buying outside of ebay via paypal?

[irow]

so I was looking to buy a schott jacket, and I saw one for sale on ebay new, the seller looked like a dealer of some sorts, i asked him does he have another model of the jacket from the same company and he replies back yes, and i ask him how to proceed with the sale, will he be listing it on ebay etc, and he says for items he is not selling he sends an invoice and he says not to worry since i would be covered by paypal.

so is he right? should i trust him? i have never bought anything from ebay outside of ebay before. i recall in the past you should always do the deal inside ebay?

what are your thoughts? can anyone offer advice and experience in this kind of matter? I would hate to get burned. thanks.

 

[bretron]

I've done this countless times. It's like buying from a forum member via PayPal.

I would advise that you pay with your credit card r/t PayPal balance, though; you'll get double protection that way (from both entities).

The one you want to be über careful about doing is a "gift" payment- no official "protection" at all. Been burned going this route before.

 

[majormajor]

I deal with a number of sellers via Paypal outside of Ebay. Paypal do have protections in place which are nothing to do with Ebay.

Obviously, you need to make a judgement on the trustworthiness of the business, but at the end of the day, Paypal is just another way of paying. Hope that helps

 

[schitzo]

When you buy something off ebay and pay with paypal you have the same buyer protection as you do if you just buy something and pay with paypal.

In fact am I not right in saying that paypal and ebay are the same people?

The advantage of buying with paypal outside of ebay is that this way the seller avoids the ebay fees - which are 10% - and ideally this saving can then be passed onto you the buyer, or at least split with you 50/50

 

[Fanch]

When you buy outside of Ebay, your PP protection is probably no greater than the integrity of the seller from whom you purchase the jacket. There is nothing to prevent the seller from sending you a burlap sack rather than the Schott jacket as long as he has proof of delivery. Keep in mind that you are "buying the seller" rather than the jacket.

 

[schitzo]

Well said Fanch. That is of course the other key consideration. I remember once reading about an ebayer who sent a customer a box of newspapers (i forget what the item was supposed to be) and as the package was signed for paypal said they were powerless to help

 

[Graemsay]

Surely the thing to do would be to spend a couple of minutes opening the box when it arrives, and check that the item is legit before signing.

You're entirely within your rights to do that, and it's recommended that you confirm a delivery is in good order before accepting it off the shipping company in any case.

 

[majormajor]

When you buy outside of Ebay, your PP protection is probably no greater than the integrity of the seller from whom you purchase the jacket. There is nothing to prevent the seller from sending you a burlap sack rather than the Schott jacket as long as he has proof of delivery. Keep in mind that you are "buying the seller" rather than the jacket.

If you purchase through Paypal using your credit card, you have exactly the same protections as you do if you use a credit card in a store.

It is therefore far more secure than paying by cheque or money transfer.

In the UK, if buying by mail from a business, you also have the protection from the Distance Selling Regulations, and can return the goods if unsatisfactory

 

[schitzo]

Surely the thing to do would be to spend a couple of minutes opening the box when it arrives, and check that the item is legit before signing.

You're entirely within your rights to do that, and it's recommended that you confirm a delivery is in good order before accepting it off the shipping company in any case.

That's an excellent point Graemsay that for some reason I have never considered as an option till now. I suppose in practice the reality is that often it's somebody else who signs since we can't all wait in for our deliveries to show up. As a rule, I'd say businesses aren't gonna cause you the problem it's the odd private seller that you have be wary of. But if they have an excellent track record that has been maintained for years then it'll probably be OK...

 

[schitzo]

Surely the thing to do would be to spend a couple of minutes opening the box when it arrives, and check that the item is legit before signing.

You're entirely within your rights to do that, and it's recommended that you confirm a delivery is in good order before accepting it off the shipping company in any case.

That is an excellent point that for some reason I have never considered as an option though it seems so obvious now! But I suppose in practice the reality is that often it's somebody else who signs since we can't all wait in for our deliveries to show up. As a rule, I'd say businesses aren't gonna cause you the problem it's the odd private seller that you have to watch out for

 

[Worf]

I have used PayPal to buy good outside of Ebay and have never had a problem. I will admit though it's most been from FL'ers so perhaps that doesn't count. I've never been stiffed here, I have been a couple of times on ebay but in the end I always got my money back.

Worf

 

[PADDY]

Moved - ADMIN

 

[countryclubjoe]

If the seller has 100+ transactions with 100% positive feedback, then your risk is very small.

CCJ

 

[filfoster]

I always choose Paypal when given the option for non-ebay purchases because of the help I have gotten with bad transactions. I have only suffered one partial loss after years and years of experience. I am sure most banks/cc companies will eventually compete with them but they have my loyalty.

 

[Edward]

I've done this countless times. It's like buying from a forum member via PayPal.

I would advise that you pay with your credit card r/t PayPal balance, though; you'll get double protection that way (from both entities).

The one you want to be über careful about doing is a "gift" payment- no official "protection" at all. Been burned going this route before.

This. The only thing I would point out additionally is that eBay make quite clear that it is against their rules for a seller to offer to sell you merchandise outside of the eBay system. I'm not sure whether Paypal, being eBay owned, might get funny about supporting you in such a case. might be worth checking the small print just in case.

Surely the thing to do would be to spend a couple of minutes opening the box when it arrives, and check that the item is legit before signing.

You're entirely within your rights to do that, and it's recommended that you confirm a delivery is in good order before accepting it off the shipping company in any case.

The point of signing is that you are indicating receipt in good condition, though in practice I've never heard of anyone checking first. I do wonder whether the post or delivery people even know this - I always get the impression they are told signature = delivery only. It certainly poses a problem when the person receiving (and signing) the parcel is not the addressee, and therefore cannot legally open the parcel. For example, as I have a 9-5 (HAH! 9-11, more like, half the time....), it is very rarely that I will be in when a parcel is delivered to me. A couple of my neighbours are kind enough to take parcels in for me, but they would never dream of opening them, or making any other decision on my behalf (nor would I place to burden of doing so upon them). Tis a poser, certainly.

If you purchase through Paypal using your credit card, you have exactly the same protections as you do if you use a credit card in a store.

It is therefore far more secure than paying by cheque or money transfer.

In theory, yes. There is an argument that the cc company is only guaranteeing the transaction between you and Paypal and I wouldn't be wholly surprised if one didn't try on that argument somehow, but to be fair in my experience they have always been very good, and it is an extra potential layer of protection (I've never had to rely on it). In my experience paypal are pretty good as long as you are aware of and stay within their time limits for reporting complaints - once you go over that, they can be spectacularly unhelpful, as I have found out to my cost.

In the UK, if buying by mail from a business, you also have the protection from the Distance Selling Regulations, and can return the goods if unsatisfactory

Yet another plus from the dear old EU, not just there for the nasty things in life, like a broken window or Johnny Foreigner telling you what to do in your own country, didn't we fight a war.... et cetera, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. lol

I always choose Paypal when given the option for non-ebay purchases because of the help I have gotten with bad transactions. I have only suffered one partial loss after years and years of experience. I am sure most banks/cc companies will eventually compete with them but they have my loyalty.

I've always found them good.... providing you stay within their time limits. Otherwise, no matter what the circumstances, they don't want to know. I was defrauded by an eBay seller who kept me going with plausible excuses until the 90 day limit was up, and then abruptly ceased responding to all communications. Neither eBay nor paypal would talk to me, despite the plausibility of the seller's stories. Now I'm uber vigilant on this. To be fair, Paypal did make an exception for the folks involved in the Aero USA hoo hah, though that was explicitly based on the fact that it was a product which had from the off a declared delivery time outside the standard Paypal term.

 

[filfoster]

I was defrauded by a seller in Georgia, (US) who did the same thing..actually persuaded me to drop a claim, then promptly vamoosed to Czecoslovakia or whatever it's called now-opened up a restaurant/club in Prague, whcih I hope failed. Paypal did reopen it and I got a full recovery.