Got screwed using Paypal What to do?


Paypal won't protect me!
The only way that I can get my money back, according to Paypal, is if they can find the guy that never sent me the unit that I won on ebay.

I paid by credit card on Paypal. The seller took the funds, left for Europe and never sent my unit. Fat chance of them getting anything.

I lost over $2300!
I HATE Paypal!

Does anyone out there know if I can do a credit card chargeback against Paypal.

Richard
drrdiamond
That sucks!

Call your CC company and see if they will cancel payment. But, do it NOW! Don't wait.
be sure to call your credit card company asap, file a dispute and ask for their assistance...they may give you a provisional credit while they investigate...good luck
The first thing I would do is contact your credit card company and see what protection they offer you. Be sure to keep a paper trail of correspondence through paypal and directly with the seller. Also report the situation to ebay.
Sorry to hear about your situation, I definitely tend to stick to Audiogon for higher ticket items. Good luck finding this scumbag!!
Richard, since you paid by credit card you have certain rights. First, contact the credit card issuer and tell them you are disputing the charge. By law, they must invesigate and, if they cannot get PAYPAL to issue you a refund or credit within 30 days, they will issue you "provisional credit" which means that the disputed amount is not factored into your finance charges and available credit. If the creditor cannot get the money back after 60 or 90 days, this provisional credit MAY become permanent and you are off the hook. Read your statement/agreement VERY CAREFULLY as this is subject to state laws.

Second: in writing (as soon as you hang up the phone), tell the creditor you are dissatisfied and are demanding a refund. Include your personal info, card number number and the product in dispute (even though you didn't receive it, you still PAID for it) and the amount in dispute. Mail PAYPAL and your creditor a copy of this letter. Since PAYPAL is the one that deducted your credit card, check with your state's Attorney General to what extent PAYPAL's liability is, if any.

This is your best shot. But ya gotta move now. Best of luck.
Basically, don't use paypal if you can help it. Their customer service is worse than useless. Definitely issue a chargeback against them (Paypal). They will hate it and fight it and may lock up your account (take out all $ now if you have any in there) , but the CC company should stick up for you. IMHO Paypal is fine until you have a problem, then they suck ass.

-Ed Sawyer
*been there, been screwed by paypal, but the other way around, as a seller*
I ain't no lawyer but I'll just bet my butt Paypal ain't responsble.---- Don't you guys notice dealers with adds here that won't take your card??---But they will take Papal?? The only purpose is so you can't return the item or file a merchant's dispute. Gives you a good idea of what they think of what they're selling. Do yourself a favor and avoid this type of merchant. I'm just about sure that using Paypal is kinda like a cash advance thing.--No recourse! Sorry for your predicament.
Be thankful you used paypal and a credit card, cause now you do have some course of action to take. If you had sent a cashiers check, you would be screwed.Did you check the guy out first? Did he have any feedback?Also did you talk to him on the phone before sending funds? Did the item retail for much more than the $2300.00, as in three times as much? These are all steps to take, they will not guareentee no fraud, but will cut risk considerably. Dealers do not use paypal to keep from having to take items back. Paypal charges 2.9% where as my bank charges me 3.5% to 4% for card use.Which at the selling price(most times lower than dealer cost) the dealer will add back to the item. So the customer would rather have 3% added than 4% Paypal was designed to make cash transactions quick. I hate to say this but most of the time the paypal is the customers request, because they want the item now and as cheap as they can get it. I only sell products on A-gon that are trade-ins or demos that manufactures require me to turn yearly. Most of the time it's the buyer who can give a seller a hard time, wanting the product now.Most of the time these products are very discounted and would not be sold for that price just a month or two before.The bottom line is A-gon and Paypal are tools for consumers to get fantastics deals on great products that they would never get otherwise. When you seek out a deal or superfast service, things are not always perfect, this is a risk consumers will have to take for doing business one the web. My point is support you local dealer! They're is nothing wrong with getting a deal, buy just keep in mind, that something too good may have a catch! I'm sorry for your mishap, but you'll be fine if you contact your credit card as mentioned before.
I will not use Paypal. If you look into the organization, IMHO, it looks like Raptor or Jedi.

If a seller requires Paypal and won't take my check even after contacting them, I pass on the unit.
Just curious what products did you try to purchase? I saw some Levinson equipment on Ebay which were listed way below cost without any reserves. The seller had many positive feed backs, but there were all purchases of sport cards which were relatively cheap. I could see this person being extra careful by investing a few hundred bucks to buy cheap items on Ebay while building a reputable feedback list. Once he gets you bait, he'll real you in for the big one. Just be careful folks.

I am surprise Paypal doesn't have any person back ground information on this person. In order for this person to except such large amount he/she had to have beens verified member of Paypal. If you get personal info of this person, can yo persue him or her? Can you tell your credit card company that you didn't not receive the goods you had purchased or because you went through Paypal it complicates things.

One of me college friend works at Paypal. I'll ask the company can do if any.
As much as I am sorry to hear of your loss, it is the seller who would have ended up screwing you one way or the other. Had you not used Paypal and sent a check, either personal and certified, the seller, I am sure would have simply deposited your check and STILL not sent your equipment.
What site did you make the purchase through? I don't know if it's any easier to perpetrate a fraudulent sale by taking Paypal than by taking other forms of payment, but some virtual places are definitely better to shop at than others.
Regarding Paypal:
They actually did get me back most of my money. It is a miracle!

Regarding 3chin......:
No I wouldn't have gotten skrewed without Paypal. I only do business on expensive items using either VISA or COD/Cashiers check. If I knew Paypal wasn't safe, I wouldn't have made the deal.

Regarding Sound.....:
The sight didn't matter, it was Paypal.

Paypal may be safe for the seller, but NOT necessarily for the buyer.

MY complaint is that they are not up-front with this lack of safety issue with the buyers.
I like PayPal, and like pmwoodward said if you sent this guy a money order, certified check, personal check, or even a credit card. You still would not have gotten your amp. He was a crook. It is very important to know who you are dealing with. You need to check their feedback before you make a purchase. This guy if reported can no longer trade on eBay. I trade lp's on ebay and have made over 300 deals and have found PayPal works good for me. When I pay the seller I get a receipt and a copy is kept online in my paypal account. so no disputes over payment. I don't have to go somewhere to buy a money order. I don't have to worry about my payment getting lost or stolen in the mail. As a seller I get a warp speed payment and don't have to worry about if the guy is sending payment or not. I can get their purchase out quickly and don't have the items hanging around the house for weeks. It sounds like Drrdiamond got most of his money back from PayPal. Try to go to the Post office or your bank and ask them for your money back because you made a deal with a crook!
also all the money I make from selling lp's that goes into my PayPal account is mine to buy lp's or new stereo equipment and my Wife doesn't know how much money is in my account. I cannot find any down side and between what I buy and sell the fees balance each other out.
Ron