Ebay pros I need your help

[Mr. Flopnuts]

I just had an auction end on ebay. Person paid immediately with paypal but is unverified and has an unconfirmed address. I'm scared to ship the item. I'm not trying to get ripped off here. What are my options? Rep to anyone who knows what I can do to protect myself here. I'm new to this thing, and I already don't like it.

[Baby Lee]

I just had an auction end on ebay. Person paid immediately with paypal but is unverified and has an unconfirmed address. I'm scared to ship the item. I'm not trying to get ripped off here. What are my options? Rep to anyone who knows what I can do to protect myself here. I'm new to this thing, and I already don't like it.
Is there a CC or checking account attached to the paypal account?
Are you sure it's the paypal account that's unverified, or is it the ebay account?
I don't think paypal lets you operate without a verified account.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Is there a CC or checking account attached to the paypal account?


Mine has both attached. Theirs, I don't know. Can I check?

[Mr. Flopnuts]

seller protection: ineligible

shipping address: unconfirmed

[BigRock]

As far as I know, if you've already been paid through Paypal then it should be fine. It's not like a bad check or something where it could turn out that they can't cover what they sent. They either had to have the money taken from their bank account or from their credit card in order to send you the payment.

And I'd just double-check with the person about their address if you're concerned about that. But once you've officially gotten the payment from Paypal, you should be good.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

As far as I know, if you've already been paid through Paypal then it should be fine. It's not like a bad check or something where it could turn out that they can't cover what they sent. They either had to have the money taken from their bank account or from their credit card in order to send you the payment.

And I'd just double-check with the person about their address if you're concerned about that. But once you've officially gotten the payment from Paypal, you should be good.


My concern is, once I ship the item it turns out to be A. A fraudulent transaction. Or, B. Buyer claims I didn't ship and even though I provide proof, their bank debits paypal who in turns debits me because the address was unconfirmed. I've heard of this shit happening before, but I don't know if it's true. Too bad snopes doesn't work for that shit. heh. I may just refund the payment and tell them to either get their address confirmed or send me a US Postal money order. Hell, I don't know.

[alnorth]

My concern is, once I ship the item it turns out to be A. A fraudulent transaction. Or, B. Buyer claims I didn't ship and even though I provide proof, their bank debits paypal who in turns debits me because the address was unconfirmed. I've heard of this shit happening before, but I don't know if it's true. Too bad snopes doesn't work for that shit. heh. I may just refund the payment and tell them to either get their address confirmed or send me a US Postal money order. Hell, I don't know.

Heh, unfortunately if you do that, you risk a neg feedback, which is a pretty big deal on Ebay unless you have a lot of positive feedback.

How much money are we talking about? If its only like a $50 item, I would ship it and be prepared to be ripped off, I guard my feedback rating like gold, and do everything I can to work with someone when something goes bad.

[HemiEd]

I just had an auction end on ebay. Person paid immediately with paypal but is unverified and has an unconfirmed address. I'm scared to ship the item. I'm not trying to get ripped off here. What are my options? Rep to anyone who knows what I can do to protect myself here. I'm new to this thing, and I already don't like it.

Don't worry about it, you are good. Unconfirmed means that person didn't want to link their bank/checking account to Paypal. I am the same way, I did some reading up on Paypal and closed the account they had the numbers to. I went from confirmed, to unconfirmed in one quick move.
I have had about 500 transactions on Ebay, all positive feedback, but I am still unconfirmed. What did you sell, maybe I bought it. :D

Paypal wants your bank account numbers, they are not getting mine since they operate outside of government banking regulations. I just keep a Discover card on file with them.

[alnorth]

If its only like a $50 item, I would ship it and be prepared to be ripped off

To follow up on my comment, this goes for ANYTHING on Ebay. When you buy or sell something, be prepared to lose the money, there is no effective way to protect yourself other than possibly disputing it with your credit card company as a buyer. In hundreds of transactions, I've been ripped off only once for about $70, so my batting average is pretty good, but I wouldnt think about buying or selling something worth several thousands of dollars unless it was from/to a very solid reputable seller/buyer.

[CoMoChief]

If its been paid through pay pal then you wil still get your money because they have some type of protection thing for a certain amount of money.

pay pal will either bill his bank account, or do whatever but once the pay pal has paid you, then your good to go.

[BigRock]

My concern is, once I ship the item it turns out to be A. A fraudulent transaction. Or, B. Buyer claims I didn't ship and even though I provide proof, their bank debits paypal who in turns debits me because the address was unconfirmed. I've heard of this shit happening before, but I don't know if it's true. Too bad snopes doesn't work for that shit. heh. I may just refund the payment and tell them to either get their address confirmed or send me a US Postal money order. Hell, I don't know.
I don't think you have to worry about either. I'm not aware of there being fraudulent transactions through Paypal like what you're describing... maybe the other way around, where someone sends money for something that never comes. But never where someone receives money and there ends up being a problem.

But even if there was, I can't imagine Paypal would just stick you with the loss. That entire process is their business. I'm sure they'd make it right if there was something wrong, because it would be mostly their fault.

And as for the shipping, if you're really worried just pay the extra for the tracking info when you mail the package so you can prove both that you sent it and where you sent it to. I don't think there's anything more a seller could do from their end.

[HemiEd]

Whether there is one ounce of truth to this or not, it was enough to not let them have access to my bank account for me.

www.paypalsucks.com

Oh, and here is the thing that chaps my ass. In seven years, I have had over 400 transactions through Paypal, but yet I am un-confirmed.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

what kind of feedback does the buyer have? have they changed names in the last 30 days? how much is ther item you are selling?

answer that and I'll tell you what to do...

[alnorth]

If its been paid through pay pal then you wil still get your money because they have some type of protection thing for a certain amount of money.

pay pal will either bill his bank account, or do whatever but once the pay pal has paid you, then your good to go.

Well, you can still lose after being paid by paypal. I agree the poster probably has nothing to worry about here, and I'm diving head-first into paranoia here, but this is why I say to be prepared to lose the money as a seller as well as a buyer.

Lets say you were lucky enough to sell to a thief who doesnt care about negative feedback on his reputation, as soon as he receives it, he'll start sending you e-mails asking where is his item, please ship it or else, you say you have shipped it but I didnt get it, etc etc. Couple weeks later he leaves negative feedback claiming you ripped him off, and complains to Ebay and Paypal to get his money back. Youll obviously claim the opposite, but ties usually go to the buyer. As a business, Ebay and Paypal need the buyers, and the sellers need Paypal and Ebay. If the seller gets screwed, hes much less likely to stop than a buyer.

This is highly unlikely, and if he doesnt ship the item he risks a negative feedback. In the position he's in now, I'd rather take a 0.1% risk of getting ripped off by a thief, than risk a 75+% chance of getting slapped with negative feedback for refusing to ship after the buyer won the auction and paid.

[Bob Dole]

Whether there is one ounce of truth to this or not, it was enough to not let them have access to my bank account for me.

www.paypalsucks.com

Oh, and here is the thing that chaps my ass. In seven years, I have had over 400 transactions through Paypal, but yet I am un-confirmed.

You've got over 9300 posts here and you're not confirmed, either.

It's a conspiracy.

[mikey23545]

I have been a powerseller on Ebay in the past, and work for an online wholesaler/retailer that takes Paypal for some transactions.

1) If the person is not confirmed, it simply means they have not gone through the confirmation process. Paypal makes a very small deposit to the bank account you list with them, you email them back to verify the amount. They then know you are really who you say you are, and that is really your bank account. At least that is the way it used to work, pretty sure it still does. It does not matter how many times you have used Paypal, if you have not gone through this process, you aren't verified.
2) If they are not verified, they can cancel their payment to you up to 6 months after the transaction, and you don't have much recourse except to bluster and rant and try to scare them.
3) Look at their Ebay feedback, and when they registered with Ebay. Have they been around a long time? If so, you probably don't have much to worry about. Still, if this is a really expensive item, you are right to be concerned.
4) Will you take a money order or certified check? If so, contact them and tell them that because of their Paypal status you will only accept one of those. Then wait.
5) Paypal does not "suck". Unless you are a complete moron, and terrified of the internet, you soon realize it is one of the safest forms of online transaction available, as long as YOU FOLLOW THE RULES. It's one helluva lot safer than handing that 20 year old your credit card number at the end of your meal.

With all this being said, I have hundreds (probably thousands) of Paypal transactions under my belt, and I have occasionally "bent" the rules and sold to unverified customers and never once been burned. You just need to take all the facts into consideration and make a judgement call.

[DaneMcCloud]

As far as I know, if you've already been paid through Paypal then it should be fine. It's not like a bad check or something where it could turn out that they can't cover what they sent. They either had to have the money taken from their bank account or from their credit card in order to send you the payment.

And I'd just double-check with the person about their address if you're concerned about that. But once you've officially gotten the payment from Paypal, you should be good.

This is completely incorrectly. If the account is Unverified and the address is Unverified, this *could* be a hijacked account and you are NOT covered by Ebay or Paypal if you ship this item. Contact the buyer and ask them to confirm both their account and their address before shipping.

I don't think you have to worry about either. I'm not aware of there being fraudulent transactions through Paypal like what you're describing... maybe the other way around, where someone sends money for something that never comes. But never where someone receives money and there ends up being a problem.

But even if there was, I can't imagine Paypal would just stick you with the loss. That entire process is their business. I'm sure they'd make it right if there was something wrong, because it would be mostly their fault.

And as for the shipping, if you're really worried just pay the extra for the tracking info when you mail the package so you can prove both that you sent it and where you sent it to. I don't think there's anything more a seller could do from their end.

This is more bad advice. You DO have to "worry about either" if it's neither are verified and since Paypal already stated that this item is not covered under the Seller's Protection Plan, if you ship this item and it's later found to be a fraudulent transaction, YOUR Paypal account will be given a negative balance and you'll be responsible for funding your account back to zero.

NEVER send USPS as the tracking sucks. Use Fed Ex, UPS or DHL.

[TinyEvel]

unconfirmed means the ship to address he entered is not the same as his paypal cc billing address or checking acct. address.
I usually ship to my work, so that's "unconfirmed" too.
just reply to him, thanking for his payment and include "this is the address I will ship to"
and ask him to repy to confirm.
Really,it should be no biggie. happens on my sales a lot.

[DaneMcCloud]

unconfirmed means the ship to address he entered is not the same as his paypal cc billing address or checking acct. address.
I usually ship to my work, so that's "unconfirmed" too.
just reply to him, thanking for his payment and include "this is the address I will ship to"
and ask him to repy to confirm.
Really,it should be no biggie. happens on my sales a lot.

The problem is that if the billing address and the shipping address don't match and it's fraud, the Seller is out the cash. Paypal (and any credit card for that matter) won't cover the seller unless the "Ship To" and billing address are identical (unless of course you have an alternate address on file with the CC company, but that doesn't apply with Paypal).

I rarely participate in Ebay & Paypal transactions for less than $1,000.00 (studio gear), so I'd never sell to someone who's doesn't have a confirmed address and account. It's just way too risky.

Of course, YMMV. And having been burned once before with fraudulent Cashier's Checks, I don't trust anyone.

[HemiEd]

You've got over 9300 posts here and you're not confirmed, either.

It's a conspiracy.

LMAO The funny thing about their non-confirmed, at least three of those transactions were over $5000.

[Al Bundy]

I would ship it out via UPS with a signature only. I believe then only the person who you are sending it to can sign for it and not have it just "Left on their doorstep".

[Smed1065]

The problem is that if the billing address and the shipping address don't match and it's fraud, the Seller is out the cash. Paypal (and any credit card for that matter) won't cover the seller unless the "Ship To" and billing address are identical (unless of course you have an alternate address on file with the CC company, but that doesn't apply with Paypal).

They can easily add a shipping address with their CC company (I ship to work usually) and it will show confirmed in 2 days from my experience.

[laser1972]

ok, i am a powerseller (1700+ rating)... If the item isnt too expensive, i really dont care about the unconfirmed address, if its over a certain amount $250.00 and above like when i ship computers, etc... MUST have a confirmed address, if they dont and you ship the item, paypal isnt liable for anything, so seller beware!!

Check his feedback like other people have said, if he/she is a newbie with a 10 or less rating and they are trying to buy something expensive, i would pass, you arent obligated (i would however put it in the rules)...

Its so easy to get confirmed, why wouldnt you??..

So far in the 8+ years i have did ebay, i have been burned twice, caught both of them, usually can detect a scam if they want the laptop overnighted etc... Just seem pretty eager to get the item if a credit card has been stolen, etc

Good luck!

[Mr. Arrowhead]

i have question also while we are on this topic. I bought a cell phone off ebay, and i paid and everything, but its been 2 weeks now, i havent gotten my cell phone nor have i heard from the seller, and also the seller hasnt even claimed the money i send him. I just want to get my money back. So i just start a dispute on pay pal, it just says that my money hasnt been claimed. How do i go about getting my money back, because it has been taken from my banking account?

[DaneMcCloud]

They can easily add a shipping address with their CC company (I ship to work usually) and it will show confirmed in 2 days from my experience.

With Paypal? Cool! I knew that it was possible to add additional addresses with a CC company but I didn't realize it would show up in Paypal.

Thanks for the info!

[Frazod]

I joined up last weekend and received my first item (an "authentic" Pujols jersey that VonneMarie would absolutely love) today. I now have a rating of 1.

I'm a n00b. ROFL

[Smed1065]

With Paypal? Cool! I knew that it was possible to add additional addresses with a CC company but I didn't realize it would show up in Paypal.

Thanks for the info!

I have done this with several CC companies because UPS would always come between 7-5 while I am at work or the person would not shipto alt addy. I got tired of requesting different shipping or going to their warehouse to pick pickup so I added it to most CC accounts. (a nightmare in Atlanta)

[Mr. Flopnuts]

I appreciate your replies and have decided to give my customer an option. A. Have no problem with Signature tracked package via UPS at my cost. Or B. refund the money and they can send me a USPS money order. If that's horrible, hit me up before noon your time. ;) Seems like a logical solution without anyone getting butthurt.

[KCChiefsMan]

just make sure they are not from nigeria

[Mr. Flopnuts]

just make sure they are not from nigeria


LMAO Yeah, I screen for the Nigerian princes, the european dignitaries that are trying to get 27 million released into your bank account, and the chinese company just getting started in the export/USA business and are looking for my support. Good ole' international rope a dope.

[HemiEd]

Its so easy to get confirmed, why wouldnt you??..



Here is your answer, Paypal then controls the money with access to your bank account. They can take it back at any time.

How do i go about getting my money back, because it has been taken from my banking account?

Starting a dispute is easy, I only had to do it twice, both times resolved as soon as the other party was notified of the dispute.


I appreciate your replies and have decided to give my customer an option. A. Have no problem with Signature tracked package via UPS at my cost. Or B. refund the money and they can send me a USPS money order. If that's horrible, hit me up before noon your time. ;) Seems like a logical solution without anyone getting butthurt.

If you have stated what the buyer's feedback is, I have missed it. As others have said, that should determine what you do.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

I appreciate your replies and have decided to give my customer an option. A. Have no problem with Signature tracked package via UPS at my cost. Or B. refund the money and they can send me a USPS money order. If that's horrible, hit me up before noon your time. ;) Seems like a logical solution without anyone getting butthurt.


Option A doesn't do you much good. You still won't be protected by Paypal if they do a chargeback. Afterall, you could have mailed him a brick in a box and he'd still have to sign for it.

[Smed1065]

But it does show you sent something and it has the weight as well. I have had two instances and lost $25 before I learned to use CC's. I can charge back and AE is seriously for the card-holder.