How does one protect themselves when buying from classified ads on eHam etc. Does Paypal protect purchases from individuals? Any other tips and advice?
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How to purchase "used" safely online??
- Thread starter NightOwl326
- Start date
Paypal protects from an individual the same as from anyone else like Ebay etc. As for how to protect yourself, if it is from a licensed ham I use Google to look up his callsign and try and find out all I can about him like past dealings etc. first. Other than that cross your fingers, spin around on one foot three times while making a wish and take it from there.
paypal does protect you, but only correctly if you purchase from ebay,,, a plain internet purchase through paypal only and they only get involved if you don't get an item(package),, if the seller ships you a box of rocks instead of your used radio, then paypal is out of the picture and your on your own because you got your item(package)
had something like this happen and paypal was all about helping till they asked the question "was it an ebay purchase" , no,, sorry the seller sent them the tracking number for the package and you received the package
this was a few years ago,, maybe the policy is better now,, but back then they would not help at all as long as the package was received and matched the tracking numbers the seller sent to paypal after they got involved for an item I didn't receive till I started a claim with them.
otherwise all of my forum purchases over the years have been good since then
had something like this happen and paypal was all about helping till they asked the question "was it an ebay purchase" , no,, sorry the seller sent them the tracking number for the package and you received the package
this was a few years ago,, maybe the policy is better now,, but back then they would not help at all as long as the package was received and matched the tracking numbers the seller sent to paypal after they got involved for an item I didn't receive till I started a claim with them.
otherwise all of my forum purchases over the years have been good since then
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I recently paid for a purchase off QTH with Pay Pal for a D-710A that arrived poorly packed and pretty well hammered (bent pots, etc...). Seller drug his feet every step of the way, pay pal would give him about a week to reply on three different steps, tracked my return package, then gave him another week to say he'd received it. He still never replied so Pay Pal relieved his "back up" credit card for the full purchase price and put it back in my account. It took a month, but I got my money back. The guy was a dirt bag... BAD HAM!
QRZ and WWDX at least have systems to track & ban problem sellers. QTH, not so much... Lots of "good" used radio purchases between the D-710A and a problem with an ICOM 706 that I received a few years back from a QRZ ad. 2M was out when I got it, but the seller jumped through hoops arranging shipping to ICOM, had it fixed and even aligned the HF, then had it back in my hands in one week. GOOD HAM
What ever you do, check your purchases right away. Putting in a claim on used electronics that you'd received a week prior could get dicey.
EDIT: Also, don't let the seller talk you in to a "gift" payment on Pay Pal to dodge the 3% fee they incur. You can't put in a claim for the box of rocks you received if you "paid" for it with a gift payment. If the 3% is a deal breaker with your seller, offer to split it with him if it's a good deal, or even pick up the 3% if it's a GREAT deal. Just make sure that your payment is for MERCHANDISE, not a gift, service, etc...
QRZ and WWDX at least have systems to track & ban problem sellers. QTH, not so much... Lots of "good" used radio purchases between the D-710A and a problem with an ICOM 706 that I received a few years back from a QRZ ad. 2M was out when I got it, but the seller jumped through hoops arranging shipping to ICOM, had it fixed and even aligned the HF, then had it back in my hands in one week. GOOD HAM
What ever you do, check your purchases right away. Putting in a claim on used electronics that you'd received a week prior could get dicey.
EDIT: Also, don't let the seller talk you in to a "gift" payment on Pay Pal to dodge the 3% fee they incur. You can't put in a claim for the box of rocks you received if you "paid" for it with a gift payment. If the 3% is a deal breaker with your seller, offer to split it with him if it's a good deal, or even pick up the 3% if it's a GREAT deal. Just make sure that your payment is for MERCHANDISE, not a gift, service, etc...
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