eBay

richarbutterwoo-0 · ‎12-01-2017

Hi,

Could somebody give advice on how to get my money back on the following issue:

Sold an item on eBay for $300
Received an email from PayPal saying that my account was credited with $300
Checked my Paypal account which showed a $300 a payment status of 'Pending'
Checked the PayPal web-site for help on pending payments.
- https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/personal/article/why-is-my-payment-from-a-sale-on-ebay-on-hold-f...
- The web-site clearly states that the money is safe
Shipped item to address in Miami
- To speed up the clearning of the payment, PayPal suggests linking the shipping tracking number, which I did
Received PayPal email saying that the payment was cancelled
Called PayPal, they said it was never a real payment and to call the police
- The PayPal payment clearly references the eBay transaction
Googled the address to find out that it is known to have issues.
- https://community.ebay.com/t5/Member-To-Member-Support/the-buyer-makes-a-return-have-a-problem/qaq-p...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Richard

uncle.steven · ‎12-01-2017

Are you sure the money is not on hold for the 21 days because you are a new seller?

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎12-01-2017

"Pending" does not mean "ok to ship".

There is one hard fast rule: Never ship item until Paypal states "ok to ship".

The payment never cleared.

tev4all · ‎12-01-2017

This not what you want to hear...

Chalk this transaction loss as a learning experience.

Never, never, NEVER ship until Paypal tells you payment has cleared and IT is okay to ship. Pending means exactly that, the payment is still being processed and has not cleared.

Had this item been shipped within the past day or two I'd say have the package recalled from the postal service. But being as the item was probably shipped shortly after the purchase on the 20th, IT is probably too late for that.

duchess-at-speakeasy · ‎12-01-2017

"Pending" in Paypal usually means payment via e-check -- do not ship until the payment has cleared, just as with a paper check. Yes, an e-check can "bounce" (NSF) and, yes, an e-check is subject to a stop-payment order. The standard Paypal hold on funds for new sellers and those who sell only occasionally does not affect shipping status. It just means the seller cannot spend the money or transfer funds out of Paypal to a bank account. Did the Paypal transaction details page specify "OK to ship"? If so, and then the payment was withdrawn, then Paypal should be able to fix the problem. Oh, and never rely on Paypal or eBay e-mails -- they are easily spoofed! ~~C~~

My Glass Duchess
Quoting Mom: In polite society, "hey" is for horses.

dtexley3 · ‎12-01-2017

I'm truly sorry to see another new seller fall for a scam.

You had two different types of holds on that payment. The first was a funding hold, waiting for the payment to clear. The second is the "pending" hold that is placed on the release of funds to you. The scammers depend on you not knowing the difference.

As the other's have stated, you have to wait for paypal to show "Ok to Ship", but it will also still say the funds are pending, waiting for the item to be delivered.

It's a hard lesson to learn and eBay/Paypal do a lousy job of explaining this for new sellers.

Member of the Grumpy Old Man crew

garmentvarmint2004 · ‎12-01-2017

RICHARD..

In my opinion, MANY of Ebay's instructions to Sellers are incomplete--or just hard to understand.Because of that all new sellers should come to this Board to ask questions whenever they have the slightest doubt about how a transaction is being handled. If you had come here before shipping--I am sure several of the Regulars here would have warned you about this scam.

It is too late now. But next time you hav doubts---do NOT take any action on your own Instead, come here.

*eponymous* · ‎12-01-2017

True, but there is a learning curve with everything. That isn't an excuse to not be proactive by asking questions first to make sure you understand the pitfalls - and what risks a seller assumes.

Sellers have to override the warning they get when they try to print a label...unless, of course, they are paying more at the counter to pay retail. This is a relatively new scam - make an e-check payment and then cancel it after the seller believes they have been paid. That's why there is the OK to ship.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~ Anais Nin

richarbutterwoo-0 · ‎12-01-2017

I wish. When I called PayPal, they said it was fraudulent

richarbutterwoo-0 · ‎12-01-2017

I'm done with eBay after this. Never again

castlemagicmemories · ‎12-01-2017

Wish you had consulted this Board before shipping.

There is a lot of wisdom to be found here.

Sorry this happened to you.

d-k_treasures · ‎12-01-2017

@*eponymous* wrote:
True, but there is a learning curve with everything. That isn't an excuse to not be proactive by asking questions first to make sure you understand the pitfalls - and what risks a seller assumes.

Sellers have to override the warning they get when they try to print a label...unless, of course, they are paying more at the counter to pay retail. This is a relatively new scam - make an e-check payment and then cancel it after the seller believes they have been paid. That's why there is the OK to ship.

Except that the ebay page showing in the OP explains what THEY think 'pending' means in paypal. So the OP did do their research - and if they don't know much about the boards, who are they going to ask? Ebay? They are the ones that gave the bad information in the first place.

_____________________________
"Nothing is obvious to the oblivious"

castlemagicmemories · ‎12-01-2017

Sadly, OP, there is nothing you can do now to get your money back.

That is quite a loss and I feel your pain.

richarbutterwoo-0 · ‎12-01-2017

UPDATE: PayPal credited my account with $296 after I spent the day complaining to them and eBay. They came good in the end!

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
Sadly, OP, there is nothing you can do now to get your money back.

That is quite a loss and I feel your pain.

d-k_treasures · ‎12-01-2017

@richarbutterwoo-0 wrote:
UPDATE: PayPal credited my account with $296 after I spent the day complaining to them and eBay. They came good in the end!
@castlemagicmemories wrote:
Sadly, OP, there is nothing you can do now to get your money back.

That is quite a loss and I feel your pain.

Congrats! I'm glad PP made you whole.

But I have to wonder if there weren't any other eyes on this if the outcome would be the same.

_____________________________
"Nothing is obvious to the oblivious"