I Hate PayPal & eBay

[btphoto]

Well, now I'm finally unable to use PayPal and eBay. My story:

Part 1:
About a year ago a friend of mine who was going to be moving here from the U.K. wanted to buy a set of old bar stools I had for sale (not on eBay). I needed the cash quickly so he sent me $600 to my PayPal account. I go to try and transfer the funds to my bank account only to find my account is now limited and I can't access the money at all. I contact PayPal and ask what happened and they say I need to supply the eBay auction number and the tracking information for the package associated with the $600 payment. I tell them there is no eBay auction or tracking information as my friend was to come and pick up the bar stools. So they contact him to confirm this, and he does, but they come back to me saying I am in violation of their terms and I can't have my money for 6 months!!!

Part 2:
I still need to sell stuff on eBay, and I had been doing so for about 12 years, so after the 6 month waiting period I had to open another PayPal account with a different bank account. I sold a few things, all goes well, good feedback for all, and then PayPal freezes that account as well. Seems they did some research and found that I was the person with that other account that was terminated, so they kill that account as well.

Part 3:
My wife has a PayPal account and she mostly just buys stuff with it on eBay and whatever other websites that accept PayPal. Just a few days ago she finds her account is now dead as well. They sent her a message saying her account was associated with a previously terminated account, so they killed her PayPal account as well. That's what she gets for being married to the dreaded bar stool lord, lol

So since eBay owns PayPal, and it's starting to become the only payment method acceptable on eBay, I can no longer use eBay at all. They don't even allow money orders as a payment method anymore for auctions.

Does anyone know if they accept any other form of payment on eBay?

I found a forum that's loaded with stories like mine and even worse. Some people had their accounts frozen with thousands of dollars in them, and they never get the money back!!

Here's that forum: paypalsucks.com

 

[stormsven]

Damn. Thats sounds scarry. I was contacting few sellers and weve made the deals - ive send them the money with western union and so. But is a risky. It worked fine for me 3 times but who knows.... I hate the ebay sometimes really as well (didnt use it for 4 years straight). Still contacting some "buy it now" and finding some other ways to have the goods. Selling is a problem tough .

 

[btphoto]

eBay doesn't like that either. They don't like you to contact a seller and make a deal outside of their system. I think Nazi's run eBay and PayPal, lol!

 

[71spud]

Are there different rules for PayPal? I am encouraged to use PayPal for all sorts of non-ebay transactions. Many, many websites accept it. It is also promoted as a good way to send money to friends and family, and mobile phones are enabled to send PayPal payments. Also this applies not only to goods, but to services as well. If I send money via PayPal I choose between ebay auctions, goods, and services. Of course the strongest guarantee is for the ebay auctions. Non ebay goods are only guaranteed to show up, not be as described etc.

 

[btphoto]

That's what I used to think for nearly 12 years of using PayPal, and it's what's all over their website. They seem to pick people at random to scrutinize every so often and I was one of thousands of unlucky people.

In my case I think what triggered it was my friend was still in the UK when he sent the payment. It's the only thing I can think of that might have looked funny to them.

 

[71spud]

Maybe international transfers have to be ebay related...

If I were you I would ask to be reinstated.

But if you are buying boomboxes, you will find the best of the best here anyway, and you can pay via money order etc...

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Are there different rules for PayPal? I am encouraged to use PayPal for all sorts of non-ebay transactions. Many, many websites accept it. It is also promoted as a good way to send money to friends and family, and mobile phones are enabled to send PayPal payments. Also this applies not only to goods, but to services as well. If I send money via PayPal I choose between ebay auctions, goods, and services. Of course the strongest guarantee is for the ebay auctions. Non ebay goods are only guaranteed to show up, not be as described etc.

That was my thinking too, in fact I use PayPal for an odd non eBay transaction here and there without any problems. There must be some kind of trigger mechanism that raises a flag, possibly the fact that it was a transaction with a person and not a business from another country. Still sucks and doesn't make it right especially the cancellation of your wifes account.

 

[Fatdog]

I know when you just want to send a person some money, you have options for:

eBay auction
Goods
Services
etc.

If the friend checked eBay auction and didn't supply any auction information (e.g. link, item number), that might have been a trigger.

 

[btphoto]

The problem is now I can't open another PayPal account - they won't let me. I tried and they just turn me down now. It seems once you are accused of breaking their rules you are banished for good.

After reading some of the horror stories on paypalsucks.com I don't think i want another PayPal account, lol!!!
Many people have lost so much money it's very scary.

Anyone out there with a PayPal account would be wise to not keep any money in it at all.

 

[Reli]

If the friend checked eBay auction and didn't supply any auction information (e.g. link, item number), that might have been a trigger.

That would be my guess as well.

Also, perhaps the person who sent money was on some kind of bad list?

By the way, those must be some pretty awesome bar stools for $600!

 

[btphoto]

By the way, those must be some pretty awesome bar stools for $600!

They were! It was a set of 8 that looked like these:

 

[tmlfan]

How was the payment sent to you?

* Services:
* Goods:
* eBay Items:

* Gift:
* Payment Owed:
* Living Expense:
* Other:

 

[btphoto]

How was the payment sent to you?

* Services:
* Goods:
* eBay Items:

* Gift:
* Payment Owed:
* Living Expense:
* Other:

I'm pretty sure it was just "Payment Owed"

The real kicker is my friend still has his account. They didn't bother him at all, lol!

 

[Superduper]

How was the payment sent to you?

* Services:
* Goods:
* eBay Items:

* Gift:
* Payment Owed:
* Living Expense:
* Other:

I'm pretty sure it was just "Payment Owed"

The real kicker is my friend still has his account. They didn't bother him at all, lol!

I think they have some concerns of money laundering. They also don't like their fee generating structure to be circumvented. The first 3 items above generates fees. I think the last 4 do not. I also have heard where they hold folks money hostage for 6 months. In almost every example, the situation involves a large transfer of money. The actual $$ amount that triggers the audit in unknown. Also be careful when you include statements in the paypal interface in note to buyer. If you get a "gift" "money owed" etc. then state in the receivers comments to payer that "your item will be shipped soon" or something, just note that they probably have an automated method to flag key-words. Just be careful when you try to circumvent their fees, especially on large $$ transfers. Here is from their website:

Paypal Agreement:

..............We may close, suspend, or limit your access to your Account or the PayPal Services, and/or limit access to your funds for up to 180 Days if you violate this Agreement, the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, or any other agreement you enter into with PayPal. .......................

4. Receiving Money.
4.1 Receiving Personal Payments. If you are selling goods or services, you may not ask the buyer to send you a Personal Payment for the purchase. If you do so, PayPal may remove your ability to accept Personal Payments....................................

 

[tmlfan]

How was the payment sent to you?

* Services:
* Goods:
* eBay Items:

* Gift:
* Payment Owed:
* Living Expense:
* Other:

I'm pretty sure it was just "Payment Owed"

The real kicker is my friend still has his account. They didn't bother him at all, lol!

I think they have some concerns of money laundering. They also don't like their fee generating structure to be circumvented. The first 3 items above generates fees. I think the last 4 do not. I also have heard where they hold folks money hostage for 6 months. In almost every example, the situation involves a large transfer of money. The actual $$ amount that triggers the audit in unknown. Also be careful when you include statements in the paypal interface in note to buyer. If you get a "gift" "money owed" etc. then state in the receivers comments to payer that "your item will be shipped soon" or something, just note that they probably have an automated method to flag key-words. Just be careful when you try to circumvent their fees, especially on large $$ transfers. Here is from their website:

Paypal Agreement:

..............We may close, suspend, or limit your access to your Account or the PayPal Services, and/or limit access to your funds for up to 180 Days if you violate this Agreement, the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, or any other agreement you enter into with PayPal. .......................

4. Receiving Money.
4.1 Receiving Personal Payments. If you are selling goods or services, you may not ask the buyer to send you a Personal Payment for the purchase. If you do so, PayPal may remove your ability to accept Personal Payments....................................

thanks, this was the point I was moving towards... people are trying to avoind fees by sending payment for items as gifts or other way that do not include fees (or lower fees), and on high end items.. they lose lots of money..looks like they are cracking down.. this is the second report I read on this same issue today from someone I know

 

[Fatdog]

I think that creating a second PayPal account definitely added to the detriment, perhaps extending whatever "punishment" they were going for.

 

[btphoto]

I think that creating a second PayPal account definitely added to the detriment, perhaps extending whatever "punishment" they were going for.

I waited until after the 6 month period to get my money back, and then they just terminated my account. It was only then that I tried to open another account, and when I did I had no choice but to use a different bank account as they would not allow the same one to be used. I just wish they didn't ban me for life for what seems like nothing at all. I could see if I was a multiple offender and this was my 2nd or 3rd warning, but that's not the case at all.

Also, I was the one receiving the payment, so doesn't that mean the sender, the actual person who selects what the payment type is, should be punished?

 

[blu_fuz]

Did you call them and talk to a real person?

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Have you contacted PayPal and discussed the whole occurrence of events and the closing of the accounts?

 

[tmlfan]

I think that creating a second PayPal account definitely added to the detriment, perhaps extending whatever "punishment" they were going for.

I waited until after the 6 month period to get my money back, and then they just terminated my account. It was only then that I tried to open another account, and when I did I had no choice but to use a different bank account as they would not allow the same one to be used. I just wish they didn't ban me for life for what seems like nothing at all. I could see if I was a multiple offender and this was my 2nd or 3rd warning, but that's not the case at all.

Also, I was the one receiving the payment, so doesn't that mean the sender, the actual person who selects what the payment type is, should be punished?

Well I have had many buyers ask me for gift payment for an Item I was buying...so the benefit goes to the seller accepting the money..they dont get charged fees.

I didnt realize I was doing them a favor by rejecting the gift option