Private internet sales

[Let'sgoflying!]

I am buying something privately from a person I met on an internet chat list.
I don't know a thing about him or even how long he has been a member.
Its about a 300$ purchase, for a 10lb package.
He is suggesting Paypal 'to protect us both' which I think is a good indication.
I suppose there is no guarantees with the internet. I plan to get his full name address and serial number. Is there anything else I can ask to at least verify he is not ...in prison somewhere?

 

[SkyHog]

I am buying something privately from a person I met on an internet chat list.
I don't know a thing about him or even how long he has been a member.
Its about a 300$ purchase, for a 10lb package.
He is suggesting Paypal 'to protect us both' which I think is a good indication.
I suppose there is no guarantees with the internet. I plan to get his full name address and serial number. Is there anything else I can ask to at least verify he is not ...in prison somewhere?

Well - since you're quite obviously buying illicit drugs on the internet, I don't know what else you can do, since involving the police would be a bad thing.

On the off chance that this is legit - then you may want to look into an online escrow of sorts, I think they make it for small packages of stuff.

They won't escrow drugs tho.

Edit: the drug thing is a joke, obviously.

 

[mikea]

You're only "protected" with PayPal if you buy through eBay. Even when you're "protected" PayPal is not known to be easy to deal with. In fact if you read the constantly rewritten agreement you'll see they have the right to take money from your linked account whenever they feel like it.

I have gotten burned a few times to the tune of $30 and $70.

If you get an email from the seller saying he lost your information in a computer crash, file a claim immediately. They want you to wait out the 30 days you have to file you claim.

The next time I will reply that I'll take his kneecaps as security until he figures out his computer problem.

Sellers also get burned by professional thieves who claim they not got the item or it was not as described. In that case PayPal happily takes the money from you.

 

[waldo]

First of all, I would purchase ONLY from a USA or Canadian account. Over seas is impossible to deal with as for collections. Secondly I may pay through PayPal but I would use my Credit Card as my payment source. With that you may have some sort of protection from your Credit Card company. Thirdly, as mentioned, get as much information as possible including a valid phone number and have the item shipped so that you can track the item as well as it's orgin. Good Luck!

 

[ScottM]

Well - since you're quite obviously buying illicit drugs on the internet,
Edit: the drug thing is a joke, obviously.

Could be terrorist devices, you know WMDs like nail files, stuffed animals, swiss army knives. All taken from terrorist attempting to hijack commercial planes by the brave and glorious freedom fighters of the TSA. Their motto Who Stares Wins guarantees no grandmothers will ever, and I mean EVER attempt to use their walker for illicit terrorists acts.

Milia Erectus Perigito

 

[The rogue]

Escrow.com

It's about as close to perfect as you can get for online buyer and seller protection. The fees are pretty low, and it protects the buyer and the seller at the same time--a great service.

I've used it for aviation purchases before, got a great deal on a radio and some king software, and I wanted to make sure it was okay before I paid for it. Escrow.com made it a great transaction.

--Matt

 

[fgcason]

I don't know a thing about him or even how long he has been a member.

When you get all his information, look him up in the phone book. Assuming the information you're given is correct, you'd at least have an independent verification that the name and address match even if it's not who you're dealing with. If the name and address don't match, that would be a warning sign right off. If they do match, the person is likely legitimate or a thief doing his homework.

I know of at least one person that has a PO Box for orders from parties unknown. Normal mail order businesses like outdoors equipment and computer stores send to the physical home address. Sellers off Ebay or whatever else go to the POBox. It's a legitimate address however if they end up dealing with a seedy character, the worst they're out is the price and the wack job has no clue where they live to come rob them later. I guess that can be seen as untrustworthy behavior on the buyers end however it's a legitimate self protection mechanism as well.

Personally I'm kind of creeped about situations like you're describing by default. It's probably ok as long as you're careful, but security and trust is a big issue with me. Have you looked on ebay to see if you can find a similar item? Ebay is just crawling with stuff you'd think is completely impossible to find and if you can't find it today, check again next week. You might even come up with a better deal. Unless it truly is a one off hand crafted item it'll probably show up on ebay eventually. Speaking of ebay, is there any reason the seller won't sell it to you through ebay?

 

[gismo]

I think it depends on whether your PayPal account is registered with a credit card or a bank account. You can dispute the charge on a credit card even if the money goes through PayPal AFaIK. Once PayPal takes money out of your bank, you aren't likely to see it again.

 

[mikea]

I think it depends on whether your PayPal account is registered with a credit card or a bank account. You can dispute the charge on a credit card even if the money goes through PayPal AFaIK. Once PayPal takes money out of your bank, you aren't likely to see it again.

You need to link a checking account on Paypal to be listed as "verified address." The Paypal agreement says 1) you will NEVER request a chargeback on your credit card, and 2) Paypal can take money from the bank account whenever and for whatever they please.

http://www.paypalsucks.com

My solution? They have a checking account at a bank a I no longer use and that doesn't get my paycheck.