keys.

 

Just to add a word of caution about PayPal set up! I use PayPal all the time for my car stuff. Been using it for several years and will continue to use it.......with that said, i pulled a stoopid move when i set mine up...........and it bit me.

When you set PayPal up, you have choices of how to make payment. I worked with my bank and set up a separate bank account for the sole purpose to make PayPal payments from. Problem is, one day not too long ago, a hacker used fraudulent PayPal transaction to withdraw money ($1,000) from my bank account. When i caught it, I called PayPal fraud dept and after three days of looking, they could find no record of any transaction regarding ($1,000). They looked all the way back to the last transaction i could personally verify and found nothing...........It is as if the transaction never happened in the PayPal world.

So I went back to my bank and they had the transaction identified as a PayPal transaction, and it was identified as a transfer of my funds, to a PayPal account. But because my bank can not see the PayPal database they couldn't go any further with the investigation.

I filed fraudulent activity complaint with my bank and they started an investigation (working with PayPal) and basically confirmed exactly what i found when i called PayPal.........no record at all, in their database.

After a little work, i got funds restored to my account and promptly removed my bank as method for PayPal funding. Now, in PayPal, i use a credit card for funding payments and that is all it is used for. I still keep my eyes on my PayPal and CC transactions but my thinking is my credit card provider has fraud protection as well as PayPal. This may offer an additional level of protection.

Just as a side note, my CC allows me to set up a text notification anytime my CC is used for a transaction over $2.00. I set this up in user settings on my CC website. I believe a lot of CC's have this option, so now, i know anytime my CC is processed...........maybe overkill but just another level of protection.........

I like PayPal and I still use PayPal, weekly.........just a little wiser.

Please use my mistake for your own personal well being.

 

+1 for Paypal.
Even the threat of contacting them helps.
Only time I ever got a bit worried was when I brought a 2x4 Eelco intake for a nailhead. Supposedly the best intakes for the Nailhead.
Paid via paypal.
the guy said it would take 6 weeks to make up and ship out.
two months latter nothing and he started giving every excuse imaginable. From motorcycle accidents & illness to out of state weddings and who knows what.
Did further research on the company and found a HUGE list of negative feedback. At this point its near five or six months since payment.
Guy sends parcel shipped message via paypal. Tracking didnt work and another 3 weeks of emails.
Contacted him said you have two days to get me prof of shipping or I would contact Paypal. He says they cant do anything due to it being over 4 weeks to what I reminded him he updated the order with shipping details that would show it as a still active trade.
Next day new tracking with photos of the intake and box was sent to me and the package arrived to my freight forwarder a few days latter. they opened it at my request and sent pics to me to verify all was ok.

lesson learnt: not only do better research into small brands but if no movement has been made before the end of claims times then contact paypal and start it.
but damn it is a nice intake >.>

 

WoW! There are a lot of PayPal haters on here...

Don't fool yourself thinking a USPS Money Order is safe. There are peeps writing fake USPS money orders out there all the time and if you think a Postal Inspector is going to help you, good luck. A Postal Money Order is no better or worse than any other money order or bank check. Sorry...

You do not need a PayPal account to make a purchase through PayPal. You can make a one-time payment with a credit card.

As said before, there is NO protection for Friends & Family. Just add 3% and send it as a merchandise purchase or get the seller to sent an invoice through PayPal.

While both eBay and PayPal favor buyers, if you are a seller be sure to upload your tracking numbers once you ship something. I sell lots of product via PayPal and have had packages disappear. If that package shows [tracking] as delivered PayPal has always sided with me, a seller.

If you sell over $20,000 you WILL get a 1099 at tax time. If you are selling that much stuff you better be keeping records. I had a buddy sell a boat and a car and kept no records of his purchase [bill of sale] or sale and he paid income taxes on all $20,000.

I have been getting a 1099 from PayPal for over 10 years and have not had any problems like you guys describe. Now I once took a check and was notified 2 months later that it bounced. I lost the sale price plus had to pay a $35 fee to my bank. We all have horror stories. I'm thinking that Ryan is making sense, he isn't your baby sitter...

Caveat Emptor

 

There has been some really good suggestions here, a little mis-information and some out of date information... I worked at PP for 7.5 years and I hope I can help clarify some things.

1. In the US, PP is not a bank, it is registered as a money transfer organization. In other countries it is registered as a bank for compliance reasons. Like in Luxembourg.
2. 10 years ago PP did not stand behind their transactions, but they have for several years now. So if you got ripped off in the past (as I did once on an auction site.) It is better now.
3. Do not use "friends and family" to transfer funds to folks you dont know. You are not protected. If you want to pay with PP support, ask the seller to send you a PP invoice.
4. If you are a seller and shipping an item, make sure you get a signature on delivery. Thats your proof. Get insurance also.
5. Dont use WallMart or Western Union to send money to someone you dont know. Just dont. Its a scam. Really.
6. Dont send a check - your account number and routing number is right there on the check for subsequent EFTs.
7. PP will want a backing Credit Card and Bank account. Dont use a Debit Card, the US provides consumer protection on Credit Cards, but not debit cards. Its smart to keep a limited amount in a bank account registered with a PP account.
8. Dont ever process a transaction with your PP account on behalf of someone else - particularly if they let you keep a %. This is a money laundering scheme and you will be caught.
9. If you are a seller, the PP fees are there to let your buyer use a credit card to pay for your item. As a "merchant" you get to pay CC processing fees if you are using PP or another processor. Thats how it works.
10. Overseas purchasing is really simple using PP, I still use it a lot for buying parts from the UK. There are more fees involved, just be aware, but usually cheaper than a SWIFT or other EFT from your bank.

I can go into a whole lot more, but the bottom line is using PP correctly (as a buyer or seller) will give you better protection and more options for transactions involving folk you may not have met... Oh, and btw, PP does monitor social forums for references to itself...

 

I could for that . I trust Ryan to be fair for all and he would not put up with scammers

 

There’s risk in any transaction. Do your homework, be suspicious of deals that seem too good to be true.

But this should still be a sticky post.


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Can you limit access to the ads for 30 days? Or something like that? Might slow them down a bit.



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You can list of a report of all transactions in your account. I do that, cross checked against my own records to verify I’ve accounted for every transaction correctly before doing my taxes.



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PAYPAL protects BUYERS NOT SELLERS - You can read the thousands of monthly claims on eBay of seller who sent high dollar items and got the "it's junk, it' not the same, gold coin candy" SCAM and got the box of sand (or whatever) returned to them and the BUYER got their money back and kept the high dollar item to sell on the street. It has happened to thousands. PAYPAL need a lot improvement. A lot of SELLERS are losing money and it's not right.
Personally, I sent a watch to a guy 5 years ago. He got it, claimed it was fake to Paypal, they told him to keep the watch and took money from my bank account to reimburse the seller. Within 2 weeks I was out $1000 and Paypal did not care, they told me their policy is to protect sellers.
THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER SYSTEM!!!

 

I strongly disagree with you regarding paypal. Paypal helps the scam artist manipulate the system just like ebay does. Paypal holds the money so the scam artist has plenty of time to manipulate the transaction and ebay plays right along. and does not even follow their OWN seller and buyer policies. NO integrity at all !!!!.

 

P.S. Like I posted before once you get the buyer or sellers name, check them out online sometimes you will be amazed at what you find. A little time can save you a lot of aggervation and you will be wiser to not deal with that person.

 

And there you go, paypal is not a bank so you are like a faRt in wind.

 

One last rant, lol. If I wanted to sale an item(s) here on the hamb if a potential buyer only wants to use paypal,then that is freely their choice and the can pass on my item.

 

I don't buy or sell a lot of stuff on here.
Over the years, I've been burned, as a seller, by Pay Pal on two different occasions. My mistrust in them is based on past experience. I have not been burned by a PO money order, or a personal check. I know I've probably been pretty lucky. I much prefer using payment methods I have not been burned by.

I do list PO money order, personal check or I'll take Pay Pal if they insist, but I will have to sign up for an account again, and they will need to pay the additional fees.

If I'm buying something, I pay with a credit card, so usually it goes through Pay Pal as a guest, but I do not have an account, unless through purchases I have been given one. I will not verify at Pay Pal through a bank account.

If it reaches a point where I have to have a Pay pal account to sell stuff here, I will probably just selling stuff here. Gene

 

I have been a PayPal user for many, many years. Never had a problem, and when the odd problem seller rears their head (which in my experience is rare), they have always made it right. I understand those that are reluctant to try it, but I've noticed many sellers want only a USPS money order which always makes me chuckle. I run an auto finance company that gets hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments everyday, many of which are postal money orders. Here is a scam you might not know about. A person buys a USPS money order. They go back the next day and tell the postal service it was lost and start the refund process. They then send you, the seller, the money order that was "lost." You deposit the M.O., wait for it to clear and ship the parts off to the buyer. About 3 months down the road your bank will get a USPS chargeback for an invalid M.O. and subsequently your bank will ding your account for the funds. USPS has a special banking arrangement that allows claw -back for an extended period (not sure if it's 90 or 120 days). Your only recourse is to fully document the transaction and file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspectors Office. Their response will be they will look into it, but tell you the practice is rampant and they will get back to you at some point. I've had this happen many times and have yet to ever hear anything further. I guess the point is there is risk in anything, but in my experience, M.O. and checks are at the top of risk chain along with Western Union and MoneyGram. Paypal is not optimal, but I've found it to be the least dangerous of all the alternatives. Nothing beats cash, but sometimes it's just not an option.

 

Every other day there's a post about someone getting ripped off.

 

Exactly my point hailey, it happens so often it's not even a real concern. The rip off artist rarely gets caught, goes on to do it again while the victim holds the bag and his only recourse is to complain and warn others.
My banker tells me there is NO safe way to make payment, even bank drafts can be cancelled mid stream, so while pay pal may be considered safe enough, you still gotta be on your toes. Sad times.......

 

I use PayPal for eBay and sometimes here. I haven't used it to sell in a bunch of years, but back then it was pretty easy to jack the seller around and basically out of return shipping because someone changed their mind (on eBay). I've been guilty of selling parts using the friends and family function, just because of that fact (of the sellers rights), but I make sure to get full size pics to the buyer and make sure they're 100% satisfied before the payment is sent.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge about being a seller and returns....I will re read the rules on the PayPal site.

 

Paypal policies encourage theft. A friend of mine makes a living buying whole warehouses of car parts and selling them on the internet, he was scammed by someone in South America who had filed protests to get his money back more than forty times. Not only did the guy get his money refunded and get to keep the item but to add insult to injury he left my friend with a negative feedback.; that's right, he complained about the item he stole.

 

As an Aussie buying shitloads of shit from the US I only use paypal... so far in almost 15 years of being a Paypal member ive only lost 60 bucks... Im still frankly pissed about that 60 dont get me started but hey all in all thats not to bad.
A

 

Good to name them, even though they are fake names, as sometimes they will use same names and email address for different scams to different people.