Paypal auction escrow question?

[WetWillie]

I want to make a purchase thru paypal its for $6000
the person has 0 feedback and I want to make sure I get the iteam. Does Paypal protect me? Can I buy mor insurance thru them?
Is there another esrow option?
This deal seem like its to good to be true? Just want to make sure I get my $ back
W

[Dr. Eagle]

Paypal will protect you to $500. I am not sure but you may be able to purchase additional coverage... but if it were me... I don't think I'd move forward when the guy has zero feedback... sounds like it could be fraud.

[dego red]

Zero feedback does'nt always mean fraud, could be just new to e-bay. Do some e-mails and some phone calls to see where the person is at and get a feel for the deal. red

[Dr. Eagle]

Zero feedback does'nt always mean fraud, could be just new to e-bay. Do some e-mails and some phone calls to see where the person is at and get a feel for the deal. red
You are absolutely right it doesn't mean fraud necessarily, but it also means no track record. I look very closely at the feedback. I buy a lot of stuff on ebay and without any feedback, I'd be pretty suspicious.
I had a Fretless bass I was bidding on and it was at the same price for days when suddenly right at the end... someone with fzero feedback and that little ring symbol that means a new user was bidding against me. I bid to a point and decided to let it go.
Funny thing, the next day I got a "second chance offer" from the seller. I guess he decided not to buy his own bass for that inflated price... if you get my drift.
All I was trying to say is you need to be very careful. Look in the tools or buyer assistance on ebay. They have an escrow service that they either own or recommend. Don't use another service than that as there are lots of fraudulent escrow scams going on out there.
This person may be 100% legit, but I would just want to be 100% sure if it were me.

[JDK]

them?
Is there another esrow option?
W
Yes. PayPal a deposit and pay the rest when you pick the item up. If the item is a long way away, you might have to pay someone to do an 'inspection' for you. If the seller doesn't agree to this... walk away (deals that seem too good to be true usually are).

[Dr. Eagle]

Yes. PayPal a deposit and pay the rest when you pick the item up. If the item is a long way away, you might have to pay someone to do an 'inspection' for you. If the seller doesn't agree to this... walk away (deals that seem too good to be true usually are).
I had a guy offer me a "new" sea doo gtx supercharged ski for about 6K. He used ebay to "fish" for buyers, when he had a sufficient number of "pre-qualified buyers" he pulled the listing. He then contacted me and said if I wanted it I needed to wire the money to his account in the netherlands. Hmmm the listing said Oklahoma or Arkansas... where did the netherlands come in. I started asking questions and he ginned up a story that was a whopper. so I told him OK I will use an escrow service... no deal. We went back and forth a few times and I sent the information on the listing to ebay security.
He tried again twice after that and I saw each attempt (each under a different sellers ID )and reported it to ebay. They immediately pulled the listings.
This was one of the outcomes of the "Phishing" when someone sends you an official looking email asking you to confirm your account info. You enter it and basically give them the keys to your account, and they list stuff using your ID and feedback scores. You really have to be careful... like you said, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

[ROBINHOOD]

I've bought alot off ebay and use paypal a fair bit. If its anything over a couple C notes. Book a weekend flight and take a official chq with you. Better to feel safe than have a empty wallet.

[Daytona19]

BEWARE its a scam. I am just speaking from expirence as a Ebay member from 1998. I have sold and bought many things up to 7000.00 myself but NEVER would I deal with someone in the Netherlands and they are supposed to have anything here (USA) no matter what the excuse. I was almost scammed on a Polaris ATV the same exact way but was suspisious and did a ton of investigation first. The machine they had listed was in Ohio but they were in England but they had a stock number and the deal was right. I contacted the dealer and had them check the stock number and the machine was sold two monthes before and they had no contact in England. Word of warning dont get screwed. I set the supposed seller up with the cops thru email but they could not do anything because the seller wasnt here in the USA. But if I sent my cash there they still could not do anything either. BEWARE!!!! :2purples: :2purples: :2purples:

[AMC-Nut]

Hey All,
Do what the other guy said and just paypal a deposit and then go inspect the deal for yourself. A lot of real estate escrow companies are also willing to set up an escrow service on personal property, that's how I bought my current work truck, off of eBay. It was located in Minnesota while I am in AZ, it was a deal to good to be true, a 2002 Dodge Quad-Cab for $8000. The seller had just died and the kids didn't want to mess with his estate. I did end up with truck for $8K, best deal I have found.
Ryan

[hallett 260]

I just got through with a bad deal through Ebay. The item was $5000.00. When I received it, the item was used and not what I ordered. I would have been stiffed if it wasn't for the fact I bought it with my credit card. It was then considered credit card fraud. My credit card reversed the charges and I got my money back. It was a huge pain in the a$$.
If you do use paypal, be sure to pay by credit card...Always.

[572Daytona]

The problem with PayPal's protection is that you only have 30days from purchase, by the time you receive the item and go back and forth with the seller a few time you are usually past that. I had a small transaction go bad and had to resort to my credit card for protection as PayPal wouldn't help after 30days.
Ebay also offers an escrow service: http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/escrow.html

[redi4fun]

Use Ebay escrow service when that much money is involved, it is the best way to protect yourself!!!