[Platinum Joinee West]

So, I bought a rather expensive item on eBay on December 27th. The listing claims the buyer was sending it 1st class recorded. I accidentally misunderstood this as special delivery, so my mistake there that there's no insurance, but that's a secondary issue for now.

On January 3rd, when I received a few other items I'd purchased on December 28th that were delivered 2nd class, I got to wondering where my item was. I gave it a couple of days, then asked the seller if she'd sent it yet (as it wasn't marked as sent on eBay. Still isn't in fact) she said she'd posted it on the 28th and apologised for the delay that would inevitably occur from the single bank holiday between then and now. I replied that's fine, can I have the tracking number please?

Now, after my first enquiry, she replied within a day. No reply to my second enquiry on the 3rd. Or to my subsequent slightly more snarky enquiry about the tracking number I sent on the 5th. So today I have lodged a dispute with PayPal, and messages her to let her know about it, explaining that if it is a simple misunderstanding that's fine and I won't be angry or upset, but I need to either have the item or my money back which is why I have raised a dispute.

My question is this.... I purchased the item through MY eBay account, but We wanted to pay using john's credit card. We paid as a PayPal guest using his card in his name. To set up the dispute today we had to open a PayPal account in johns name with this credit card attached to it. Will this affect our claim at all do you think? The fact it was purchased by an eBay account belonging to Zena Johnson, paid for by a guest user with a credit card registered to a John West, and the fact that the very first (and very high value) transaction on this PayPal account is being disputed?

It looks a bit fishy to me to be honest, and it's MY issue!! So does anyone know enough about PayPal to know whether this will look dodgy to them too?



Also, back to the secondary issue... If she does give me a tracking number and the item is lost in the post, then with recorded delivery there is no insurance, as far as I am aware she can only claim back the postage costs from royal mail, which fall a good few hundred pounds short of the contents. Legally, whose responsibility is it to get the item to me? Would she be financially liable, or would I have to have paid several hundred pounds for nothing? Because I REALLY can't afford to do that... Anyone know?

[Joinee Hathorn]

A little experience. As the buyer, you are pretty well served by paypal (I believe). With the Paypal payment different names, I don't think it's a problem, you are married and could prove it if necessary. I believe that unless she has proof of postage, she is entirely liable, if she DOES have proof of postage, then she has insurance up to £32 (possibly £40 - I think they updated it). She will be asked by paypal to show proof of postage, and if she doesn't then you will almost certainly WIN the dispute, if she has some then it is up to her to sort it out with Royal Mail and then that might delay the entire resolution but I'm not sure.

We had a problem on ebay when we sold and sent the items to one address (no proof of postage) and were then told by the buyer that her address had changed, obviously she never received the items as she didn't live there.... the dispute was raised by her, she sent lots of apologetic emails, and eventually she took the money and 'ran'. Without the proof of postage we apparently had no leg to stand on even though we had an email trail saying she didn't live at the ebay address anymore.

[SJ Del (The Train Man)]

Would you also have some chance of a refund through John's credit card?

[Platinum Joinee West]

Ooh maybe, it is a capital one card, all of their adverts always bang on about buyer protection...

[Platinum Joinee Plub]

Isn't is section 75 protection or something, providing the item was more than £100 and paid for through credit?

http://www.moneysavi...-your-purchases

[Platinum Joinee West]

Does anyone know, if I close a dispute, can I open it again?

He is communicating now and her reasons sound semi-plausible. BUT she's saying she can't afford to post it again until she withdraws the money from PayPal, and PayPal won't let her till the dispute is closed.

So can I close it, then open a new one if it still doesn't arrive in the next week??

[Platinum Joinee West]

Ah, just found out I can't. Will tell poor lady Jo can't afford £6 postage no.

[Joinee Hathorn]

Where about is the seller based? Maybe she could deliver it personally to a local Joinee (or friend), so you know you'd get the goods, then close the dispute, refund the postage and then sort out the postage issue with the aforementioned Joinee...

[Gaz]

I had someone not send me a fairly expensive item, and I claimed it all back via my card because PayPal were rubbish. You can't reopen anything you close and they constantly, constantly try to get you and the buyer to agree to something because otherwise they don't get their cut. This also has the effect of stringing things out which makes it more likely to drift past the expiry date for action (which means again, they get their cut and you can go **** yourself as far as they are concerned). Also bear in mind that the seller may also be stalling to take it past the complaint window - paranoid, but never hurts to be careful.

PayPal are a necessary evil, but very much an evil. I would see what your card co. are willing to do on your behalf first as if you can leave it to them to deal with PayPal, so much the better.

[PJ Hannah B-R]

Paypal are total cnuts