ebay vs audiogon

PHD, USPS money orders don't give the buyer the choice of credit card use. I also have not been stung....yet. I've read posts from those who have been. I do not wish to write one of those posts. So while using Paypal may not get the buyer the unit any quicker, it will allow them to use a credit card.
Anyone can learn from their own experience, a wise man learns from the experiences of others.

Jmcgrogan, any time you do business on the internet regardless of payment method there will be some risks, were all taking chances just by living. Again check your buyers feedback. When I am looking to purchase, I actively seek out sellers that offer paypal. I don't like sending a money order unless I have to because it takes too long to receive the item. I can honestly say that three out of four items I have sold were done via paypal. Take paypal out of the picture & you may not sell the item at all. If you don't intend on shipping in a timely manner I would make it clear in your ad that you accept paypal but you will not ship until the funds have reached your bank. Remember if you do ship an item quickly & the paypal payment (credit card)is cancelled you can also call the shipper & retrieve the item before it is delivered. You will have to pay return shipping costs. Paypal can also be tied to the buyers savings account which is called a bank transfer. This is a prefered method of a paypal payment with some sellers as it can't be canceled.

Audiogon has been great to me! I wouldn't even consider using ebay. I mean why would I? A toast to Audiogoner's, you are truly the cream of the crop.

ok fellas dig this,i just had a amp on auction last night on ebay & the high bidder had a recent negative feedback in his profile stating that he had used the paypal charge back to scam the seller.

of coures this sent me into outer space as soon as i saw it so i wrote the seller & asked for a explaination of what happened,below is a copy of his entire email he sent me last night,word for word.

keep in mind that this buyer has great feedback other than the negative stating the charge back,the seller also has a huge feedback rating & its all perfect too.

START.

mike,he purchased a mcintosh mc2300 amp from me for $900,he picked the amp up in person & put it unprotected in the trunk of his car & went home.

he wrote me the next day saying the amp was not working correctly & demanded a partial refund,he filed a complaint with ebay & lost,then he filed a complaint with paypal & lost,then he did a charge back thru his credit card company NOW HE HAS MY AMP & HIS MONEY!

paypal is filing a complaint in my behalf with his credit card company but it takes up to 75 days to process & ive yet to hear a word from them.

this amp was in good working order when it left my house & i believe it still is,he just wanted a partial refund,not a total refund where he would have to return the amp,he wanted a partial refund of $500 in his complaints to ebay & paypal,he was denied on both complaints but due to the credit card company charge back now he has all his cash & my amp!

good luck with him & let me know how it turns out.

END.

the whole deal of being verified works great for buyers & it takes care of a lotta issues for them like buyers remorse or to flat out rip a seller off ,when you supply the credit card info in order to be verified there isnt a thing in the world you can do to stop a charge back.

this isnt a issue of ebay vs audiogon & since were trading here & not ebay were safe its an issue about a dangerous loophole that leaves a honest seller totally at the mercy of idiots & thieves who on a whim can have the gear & the cash & it happens every day.

ive been turned down many times from sellers who refuse to sell gear to a non verified address thinking this in some way protects them,it dont protect anybody but the buyer & will only make it possible for a buyer to legaly rip you off.

mike.

Bigjoe: It's true, paypal ain't perfect. It's risky both ways. Sometimes chargebacks made by malicious buyers go through and screw the seller. Sometimes chargebacks get refused by paypal when the seller really did scam the buyer.

That said, it's a helluva lot safer for a buyer than sending a money order, and I think it would be great if you could acknowledge that as a strength.

I know sellers matter too. The idea here is to come up with a way to make both people relatively safe and happy. I know that you're very anti-paypal because of your own experiences, but it's been really frustrating to read your responses on this issue, in this thread and others, which are many, because I've never seen you actually offer a solution. All I see is complaints, and the insistance that money orders are the way to go because they're 100% safe for you, the seller.

You seem to hate Escrow.com with an equal passion, and you've never explained why, besides the ubiquitous "it's bad for the seller", and that it's slow. Again, the point is to come up with a mutually beneficial solution. Finding such a solution will benefit you as a seller as well, in the long run.

The policy of draining an account after a transaction and waiting to ship is extremely underhanded, deceitful, and disrespectful. If I were involved in a transaction with a seller who did that, I would report them to paypal immediately.

I don't mean to be b*tchy. I've had a lot of fun talkin' to you and many other anti-paypal dudes on the Gon, but I just had to express my frustration. The end.