ebabestreasures
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posted on November 23, 2008 06:46:31 AM
Someone just purchased a $150 item from my store. They paid less the shipping with paypal right away and sent me a Fedex Label via email so that it would be shipped on their account. I don't really have a problem with this but the label doesn't say anything about me being the shipper. Is there a way to protect myself or am I just being overly concerned? Can I just add the label to the paypal transaction now in case something did come up?
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shagmidmod
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posted on November 23, 2008 12:14:37 PM
Simply put... Don't Use their Label.
You are asking for problems. You are required by Paypal to be able to provide proof of shipping, using their "confirmed" shipping address, and I can most certainly guarantee you that if there is a problem you are not going to get any cooperation from the buyer or Paypal. Do yourself the favor and make sure to keep control over the transaction and you follow your own policies. If the buyer doesn't like it, then let them move on. At least you still have your product, otherwise you could be out of your money, your product and charged a $10 chargeback fee. Is it worth it?
Also, make sure to issue a refund and require the buyer to pay for the purchase and shipping together. You are not covered with protection against fraud if you accept two seperate payments.
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KarenMx
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posted on November 23, 2008 12:54:55 PM
There's also a good chance that the holder of the FedEx account will dispute the FedEx charge, which means FedEx will bill you for the shipping--and not at a discounted rate.
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shagmidmod
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posted on November 23, 2008 01:20:15 PM
good point KarenMx. I had someone use their UPS account to ship a Herman Miller conference table UPS freight to Los Angeles.
UPS quoted the guy a price, he agreed to it. He bought the table from us using a business check he mailed to us. He had a packing company pick it up and prep it for shipment. UPS picked it up at the packing company address... UPS misdelivered it to his home instead of office, so he rent a truck to move it. Then the bill came. They billed him full rate- no discount. He disputed it... guess who started getting shipping bills??? Me. He was the shipper and receiver, but he listed my business as a contact in case it had to be returned. I called UPS, and they tried to tell me that the shipper is always responsible. Ha!
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ebabestreasures
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posted on November 23, 2008 01:20:19 PM
How could they bill me? I don't have an account and my name & address isn't on the label. The buyer said I could just drop it off.
I'm feed up with not being able to trust people. I think ebay has done this to us more than the buyers.
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ebabestreasures
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posted on November 23, 2008 01:25:21 PM
Yikes that's horrible shagmidmod!! Did you end up having to pay?
I guess I can check with Fedex to see if my name is attached to it in anyway if I decide to do this.
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LtRay
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posted on November 23, 2008 02:14:31 PM
Normally I would advise you to not do it.
But in this case, if you want to consider doing it there are somethings you can do to protect yourself.
First, do the usual. Check their feedback for suspicious activity or bad feedback.
Next, verify that the buyer is indeed the person associated with the ebay account and PayPal account for this transaction. You can do this by checking the ebay invoice address against the PayPal transaction shipping address. You can also check their ebay contact info to see if the addresses do not match.
To cover yourself with PayPal, make sure the the delivery address is the same as the address on the PayPal transaction. If they do not match contact the buyer and refund the payment. You can explain to the buyer that the address has to match the shipping address on the transaction and she can update the shipping address as she pays the transaction.
You can enter the FedEx tracking number into the PayPal system by adding it to the transaction.
PayPal requires that you provide proof of shipping and delivery. They do not require that the item be shipped on your shipping account. If you wanted an added level of protection you could require the buyer to send you a FedEx label that requires a signature for delivery.
There should be a contact phone number on the FedEx label. Call the number and speak to the buyer to verify the number is valid. She should appreciate your follow-up and concern for her account security.
Ask for a receipt when you drop-off the package at FedEx. They should scan the package and give you a receipt but you may have to ask for one. With FedEx, you do not have to provide an ID to ship a package that has a pre-printed label so you should not run into a problem like the one Shagi had with UPS.
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shagmidmod
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posted on November 23, 2008 03:44:57 PM
great, except that this buyer is forcing their shipping method upon you, which should be a red flag (or at least yellow).
i always refuse using someone elses account b/c of the headaches I experienced.
though the likelihood of something going wrong may be minimal, you should always ask yourself if you can afford the loss of the item and the money. is it worth it to take the chance or not.
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hwahwa
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posted on November 23, 2008 04:30:29 PM
If they are using their employer FED EX account,at year end the company own internal auditors will audit the freigt account or they will hire a company which will go through all the freight payments to find any misbilling,frauds or double billing.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
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ebabestreasures
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posted on November 24, 2008 04:37:42 AM
Thanks for the FB and great suggestions.
I guess I won't do it even if it means losing a sale.
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photosensitive
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posted on November 24, 2008 06:46:32 AM
I have done this a number of times but not for eBay auctions. When I do freelance graphics jobs or have sold things off eBay it has always worked well. If it is an expensive item to ship I can see the buyers point in wanting to use a personal account but I also see your point in not wanting to be stuck with shipping. Explain the problem with PayPal confirmed shipping without suggesting another payment option and maybe THEY will offer a business check.
-----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o
“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
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glassgrl
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posted on November 24, 2008 09:36:01 AM
just curious - was the label a .pdf image? If not - I can't imagine the quality would be good enough to use. How do you email a Fedex label?
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