PayPal Claim filed against me - suggestions?

Idx86

I recently sold my brother's PlayStation 2 along with several games on eBay for ~$100. I have 100% feedback, so did the eventual buyer. Item was shipped to a confirmed address, and the dude left feedback after receiving the item letting me know the item was great, and he would buy from me again. He left feedback on 12/2.

Transaction complete, right? Wrong.

Last night I checked my e-mail to see that the guy has filed an unauthorized payment claim against me through PayPal. I had received no e-mail correspondence from this guy prior to this, so I was obviously shocked. My gut reaction is that I am being defrauded. Because the guy had 100% feedback, confirmed address, etc. I did not see the need to pay for shipping confirmation, etc. so the items I provided to PayPal was as follows as proof of a legit sale and shipment:

* Screen shot of credit card statement showing I paid for shipping at the post office.
* Screen shot and link to my feedback page leaving positive feedback with the aforementioned comments.
* Additional Information submission to PayPal stating the buyer had not contacted me in any capacity prior to filing this claim.

My questions are as follows:

1.) Is there any information above and beyond what I've supplied which would be helpful?
2.) Should I try and contact the buyer outside of PayPal to see what's going on? If so, what should I say?
3.) If PayPal does sides with the buyer, do I have any legal recourse I can take?

TIA.

DanMach

Well in short, you are "owned".

1.) Is there any information above and beyond what I've supplied which would be helpful?
Any, and *ALL* contact with him should be forwarded to paypal. Your screenshot of the feedback is all you have.

2.) Should I try and contact the buyer outside of PayPal to see what's going on?
No. Do not contact him any further. Paypal is NOT the US Justice system, you are guilty and robbed someone until you prove otherwise.

3.) If PayPal does sides with the buyer, do I have any legal recourse I can take?
Of course You can sue the crap out of paypal/and or the guy.. but its not worth it.

AtomBomb

Did the buyer seem to go on a buying spree recently? If you look at their feedback is their either you and then a big gap and then some stuff from awhile ago or you and some other sellers within a week or 2 and then a big gap? My first guess is that their account was comprimised (maybe they use the same password for paypal and ebay). Did you send to the confirmed paypal address?

EDIT- Also, just an fyi. A buyer having 100% positive feedback is now meaningless. Sellers are unable to leave anything but positive feedback for buyers. Pretty much destroyed the whole reason for feedback in my opinion, but ebay does some dumb shit sometimes.

LadyM

First, contact the buyer and try to get him to communicate with you. Remind him that you got his feedback on [date] and that it was positive, etc. Find out what his problem is. Make sure he isn't confusing you with a different seller he bought games from. A remote chance, I know, but I've seen it happen before.

Did you keep your post office receipt? If so, send a picture of it to PayPal. Did your credit card receipt show the zip code of the recipient? If not, PayPal will probably not accept it as proof since you could have sent an item to someone else using the money. Or bought stamps.

Usually PayPal will screw over sellers even if they DO keep the post office receipt unless they buy deilvery confirmation. Definitely purchase it for all future sales. But the fact that the guy already left you feedback may help in this case.

Any legal recourse against PayPal is a giant waste of money.

Idx86

AtomBomb wrote: »

Did the buyer seem to go on a buying spree recently? If you look at their feedback is their either you and then a big gap and then some stuff from awhile ago or you and some other sellers within a week or 2 and then a big gap? My first guess is that their account was comprimised (maybe they use the same password for paypal and ebay). Did you send to the confirmed paypal address?

Big gap - last purchase made by him was August 08. I shipped to his confirmed address, verified both on eBay and PayPal.

LadyM - I usually will keep the receipt from this type of stuff until I receive feedback just in case. However I threw it away after he left feedback as I thought we were all done.

Idx86

Alrighty - I sent a brief, polite e-mail to the buyer recapping our transaction which ended with him leaving positive feedback. I asked if perhaps he mistook this transaction for another one, and that any light he could shed would be appreciated.

I'll wait 24 hours, then ping him again. If he hasn't responded by Friday, I'll provide this to PayPal stating that I've attempted to contact him on multiple occasions with no response. You'd think that his silence, coupled by positive feedback left by him already, AND the fact he has had no other purchases made as part of a "ID theft" shopping spree would be enough.

AtomBomb

My second guess is that the PS2 is having issues and rather than contact you about it he's being a dick and going this route.

Sheep

Generally, the only thing PayPal will accept is a delivery confirmation number.

You're probably going to be out of some cash.

Report the user to his states DA for internet fraud. You have his name, number, address, etc.

Idx86

This thing turned into something so ridiculous that it's actually funny.

I checked to see if the dude had a Facebook/MySpace page to see if there was anything that would indicate possession of the item in question. I found him, and apparently he just left his wife and two kids recently.

It looks like now is with another chick who either is still married to another guy, or she left her husband to be with him, and now they're married. This new chick has two kids of her own.

I think either a.) the ex-wife purchased the ps2 using his account for her kids who are now sans-father, and he is trying to stop her.

or b.) he bought the ps2 for his new wife's kids with his ex's account, and she's trying to reverse it. I'm guessing this is the case because when I went to the NEW wife's profile, her status was, "learning how to play madden and drinking starbucks!" Madden was one of the games in the auction.

What. the. fuck.

TL DR

Idx86 wrote: »

This thing turned into something so ridiculous that it's actually funny.

I checked to see if the dude had a Facebook/MySpace page to see if there was anything that would indicate possession of the item in question. I found him, and apparently he just left his wife and two kids recently.

It looks like now is with another chick who either is still married to another guy, or she left her husband to be with him, and now they're married. This new chick has two kids of her own.

I think either a.) the ex-wife purchased the ps2 using his account for her kids who are now sans-father, and he is trying to stop her.

or b.) he bought the ps2 for his new wife's kids with his ex's account, and she's trying to reverse it. I'm guessing this is the case because when I went to the NEW wife's profile, her status was, "learning how to play madden and drinking starbucks!" Madden was one of the games in the auction.

What. the. fuck.

That is hilarious

bowen

And also not your problem.

Good luck getting it overturned though, you'll need the fucking hand of god to do it.

Thylacine

I hope you got screen shots!

bowen

Seriously, this is why I stay the fuck away from ebay and paypal. Because nothing will ever come of it and you're out a whole chunk of change.

illig

do you keep any money in your Paypal account? if so, you may be SOL... Paypal freezes accounts and takes your money as a 1st step in an investigation... unfortunately they usually end up giving the money to the buyer unless you have bulleproof evidence that you shipped an item (a delivery confirmation sometimes doesn't even count since the buyer can claim you shipped an empty box).

if your account is not yet frozen, get ALL your money out of it ASAP... that way they have no leverage over you

and keep this in mind in the future... never leave your Paypal balance in the account

DeShadowC

illig wrote: »

do you keep any money in your Paypal account? if so, you may be SOL... Paypal freezes accounts and takes your money as a 1st step in an investigation... unfortunately they usually end up giving the money to the buyer unless you have bulleproof evidence that you shipped an item (a delivery confirmation sometimes doesn't even count since the buyer can claim you shipped an empty box).

if your account is not yet frozen, get ALL your money out of it ASAP... that way they have no leverage over you

and keep this in mind in the future... never leave your Paypal balance in the account

They can just do a charge to the bank acct linked to your acct if you have a negative balance. There's a reason people have stopped using paypal to sell things.

AtomBomb

Haha, nice! The one time I had to deal with paypal as a seller I had decent luck when I actually called them. Number was kind of a pain in the ass to find (sorry, don't have it right now) but once I got through they were pretty helpful.

Idx86

DeShadowC wrote: »

illig wrote: »

do you keep any money in your Paypal account? if so, you may be SOL... Paypal freezes accounts and takes your money as a 1st step in an investigation... unfortunately they usually end up giving the money to the buyer unless you have bulleproof evidence that you shipped an item (a delivery confirmation sometimes doesn't even count since the buyer can claim you shipped an empty box).

if your account is not yet frozen, get ALL your money out of it ASAP... that way they have no leverage over you

and keep this in mind in the future... never leave your Paypal balance in the account

They can just do a charge to the bank acct linked to your acct if you have a negative balance. There's a reason people have stopped using paypal to sell things.

Yeah, I had already deposited it into my account and they pulled it back out.

I'm assuming I'm going to get fucked (it's my 13 year old brother's PS2, and I'm sure my parents will just pay him for it), so the best I can do is just write a stern letter to PayPal saying I'll never use their service as a means for selling items again.

At any rate - these were all kids games (Madagascar, Cars, etc.) so they're obviously meant for these children. If nothing else they have something fun to keep their minds off their fucking dirty parents who are going to put them through hell with divorce.

Idx86

AtomBomb wrote: »

Haha, nice! The one time I had to deal with paypal as a seller I had decent luck when I actually called them. Number was kind of a pain in the ass to find (sorry, don't have it right now) but once I got through they were pretty helpful.

What was your situation and how was it resolved?

OremLK

I agree that you're probably fucked out of the money now. That's just how PayPal is. Who knows if the buyer will even see the money. Shady, shady business.

Call them (PayPal) up, bother them, try to get the money back, but don't count on it happening.

Crashtard

Here's the number for Paypal:

1-888-221-1161

4:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST Monday through Friday
6:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST Saturday and Sunday

Good luck with getting this resolved. I've found paypal to be a useless bunch of pricks when things like this happen.

Willeth

I've had some really good experiences with PayPal over stuff like this, but I was the buyer. The seller dicked me around, and I had complete documentation of all contact with the seller. If he has no evidence against you then they may well rule in your favour, unless it appears to be fraud (ie, someone else buying on his account).

Shadowfire

Idx86 wrote: »

DeShadowC wrote: »

illig wrote: »

do you keep any money in your Paypal account? if so, you may be SOL... Paypal freezes accounts and takes your money as a 1st step in an investigation... unfortunately they usually end up giving the money to the buyer unless you have bulleproof evidence that you shipped an item (a delivery confirmation sometimes doesn't even count since the buyer can claim you shipped an empty box).

if your account is not yet frozen, get ALL your money out of it ASAP... that way they have no leverage over you

and keep this in mind in the future... never leave your Paypal balance in the account

They can just do a charge to the bank acct linked to your acct if you have a negative balance. There's a reason people have stopped using paypal to sell things.

Yeah, I had already deposited it into my account and they pulled it back out.

I'm assuming I'm going to get fucked (it's my 13 year old brother's PS2, and I'm sure my parents will just pay him for it), so the best I can do is just write a stern letter to PayPal saying I'll never use their service as a means for selling items again.

At any rate - these were all kids games (Madagascar, Cars, etc.) so they're obviously meant for these children. If nothing else they have something fun to keep their minds off their fucking dirty parents who are going to put them through hell with divorce.

Call. Your. Bank.

Tomorrow morning, first thing. Call them, ask to speak to the branch manager, and explain the situation. Make sure to use the words "unauthorized withdrawal" in your conversation. In a situation like this, your bank may be willing to help, especially if you've been a customer with them for some time. Your bank also has a lot more power to tell Paypal to go fuck themselves than you do.

OremLK

We had a thread about this recently, though--PayPal may then attempt to fuck his credit. He should be aware that such is a possibility if he goes to his bank about this.

bowen

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

OremLK

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

bowen

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

Idx86

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

Correct, if I lose then the only one who is getting fucked is my little brother who does not get payment for his item.

I have to go to the bank anyway today, so I will see if they offer any fraud protection for situations like this. I've also tried e-mailing the guy directly, as well as sending messages through eBay the past few days with no response. If he does not respond in the next day or so, I'll submit that to PayPal as evidence that I think he is trying to defraud me.

Man, what a pain in the ass.

Willeth

Idx86 wrote: »

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

Correct, if I lose then the only one who is getting fucked is my little brother who does not get payment for his item.

I have to go to the bank anyway today, so I will see if they offer any fraud protection for situations like this. I've also tried e-mailing the guy directly, as well as sending messages through eBay the past few days with no response. If he does not respond in the next day or so, I'll submit that to PayPal as evidence that I think he is trying to defraud me.

Man, what a pain in the ass.

Can you not contact him through PayPal? I remember when I had my dispute, there was an area where we could enter any discussion there. I also think that the buyer is told not to communicate with the seller further unless it's through that medium, but I can't remember if actually that's the case. If it is, then it might be regarded as suspicious that you're avoiding PayPal rather than using their service.

illig

bowen wrote: »

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

where do you get your info? Paypal can't freeze your external bank account... they can only freeze the funds you hold with them

Idx86

bowen wrote: »

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

Actually they didn't remove the funds from my bank account. My PayPal account just shows that I have a negative balance. I am sure I'll have to perform a deposit action into the account in order to return it to "good standing."

Wezoin

Idx86 wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

Actually they didn't remove the funds from my bank account. My PayPal account just shows that I have a negative balance. I am sure I'll have to perform a deposit action into the account in order to return it to "good standing."

Why do you want to be in "good standing" with a company that just tried to screw you?

Like, sure, if I wanted to go sell drugs all day I could probably get in "good standing" with the mob, but "good standing" is only good when its for a good person/company.

Idx86

Willeth wrote: »

Can you not contact him through PayPal? I remember when I had my dispute, there was an area where we could enter any discussion there. I also think that the buyer is told not to communicate with the seller further unless it's through that medium, but I can't remember if actually that's the case. If it is, then it might be regarded as suspicious that you're avoiding PayPal rather than using their service.

I think there are two different types of disputes you can open up in PayPal - either a dispute about the item itself which opens up a medium where you can exchange messages. This is an unauthorized transaction claim, so the menu options in the "Resolution Center" do not have any mechanism for me to contact the buyer through PayPal.

bowen

illig wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

where do you get your info? Paypal can't freeze your external bank account... they can only freeze the funds you hold with them

It's in the user agreement. Coupled with rather nebulous, and albeit anecdotal evidence, I'd say it's well within their power.

It seems they've modified their User agreement to cover only the "amount owed or borrowed" but that doesn't really mean they won't do it. They've done it in the past, at least, and it doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't protect your account from fraud.

Idx86

Wezoin wrote: »

Idx86 wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

Actually they didn't remove the funds from my bank account. My PayPal account just shows that I have a negative balance. I am sure I'll have to perform a deposit action into the account in order to return it to "good standing."

Why do you want to be in "good standing" with a company that just tried to screw you?

Like, sure, if I wanted to go sell drugs all day I could probably get in "good standing" with the mob, but "good standing" is only good when its for a good person/company.

I'm not sure what the ramifications are of leaving a negative balance on PayPal. I'm not going to take a credit hit just so my brother gets his money. However if I can leave a negative balance and just not ever use PayPal again, fuck 'em.

bowen

Idx86 wrote: »

Wezoin wrote: »

Idx86 wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

Actually they didn't remove the funds from my bank account. My PayPal account just shows that I have a negative balance. I am sure I'll have to perform a deposit action into the account in order to return it to "good standing."

Why do you want to be in "good standing" with a company that just tried to screw you?

Like, sure, if I wanted to go sell drugs all day I could probably get in "good standing" with the mob, but "good standing" is only good when its for a good person/company.

I'm not sure what the ramifications are of leaving a negative balance on PayPal. I'm not going to take a credit hit just so my brother gets his money. However if I can leave a negative balance and just not ever use PayPal again, fuck 'em.

It goes into collection against your name if you refuse to pay it.

Idx86

bowen wrote: »

Idx86 wrote: »

Wezoin wrote: »

Idx86 wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

OremLK wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

Better to have your credit slightly fucked than out your entire savings or ability to pay bills and thus perpetually slamming yourself further with credit.

Wait... what? I thought this was just about a $100 PS2 auction. And the all-too-common object lesson that PayPal sucks, thankfully this time not at incredible expense (the last thread we had was about an order over $1,000).

When they put a lien on your bank account you can't do anything with the bank account. That means writing a check for $.01.

Paypal has the power to do that, and that's where this irrational hate for paypal comes from. They'll put a lien on someone's bank account because some buyer wants their $50 back for that vidja game that "never showed up" and they don't even question it. They immediately place a lien on the account, and then "investigate." And by investigate I mean take an arbitrarily large amount out of your account and make you settle.

Actually they didn't remove the funds from my bank account. My PayPal account just shows that I have a negative balance. I am sure I'll have to perform a deposit action into the account in order to return it to "good standing."

Why do you want to be in "good standing" with a company that just tried to screw you?

Like, sure, if I wanted to go sell drugs all day I could probably get in "good standing" with the mob, but "good standing" is only good when its for a good person/company.

I'm not sure what the ramifications are of leaving a negative balance on PayPal. I'm not going to take a credit hit just so my brother gets his money. However if I can leave a negative balance and just not ever use PayPal again, fuck 'em.

It goes into collection against your name if you refuse to pay it.

That's what I figured would happen. Not worth it.

Oh well, maybe this will all be rendered moot and I'll pull off a David vs. Goliath'esque victory for the common man!

TL DR

E-mail Consumerist.com

illig

bowen wrote: »

It's in the user agreement. Coupled with rather nebulous, and albeit anecdotal evidence, I'd say it's well within their power.

It seems they've modified their User agreement to cover only the "amount owed or borrowed" but that doesn't really mean they won't do it. They've done it in the past, at least, and it doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't protect your account from fraud.

i also hear they can come to your house and kill your family if you have a negative balance of more than $20! OP, be careful! I heard this ON THE INTERNET

seriously tho... Paypal can't do shit to your external bank account. They can't withdraw money without your permission, they can't freeze it, etc.

they can send you to collections and ding your credit, however.

bowen

illig wrote: »

bowen wrote: »

It's in the user agreement. Coupled with rather nebulous, and albeit anecdotal evidence, I'd say it's well within their power.

It seems they've modified their User agreement to cover only the "amount owed or borrowed" but that doesn't really mean they won't do it. They've done it in the past, at least, and it doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't protect your account from fraud.

i also hear they can come to your house and kill your family if you have a negative balance of more than $20! OP, be careful! I heard this ON THE INTERNET

seriously tho... Paypal can't do shit to your external bank account. They can't withdraw money without your permission, they can't freeze it, etc.

they can send you to collections and ding your credit, however.

Yes they can. Because you told them they could when you signed up.

PayMotherfuckingPal wrote:

#

10.2 Actions by PayPal. If we have reason to believe that you have engaged in any Restricted Activities, we may take various actions to protect PayPal, eBay, a User, a third party, or you from Reversals, Chargebacks, Claims, fees, fines, penalties and any other liability. The actions we may take include but are not limited to the following:

1. We may close, suspend, or limit your access to your Account or the Services (such as limiting access to any of your Payment Sources, and your ability to send money, make withdrawals, or remove financial Information);
2. We may contact buyers who have purchased goods or services from you, contact your bank or credit card issuer, and warn other Users, law enforcement, or impacted third parties of your actions;
3. We may update inaccurate Information you provided us;
4. We may refuse to provide our Services to you in the future;
5. We may hold your funds for up to 180 Days if reasonably needed to protect against the risk of liability; and
6. We may take legal action against you.

PayPal, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to terminate this Agreement, access to its website, or access to the Service for any reason and at any time upon notice to you and payment to you of any unrestricted funds held in custody for you.

What is not stated is whether or not they can hold your funds in your "authorized" bank account.

However. The good news for the OP is this:

PayMotherfuckingPal wrote:

#

10.4 eBay Item Hold. PayPal, in its sole discretion, may place a hold on a payment you receive for an eBay transaction when PayPal believes there may be a high level of risk associated with the transaction. If PayPal places a hold on your payment, it will show as "pending" in your PayPal Account.

a. Release of eBay item hold. PayPal will release the eBay item hold after 21 days unless you receive a Dispute, Claim, Chargeback, or Reversal on the transaction subject to the hold. PayPal may release the hold earlier if either of the following applies:

The buyer leaves positive feedback on eBay, or (ii) PayPal can confirm delivery. PayPal will confirm delivery if you use USPS, UPS or FedEx to ship the item and (i) use PayPal shipping labels, or (ii) upload tracking information to PayPal via the transaction details page. This applies to US domestic transactions only.

b. Additional hold period. If you receive a Dispute, Claim, Chargeback, or Reversal on the transaction subject to the eBay item hold, PayPal may hold the payment in your Account until the matter is resolved pursuant to this Agreement.

Idx86

bowen wrote: »

PayMotherfuckingPal wrote:

#

10.4 eBay Item Hold. PayPal, in its sole discretion, may place a hold on a payment you receive for an eBay transaction when PayPal believes there may be a high level of risk associated with the transaction. If PayPal places a hold on your payment, it will show as "pending" in your PayPal Account.

a. Release of eBay item hold. PayPal will release the eBay item hold after 21 days unless you receive a Dispute, Claim, Chargeback, or Reversal on the transaction subject to the hold. PayPal may release the hold earlier if either of the following applies:

The buyer leaves positive feedback on eBay, or (ii) PayPal can confirm delivery. PayPal will confirm delivery if you use USPS, UPS or FedEx to ship the item and (i) use PayPal shipping labels, or (ii) upload tracking information to PayPal via the transaction details page. This applies to US domestic transactions only.
.

Of course, the user could always claim that his account was used without his consent and also left feedback as part of the "fraudulent access of his account."

I do like that legal clause though. That makes me feel better about my situation.

ED!

To be fair PayPal didn't "screw" him; the buyer did. PayPal is a business and as such they have got to protect themselves. The problem is, there is no middle ground - they have gone to the extremem side of things which means legitimate issues are not going to get resolved in the innocent parties favor.

PayPal REALLY needs to make delivery/sign confirmation part of using their service if someone is going to be able to make a claim. That way, at least, it ensures that both parties are covered:

Seller/Buyer didn't sell/buy an item that had delivery confirmation - no coverage.

I may be slightly biased as I had to use PayPals aggressive collection policy to recover my money.

Hopefully you provided them with all the screen shots, and they will at least take that into consideration.

What I would do, is at the least, send a note to the wife, explaining the situation and informing her that you are going to file a criminal complaint and to let her know that she should maintain any and all records of anything relating to the PS2 matter (do this after downloading the website so you have a hard copy), and that currently someone is attempting to defraud you, and you will be taking whatever steps necessary to not be held at a loss for this.