eBay

vip-marketplace · ‎07-15-2014

Hey guys!

So... this is the second time I'm selling this laptop.

The first time was obviously a scammer trying to pay outside eBay with credit card using multiple payment so I wouldn't be eligible to seller protection.

NOW, this time, I have another situation I've never seen before.

The buyer apparently did pay for the item right away but it has a little hourglass icon saying it's being processed in PayPal.

I went in PayPal to get more details and the buyer used an "eCheck". I don't know what does are and certainly didn't know I allowed this form of payment. It also says Pending Until Jul 24, 2014... WTH is up with that?

I've sold around 50 items of much lower value and have never had this situation before. It this usual / to be expected with higher value items? Is it normal to be pending THAT long? Are eChecks more risky for the seller?

FYI: The buyer has 22 positive feedbacks (100%) and lives in Ontario.

For the second time in 2-3 days I'm scared about being scammed for this very listing... Could anyone provide his point of view?

Thanks in advance!

gg

vip-marketplace · ‎07-15-2014

After researching eChecks a bit, it seems they're simply a PayPal payment using fund directly from a bank account.

9 days to clear seems VERY long however. And I find it weird that I've never had this before...

nudibranch4569 · ‎07-15-2014

e check is same as check,however it has to clear b4 you get funds and mail.ive had a couple of them,5 days or so to clear,dont worry,be patient.

williamt420 · ‎07-15-2014

in order for an e-check to be an option, the buyer has to have a verified bank account connected with the paypal account.. I buy things alot and notice that sometimes e-check is the only option allowed aside from credit card.. I dont really use a credit card on my account, only my bank.. E-check does take a super long time to clear, but, again, has to be from a verified bank account on paypal account

vip-marketplace · ‎07-15-2014

Thanks!

I sent a message to the buyer asking why he used eCheck to pay.

he replied the following :

"Sorry I made a mistake paying by e-check, is it possible to cancel the transaction and start again somehow?"

Do you think I can refund him the amount so he can pay using regular PayPal?

Would refunding him the e-Check right now be risky?

If the safest way to deal with this is to simply wait for the eCheck to clear, I'm ok with this now that I know they're safe.

Thanks!

williamt420 · ‎07-15-2014

I have found that once an e-check has been started it will follow through.. money will be taken from his account.. paypal does this quick.. but it seems to hold it for "X" amount of time before paying seller... WHY? i do not know =[ Id just let it go through..

amethyst1415 · ‎07-15-2014

You don't ship with an e-check. They can bounce. Paypal has probably already told you not to ship until it clears. It happened to me.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-16-2014

The best thing is to wait for the echeque to clear. A recent buyer of mine wanted to cancel his and pay another way but Paypal told me that it couldn't be cancelled while the cheque was in transit.

U.S. and UK echeques clear fairly quickly...Canadian ones always take more than week.

38e_avenue · ‎07-16-2014

You can't refund an e-check not yet cleared. Simply wait until it clears.

I had only one case (a few years ago) where the e-check did not clear.

mr.elmwood · ‎07-16-2014

An e-cheque is "the cheque is in the mail". Nothing can be done until it clears or does not clear. No way of cancelling it in the meantime. i have heard of this happening where the buyer makes the wrong choice instantly followed by "not what I meant".

E-cheque is a PP payment. I have not seen one in about four years.

Nine days is a long time. They used to clear in about five.

Nothing fishy about this at all.

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vip-marketplace · ‎07-16-2014

Thanks guys!

I will inform that the e-Check connot be refunded while in transit but that otherwise, everything is fine and that I will ship his laptop as soon as the payment clears.

femmefan1946 · ‎07-16-2014

Let him know that you are not worried (even if you are) and that you will ship as soon as PP allows you to print the shipping label. Which happens once the cheque clears.

The buyer actually has less protection with an e-check than with a credit card backed payment, since if he lost a PP dispute he still could go to the cc for a chargeback.

And the nine days? Better to say nine and have clearance in five than say five and have clearance in six.

Public relations. -- Captain Mal Reynolds

michaelbb2 · ‎07-17-2014

"E-cheque is a PP payment. I have not seen one in about four years"

That's excellent. I get a few E-cheques every month. I don't like the option but it still works. Most of my buyers who use the E-cheque option didn't know that they selected it.....it's almost as if PayPal randomly places the E-cheque as the default method and buyers just go ahead and pay not knowing which option they had "chosen". Some of these buyers figure it out right away and pay for their next item with the direct withdrawal method. Most E-Cheque using buyers I notice have low feedback scores so they are relatively newbies to the whole thing.

vip-marketplace · ‎07-17-2014

Thanks! That's pretty much what I told him (even though I still had some doubts back then).

Now, to protect myself against a false claim for the laptop, what could I do to improve my odds of eBay siding with me?

I'm already using a tracked shipping method and will select signature required.

Should I also take pictures of the laptop? Of it's UPC / Serial number?

Of the package with the label before bringing it to the post office?

Could any of this make a difference in the event of a false claim for eBay / PayPal?

Thanks!

mr.elmwood · ‎07-17-2014

@vip-marketplace wrote:
Thanks! That's pretty much what I told him (even though I still had some doubts back then).

Now, to protect myself against a false claim for the laptop, what could I do to improve my odds of eBay siding with me?

I'm already using a tracked shipping method and will select signature required.

Should I also take pictures of the laptop? Of it's UPC / Serial number?
Of the package with the label before bringing it to the post office?

Could any of this make a difference in the event of a false claim for eBay / PayPal?

Thanks!

That is pretty high on the **bleep** scale. It is also on the it makes NFD scale. You could have pictures of the Pope hand delivering it and they would say no.

Tracking is what you need. Signature doesn't mean anything as USPS will let the neighbour's dog sign for it. Lemme re-phrase, you do not "need" tracking, nor is it required by anyone. PP will ask for tracking in the improbable event of a dispute. False claims are few and far between.

You are pretty much doing all the Chicken Little nervous stuff.

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pjcdn2005 · ‎07-17-2014

If I took any pics, it might be of the UPC/serial number although there is no way to prove that is the item that you actually sent to the buyer. There is no point in taking a picture of the shipping label or a video of you packing the laptop. Just make sure that you have del and sig confirmation on the package.

You might want to consider marking the laptop in some way that isn't obvious. If a different item got sent back to you, the mark might not make any difference but if the buyer wants to make a return, you could mention that you would issue a refund once you have confirmed the mark was there and the serial number was correct.

Bottom line - If someone really wants to scam you, there are probably going to do so regardless of what 'precautions' you take.