Weird thing just happened to me on ebay

[denger4000]

Bought an item today and the seller sends me a message and I quote. "can you please pay me through paypal instead of ebay, it makes the transaction a lot easier for me, my paypal info is(deleted this part obviously) thanks"

He did in fact refund the money and it even says so on ebay. So now according to ebay he's been refunded. He has 2 feedbacks and both are buyer feedbacks. I mean does this just scream scam or am I missing something?


edit...he just replied with this, "theres no difference for you but i have to wait about 3 weeks for the money to be available to me and i cant wait that long because i have college books to buy. paying through paypal means its available right away"

 

[915stag51]

Scam, contact ebay

 

[denger4000]

okay I'm normally a trusting person but this just seemed weird to me.

 

[denger4000]

he's now saying he will send an invoice to my account and will ship today, also i made a mistake he does have 1 buy feedback for what it's worth

 

[Batty]

How did he already refund your money if it won't be in his account for 3 weeks?

 

[Collectorcol]

Any claims made go through Paypal so they will know if payment was sent.
His behaviour does seem strange.

 

[Darth Waller]

Taking it away from eBay will just seem like a normal transaction in Paypal. I doubt you would have any protection if you don't receive the item either.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Sounds fishy

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

How did he already refund your money if it won't be in his account for 3 weeks?

The money goes straight into your account, but you can't use it for a specified period of time. You can refund it however.

 

[The Ween]

I thought eBay and Paypal were the same now? I'd contact eBay to see if you're covered first.

 

[Darth Madden]

I thought eBay and Paypal were the same now? I'd contact eBay to see if you're covered first.

That's what I thought too... why would you pay first with paypal and then pay him again through paypal.

 

[greatlakes6]

Here is what happens. When you are new with ebay and you sell an item, Paypal keeps the payment until the buyer receives the item and there are no issues. The money sits in the sellers account, but they can't access it. When you are an established seller, you have access to the payment right away. If the seller asks for you to just send the payment directly trough Paypal, he has access to it right away. You are still covered for your purchase, but he also saves the Ebay fees because it comes across as a cancelled transaction. You, on the other hand, don't get ebay bucks to use based on the amount of the sale.

 

[Darth Madden]

Huh.... I guess I have had eBay/PayPal so long I never thought of issues like that.

 

[Darth Cruel]

If he wants to be paid through paypal...so what? Just note on the payment what it is for...including the ebay item number.

Sounds to me like he is just trying to avoid the double hit of fees.

 

[Darko99]

Honestly it makes sense, but it still is a bit sketchy. I was in a same situation. I needed money right near the beginning of school for my books and sold off one of my statues. But I had to wait almost 2 weeks for my money to stop pending in my account.

Even now I have to wait 90 days, have sold 250$+ of items, and have 25+ positive feedback as a seller to not have this happen anymore.

 

[Collectorcol]

Buying outside ebay is dodgy even through Paypal.
If you buy through Paypal they will protect if you don't receive the item but if you receive it and it's not as described, broken etc. they aren't interested.
Buying through ebay gives you more options for a partial refund or return if an item isn't as described plus the feedback system works.

 

[Batty]

The money goes straight into your account, but you can't use it for a specified period of time. You can refund it however.

Oh, okay.

Huh.... I guess I have had eBay/PayPal so long I never thought of issues like that.

Yeah, me too.

The whole thing would make me think twice about doing what he asks. Especially if it's a lot of money.

 

[The Ween]

If he wants to be paid through paypal...so what? Just note on the payment what it is for...including the ebay item number.

Sounds to me like he is just trying to avoid the double hit of fees.

Just make sure YOU'RE not paying any fees. I wouldn't do it simply because I use a credit card through paypal and not my bank account. I have to pay the fee if I gift.

 

[toylion]

Bought an item today and the seller sends me a message and I quote. "can you please pay me through paypal instead of ebay, it makes the transaction a lot easier for me, my paypal info is(deleted this part obviously) thanks"

He did in fact refund the money and it even says so on ebay. So now according to ebay he's been refunded. He has 2 feedbacks and both are buyer feedbacks. I mean does this just scream scam or am I missing something?


edit...he just replied with this, "theres no difference for you but i have to wait about 3 weeks for the money to be available to me and i cant wait that long because i have college books to buy. paying through paypal means its available right away"

I would tell him sure, as soon as I receive the item I'll send you the payment through Paypal. He wants you to trust him, let him trust you.

 

[Armageddon]

I always looked at it this way when buying an item through ebay you get two bodyguards ebay and paypal.

When going through PayPal alone you get one bodyguard.

I always try to be specific and include important details on what
I'm purchasing.