Thread: New PayPal Policy

Ebay and Paypal are a law onto themselves. Being virtual monopolists when it comes to online auctioneering they get away with it.

Originally Posted by mainaman

I have not gotten the message but it is pretty crappy move.

I guess we can revert to old fashioned checks for payment?

Or you can join the rest of the civilized world and start using bank transfers.
I recently bought a brush, the seller gave me his IBAN (International banking number), I went to an atm, and just sent him the money, which he could see appear next business day. Or I could have done it online, using my card and a challenge based token to validate the transfer.

Using checks is like using horse and cart. Except much less safe and conventient.

Originally Posted by CTKnife

Let us not forget all the interest paypal will make by sitting on everyone's money for 21 days....

I would not be surprised to see a Class Action on this issue down the road...........

I don't think the policy applies across the board. I believe it depends on a person's number of transactions, feedback record and like that. I know that if I sell an item I don't ship until I've got cleared funds, whatever the source.

Haven't gotten any notice from paypal, either.

I've benefited from their claim system twice, when one seller shipped me something that was broken and claimed it wasn't, and another held my money and came up with an excuse not to ship something (broken arm, "sick kids", etc, each story having something conflicting a prior one) for three weeks, and paypal put the screws to them.

But I have had enough hiccups with them that I'm waiting for someone else to come along and knock them out of their seat so that we get something that's like paypal was a bunch of years ago. As soon as something viable comes along, I'll jump ship...

.. but I'll admit I do like printing shipping labels from my sale proceeds, and buying with funds that are the product of selling other things, because they never show up "above the table" in the household finances, if you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I don't think the policy applies across the board. I believe it depends on a person's number of transactions, feedback record and like that. I know that if I sell an item I don't ship until I've got cleared funds, whatever the source.

This. My Paypal account is fairly active, and my funds comes in instantly.

We haven't heard anything for sure, on this thread, about whether this really is a new policy, applying to more sellers, or whether it is simply the system of Paypal holds which has applied for a long time. They apply it to particular sellers (not, I think, with particular buyers) for reasons which can include recent registration, a low level of activity or period of dormancy, a high-risk location or type of merchandise, a succession of disputes or bad service, or their being pretty sure someone has got away with something they can't be sure about. There are probably other reasons we don't know about, and they can range from the totally innocent to the totally guilty.

In all cases the eBay policy applies, that a Paypal hold is not a valid reason to delay shipping. If the seller can't pay shipping, his supplier or dropshipper etc., it simply means he hasn't the liquidity to run a business, and the remedy is not to run a business.

eBay motors and a few other categories are exceptions in various ways, but for most purchases eBay policy doesn't require anyone to use Paypal. It requires him to offer at least one online means of payment. He can't oblige the seller to supply his credit card details by phone or in writing, or at all to himself. While a seller can take a check if the buyer asks him to, he isn't oblliged to, and in most areas can't state it in his auction. Here are the permitted online payment methods:



For most categories, sellers need to offer one or more of the following electronic payment choices:

PayPal

ProPay

Moneybookers

Paymate

Credit card or debit card processed through the seller's Internet merchant account

Additionally, payment upon pickup and Bill Me Later are valid payment methods as well.



Payment methods not allowed on eBay:

For most categories, sellers can't ask buyers to:

Send cash through the mail

Send cash or money orders through instant, point-to-point cash transfer services (that are not banks) such as Western Union or MoneyGram

Mail checks or money orders (except for items in categories specifically permitted below)

Pay through bank-to-bank transfers (except for items in categories specifically permitted below)

Pay by "topping off" a seller's prepaid credit or debit card

Pay using online or other payment methods not specifically permitted in this policy


Here is the link: Accepted Payments Policy

Even when the use of Paypal was entirely optional, the majority of eBay sellers and practically all safe eBay sellers chose to accept it and pay for it, as a useful service which brought in the buyers. Even nowadays it should take some pretty unique merchandise to persuade a buyer to use even one of the other online services, which don't offer Paypal's level and ease of protection. For some new system to be viable, it would have to be at least as advantageous to buyers. Comparisons with Amazon aren't really valid, because there a seller is making a transaction with Amazon's name on it, arranged via the same search system as sales of Amazon's own stock, so it is naturally easier to suddenly part company with Amazon, than it is eBay.

It isn't much in anybody's interests to sacrifice anything (e.g. popularity on one hand, and volume of sales on both) for the sort of interest that is available on cash deposits nowadays. I also don't believe the majority of protection disputes arise outside the three week period, but that isn't really the point. Now please understand that I don't have the slightest reason to think the original poster is guilty of sharp practice, but there is a lot of it about. Even if late June cases are only reaching refund point now, there is great deterrent value in the seller's knowing that a lot of July payments are held in the Paypal system, and if he behaves discreditably, will never get out of it.

I guess that I am lucky. I had this stipulation removed from my account. As will most people that record a long string of positive feedbacks and no complaints. I had one payment withheld and nothing since then. And even if they decide to hold anything it wont matter to me because I keep $500-1000 in my paypal account all the time. Just in case of a splurge - the wife wont need to know about it.

Also, the holds release once the buyer leaves feedback on Ebay, and the only monies being held are from Ebay purcahses only.

If it isn't some new policy at least, it will also be released if the seller supplies some online viewable proof of delivery.

Originally Posted by jumbojohnny

Also, the holds release once the buyer leaves feedback on Ebay, and the only monies being held are from Ebay purcahses only.

Actually, funds are apparently held not only for Ebay purchases. I have funds on hold right now for a razor I sold on Saturday through the SRP classifieds.

The buyer must not be a registered SRP member (the email I received from the classifieds software didn't have a username, and the linked profile is blank). Since I use my wife's Paypal account, she has been in contact with the buyer, telling him that the razor is packaged and ready to ship as soon as the funds are released.

I've sold 2 more razors through the classifieds since then, and the funds were available immediately.