Ebay advice?

[asnbrb]

Hey, I have a question and I really didn't know where to put it.

I bid on and won an item on ebay. On the item's description, the seller said that the only method of payment is paypal (which is completely fine with me- that's how I was going to pay).

After I won, I logged in to pay for my item and I find out that the seller is NOT accepting paypal anymore and the seller's account didn't work. I used ebay's messaging system to contact the seller and basically he told me that paypal "messed with them" and they will only be accepting MO's.

Problem: Guy has NO FEEDBACK. The only reasons why I bid on it was because 1.) my boyfriend needs the part for his motorcycle and 2.) Paypal will protect my purchase. I looked up some stuff unders Ebay Motors and it said that if it had the Paypal picture on the page, that they were required to accept cc-Paypal (which I was going to use).

Question: What are my options? I do not want to send over $100 out in a money order to someone who has no feedback. This is extremely fishy. Am I still held accountable and do I have to pay?

Thanks.

Erin K.

 

[caffn8me]

I would say that when you bid and the auction finished you made a contract with the seller that you would buy it paying with PayPal (as that was what he was offering in the auction listing). Those were the terms under which you agreed to bid and under which the auction ended. The seller has broken that contract by changing the terms after the auction has closed. Had the seller stated during the auction that PayPal was not an acceptable form of payment, you wouldn't have bid.

You are not liable for payment and the auction has been voided by the seller's actions.

He cannot lawfully chase you for payment because he has changed the rules to ones which you never agreed to.

Your best bet is simply to tell him that as he has changed his payment method after the auction has closed he has voided the sale and you will not send him any money. If there are any problems, raise a dispute with eBay explaining what happened. They will be on your side.

The best thing he can do in this situation is graciously accept that you won't be giving him any money and relist his item correctly.

I would strongly suggest that you avoid sending him any money even if he decides he will accept PayPal payments. It is all too dodgy sounding if you ask me. Look for another supplier of the part.

I'm not a lawyer but this is very basic contract law which I am a little familiar with.

You shouldn't worry about it, that's for sure.

 

[asnbrb]

thank you so much for your advice! I was sitting here fussing over it since the last thing that I want is to pay someone who will run off with my money!

 

[queenofdisaster]

i wouldn't pay him either...

 

[Juneplum]

^

 

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asnbrb thank you so much for your advice! I was sitting here fussing over it since the last thing that I want is to pay someone who will run off with my money!

The best way to stop him running off with your money is not to give him any in the first place

It will be very interesting to see whether he does relist the item on eBay and if so, whether he still states he accepts PayPal (so that he can try to pull the same stunt on another unsuspecting buyer). Please let us know what happens.

 

[asnbrb]

I just got an email back from him a few minutes ago. We both decided to not go through with the transaction:

from him: "no that's fine... i understand totally it's just that they have my money and i have only a few days to pay my rent for our shop and can't risk shipping items when they might just decided to hold my money for an indefinate amount of time...sorry for the hassle, leave good feedback for me adn i'll do the same."

I'm sorry, but leaving good feedback is not something that I'm gonna do for him. That would be saying that my whole experience was great (and it was far from it). What is interesting is that two other people have left good feedback for him since then-- I'm wondering how they paid. Also, he still has a round of items up on ebay and each and every one of them says Paypal as the means of payment. Great.

 

[caffn8me]

Thanks for that update. It certainly sounds strange that he's still advertising items with PayPal listed as a payment method. I think you did well though and as the sale didn't go ahead you shouldn't leave feedback, let alone positive feedback! I hope you're feeling happier now

 

[asnbrb]

WTF? The seller just opened up a paypal dispute on me saying that I didn't pay for the item?!

 

[lady danger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asnbrb Hey, I have a question and I really didn't know where to put it. I bid on and won an item on ebay. On the item's description, the seller said that the only method of payment is paypal (which is completely fine with me- that's how I was going to pay). After I won, I logged in to pay for my item and I find out that the seller is NOT accepting paypal anymore and the seller's account didn't work. I used ebay's messaging system to contact the seller and basically he told me that paypal "messed with them" and they will only be accepting MO's. Problem: Guy has NO FEEDBACK. The only reasons why I bid on it was because 1.) my boyfriend needs the part for his motorcycle and 2.) Paypal will protect my purchase. I looked up some stuff unders Ebay Motors and it said that if it had the Paypal picture on the page, that they were required to accept cc-Paypal (which I was going to use). Question: What are my options? I do not want to send over $100 out in a money order to someone who has no feedback. This is extremely fishy. Am I still held accountable and do I have to pay? Thanks. Erin K.

dfjghkgk

 

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asnbrb WTF? The seller just opened up a paypal dispute on me saying that I didn't pay for the item?!

You have all the correspondence, simply send it to PayPal and eBay and you'll be fine. He's the one who's going to get into trouble, not you.

Again, don't worry about it, please. He agreed in writing not to proceed with the transaction. He sounds like a fraudster but not a particularly smart one. Contractually, he's trying to walk on thin air and it's simply not going to work.

Stand your ground.

 

[asnbrb]

He said that he fixed his paypal and now he will be accepting payment through it. Does that mean that I have to pay now?

 

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asnbrb He said that he fixed his paypal and now he will be accepting payment through it. Does that mean that I have to pay now?

No, not at all. He has already voided the transaction previously by refusing to accept PayPal. He also agreed not to proceed with the transaction. He can't change his mind. The only situation under which he could have insisted on payment is if he'd accepted PayPal in the first place as he advertised in his auction, but he didn't. Tell PayPal that you suspect fraud and report it to eBay as well. Stand your ground no matter how much he complains. You are in the right.

 

[asnbrb]

God, this guy is giving me a massive headache. I just wrote off an email to ebay's query area and I'll go find somewhere to report his ass.


Damn, and here I thought I was going to sleep early tonight.

 

[caffn8me]

The guy is just a jerk. You actually have nothing to worry about so please don't let it get to you. You'll be absolutely fine.

 

[asnbrb]

ack. I'm headed off to bed now. Everyone else is asleep and I should join them.

Thanks so much, caffn8me. I really do appreciate your help!

 

[Beauty Mark]

Ebay/Paypal has always been good to work with, in my experience. If you'd rather take care of the matter now, I'd call them and ask for their professional advice.

The guy voided the contract and I think it's poor of him to ask you to leave good feedback when you have no clue about the item other than his description.

 

[asnbrb]

Well, now somehow he came up with a paypal addy that works, Beauty_Mark, and is now demanding payment. I asked him why since I considered this voided (and he agreed) and he said that it was because he did not want to pay relisting fees. I know that I saw somewhere that if you both agree not to go through with it, that the relisting is free, but I can't remember where.

 

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asnbrb Well, now somehow he came up with a paypal addy that works, Beauty_Mark, and is now demanding payment. I asked him why since I considered this voided (and he agreed) and he said that it was because he did not want to pay relisting fees. I know that I saw somewhere that if you both agree not to go through with it, that the relisting is free, but I can't remember where.

Relisting fees are his problem and not yours.

 

[Amethyst_beauty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asnbrb Well, now somehow he came up with a paypal addy that works, Beauty_Mark, and is now demanding payment. I asked him why since I considered this voided (and he agreed) and he said that it was because he did not want to pay relisting fees. I know that I saw somewhere that if you both agree not to go through with it, that the relisting is free, but I can't remember where.

1. The seller voided the contract when he asked you to send MO because his Paypal didn't work.

2. If the Paypal addy he provided you isn't the same one he has attached to his auctions, he's in violation of eBay policy.

3. If you DO decide to make payment, do so with a credit card ONLY. Not a debit card with a Visa or MC logo, but a real credit card. This way, if something goes wrong with the transaction, your credit card company will fight for you.

(Note: I wouldn't complete the transaction, but DEFINITELY reply to the NPB report he filed against you and INCLUDE the emails about sending MO, seller agreed to cancel transaction, etc.)

Are you sure it's an NPB for failure to pay or NPB for mutually agreeing to cancel the transaction? If you don't respond, the seller will be able to leave you negative feedback, but you WON'T be able to leave feedback for the seller.

Good luck!

Good luck.