Non Verified Paypal Buyers

[Neil]

I have just been paid nearly ?300 by someone on ebay (through Paypal) who is not verified and does not have a verified address.
Would you trust them?
Their feedback is 100% but only 7.
They say they have tried to verify it tonight after I asked them but need to wait for their next bank statement which is not due until the end odf December.
Does this seem right or should I refund their payment and relist?
If I refund do I get my fees back or do I lose them because they were over ?10!

[Duk]

I wouldn't risk that much money on someone with a non verfied account or address. If they're a genuine buyer then I wouldn't have thought they'd mind paying via a safer method like a cheque or bank transfer.

You do need to check your bank statement for the Paypal amounts to verify your address

And you will get your Paypal fees back if you refund, but not the Ebay fees unless you go through the non paying bidder process.

[dj898]

I'd withdrawn the money into bank and spent on items and close off Paypal account...
that way if something goes wrong well... it's the buyer's problem, not me ... he he

[capcom_suicide]

I have just been paid nearly ?300 by someone on ebay (through Paypal) who is not verified and does not have a verified address.
Would you trust them?
Their feedback is 100% but only 7.
They say they have tried to verify it tonight after I asked them but need to wait for their next bank statement which is not due until the end odf December.
Does this seem right or should I refund their payment and relist?
If I refund do I get my fees back or do I lose them because they were over ?10!

I have been in the same spot as your buyer. I never verified as I am a bit worried about my info being online, but then a seller said it was dodgy. I had only 6 + feedback. So I requested varification, and I waited 7 days after doing the "Request varification" and then it appeared on my CC bill (Online) & I was verified.

I post this, just as I was legit, & in the same situation as your buyer. Not all of us are crooks out there, but sadly, yes some are.

So for 300 quid, it is a decent thing to do, to want varification, but as you didn't request it, and he has paid, is it fair to now wait? Not easy.

/C_S

[thebuddahman]

I posted a similar topic on here last week after someone (with +1 rating) bought something off me for ?80 and paid via Paypal. They too were unverified and unconfirmed. I decided to check out their bidding history on eBay to see if they were buying loads and scamming (which they werent), e-mailed the guy himself to get some form of communication going and double checked his address on the internet to check it was legit.

Only when I felt semi-satisfied they didn't fit the traditional 'scammer' profile, I posted the item, made sure I got a receipt and also paid for insurance in case the item 'got lost'.

Basically, doing all this gives you a decent amount of protection if they do a chargeback on you in the future for it 'not turning up' or something. You have the proof you posted it and you also have insurance from the post office.

Failing all this, do what dj898 said!

The bloke emailed me today saying he received it safely and to thank me. Sorted.

I also have started putting on my auctions that "I always obtain proof of postage and therefore cannot be responsible for items lost in the post" which I would think deters some of the scammers. Who knows though.

[melody]

It didn't take me more than 10 minutes to have my paypal verified. All I had to do was state what I use it for and give my telephone number. A 4 digit code was given and then the telephone rang asking me to type in the code and then I was verified. I did this last month so i'm pretty up to date on the process! Not too sure what this nonsense is about a bank statement (and couldn't the buyer just check their statement online anyway?)...

[peeveen]

It takes more than the phone check ... you still need the bank account verification.

I did the phone check, and am still unverified ... I can't link to my bank account cos my wife has already used it for her paypal account.

So I'm destined to be unverified for a while.

[vertigo]

Why don't you people use internet banking to verify yourself?
I don't understand computer literate people who don't use internet banking and still rely solely on paper statements to keep track of what's going on.

[Neil]

I am not too worried about chargeback because of the item being 'lost' because I am using special delivery so that should be covered what I am worried about is if the credit card isn't hers then i'm sure I would be liable.

She seems genuine but it was the e-mail she sent me after I raised my concerns that has put me off.
She said that this is a present for christmas for her son etc etc and she had to get it sorted quite quickly because she was going into hospital today for a cancer operation!
Now if she is telling the truth I feel horrible but it just seemed a bit over the top to me , maybe she just wanted me to fel sorry for her so I would post.

So for 300 quid, it is a decent thing to do, to want varification, but as you didn't request it, and he has paid, is it fair to now wait? Not easy.


I totally agree with you here it's my fault for not asking for verified members in the first place, I will in future for large items.

Thanks for all the advice.

[Neil]

*Update*


Just got her phone number from ebay and gave her a ring.

Spoke to her husband who knew nothing of the transaction but phoned her mobile and confirmed it was ok.
She had used her credit card on Paypal instead of her husbands (which was the one registered with paypal) which caused the problems.
I do feel slightly bad now but the bit about the cancer op seems to be made up just to get me to post because she was at work today at their business and not in hospital as she told me!
Anyway all's well that ends well but I always think it pays to be cautious on ebay.