quote:

Originally posted by Raven:


The only thing you have to remember is that you will not have any special buyer protection if you are not going through eBay.

True, but they wouldn't stay in business very long if they were constantly ripping off the punters.I would consider that your odds of getting ripped on the 'bay is much greater than a known dealer.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven: The only thing you have to remember is that you will not have any special buyer protection if you are not going through eBay.

Actually, that isn't really true. Since 99% of buyers still use Paypal to settle up when going direct rather than through eBay, they still have the same buyer protection that eBay offers since eBay only offer buyer protection IF you use Paypal. Also, sellers are also still at risk of the same buyer ripoffs through Paypal where refunds can be demanded with impunity if no proof of delivery is involved. The main difference between the two routes is that eBay don't get their 10% for over-seeing it all

The safest way to use Paypal to pay for non-ebay goods is to use your credit card through Paypal rather than a bank transfer.
If it's a VISA card you use, then you're protected for longer than Paypal's time limit of so many days. Getting a refund for a bank transfer is much more complicated and not covered by the same rules.

Last year I had trouble with a Canadian internet seller(not trading cards) and my credit card company reimbursed me in days. Paypal do get a bit awkward and then do their own invesigation, ie: hassle the seller. But the outcome is either the seller refunds you, or they don't and your credit card refund stands. Always keep any correspondence and note down dates of purchase, so if you do get a problem you have plenty of evidence for your claim. Thankfully I've only come across that one bad seller in my years of buying stuff on the internet.

All trading card sellers I've dealt with away from ebay have been brilliant, and I highly recommend it. You'll often get a better deal, even on single cards, because the only fees the seller has are through Paypal.

I would agree with using your credit card through Paypal for the extra time and protection but in the UK officially/legally your credit card company only has to offer protection for items worth £100 or over. So for small items, they might not always be so helpful as it is purely discretionary.

quote:

The safest way to use Paypal to pay for non-ebay goods is to use your credit card through Paypal rather than a bank transfer.

Also it is good idea if you are planning to pay for pre-sales. Because it isn't the 1rst time or last time somebody make a big mistake using the balance or a debit card for a pre-sale, but forget PayPal only cover 45 days.

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:

quote:

Originally posted by kbmum:
While eBay isn't to blame for higher shipping fees, it is to blame for charging a final value fee on the shipping price.

I believe the reason eBay does this now is because there were sellers listing say a $200 item at "Buy It Now" 99 cents + $200 shipping to try to avoid paying the final value fee. But I agree with you completely that charging a fee on shipping is wrong.

That's true. It's the eBay way to hit all sellers with a final value fee for shipping instead of going after the the smaller percentage of sellers with excessive shipping charges. I can't tell you how many times I reported sellers for this and eBay did NOTHING about the listings. Of course, it's a win-win for eBay. It doesn't have to deal with buyer complaints and it makes more money on the backs of sellers.