Quote:
Originally Posted by Neal Stevens
Actually, I try hard to ignore you when you are going off about something you know nothing about except what you've read somewhere.
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Ah, that truly is a disarming reply.
Well, there is not much insider knowledge you need. Since I did sell items at ebay three times, I know that paypal costed an additonal fee for me if I would have offered it, additional to the auction costs. And since the legal situation is clear by the laws, they claimed (and is confirmed by the consumer protection organisation over here) it thus is clear that Paypal gives the impression to offer an advantage in form of a safety guarantee that to the customer appears as a self-obligation of Paypal that is legally binding, but as a matter of fact is not mandatory at all, and gets refused at times even if Paypal refuses to check the case in question. The customer gains nothing from using paypal that he can really be sure of. He depends on trusting that all parties (now one party more: Paypal, that is) will play clean and nice. And if Paypal refuses to do so, there is nothing he can do, not more than if he had sent money via his credit card or banking account.
Paypal charges fees for an advertised feature of assumed guarantees that are no guarantees at all.
And you seem to have a problem with me for saying that.
If you want to be safe because there is more than a low ammount of money involved, Paypal does not increase the safety of your interests in case you want your money back if the item you bought is not matching the descrption, or is a different one than what you have ordered.
If it is something vital to you, do it via old-fashioned personal contact. Evade sending money in advance, or using credit cards. Or Paypal. Serious and respectable shops offer you payment by bill. I honour that by paying the very same day I got something. Paypal gives you no advantage over a credit card - it claims to do so, but it doesn't.
At least with the legal situation in Germany. Check in your own country how it is with your laws. They said on the German Paypal representation that they even say it somewhere deeply hidden in the small print that the seller by paying Paypal essentially only pays for the good will of Paypal - nothing more.
Strange thing to waste money on, if you ask me. You pay for a service that does not give you anything real and legally binding in return. that'S like buying a book that two days later they take away from you again.
I know that paypal can be used for services not related to ebay auctions as well. Note that the report is about Paypal within the context of Ebay.