So it looks like I’m selling some old games of mine in eBay. It looks like, despite their severance in business, that PayPal is still a requirement to do this.
Any tips on how to use it without getting caught in one of those nightmare scenarios I keep hearing about? Other than maybe, MAYBE using it very sparingly to pay other people for stuff, these auctions are my only reason for having an account at all.
What nightmare scenario are you afraid of? Just use it. It’s pretty simple. I’ve never had a problem with it personally.
I’ve just read horror stories of frozen/drained accounts, stonewalling customer service, etc. I just wanted to get the, uh, straight dope before I went ahead and used it.
I’ve been selling on ebay for 17 years.
I’ve used PayPal since they first started.
I’ve never had a problem - just follow the rules (only ship to verified addresses, make sure you get a signature for expensive items, insure the package, etc) and you will be fine.
I’m the same as beowulf. Been using both services since forever and never had a problem. I was sure to have my PayPal account verified and put up a bank account and everything. I’ve even let money sit in there for a while and never lost it.
I’m not a power seller on eBay by any means (I think I just hit 100 transactions after like 15 years) but I’ve never had a glitch from buying or selling.
You will need to supply them with a bank account number. Just to be safe I wouldn’t give them your primary account number, just open a new account specifically for PayPal.
Just understand that PayPal/Ebay are very pro-buyer these days and will usually settle disputes in the buyer’s favor. Sellers can’t even leave negative feedback for buyers. So do everything by the book, only ship to confirmed address, package items very well, get tracking numbers, and you should be fine, and honestly have less aggravation yourself too.
“Never had problems with Paypal” :rolleyes: Hee Hee Hee Hee…
Absolutely. Use the Ebay shipping/label generation system for tracking. And if you’re “selling games” - I imagine electronic game modules? - consider whether your sales will be worthwhile with a 20% cost of sales deducted from the final bid. Consider a fixed price with best offer and a fixed shipping cost. DO YOUR RESEARCH on what these have sold for recently - is it worth the hassle? Don’t EVER haggle over shipping cost or method once you put it in a listing and always use tracking.
As a new seller your PP funds may be frozen for 2 weeks + after the buyer decides to pay you. When $$ are freed up IMMEDIATELY transfer to the bank account.
To me, “games” sound like exactly what some unemployed, 20-something, introvert nerd would sit in their trashed-out apartment and think of all the ways to rip you off. There are several techniques and Ebay tacitly facilitates bad buyers. Just sayin, with 15+ years Ebay experience.
Mostly PayPal horror stories usually only happen for one of two reasons:
Either:
Your account (to them) inexplicably gets a ridiculous (compared to your history) amount of money dumped into it. This often happens when a self-made person starts making it big (i.e. enough sales/money to live off of).
Or:
The second horror stories are almost all comprised of charities that may or may not have followed PayPal’s rules, and PayPal is locking down their account to see if the money they’re being given is being legally and legitimately handled, if the charity is real and filed with the appropriate authorities, and that Paypal as a money handler for a charity is being properly advertised.
The average joe will pretty much never run into these issues. Follow their rules and you’re fine.
My sister told me she got her checking account drained via PayPal but, knowing her, she did something really stupid to allow that to happen. She falls for everything. Still, ever since then I only have my credit card attached to PayPal, not my bank account. I usually only use PayPal to pay someone else but the couple of times I’ve needed to receive money, I hooked up my bank account, made the transfer and unhooked it.
I decided a long time ago that having my bank account linked to PayPal was a bad idea.
I’ve only had credit card linked for the last decade or so.
This. I really don’t understand why some sellers still don’t do this. It would be just one more safeguard against a bad transaction.
Okay, thanks for the tips, all.
Getting a new bank account, and having fees rack up on it while it’s idle 99% of the time, strikes me as a hassle, so I’m going to go with the couple/decouple thing and keep it on a credit card otherwise.
I was going to get a tracking number already for my packages (which are OLD games, which may cut down on the fraud chances), but signature may be a good idea. Who tells me if an address is “verified,” by the way?
Still, the feedback has been very useful. Thanks again!