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Iwindsurfoct
Joined: 15 Oct 2014 Posts: 2
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 12:16 pm Post subject: Buying boards on classifieds |
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I recently found out that paypal doesn't protect buyers if bought on sites outside of ebay. Is there anyway of protecting yourself from a bogus ad? There's a couple of boards I'm interested in, but kind of scared to send someone $1000 and hope to get a board in return. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20936
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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One suggestion: post the ad or a link to it here. Maybe someone here knows the seller (not to mention getting a price reality check). I got stiffed once online, but his local windsurfers applied peer pressure until he caved and sent the money.
Two: Buy from Windance. They grade their boards accurately and ship anywhere stateside for under $100, at least for normal sized WS boards.
If it's of any value, I fired Paypal years ago when an internet and computer guru publicly warned against them and after they refused to send me cash they readily admitted to owing me (they insisted that I accept credit towards my next Paypal transaction). I had to harass them for a year to get cash sent to me via Paypal. I trust many sellers more than I trust PP, but for a thousand dollars, I would tread lightly with both.
Maybe you can get eBay to work; I cannot, despite many tries online; several long, frustrating telephone conversations; and several complaints to their customer service. (Just for example, eBay says my email address and zip code do not exist.)
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geohaye
Joined: 03 Apr 2000 Posts: 1437
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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Correction: Paypal DOES protect buyers making Paypal purchases outside of eBay, and they do it all day long 24/7. In fact, eBay purchases only represent a relatively small % of total Paypal purchases!
The iWindsurf Classifieds Guidelines have this to say:
USE PAYPAL! We recommend using Paypal to make purchases, rather than sending checks through the mail or other means. We have found that when there are problems between sellers and buyers, Paypal usually does a good job with dispute resolution. If you make a purchase and do not receive your gear from the seller, an important step is to file a complaint with Paypal within 45 days. In the case of a problem seller who fails to ship the item(s) to the buyer, Paypal has procedures which can in several cases lead to a refund of the amount paid. Important - We do not recommend using the Paypal lower-security "money transfers to friends or family" option, because that can severely limit your ability to file a complaint and/or get a refund through Paypal.
And here is eBay's Security page -- read it and then read it again until you are comfortable!:
https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security
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Iwindsurfoct
Joined: 15 Oct 2014 Posts: 2
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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 1:48 am Post subject: Thanks |
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Ok, maybe I was wrong about paypal, I read a few posts that said paypal can't protect you because there is no proof of what the description of the product is. I guess if they don't send it, that's pretty clear.
Thanks for the suggestion on posting the sellers name Isobars, that's a great way to see if someone knows the seller and can vouch for them, hopefully not to shame them if something didn't work out.
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Waterat Pat
Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 192
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Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 8:56 am Post subject: |
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There is also a comments section when using Paypal in which you can clearly state what you are buying. Handy if things go bad.
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20936
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Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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Iwindsurfoct wrote: | a great way to see if someone knows the seller and can vouch for them, hopefully not to shame them if something didn't work out. |
"Not working out" and getting deliberately scammed are worlds apart. Either way, knowing whom one's dealing with can come in handy, especially with a grand at stake. Out of scores of checks I've taken from and items I've shipped to strangers on good faith, I've gotten deliberately stiffed only once, for a whopping $25. Knowing his name allowed me to resolve the issue from 3,000 miles away.
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thombiz
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 799 Location: Corpus Christi
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Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 8:51 am Post subject: |
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Windsurfing Classifieds used to offer an "Escrow" service to protect buyers and sellers. I used this service when buying a 9'6" Seatrend back in the 90's from a guy in California. The board arrived air freight with 78 different dings in it and 18 of those dings were capable of leaking water. The board looked like someone had taken a ballpeen hammer to it. He thought he had really "hung one" on me. I rejected the board, shipped it back to him freight collect, and retrieved my money from escrow. Windsurfing Classifieds no longer offers "Escrow" but there may be other online companies that do offer it.
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