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Posted

I wanted to update board members on what is happening with my transaction, as it may help others in dealing with e-bay/paypal.

The seller sent me an e-mail via e-bay's messenger system acknowledging that he sold me a cd-r. Nonetheless, I received an e-mail from paypal requesting that I provide documentation from a third party, on letterhead such party's letterhead, attesting that the item was a copy and fax the letter to paypal within ten days (otherwise I would forfeit my claim).

That is a bit of trouble for a small item and would often prove unworth the time and effort. I spoke with a very polite person at paypal and asked why the seller's e-mail would not suffice [e-mails can be forged]; further my statements would not suffice as I could misrepresent the item's character; I asked why couldn't I just e-mail paypal a scan of the questioned item [no, one could send a scan of a different item]. Finally, I wondered if I could send a scan of a different item, why would paypal accept a letter from a third party on letterhead, since one could present a spurious item to the third party [people would not go through that trouble].

Thus, it appears the system favors the seller in a dispute of this type (although I had never encountered such actions before on e-bay, so hopefully, it is relatively rare).

I was able to get an archivist to examine the cd and I forwarded his report to e-bay. I will see what happens and post the results.

Posted

Paypal's attitude is indeed ridiculous. The facts are clear: Its not a CD, it is a burned copy of an original LP. The seller has admitted the former, the case should be closed with all money refunded to you.

Posted (edited)

Paypal's attitude is indeed ridiculous. The facts are clear: Its not a CD, it is a burned copy of an original LP. The seller has admitted the former, the case should be closed with all money refunded to you.

My, albeit, few dealings with Paypal on disputes with e-bay sellers has taught me that they are always unhelpful and work on the principle that if they make it complicated you will give up before they do.

I don't buy or sell on e-bay now.

Edited by Head Man
Posted

I agree. Particularly with PayPal and eBay being the same company now. They know this sale violated eBay rules, and yet they won't support the claim. Pathetic. I quit using eBay a little over a year ago, and this certainly doesn't encourage me to return...

Posted

I agree. Particularly with PayPal and eBay being the same company now. They know this sale violated eBay rules, and yet they won't support the claim. Pathetic. I quit using eBay a little over a year ago, and this certainly doesn't encourage me to return...

I enjoyed eBay for 2-3 years, roughly 2000-2002. After that I found that the sniping and the higher fees etc. had taken all the enjoyment out of it. Also, since I am not interested in "collectibles," but rather a used CD or book, Amazon used and Z shops and half.com were much better, lower stress option for me. (Yeah, plenty of small changes on half.com I don't like, but the experience is still so much better than eBay. I basically use it every 6 months to sell things that can't be priced accurately on half.com.)

Interestingly I was reading Amazon A-to-Z guarantee, and I believe it says you can only file 5 lifetime claims. This seems like something new they snuck in. It definitely discouraged me from filing a claim for $5 that's for sure.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

To update my experience, I was successful in my complaint against the seller. However, Paypal required that I obtain a letter from a third party on letterhead establishing that the item was a counterfeit (I was able to supply one from an archivist) despite the fact that the seller admitted selling a cd-r. If an issue is not in dispute, no reason exists to provide proof of the point. Other than that significant point, the outcome pleased me.

Also, Paypal required that I destroy the CD and send an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that I had done so. After I received a refund, the seller e-mailed me asking me to return the CD (at my expense, I suppose). Unfortunately, it is no longer available, but he can just burn some more.

Regards,

Baker

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