Paypal security?

[BigZ]

hola,

so i sold an amp to a guy through another website and all went well, i was just wondering, since i havent done much business via paypal he made the payment and it's pending in my account, however, we've communicated back and forth prior to the payment and as soon as he made the payment i had a few extra questions regarding specifics for shipping and whatnot and he's apparently fallen off the face of the earth.

since the money is pending there's no way for him to get it back without filing some sort of claim, correct?

i contacted paypal about it but they keep telling me to refer to their help section which doesnt have what im specifically looking for unless im an idiot and missed it.

but yeah, it's been a couple days since the payment and i've reached out several times via email website account and the cell number he gave me, it's all packed up and good to go minus a couple small things i was asking him about, do i ship it or wait for his response?

TLDR; sold a thing, payment is pending, lost contact, ship or wait?

[1963SS]

Since you don't actually "have" the money, it's in some electronic limbo I'd wait until everything clears Paypal wait period. Kinda waiting until the Nigerian check clears the bank before spending any of the money. This is all true especially if you can't reach him through various channels. Another few days can't hurt and if he's worried about shipping, he'll call you.

[BigZ]

that's what i was going with the only thing is that i was more the one having a couple questions based on our prior conversations and the money could be "pending" until as late as Jan 21 according to Paypal.

but holding onto it makes the most sense for sure.

[audiofanaticz]

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/brc/funds-availability

If you are a new user, a user that never sold something for a decent amount of money, or unverified this stuff is common.

Typically once a payment is received and paypal is holding the funds, it will tell you under the details if it is ok to ship.

[BigZ]

so i am just an idiot then, cheers

[audiofanaticz]

possibly.

I had my paypal account for many years, only used it to buy things and send money etc.

Never had an actual incoming payment for something Ive sold, but when I sold my old Alpine ERE-G180 old school eq for $122 paypal held onto the money for 21days or until the buyer left feedback (which ever came first iirc), but in the detailed payment info it said "OK to ship".

[BigZ]

makes sense, im the same way, i guess i just never noticed the "ok to ship" probably couldve saved everyone some time and prevent his stuff from getting caught up in christmas shipping and whatnot. oh well, thanks again!

[audiofanaticz]

But yes, typically once the payment is sent it is yours, unless he files a claim.

If you hold on to your amp and dont ship until after the 21st of January you can guarantee he will file a claim! I know I would.
As long as its paypal holding the money your fine, they are doing it to make sure that the buyer gets his product and not a box of rocks or never gets it at all.

This way paypal can easily take that money that they frozen out of your account and return it to the buyer.

Otherwise if you had access to the money and your plan was to rip the person off you could have already withdrawn the money or spent it elsewhere, then paypal is stuck trying to charge it to a credit card you placed on file, or withdraw it from your bank, etc.

So your best bet even if you dont use paypal much is to get your account verified, add a bank/checking account to it, add a credit card, etc.

Once you ship the item the person bought from you, there is typically a box to add a tracking number into the details that both you and the buyer will be able to see.

When you ship the amp, take pics of the serial number, take pics of the packaging, take pics of you putting it into the box, etc.

If you want to be overkill, do it all on an unedited video showing the video camera the amp on all sides, showing the serial number, showing you package the item well, showing you tape the box up etc.

You want to cover your ass and then some, because in the issue of a paypal claim being made and the buyer saying its the wrong amp, or the amp got damaged in shipping or yada yada yada you got video proof you can send paypal along with pics. Otherwise they seem to rule in the buyers favor 9 times out of 10.

[Red-navi-916]

Well if he's fallen off earth I am going to assume you tried to sell it on Craigslist and someone is buying it for their son but can't meet up with you because they are on a business trip over seas and are offering you 40$ on top of what you're asking? And all they need from you is your PayPal address? Am I close?

[baron_of_bass]

I just filed a claim with PayPal a few weeks ago, If the buyer filed a claim against you they will let you know. They might ask for info from you, and your side of the story. I think PayPal is just holding onto the cash for a bit. Do you have a tracking number, proof of shipment, or shipping details?