Paypal question(s) - Cybertron.CA - Canadian Transformers News and Discussion

Janitor · 09-13-2011, 02:11 PM

Hi y'all

Question(s) for everyone regarding their experiences with Papal, buying online, and the like (I feel like such a n00b for asking, but I figured it couldn't hurt).

I'm in the midst of purchasing a bunch of G1s from someone on TFW, but the guy doesn't really have any feedback. I've received pics and they look legit and all...but then again, anything can be stolen/faked these days. What I'm wondering is:
-How strong/reliable is Paypal's buyer protection? If this does turn out to be a scam (ie. after sending money I never get the goods) and I open a dispute, is there a good chance I'll get my money back?

Of course I'll make sure to cover my bases whenever possible (get a tracking #, even indicate as 'purchase' and not 'gift'). And at the end of the day, I realize the onus is on me, with the old caveat emptor "buyer beware".

Thoughts?

[apologies if this is in the wrong section. Mods feel free to move if necessary]

herooftheday316 · 09-13-2011, 02:17 PM

From what I can tell, as long as you clearly state it is a purchase and don't send the money as a "gift" there is protection.

I once made the mistake of sending a "gift" to someone who took the meaning very literally and I never saw anything of what he was supposed to send. He also never wrote back, didn't even to pretend to have sent them. At that point, if you send the money as a gift, there is no protection at all.

-Mike

Matrix_Holder · 09-13-2011, 02:20 PM

I have never had a problem getting my $ back from paypal.
You have to remember that you only have 45 days to start a claim with paypal if things go pear shaped. Where is the buyer and how long does he claim shipping will take? I always start a claim if I still haven't received anything by day 37 (aprox 5 weeks), it should never take that long to get something in the mail...I usually get what I ordered within 3 weeks. Keep track of the time.

Tekkamanraiden · 09-13-2011, 02:25 PM

I've had paypal lean on a couple of forgetful sellers, so far always with good results.

justprime · 09-13-2011, 02:43 PM

I use PP for payments however if I Have to put in a claim I go through my card co. no fees ( I could be wrong here.. but both pp and ebay charge a service I believe to recover funds) the card co. has never let me down and you can claim within the 90 days not 45 as pp/ebay

Janitor · 09-14-2011, 04:26 PM

Thanks for the responses everyone, you've all been helpful!

I guess as long as I stay on the ball (don't indicate 'gift', get tracking #, keep an eye on the 45 day claim period, etc.) then I should be fine.

Commandoclone87 · 09-14-2011, 05:14 PM

Anyone else angry at Paypal for not honouring the correct exchange rates when converting $CDN to $USD? This issue is costing extra on every purchase made in $USD and PayPal is pocketing that difference.

bedtime · 09-14-2011, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Commandoclone87

Anyone else angry at Paypal for not honouring the correct exchange rates when converting $CDN to $USD? This issue is costing extra on every purchase made in $USD and PayPal is pocketing that difference.

yeah i've hated their bullshit conversion rate for awhile now... definitely making up their own exchange rates there.

justprime · 09-14-2011, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Commandoclone87

Anyone else angry at Paypal for not honouring the correct exchange rates when converting $CDN to $USD? This issue is costing extra on every purchase made in $USD and PayPal is pocketing that difference.

I questioned them(paypal) directly and was told that the extra cost (approx 3/4 cents on the dollar) was to cover the cost of conversion/handling... same rate as the bank charges for this service,.. I have yet to find out (because I pay with Card) if visa does the exchange first,.. if so paypal will get a request from my legal to reimburse all of these fees. any one else shed light here? by the by I have sent several requests for both Ebay and paypal to extend there coverage for filing on sellers that renage on the deal... to 90 days same as card company and have yet to see an answer or it implemented I feel its only right that they have buyer protection that allows you to file right up to the 90 day mark,... shouldn't they do the utmost to protect the buyers using there service

Bruticus82 · 09-14-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justprime

I questioned them(paypal) directly and was told that the extra cost (approx 3/4 cents on the dollar) was to cover the cost of conversion/handling... same rate as the bank charges for this service,.. I have yet to find out (because I pay with Card) if visa does the exchange first,.. if so paypal will get a request from my legal to reimburse all of these fees. any one else shed light here? by the by I have sent several requests for both Ebay and paypal to extend there coverage for filing on sellers that renage on the deal... to 90 days same as card company and have yet to see an answer or it implemented I feel its only right that they have buyer protection that allows you to file right up to the 90 day mark,... shouldn't they do the utmost to protect the buyers using there service

If you pay a USD invoice using your CDN $ balance, paypal handles the conversion, and charges you whatever their exchange rate is on the date you make the transaction. Yes, as noted their rate is always different than the market rate, and the difference is basically a charge to you for the currency conversion - just as you will find at the bank or an independent currency exchange. In fact their terms of use might even specify how they calculate this fee (e.g. Previous day's market close + X%.)

If you pay through paypal using your credit card, your credit card company handles the conversion, which you'll see on your monthly statement. (Should show both US and Cdn amounts).

I've written down the paypal conversion rates, and compared them to the credit card conversion rates I end up paying, and I have ALWAYS come out ahead by paying with my credit card. There is still a spread between market rates and the exchange rate the credit card company charges, but it is not as great a difference as paypal has. Not sure this would be true of all cards - test and find out. Go to pay for something on paypal, write down the US and CDN totals, then switch payment through your credit card. When your credit card statement is updated online compare the Cdn $ amounts to see which was higher, then use past experiences to decide a future course of action.