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My recent experience in PayPal dispute

I want to share this story with fellow Agoners.

I sold a used tube power amp here in Audiogon. In transit, a power tube was broken. I told the buyer that I could either send an additional matching tubes or accept a return with full refund. The buyer opted for additional tubes. I sent them and there was no response from him until 5 months after the sale. The buyer asked me for help since the amp had a biasing problem. The amp was almost 20 year old model.
I told him that I cannot provide any help other than trying new set of tubes. The buyer apparently wanted more helpful afterservice, and filed a dispute for return/refund to PayPal. Apparently PayPal allows filing a dispute within 6 months of purchase.
Well, he did not go through Audiogon. Anyway, PayPal closed the case in my favor. For me, it is rather obvious that the buyer cannot ask for a refund after 5 months of purchasing a 20 year old tube amp.
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muzikat
921 posts
 
I had a similar experience. It was a nightmare, too long to explain. Still use PayPal, but always list in my ad that buyer has 48 hours to determine everything is ok...after that no returns.
You're lucky, PayPal almost always rules in favor of buyer.
rodge827's avatar
rodge827
616 posts
 
PayPal in concept is an awesome way to purchase goods from private people over the internet. BUT their policies are way to protective of the buyer! Giving a 6month "warranty" period to Joe USA has encouraged a "buy and try" trend. I have sold brand new items and had a dispute immediately filed over the sale. PayPal decided in my favor since the unit worked perfectly but wasn't exactly what the buyer thought it was.
It is a gut wrenching experience and one I hope to never experience again. Now I put "PayPal Friends and Family" preferred in every ad!
riffer
362 posts
 
I count the days until the six months is up.
czarivey
5,740 posts
 
i use direct merchants instead of paypal. i provide paypal checkout upon request on items bellow $10 each.
mitchchavis
86 posts
 
As with Muzikat I had a nightmare experience with PayPal. They held over $8k of my funds for more than three months after a minor issue which was resolved immediately between the purchaser and myself. After many phone calls and pathetic customer service a PayPal rep acknowledged that they had received the funds from the purchaser's bank three months prior to finally releasing them to me. Mine was not an isolated case.
I use PayPal for small dollar purchases and will never again trust them for major purchases.
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