Why do buyers feel the need to ask silly questions?

[coz]

So, I only accept paypal (I know there's fees, I don't care, the safety and convenience outweighs the fees for me). I clearly state in the shipping and payment instructions that I only accept paypal, the part at the bottom where it lists payment methods accepted only lists paypal.
So why is it that every single week I get at least one question from a potential bidder about whether or not I will accept some other form of payment? Last week, I think it was a kid, who can't be expected to have a bank account or credit card, so that was ok. Today, it was someone who is afraid of using paypal because he doesn't want his credit card number out there for the world to see, and then asks if I accept cash. CASH?! He's far more likely to get ripped off if he sends cash through the mail (either someone just stealing the cash, or the seller screwing him over) than if he uses paypal. Heck, I'd even go so far as to say you're more at risk using your credit card over the phone or at the convenience store (just having someone straight up memorize or write down the number) than by using paypal. Paypal's owned by freaking eBay, it's not like they're gonna steal your credit card info anymore than your bank is going to.
Since when did the words "I ONLY ACCEPT PAYPAL" mean, "Ask me if I accept something other than paypal"?

Sorry, just had to rant.

[kevin_psx]

Today, it was someone who is afraid of using paypal because he doesn't want his credit card number out there for the world to see, and then asks if I accept cash. CASH?! He's far more likely to get ripped off

Teach him a lesson. Take the cash & then quietly keep it.

Just kidding.

LOL

[Darren870]

I used to send cash in the mail, for items less then $10 and in a bubble envelope. Stoped once a guy said he never got the $3 for the cd, so I sent it again and he once again said he never got it.

Decided to never do that again after that.

[§ Gideon §]

Sometimes, the stupid bidder questions remind me of the guy who just hangs around in GameStop and never buys anything. The people who ask the dumb questions are more interested in talk than buying your items.

Though, I do empathize with hang-around-guy-who-never-buys-anything. He was probably raised in the good ol' days and hopes for their return. Back then, he used to buy every game; he was a great customer. In the meantime, he spends all hours at GameStop awaiting the second coming, and talks about console wars and other such bullshit.

[Darth Sensei]

When you post things for sale on here you get a fair amount of them too.

[coz]

Never considered that they just wanted to talk, and not buy anything, BTW, sorry for the double post, must have hit submit twice, the boards were sloooooooow late last nite

[XianXi]

I used to do that back in 2000. Did turn on the "Paypal Required" option for your auction?

[coz]

Isn't "paypal required" the same option as requiring immediate payment? If so, I didn't because I want people to have the option to pay for multiple items BINs and auctions at once, didn't want to force them to pay immediately if they were bidding on other stuff.

I'm glad I don't go to gamestop enough to run into guy who hangs around and never buys anything (though I am familiar with his type, they hang out a lot in hobby game stores [the ones what sell D&D] and endlessly tell you about their character...).

[Kitsune Sniper]

Isn't "paypal required" the same option as requiring immediate payment? If so, I didn't because I want people to have the option to pay for multiple items BINs and auctions at once, didn't want to force them to pay immediately if they were bidding on other stuff.

No, if you say "Paypal Required" you can still wait a few days for the payment to be sent. If you want immediate payment through Paypal, you have to check a box on the auction listing form.

[ryborg]

Nah, those Qs aren't too stupid. They're at least kinda based in reality and I could understand where the question asker is coming from.

Here are just a few I've gotten in a last week or so:

"How big is it is it like a regular xl will it fit on a person 5ft.4"

"I GIVE YOU $15.00 I WILL NOTPAY FOR SHIPPING"

"HELLO..I LIKE YOUR NBA JERSEYS.I WANT TO BUY SPURS JERSEY..ARE YOU FEMALE OR MALE?"

"any chance that i could pick this up in the kansas city area to avoiding shipping hassles?" (I live in NY)

Not to mention all the people asking what the size is, what the shipping is, and what color the item is, when they're all clearly listed in the description.
________
SHOWER VID (http://www.fucktube.com/categories/37/shower/videos/1)

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Well to be honest, I see no reason why some sellers refuse cash and postal orders. After all, not everyone is capable of having PayPal. I can understand refusal of Cheques though, as that meansyou have to physically take them to the bank and then wait for them to clear. But to not accept cash???

Likewise, I can't understand sellers who don't accept PayPal. especially Power Sellers (Yes, there are still Power Sellers who don't accept PayPal!) ~ Most of the time these sellers do actuallyhave a PayPal account, but refuse to accept it because of the fees. In my opinion, it's just something you live with, and a shrewd seller will add a reasonable amount to the P&P costs to absorb them

[§ Gideon §]

Well to be honest, I see no reason why some sellers refuse cash and postal orders.
'Probably because it invites trouble. Take Darren's situation for example: What if the payments he sent really were lost in the mail? The blame would still go to the seller, because it's easier to cope with a bad guy who steals than a postal system that isn't reliable.

Plus, there's the time factor.

[Bluteg]

If you send a postal money order you can go to your local post office with the stub and find out if was cashed and where.

[ProgrammingAce]

my personal favorite was "Is this item still for sale?"... The auction still had 5 days left... That guy went on my blocked bidders list...

[coz]

I don't take cash because, I don't want to be responsible for cash, heck the buyer could just claim to have sent the cash, and not really send it. I don't take money orders because then I have to go to the bank to cash them, I have no car and I live 5 minutes by foot from the P.O., but I live 45 minutes by foot from my bank. I don't take checks because, well they take way too long to clear and I'd have to walk 90 mintues round trip to even deposit them. I only take paypal, and only ship to the verified paypal address to protect myself from fraud, furthermore it makes payment instantaneous (usually) so I can just ship as soon as I receive the payment, furthermore, I use the paypal debit card to pay for shipping right out of my paypal account so I don't have to take cash out of my wallet and then need to get mroe from an atm later (plus it gives me good records of my expenses and income).
It's not rocket science, you need all of, what, a bank account or a credit card to get a paypal account, if you don't have one of those things, maybe you shouldn't be shopping online.

[ryborg]

I don't take cash because, I don't want to be responsible for cash, heck the buyer could just claim to have sent the cash, and not really send it.

So? At that point, if someone is trying to scam you (not much of a scam...I don't see what they have to gain) by saying they sent the money when they really didn't, who cares? You don't send the item until payment arrives. Simply say in your auction that if you send cash, send it with tracking, or you the seller are not responsible. If you have good feedback, the cash sender should trust you.


I don't take money orders because then I have to go to the bank to cash them, I have no car and I live 5 minutes by foot from the P.O., but I live 45 minutes by foot from my bank.

Then accept postal money orders. You can cash them at any PO with valid ID. I personally accept all money orders, and most people send the postal money orders anyway because they're the most convenient (certainly not because they're the cheapest).


It's not rocket science, you need all of, what, a bank account or a credit card to get a paypal account, if you don't have one of those things, maybe you shouldn't be shopping online.

A buyer could just as easily say "maybe you shouldn't be selling online if you are only willing to accept one form of payment."
________
Wendie 99 (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

[coz]

Didn't realize I could cash a Postal m.o. at the p.o.. Still I think you're missing the big point of my refusal to take anything other than paypal...paypal's seller and buyer protectionSeller protection (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/cps/bizui/BusinessSecurity-outside) and more seller protection (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/protections-outside) and of course the absolutely ridiculous convenience of letting buyers pay via paypal, and it goes directly to my paypal account where I can choose to leave it as I often do, or transfer to my bank account (without leaving my house), go to the P.O., pay for shippping with my paypal debit card, and have all my records in one, safe, easy to use spot. So yeah, it's for my convenience as much as safety from fraud. Maybe I'm missing some truly amazing bids from folks who don't like paypal, I accept that as a reasonable risk.

Honestly I didn't mean to spark such heated debate, I originally just wanted to try and figure out why buyers ask silly questions that are answered multiple times in the auction listing.

[ryborg]

So yeah, it's for my convenience as much as safety from fraud.

I'm not going to get into it here, but Paypal is far from the safe haven of fraud you seem to think it is. Oh yeah, it's massively convenient and I'm in no way going to tell someone to stop using it, but if you're not going to consider accepting cash due to fraud as mentioned above, you have to consider the Paypal fraud/chargeback attempts. Remember, all a buyer has to do is contact their CC company instead of Paypal themselves, and Paypal will not fight for you 99% of the time.


I originally just wanted to try and figure out why buyers ask silly questions that are answered multiple times in the auction listing.

Oh yeah. It's because THEY DUMB. THEY REEEEEEEEEEAL DUMB. (And they don't read)
________
California (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkRNpZnR8g4)

[kevin_psx]

It's not rocket science, you need all of, what, a bank account or a credit card to get a paypal account, A buyer could just as easily say "maybe you shouldn't be selling online if you are only willing to accept one form of payment."

No. Paypal is 2 methods of payment
- bank cash transfer
- credit card

It only takes a buyer a few seconds to pay using a credit card. A little longer with bank transfer. It's easy to use & little hassle.

What kind of buyer shops online w/o a credit card???

.

Thanks for the heads-up on Postal Orders. Since I have to go to the posdt office anyway it is no extra work for me to take them.

[Vectorman0]

Just to give everyone a heads up, the post office may not have, or want to give you cash for a larger MO, say well over $100. I've had to go to the bank for some larger MO's in the past.

[XianXi]

Well to be honest, I see no reason why some sellers refuse cash and postal orders.
'Probably because it invites trouble. Take Darren's situation for example: What if the payments he sent really were lost in the mail? The blame would still go to the seller, because it's easier to cope with a bad guy who steals than a postal system that isn't reliable.

Plus, there's the time factor.

If you ever send cash put it in a bubble mailer with a styrofoam peanut and put DC on it. Done.

[Rev. Link]

I have mixed feelings about PayPal. I have no problem using it to buy things, but I refuse to accept it when I'm selling. All it takes is one unscrupulous bidder to win my auction and then claim the item never arrived, and PayPal will side with him and take my money away. It's happened to my friends a couple of times in the past.

As for buyers asking dumb questions, it certainly is because they don't read! I recently sold some things on eBay, and in my listing I specifically asked for a postal money order. I made it very clear that I did not want personal checks or bank money orders. The auction ended, and guess what... my buyer sent a bank money order.

Now, this wasn't so big a deal I felt I had to make a fuss over it, but it was inconvenient. I meant I had to go to my bank to have it cashed instead of just going to the post office like usual. Which, like I said, isn't that big a deal, except that I specifically stated "no bank money orders, postal money orders only!" and this guy just ignored it.

This is what most buyers on eBay do. They don't pay attention to the terms of the auction and they do things you don't want them to.

[kevin_psx]

All it takes is one unscrupulous bidder to win my auction and then claim the item never arrived, and PayPal will side with him and take my money away.

Use tracking or delivery confirmation & the seller will win. Simple.

[grimbal]

Here's one that I recently dealt with. I was selling a barebones TG-16 system on ebay. These questions are from the same person:

1st email: Does the back end of the system have the component outputs? (yellow, red and white round jacks for video, right and left audio)

My response: No. It has not been modded for component. It only has the standard RF jack and power jack along the side and the expansion port in the back.

2nd email: Thanks for the reply. The picture on the listing shows a semi-circle "cap" on the back end of the console that covers up the expansion port on the back. Does the cap have component output?


Alrighty then.....thankfully somebody else won it.

[Rev. Link]

All it takes is one unscrupulous bidder to win my auction and then claim the item never arrived, and PayPal will side with him and take my money away.

Use tracking or delivery confirmation & the seller will win. Simple.

But isn't it true that if the buyer gets someone else to sign for the delivery confirmation (say a family member, spouse, etc.) they can still claim they never got it?

[Cryomancer]

Here's one that I recently dealt with. I was selling a barebones TG-16 system on ebay. These questions are from the same person:

1st email: Does the back end of the system have the component outputs? (yellow, red and white round jacks for video, right and left audio)

My response: No. It has not been modded for component. It only has the standard RF jack and power jack along the side and the expansion port in the back.

2nd email: Thanks for the reply. The picture on the listing shows a semi-circle "cap" on the back end of the console that covers up the expansion port on the back. Does the cap have component output?


Alrighty then.....thankfully somebody else won it.

That's because the red/yellow/white addon for the TG-16 looks a lot like the dustcover. In many pictures it can be hard to tell.

[jdchess]

All it takes is one unscrupulous bidder to win my auction and then claim the item never arrived, and PayPal will side with him and take my money away.

Use tracking or delivery confirmation & the seller will win. Simple.

But isn't it true that if the buyer gets someone else to sign for the delivery confirmation (say a family member, spouse, etc.) they can still claim they never got it?

Standard delivery confirmation doesn't require a signature. Requiring a signature for delivery is a different additional service. Standard delivery confirmation just means that the PO will verify that they left it at the right address.

[kevin_psx]

All it takes is one unscrupulous bidder to win my auction and then claim the item never arrived, and PayPal will side with him and take my money away. Use tracking or delivery confirmation & the seller will win. Simple. But isn't it true that if the buyer gets someone else to sign for the delivery confirmation (say a family member, spouse, etc.) they can still claim they never got it?

No. DC will show it was delivered to "One Main Street, Smithsville, NY 01234" and that's all that matters. The buyer would lose & the seller would win the Paypal dispute.

Paypal does protect the seller.

[ryborg]

No. DC will show it was delivered to "One Main Street, Smithsville, NY 01234" and that's all that matters.

Actually, that's not exactly true. All DC shows is that it was delivered to the zip code (01234 in your example), *NOT* the actual house address. I've used this in my favor to stop certain fraudulent chargeback attempts.
________
O309 (http://www.mercedes-wiki.com/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_O309)

[Rev. Link]

So, if delivery confirmation doesn't actually confirm that the package was delivered to the proper address, can't the buyer still claim he never got it? I've heard of that happening before and PayPal siding with the buyer. I've heard of it from people on this forum, in fact, though I don't remember who or when.

[Mayhem]

So, if delivery confirmation doesn't actually confirm that the package was delivered to the proper address, can't the buyer still claim he never got it?

In a word (or a few), I believe yes. To be properly secure, you'd need a method that required tracking and a signature on the other end.

[kevin_psx]

So, if delivery confirmation doesn't actually confirm that the package was delivered to the proper address, can't the buyer still claim he never got it? I've heard of that happening before and PayPal siding with the buyer. .

Never happened to me. Every time a buyer claimed "did not receive" I typed in the Delivery Confirmation & paypal rejected the buyer's claim.

Read the Paypal Seller Protection policy.
It says DC or Tracking protects the seller.
The end.

Nothing to debate.

[ryborg]

So, if delivery confirmation doesn't actually confirm that the package was delivered to the proper address, can't the buyer still claim he never got it? I've heard of that happening before and PayPal siding with the buyer. .

Never happened to me. Every time a buyer claimed "did not receive" I typed in the Delivery Confirmation & paypal rejected the buyer's claim.

Read the Paypal Seller Protection policy.
It says DC or Tracking protects the seller.
The end.

Nothing to debate.

Right. Kevin's info is all correct, but *ONLY* when the buyer files a complaint with Paypal (which 95% of users do when they file a dispute, mostly because it's two button-clicks away), NOT their actual credit card company. Two totally different types of disputes, and Paypal handles them very differently.

Even with a signature-tracked item, Paypal will almost always roll over when contacted by an actual credit card company. They only fight when they are 100% certain they will win the dispute. This has happened to me and several other sellers I know. At this point, you're on your own for getting your money/item back (a whole 'nother issue in of itself). Yes, it's very rare, but does happen. I'm not trying to turn this into the paypalsucks.com forums or scare away people from accepting Paypal, especially since I rely heavily on it, but those are the facts.
________
Television news (http://www.tv-gossip.com/)

[kevin_psx]

Paypal SAYS (in the new post-2004 lawsuit policy) it will protect sellers from Credit Card reversals.

Don't know if that's true?
Have not encountered it yet.