PayPal for Physical, Local Goods Is Still Unsafe, Right?

[activescott]

I have posted some AvalonMiner 741s on craigslist and immediately started getting offers to that they would pay in full via PayPal in advance if I was willing to ship. The first one didn't raise my eyebrow. The second said they would also prefer PayPal and would add an extra $250 if I was willing to do so - which smells wrong.

I know about the PayPal reversible scam for selling BTC (and was burnt by it selling cloud mining contracts a few years back), but wasn't aware about a way to do this for physical goods transactions - but my sense is that they can get chargebacks via PayPal somehow even after I pull the cash out of my PayPal account. True? Can someone please confirm for me that the PayPal is safe or unsafe for these in-person physical goods transactions?


P.S. I asked both to switch to Coinbase and send payment via BTC or Ethereum address and one went silent and one is giving all the excuses of why they cannot use anything but PayPal.

[Beerwizzard]

First of all you've created a topic in the wrong section.
The real problem of those refunds is not in PayPal by itself but in Visa / Master Card. Whenever you fund your account from your debit card it is possible to make a chargeback. It also affects every other payment system that accept cards (Payoneer, Okpay, Skrill,  PayPal etc.). There must be some legal ways to protect yourself, you can also use services that allow you to ciew the previous history of the user but the fact that they disappeared after you asked to use coinbase makes me think that they were scammers.

[activescott]

@Beerwizzard: Thank you for the response and information. Sorry I posted in the wrong section. I did make an effort to put this post in the right section and I've gone back and looked again and Discussion about doing business with Bitcoin. Best trading practices, delivery methods etc. still seems like the right place - but apparently not. Can you please direct me to the better section for these posts?

Thanks again.

[drachman]

I have posted some AvalonMiner 741s on craigslist and immediately started getting offers to that they would pay in full via PayPal in advance if I was willing to ship. The first one didn't raise my eyebrow. The second said they would also prefer PayPal and would add an extra $250 if I was willing to do so - which smells wrong.

I know about the PayPal reversible scam for selling BTC (and was burnt by it selling cloud mining contracts a few years back), but wasn't aware about a way to do this for physical goods transactions - but my sense is that they can get chargebacks via PayPal somehow even after I pull the cash out of my PayPal account. True? Can someone please confirm for me that the PayPal is safe or unsafe for these in-person physical goods transactions?


P.S. I asked both to switch to Coinbase and send payment via BTC or Ethereum address and one went silent and one is giving all the excuses of why they cannot use anything but PayPal.

Paypal fraud is something incredibly common, I have not sell anything on ebay but a friend that tried that told me that was very common, people will try to make it seem as if you did not send anything or that the product was not what they were expecting so be careful when selling for paypal.

This seems a thread more suited for the marketplace/goods/computer hardware section or maybe the mining/hardware section of the forum or maybe even the service discussion section.

[squatz1]

First of all you've created a topic in the wrong section.
The real problem of those refunds is not in PayPal by itself but in Visa / Master Card. Whenever you fund your account from your debit card it is possible to make a chargeback. It also affects every other payment system that accept cards (Payoneer, Okpay, Skrill,  PayPal etc.). There must be some legal ways to protect yourself, you can also use services that allow you to ciew the previous history of the user but the fact that they disappeared after you asked to use coinbase makes me think that they were scammers.

That's just simply not true, paypal is also the problem because if the person is to say they didn't authorize the charge or they didn't get the goods then paypal is going to side with them unless you're able to prove otherwise, and when you're dealing face to face you're unable to actually prove that anything happened.

Credit card chargeback fraud is one thing, but Paypal actively helps in this by screwing people. They're a horrid company and they must fix their issues.


But yes, local goods on paypal is unsafe as FUCK.

[figmentofmyass]

I have posted some AvalonMiner 741s on craigslist and immediately started getting offers to that they would pay in full via PayPal in advance if I was willing to ship. The first one didn't raise my eyebrow. The second said they would also prefer PayPal and would add an extra $250 if I was willing to do so - which smells wrong.

in general, anyone trying to pile on extra money beyond what you're asking is a scammer. a rational, honest buyer will never go out of his way to drive his own costs up. that's a telltale sign of a scam.

I know about the PayPal reversible scam for selling BTC (and was burnt by it selling cloud mining contracts a few years back), but wasn't aware about a way to do this for physical goods transactions - but my sense is that they can get chargebacks via PayPal somehow even after I pull the cash out of my PayPal account. True? Can someone please confirm for me that the PayPal is safe or unsafe for these in-person physical goods transactions?

even though paypal says that they "cover physical goods (not digital items or services) that are sold and shipped with proof of delivery," i would be very wary. here's a link to their page on seller protection:

We cover physical goods (not digital items or services) that are sold and shipped with proof of delivery from within the United States to buyers around the globe. To help ensure you’re protected, ship within 7 days to the address indicated in the transaction details, and provide an accurate delivery estimate. Be upfront about all the details of the item – specifically defects, use, and abnormalities.

i would read the fine print carefully, and dig around for some horror stories from sellers. i'll bet there are plenty.

P.S. I asked both to switch to Coinbase and send payment via BTC or Ethereum address and one went silent and one is giving all the excuses of why they cannot use anything but PayPal.

that doesn't definitively say they are scammers, but it doesn't look good. i would stick only to irreversible payment methods myself.

@Beerwizzard: Thank you for the response and information. Sorry I posted in the wrong section. I did make an effort to put this post in the right section and I've gone back and looked again and Discussion about doing business with Bitcoin. Best trading practices, delivery methods etc. still seems like the right place - but apparently not. Can you please direct me to the better section for these posts?

Thanks again.

this is the right section. clearly, this is about best trading practices....

[DevelopmentBank]

Paypal itself isn't directly the problem but they contribute to it.

The problem is the people and all the scamming going on because transactions on paypal can be CHARGED BACK. People can pay you (and then you as a seller happily ship or provide your goods) but then the buyer can then ask paypal to cancel the transaction and give you back your money. Its a screwed up system that further goes to show why we need cryptocurrencies. Stay away from paypal unless dealing with trusted family members.

[activescott]

Thank you all for the advice. I appreciate it.