Issue as a buyer

Elisek · #1 01-13-2017

I've recently made a very expensive purchase (at least £1000 without shipping) but the seller has no feedback and they have obviously come up against the 21 day PayPal hold.
They said they were not a 'new' seller, they were just selling under a new account. Yet they seem surprised this hold was put on.

Anyway, I'm arranging the postage from my end (via courier, they didn't know how to go about it so I've offered to do it) but as it's such a large amount of money - although I suspect they are disappointed that it didn't go for more - they don't feel comfortable to go ahead with sending the order until the funds are released and they can withdraw to their bank account.

I've given them some tips as to how to reduce the hold time. They've marked the item as dispatched and I'm attempting to stay in contact with them to see how it's going but the replies are few and far between.

I do sympathize as I know we've all been through this but in the end, I'm the one who has shelled out £1000.... I'm willing to wait as long as the seller keeps me informed.

As a buyer, is there an expiry date on my buyer protection if I needed to get the money back, should it come to that?

BigCJ · #2 01-13-2017

That reeks of a scam. Not a new seller but on a new account seems like a churn and burn account. It also sounds like they may have purchased the account without holds, or had a few transactions without holds and expected to just get away with that large sum. A legit account seller will most likely go SLOW and to have something listed that large...well

That isnt your problem that the money is on hold. Its about getting your stuff. And honestly, there are a lot of red flags at the moment.

Keeping you informed does not mean that the transaction will go to well. They could be BSing you or have someone who will get the funds out after 3 days or something of the like that has been spreading around...

Be very wary.

Elisek · #3 01-13-2017

I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt right now but yes, my guard is starting to come up. I'm hesitant to jump into thinking its a scam simply because their preferred option of delivery was collection first. And they were willing to let people in their house to view the item before committing to a sale. Sadly, it's too far out of my way to collect. They were also in two minds about whether they wanted to sell it in the first place but said they need the money.

They told me they are only selling under a new account because they forgot the login to their old one. They haven't listed anything else under the account, only this item.

It's been about 4 days since I sent payment and since it was rather a large order, I was allowing for obtaining the correct packaging & boxing it up etc... Once they tell me that's done, I'm prepared to arrange for a courier to pick it up.

When the hold has cleared from their PayPal, do I still have protection in case it does go wrong? The estimated delivery date is Jan 17th but that's not going to happen if we carry on like this.

oompaloompa · #4 01-13-2017

you would still get your money back even if you waited for a hold to pass under INR, but as a buyer it is not reasonable to have to wait, you should insist the goods are sent forthwith or cancel it....

BigCJ · #5 01-13-2017

What is the dispatch / handling time frame for the item(s)? That could also be a big indicator to help get a better picture.

Like oompa said, you can always file a case against them.

Interested to see how this turns out.

Bunneh · #6 01-13-2017

You have 6 months buyer protection regardless of wether the funds are held, relased, withdrawn or whatever.

How is he shipping this to you? is it tracked?

Elisek · #7 01-13-2017

Dispatch time is apparently within 2 days 'of receiving cleared payment'.

I'll be in charge of arranging a courier to collect it for me, so yes it will have a tracking number. But obviously can't enter one into eBay until I've actually booked it. And I can't book it until they give me the package measurements/weight, which isn't going to happen until the funds have cleared and they're comfortable with shipping it!

I know I can insist on doing it now but I'm trying to be patient and see the sellers point of view. It was a personal item that they didn't really want to sell in the first place. They've told me they really want it out of the way though.

They marked it as dispatched earlier today to try and reduce the hold time but apparently it hasn't made a difference, it's still 21 days (although now I assume it would be around 19 or 20 days).

They said they haven't had time to call PayPal yet.

Bunneh · #8 01-13-2017

You need to add a tracking number to ebay to reduce the 21 days down, but it will go to around 7 days or less.

Some new accounts make you wait the full 21 days regardless..

If it were me i would demand a refund and buy it elsewhere, because for all you know you wait all this time and his payment clears and he wont even contact you afterwards,and you then have to wait yet another 10 days to escalate the case to customer support.

It just sounds very sketchy, i have never heard of a genuine new ebay seller being this paranoid... sounds to me that he knows how to play the system.

GreenBean · #9 01-13-2017

I smell a big heap of BS....

No time to call PayPal when their funds are held.

Do not know the ropes yet have another account?

Please

How important is this item to you? Could you acquire it anywhere else?

Elisek · #10 01-14-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenBean

How important is this item to you? Could you acquire it anywhere else?

Yes and no. It's a vintage item that's not available on the high street so waiting for it to pop up again could take forever....

If I knew that definitely adding a tracking number would reduce the time, I'd suggest booking it to be picked up in, say, 10 days. Once I've booked it, they can enter the tracking into eBay and hopefully it'd go down to a week or less. That way by the time it gets picked up, the money should have cleared days ago.

Or I could send something tracked to myself and give them that tracking number? Hmmmm...

Bunneh · #11 01-14-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elisek

Yes and no. It's a vintage item that's not available on the high street so waiting for it to pop up again could take forever....

If I knew that definitely adding a tracking number would reduce the time, I'd suggest booking it to be picked up in, say, 10 days. Once I've booked it, they can enter the tracking into eBay and hopefully it'd go down to a week or less. That way by the time it gets picked up, the money should have cleared days ago.

Or I could send something tracked to myself and give them that tracking number? Hmmmm...

what you dont realise, is if you do this and he does NOT send the item, You can and will lose an Item not received case. because the tracking YOU supply will say delivered.

Goodbye £1000

I would have been worried the moment i read :

Quote:

They said they were not a 'new' seller, they were just selling under a new account.

I cannot believe this ... im starting to think this whole thing is a an early april fools joke.

Elisek · #12 01-14-2017

Maybe I'm too nice. But I offered £750 before the item ended and they said 'sorry, that's too low'. Wouldn't a scammer accept any money offered to them? At all? Considering that even £750 is no small amount, if they were just after my money, they would have accepted it surely?

I told them this morning that eBay said they are obliged to send the goods before the funds are released because they are technically safe, even though they can't yet withdraw. I understand and sympathize that they would prefer to have something as large as £1000 cleared immediately but at the end of the day, it was my £1000 and I want my goods before it's too late to claim it back.

I've also pointed out that I'm still covered for a further 30 days from the estimated delivery date, which is longer than how long the funds will be on hold for.

So, if it is a scam, I've made it clear that it's not as easy as fobbing me off, clearing the funds, withdrawing the funds and then running. I would still be covered even if it was dragged out that long.

I'll give them til Monday to get back to me. Then I'll have to start being firm.

Elisek · #13 01-14-2017

Done some further research on the seller based on the name and address eBay have for them.... it didn't take me long to find a WHOLE bunch about them.

I doubt this is a scam. Without giving too much away because obviously I can't put this persons private life out there, they said clearly in the description and in private messages what they were trying to raise the money for and after 5 minutes on Google, all I can say is they weren't lying.

This person is a collector of a certain product and they had some mini-fame a few years ago in the papers & on TV because they have so much of this stuff. This is the debt they're trying to pay off and this is why they were selling the item I happened to buy.

There was also some info on their job and after reading what it was, I can understand how finding time to call PayPal would be difficult.

I'm not going to be an idiot. I will chase my money if it gets dragged out for too long but for now, I will continue to be patient.

oompaloompa · #14 01-14-2017

even without looking up their life, a vintage item is usually not a scammers first choice, plus I agree that if they were not going to send it at all, they would have taken your offer.

mini-fame, ugh its not that creepy blond collector boy that became a girl.....

in the end though, the 21 day hold is not your problem, its theirs...

Elisek · #15 01-14-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by oompaloompa

mini-fame, ugh its not that creepy blond collector boy that became a girl.....

in the end though, the 21 day hold is not your problem, its theirs...

Ha, I don't think so!

The only way it becomes my problem is if this goes on too long and I lose my buyer protection. But it's been 4 days since I sent payment so I'm still willing to trust them for now. However naive that may seem!

Themav · #16 01-17-2017

where is the item maybe a member could have picked it

Elisek · #17 01-17-2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Themav

where is the item maybe a member could have picked it

Northamptonshire. But they've already said they won't arrange delivery until the payment clears. So even if I had someone to collect for me tomorrow, they wouldn't hand it over as the payment is still 'pending'.

They say they can't see on the PayPal app where the funds availability date is. Last I heard, they were going to check the website and let me know. It's been marked as dispatched so I would hope it's not the full 21 days anymore!

Elisek · #18 02-06-2017

*UPDATE*

If anybody was interested in how this panned out....

The seller informed me that the funds would clear on Jan 31st. They emailed me on Jan 30th to inform me that the funds have indeed cleared.

I sent a courier to collect the item and they did so last Friday. I received it today and it's exactly as described. Worth the wait in my opinion.

I was starting to worry this may have been a scam in the beginning but I'm glad I took a leap of faith.

Not everyone is out to screw you!

Awaken · #19 02-06-2017

Could have been an experienced seller starting to navigate the world of stealth and forgot the initial rules of the game for new accounts. lol

oompaloompa · #20 02-06-2017

nobody said they were ripping you off, seemed unlikely due to product anyway...just that seller wanted it all their own way, you really wanted the item so hung on. But you knew your rights and balanced it well....seller was a bit precious about it though, in the end they insinuated that you were untrustworthy too by wanting it cleared.....

I like updates though!