Can this be a scam?

[fredda]

So i found an item over at ebay-kleinanzeigen.de that i want to buy. Seller agreed to ship it from Germany to Sweden, wanted me to send it as a friend payment.

Googled "paypal friend scam" and theres no way im going down that road. So i asked if i could "pay for goods" instead and cover the fees, seller says sure!

Now when i logged in and initiated the payment the sellers local currency is Thai baht!? A little suspect as he claims he's living in Germany!

If my goods don't arrive for like ten days, can i open a dispute and have my money returned? What if the seller closes he's Paypal account in that time or just cleans it out of funds?

[kernowlass]

@fredda

That depends on many factors all listed in Paypals buyer protection policy for you to read and then risk assess your transactions.

[fredda]

I have read the buyer protection policy and i fulfill all the factors stated there.

But still, i would like to know what happens if the seller send me a brick instead of a harddrive. Can he end his account or clean it out to evade my (in worst case) claims?

[kernowlass]

@fredda

You can open a dispute but whether you win or not as i said depends on the criteria in that buyer protection policy.

If you WIN a dispute and the seller has emptied his account then paypal will refund you under that buyer protection scheme which you said you had read?

If they sent a brick and paypal found in your favour then you may have to return the item you received trackable back to the seller at your own expense before you are refunded.

Dependent on what country you are in activate the 'return shipping on us' link before you make the transaction (if available where you are).

[seefees]

Most of the people who insist to get paid through "friends and family" option are scammers. This is something I discovered today by losing 250€ from buying an iphone on ebay kleinanzeigen platform. Ridiculously I received a warning email from ebay-kleinanzeigen about this user being a potential scammer  right after I had already transferred the money through "friends and family" to that person. Then immediately I realised my big mistake and I first tried to communicate with that person without having  any response. Then I reported the user on kleinanzeigen still believing in the possibility of having my money back. This user had  kleinanzeigen account since two years which was the main reason for me to trust and transfer the money. For my big surprise I discovered that ebay-kleinanzeigen doesn't have any kind of security protection. Except of providing a childish list of what should everybody take care while buying something online. They also advise the kleinanzeigen victims to report the case to the police with a link. Absolutely Ridiculous! There was another big surprise when I discovered PayPal has no protection for "friends and family" transfers makes it much easier for scammers to steal money from non experienced people on online shopping. I'm still trying to find a solution of getting a refund even if it seems impossible.

[kernowlass]

@seefees 

A friends / family (or gift payment) is intended as a transfer of funds from family or friends to one another. For this reason, there is no processing fee when payment is made with bank or PayPal balance.
However as it is a gift payment, there is also no Buyer protection as no goods or services should have been exchanged.

If he was not a close mate or family member you should never use that option as it enables the seller to evade paying his paypal fees and negates your buyer protection at the same time. You would also not be able to open a dispute apart from one citing an unauthorised transaction but that would be automatically closed as you did authorise the initial payment.

You also 'risk' having your account limited as using that option for purchasing goods is against Paypal rules.

If you funded your paypal payment via a credit card then contact your card issuer and see if they will help you but unfortunately they may decline as well as it was a gift payment.

[seefees]

@kernowlass 

I just have to make clear I do not care of having any kind of limitations on my paypal account because I will deactivate it forever.

Somebody stole my money because of my mistake to fall in a trap of a weak security system and I have to be afraid of the  consequences ?

Do you realise what is happening?  

[kernowlass]

@seefees 

System is fine if you use it properly.

You bought on Ebay but presumably did NOT use Ebay checkout which would have given you buyer protection.

You used the friends / family option to pay. Were they a family member? No. Were they a close mate? No.

So why would you use that option?

[seefees]

First of all I didn't buy anything from Ebay. I attempted to buy an iphone on Ebay-kleinanzeigen in Germany where I live. I paid through friends and family because the seller made it clear this was the only payment method he accepts. Since I'm not so experienced with online shopping I made a small research about friends and family payment on Ebay-kleinanzeigen and I found out that even if this is not recommended a lot of people are using it to prevent the additional costs. Then I made the mistake to transfer the money to a scammer. Who still has an unidentified PayPal account continuing steal money because it's impossible to report this account. What a great security system!

[kernowlass]

@seefees 

So a scammer tells you to send the payment using the friends / family option which gives you 0 protection and you go ahead because 'it saved the seller paying his paypal fee'. Some logic that is.