Buying with Paypal

[milner07]

Hi All

Anybody had experience buying using paypal, if so would you deem it safe to do so?

Cheers.

[Fixen]

I think most of the members are using paypal

[milner07]

Have been using paypal for a while now but only on ebay have yet to purchase anything outside of that.

Was just looking for any advice on pros/cons

Cheers.

[chronoluvvv]

what other choice is there ?

[Fixen]

what other choice is there ?

sometimes i use western union but 95% of the time i use paypal

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[KrisOK]

I use paypal when buying from forum members and some TD's. Some of the TD's though offer a 10% discount when using WU. That can save quite a bit on a large order. I NEVER use the paypal Gift option though to buy items. It's against their policies, and can get BOTH your's and the seller's paypal accounts frozen.

[tictac0566]

With PayPal, "gift" is an absolute NO-GO indeed for buying goods. There seem to be some "private sellers" asking for that, I´d never buy anything this way.

I´m using PayPal since quite a few years for various offers, never had any issue. In fact, I like the easy process.

The only other option I ever used was Moneybookers, but this is a bit like Western Union imho. No "safety" like PayPal. Oh, and of course, credit cards.

[rogerthat]

Everyone uses PayPal

As mentioned, what other choice is their

I have sent and received gift payments as well a bunch of times but try to use the gift option only a small percentage of the time

[cougar1]

Paypal is well, the only option really, it's just so common, everybody has access to it, if just using it to buy stuff then no problem, you are protected more than you should be.

Trouble with it is when selling. It's all perfectly smooth until something silly goes wrong during a transaction and then everything is frozen and that whole everyday convenience suddenly becomes a nightmare.

Saying that, I've never had a bother with it. I do know someone who has though, and it wasn't over something dodgy either, just a fickle buyer on the other end deciding to change his mind and using the absolutely insane buyer protection rules to his full advantage.

I don't think the gift option is a bad one, nothing significantly odd about it, and it doesn't automatically speak of a 'scam'.. you are not protected while buying but otherwise it works the same way.

Personally I'd hope that amazon get their payment system up and running and established soon enough to provide some genuine competition. Paypal is just a bit too dominant and has too much power with peoples private bank accounts/CC accounts for my liking. Just imo...but all that is aside from the point, For the OP, as far as using it to buy reps is concerned, fire away, everybody does!

[Ronin]

With PayPal, "gift" is an absolute NO-GO indeed for buying goods. There seem to be some "private sellers" asking for that, I´d never buy anything this way.

I´m using PayPal since quite a few years for various offers, never had any issue. In fact, I like the easy process.

The only other option I ever used was Moneybookers, but this is a bit like Western Union imho. No "safety" like PayPal. Oh, and of course, credit cards.

Given their are just as many BAD buyers as sellers, I see no issue with the gift system. PayPal is a one way street, it only protects the buyer. The gift option, levels the playing field. However, you must buy the seller, and the seller must pick the buyer.

At the end of the day PP gift is no different than a bank transfer. It is all a good faith transaction.

You should NOT dispute rep purchases with PP until exhausting all options.

[Tucker]

As a buyer I would NEVER buy as a PayPal gift. You have absolutely no protection and, according to vendors, the PayPal gift option does send up some red flags to PayPal.

[KrisOK]

This has been discussed ad infinitum over on RG. The other issue with using the GIFT option with PayPal is that you are basically ripping PP off. Like them or hate them, they DO provide a transfer service. The key word here being 'SERVICE'. They started the gift option as a way for mommy and daddy to send junior some cash when he parties his allowence away ay college, ect. Unless you use a credit card, PP doesn't charge for this. So.... if you are using the 'GIFT' option to buy items, you are basically stealing their normal commission for the transfer.

I understand that our hobby is a 'Grey' market at best, but within the grey walls I try to be as upstanding and honest as possible. Stealing PP's tiny 3% just doesn't fit my idea of honesty. I feel that if you are worried about a buyer, find another way to transfer the money, or find a different buyer. If someone tells me that he wants payment as 'GIFT' I will offer to pay the PP fees. If they insist, I just move on down the road to the next watch that catches my eye. It's worked perfectly for me for the last 30 transactions on RG.

/Soapbox

[cougar1]

Kris, no disrespect firstly, but have heard the claim that people will be flagged as 'gift' users by paypal if they keep using that option. tbh just my opinion but it is overstated, maybe if you are a dealer it is a risk, but I've done multiple thousands of gift transfers over the years (outside of these forums/other business moreso) and they never flagged or contacted me about anything.

The other thing is the awful assumption going around that anybody who asks for a 'gift' is a bit dodgy, not in the least tbh, somebody has to pay the fees. And a ronin says it levels the playing field in terms of rights! A seller by the time he deducts all fees with a transaction he is down a fair whelp on that initial list price. Then he is wide open to the buyer 'change of mind rule'....A much fairer method would be to share fees as both parties in the transaction are using the service and also offer rights equivalent to those that exist in the real consumer world.....but that doesn't exist.

These crazy buyer protections which cannot be found anywhere else on any normal transaction in the real world, have most sellers who deal regularly on the backfoot now, gone are the old days of buying the seller...you have to buy the buyer now. At present you can literally buy a watch, wear it for 3 weeks, decide it's not for you and open a dispute...which will be ruled in your favour...that's insane.

We all read the thread over on the geek where a strap dealer had everything frozen because a buyer decided a week later.......that he didn't like the colour of the strap!!

It would be the equivalent buyer protection of me walking into marks and spencers and buying a pair of boxer shorts, only to wear them for a week, stroll back into the shop, drop the pants...take the used boxers off and hand them to the cashier telling her to give me a refund! And for good measure, I might aswell jump the counter, take the money from the till, bend the cashier over and give her one over the counter, all before walking away never to be seen again. That is the buyer protection offered by PP currently.

As fair as ripping people off...you are joking are you?, with their 4% they are making a packet out of me and everybody else, if they wanted to leave the 'gift' option as a payment method between families I'm surprised they didn't ask for their social security numbers and birth certs to qualify. Personally I would prefer BT as it is the norm with much higher priced watches but that requires a bit of effort on the buyers side. Paypal is useful, that's it as far as I'm concerned, If there was a more widespread 'normal' payment method I would switch completely in the morning. Don't get me wrong here...buyer protection is a good thing....a setup which also suits unscrupulous fickle buyers isn't a good thing.

[panerai153]

Having had several problems over the years with credit card information stolen, and my card used for purchases by the thief, Paypal is a welcome option. I try to use Paypal as often as possible, primarily because it is a firewall between your credit card and possible unscrupulous sellers, or folks who work for the seller.

Western Union and Moneybookers are a last resort, and frankly, if I don't know and trust the seler, I will not use WU. Absolutely no recourse, as soon as the money gets sent, It's gone. no recourse whatsoever.

Paypal certainly isn't perfect. they really infuriated sellers a while back with hteir announcement that they would "hold" funds for as long as a week before dispersing them. this was just a thinly disguised attempt tp make some profit off the "Float". Holding millions of dollars even for a week at a time earns a pile of interest every year.Disputes, often over silly or nonexistent problems can be a headache to sellers, but it's pretty darn nice to know that you as a buyer have some recourse if a seller really stiffs you.

As far as the "gift" option, I've used it, but as was said, using it cancels your buyer protection. I believe that it's better to either split the fees, or decide before you sell something that you are going to have to eat the fees. While not inconsequential, splitting a 4% fee will not add a lot to a purchase. On a 500.00 USD watch, you are talking about 10.00 USD.

Until something better comes along, I'll continue to use Paypal

[cougar1]

Don't get me wrong P153, buyer protections are a good thing, it's just the nature of the way PP goes about it. If I was to do a chargeback on a purchase with my bank (outside of PP this is) I would have to provide a full detailed list of why I want to go that option...including explaining via letter my arguments for the chargeback, the nature of the dispute, and also providing purchase receipts and any other details and then they will investigate, it could then take upto 3 months for them to make a decision. PP on the other hand do it on just a buyers word and refund on a return receipt....it's not enough 'proof' that there is a genuine problem imo. If they matched the procedure used in the instance above then they would get more respect.