The winner of one of my recent auctions is from the UK. (I am located in the US) A week after the buyer paid for the auction, I received an email from him, asking if it had been shipped. I informed him that it had been mailed and should be there within a couple of days. The following week, De I was checking over my Paypal transactions and noticed that payment for that auction had been refunded. I thought that it was a mistake, as I had not heard from PayPal or the buyer regarding this situation. Apparently, he had filed a Buyer Complaint with Paypal (for non-receipt of item) as soon as he found out that it had been mailed. Paypal claims to have sent me three email notifications (which is a BLATANT lie) but I didn’t respond, so they refunded his money. First of all, I check my email every single day and somehow, every other Paypal message has reached my Inbox – but mysteriously, not these three. Whatever. And it would not have mattered – because Paypal’s so-called “Seller Protection Policy” does not apply to packages mailed from the US to the UK. (But of course, their “Buyer Protection Policy” covers packages mailed from the US to the UK!) The Moral of the Story: Sellers Beware! By mailing items to an unconfirmed address in the US or any address in the UK – you are taking a risk. Paypal will issue a refund to anyone who claims that they did not receive their package. No questions asked – and you, the seller, will be out the merchandise, the payment, eBay fees, Paypal fees, and the cost of shipping – everyone wins – at your expense. Paypal’s system is flawed and completely unfair. I knew it would turn into a train wreck when they were acquired by eBay.
Where Bad Business is Exposed!
