Using PayPal to Buy

[LimeyPhil]

As a private seller I am very apprehensive of anyone who insists that they'll pay my asking price and wants to arrange to collect the vehicle unseen ... but only if I'll accept payment via PayPal. I have always declined such offers as they sound like scams. I'd have no proof of delivery or the ability to verify the buyer's identity. Meaning that PayPal is liable to subsequently reverse the payment at the "buyer's" request. Am I wrong?

[soad]

Doubt if one would even receive a “payment”, more likely a fake email. Don’t bother to entertain these.

[Jamescrs]

Just avoid those kind of people. PayPal is massively open to abuse and they are usually very quick to pull money back off a seller even if they receive it.

I wouldnt accept it as payment for anything these days I used to be a big user of it but it's largely redundant to me other than the apps to pay for the kids school stuff insists on PayPal sstill.

[blue_haddock]

Its a scam so walk away.

[LimeyPhil]

Thanks for the rapid feedback & confirmation.

[joropug]

Definite scam but interestingly my brother bought his first car on eBay - A corsa C , some time ago probably 2010. The seller only wanted to accept PayPal so after viewing they did a buy it now and paid , seller must have taken a big hit on fees.

But then , we realised the car didn’t have ABS which was essential for a new driver - advert stated it did, PayPal agreed mis sold and was eligible for a refund. In the end seller intervened before it was forced.

So was very useful as a buyer !

[vikingaero]

Never accept PayPal for car sales.

I'm a scammer and I want to buy your car. I'll have a load of hijacked PayPal accounts. I then fund the PayPal account using stolen/cloned/compromised cards/bank account details. I'll make a PayPal payment to you and drive off in your car.

A few days later, PayPal detect the fraud and reverse the funds out of your PayPal account. You now owe PayPal £xx,xxx and I have your car.

(PayPal will hound you for payment by phone, emails and letters and transfer collection to a debt collection agency - very easy to resolve block calls, block emails, bin letters, etc. AFAIK, PayPal have rarely if ever taken anyone to Court because of own dodgy practices).

[LimeyPhil]

Yikes ... sounds at least as bad as I had feared ... if not worse. Pleased to have given the "offer" a wide berth.
Many thanks to all responders.

Perhaps the subject would be worthy of inclusion in any advice given out when selling privately ... PistonHeads?? Just a thought.

[sixor8]

It's due to this that for vehicle sales on eBay you do NOT have to accept paypal. Bank transfer using a smart phone is very fast, and safe too.

Due to the transaction charges, why want you want to receive paypal payment for anything unless you really have to?

[ilikejam]

I'd consider using Paypal to buy, but never to sell. I've had the 'scam payment reversal' trick done on me before. Took a few weeks but eventually got resolved in my favour as I had proof of delivery etc.

I once used it for my business as I had a (genuine) client in the US wanting to pay online and it was the cheapest way fees-wise at the time. Paypal immediately locked the account for money laundering (a whopping £600) and it took months to get it back open again.