posted on March 14, 2006 02:24:27 PM
Another HAPPY ENDING!
But geez, this one was WIERD:
Buyer purchases scale ($215 total) on 1/16...
He's "REGISTERED" in the USA with a SHIPPING ADDRESS in MIAMI...
PayPal payment arrives with an UNCONFIRMED ADDRESS! I double-check my account preferences, and, as I intended, I had a BLOCK in place! How da hell did this one get thru???
Anyhoo, after a long discussion with Ralphie, we decide to ship...It's signed for 3 days later, and all is happy in TOM-&-Ralphie world until...
FEB 16, PayPal yanks trhe $215 outta my account for: CHARGEBACK -- and Ralphie & I begin to foam...
I pull his info to give him a call, but his telephone number is in...THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC!
WTF!!??
What happened with being registered in the good ole USofA??
Anyhoo, and surprisingly, he DOES respond to my HYSTERICAL & THREATENING emails composed by Mr.Canine Counselor Ralphie with the following fairy-tale:
"I didn't do a chargeback, my bank did chargebacks on all my purchases because they saw something wrong...yadda...yadda, etc,etc"
But, he does co-operate with PayPal, and, this morning, the MOOLA WAS RESTORED!
Ralphie & I were a'kissing & a'hugging, singing and dancing -- you get the picture???
posted on March 14, 2006 04:29:21 PM
I'll bet the "SHIPPING ADDRESS in MIAMI" was a trans-shipper. There are loads of them in Miami mostly used when non-US buyers are dealing with USA-only merchants like BestBuy and zenophobic eBay sellers. You can't block them because they are registered in the USA. However the buyer does need to register the Miami trans-shipper with their credit card as a shipping address so it'll be okay with PayPal too. You'll only get a real charge back much later if the item is denied entry to the DR or gets lost enroute from Miami. Don't panic.
Yeah, I knew all of that -- my point is that it distorts the eBay REGISTRATION, eliminating my ability to BLOCK non-USA (or non-CANADIAN) buyers...
Not because I'm XENOPHOBIC (although I admit to a bias against ELBONIANS), but because of the nature of what I sell...
Which is: NEW SCALES & BALANCES!
They are relativel delicate instruments, and, it's amazing that the vast majority arrive at their destination in perfect working condition...
HOWEVER, around 2% arrive DOA because the UPS or CUSTOMS agent was a bit "over-enthusiatic" in his handling, etc.
THAT'S no big deal, as the MANUFACTURERS I represent and the vendors I use will do a CALL-TAG replacement at no charge -- JUST AS LONG AS IT'S IN THE USA OR CA!
I learned my lesson when I sold items to some clown in ITALY NOT to sell items outside the USA/CA.
FIRST, his items were held in CUSTOMS for 10 days, and then one of the scales was VAPORIZED by the ROMAN LEGIONS.
AT MY EXPENSE, I HAD TO DO AN EXCHANGE FROM ITALY!
NEVER AGAIN...
So, if the feeBay registrations are now meaningless, I'm not a happy camper...
posted on March 14, 2006 05:32:41 PM
I don't accept paypal myself tom, but I'm glad things worked out for you in the end. I see how they might not have. I'm also guessing profit margins are slimmer for new products (it takes many item sales to make up even one loss) than might be the case with some antiques/collecibles.
I'm curious though to know if Paypal has any pearls of wisdom on the situation you experienced, so it won't happen again. Did you ask them? Also if the address was unconfirmed, what factor/s made you decide to ship after all?
1) Some of my items are just "filler" for my STORE, with very little profit (after feeBay fees, etc), but some of my items are real "happy-dancers" -- sell ONE & Ralphie & I are in KIBBLE-&-BEER for a YEAR
2) PAYAL said NADA in their email to me when they returned the moola other than saying: "The CHARGEBACK has been REVERSED." THAT'S ALL!
3) I was not amused that the BLOCK against UNCONFIRMED ADDRESSES didn't work in this case, and neither PayPal nor feeBay would explain why the BLOCK failed.
That failure puts the onus on me to return the money & then ya end up dancing with the customer, as they just send the money BACK to you with the same old UNCONFIRMED ADDRESS, and it can become a real CLUSTER-FIRETRUCK...Sooooo, Ralphie convinced me to GAMBLE...the little weasel!
posted on March 14, 2006 07:49:32 PM
Not exactly a confidence-inspiring performance from either ebay or paypal.
As far as gambling goes (nothing against Ralphie's betting habits), I've always said to myself that I'd rather gamble with antiques than with the casinos, at least I know I'll walk away with some cash in hand, even if I guess wrong. And like the casinos, sometimes 'tiques can pay 60-1 or better too.
posted on March 15, 2006 04:04:22 AM
"Not because I'm XENOPHOBIC (although I admit to a bias against ELBONIANS), but because of the nature of what I sell...
Which is: NEW SCALES & BALANCES! "
yea those "coke" dealers are so unreliable aren't they??.....I never could trust any of them.
[ edited by classicrock000 on Mar 15, 2006 05:50 AM ]
posted on March 15, 2006 05:44:07 AM
Tom,
Ebay has no way of verifying during registration where this person resides,only when someone reports to Ebay his contact information is invalid,then Ebay will try to contact that person either via email or phone.
Your buyer could also use the Miami dropshipper address to register with Ebay,Paypal and apply for credit card.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself—not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch."
—After visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself—not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch."