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PayPal gift option DON'T GET RIPPED OFF!

choppadude

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Joined
Dec 22, 2012
Messages
4,855
Location
Twin Tiers N.Y.
Yet another member here on the forum has been ripped off by another long time member and this was facilitated by the seller asking for Paypal "friends & family" Payment option. For those who do not know, when you use this option you state you are NOT paying for goods or services and therefore you give up any buyer protection because you stated you are not receiving goods.
I posted on this forum a couple years ago and the powers that be thought that they should not become involved in this.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=145925

I think it should be listed in the classified rules that you cannot ask for the "Gift" option in your ad, if the seller and the buyer work out something through PM that's cool but the seller should not be able to ask a buyer to give up their protection against fraud.
There have been more than a few member ripped off since I made that post so I think it is time to revisit this issue.
So let's get a consensus on how many of our member think is should be against forum rules to ask for payment via the "Gift" option. It is the members who make up this forum and I think the members should have some say in trying to protect ourselves and eachother.
 
I done it with a few members on here. But only those that had a respectful amount of positive feedbacks left on their behalf.
I know I shouldn't, but I did. And so far all turned out well.
 
It is a good idea to either know who your dealing with or pay the 3% fee.

I have noticed that even if you do send money via Friends & Family at the bottom it tells you you still have 30 days to file a claim.
 
I'll never pay for the item via F&F. I'll pay via goods and services, and then send them 3% via F&F if they have a problem with paying goods and service. I think if you give the option to pay with paypal it should customary to mean paying via goods and services pay pal only.
 
Being against forum rules is a good idea. However, another way to curb this is to refuse to post in the ads asking questions and refusing to buy whatever they are selling. Even at a good deal. Probably to good to be true in that case anyway.
 
I'm still wondering why the guy was allowed to retain his forum membership, never mind his right to sell stuff...after ripping someone off the first time. Why was he not banned back then?
 
Buyer should beware, on any internet deals, sellers too... Here, we have a feedback system, we can also search for a members forum participation, through what they post. It should be fairly easy to pick out people you can trust. Sure, there are probably a few, who joined simply to sell off their equipment, the hobby wasn't for them, and offer some good deals. Maybe not fair for them, but there are other places to sell things on the internet, which are more appropriate.
 
I'll never purchase without protection either.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
There is absolutely no buyer protection for PayPal gift option. Be extremely careful using it.

A while ago I had a forum member tell me I was defrauding PayPal and our banking system by asking for Gift option so after laughing about the banking system being to big to fail and there predatory lending and what the financial companies did to our economy I realized he was right. A gift is a gift and purchase is a purchase. So I never ask for FF however it is legal to offer a cash discount.
HH, Phil
 
Why should it be banned on the forum? If I advertise an item, should I have to have a list of prices based on payment method?

If the price is $100 and you send me a check for $100, it's fair
If you send me a money-order for $100, it's fair
if you send me $100 cash, it's fair (although not smart)
if you send me paypal I expect to get $100 so you can either "gift" it as $100 or increase the amount to cover paypal's fees for a "sale". Not, that may not be much for small items, but what if I'm selling GPZ? You want to pay an extra $300 that should be your CHOICE, not enforced.
 
Its called poetic justice...The seller and buyer conspire to ripp-off PayPal by fraudulently using the gift option...Then complain when they are bitten by their attempted fraud...Oh the irony...:laughing:
 
Why should it be banned on the forum? If I advertise an item, should I have to have a list of prices based on payment method?

If the price is $100 and you send me a check for $100, it's fair
If you send me a money-order for $100, it's fair
if you send me $100 cash, it's fair (although not smart)
if you send me paypal I expect to get $100 so you can either "gift" it as $100 or increase the amount to cover paypal's fees for a "sale". Not, that may not be much for small items, but what if I'm selling GPZ? You want to pay an extra $300 that should be your CHOICE, not enforced.

Like I said Jason, If the buyer and seller and to work that out in PM that would be cool but to require a buyer give up their buyer protection to save a few $ is shady if you ask me.
And yes I would pay $300 fee if it save me from getting ripped off on a $10,000 purchase.
 
So let's get a consensus on how many of our member think is should be against forum rules to ask for payment via the "Gift" option. It is the members who make up this forum and I think the members should have some say in trying to protect ourselves and each other.

Using a the PayPal gift fee when it is a sale is a violation of the users agreement with PayPal...Although I havnt read it, I am sure tucked away somewhere in the Forum rules there must be a passage about violating Users Agreements....If a seller would openly cheat PayPal out of 3%, they are already should not to be trusted..If they were not smart enough to add the 3% to thier price before advertising it, they were not smart enough to maintain whatever ya wanna buy from em !!! :holycow:
 
Its called poetic justice...The seller and buyer conspire to ripp-off PayPal by fraudulently using the gift option...Then complain when they are bitten by their attempted fraud...Oh the irony...:laughing:

No one is ripping anyone off, the 3% is then paid by the buyer, not the seller. Paypal gets paid, they aren't losing money.
 
No one is ripping anyone off, the 3% is then paid by the buyer, not the seller. Paypal gets paid, they aren't losing money.

No sir....You are in violation, by extending it to the buyer but it is the SELLER who pays the fee..PayPal is loosing the fee because you are cheating/defrauding them out of it by LYING and stating it is a gift.....
 
No one is ripping anyone off, the 3% is then paid by the buyer, not the seller. Paypal gets paid, they aren't losing money.

We are speaking about those who pay with with friends and family while buying a device on the forum. PayPal gets nothing then.

Personally, I just add the 3% and keep my protection in place. Moreover, I always switch my funding method to my credit card as I have two layers of protection at that point. Your credit card will protect you for any online purchase.

sent from an anus from an asus
 
I think it should be listed in the classified rules that you cannot ask for the "Gift" option in your ad, if the seller and the buyer work out something through PM that's cool but the seller should not be able to ask a buyer to give up their protection against fraud.
There have been more than a few member ripped off since I made that post so I think it is time to revisit this issue.
So let's get a consensus on how many of our member think is should be against forum rules to ask for payment via the "Gift" option. It is the members who make up this forum and I think the members should have some say in trying to protect ourselves and eachother.

Being against forum rules is a good idea. However, another way to curb this is to refuse to post in the ads asking questions and refusing to buy whatever they are selling. Even at a good deal. Probably to good to be true in that case anyway.

PayPal gift is not the only mechanism without buyer protection. You can add sending a wire transfer via Western Union, sending a personal check, using BitCoins and probably several others that I'm not aware of.
 
Directly underneath the for sale section it says "Use at own risk":research: It isn't the forum's responsibility to police paypal transactions. Just don't buy from individuals, buy from sponsors. I think the forum should start a "Hall of Shame" thread for those that rip off others.
 
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