Re: *sigh* need help with a new buyer from Ebay Message #3 Posted by Raymond Del Tondo on 17 May 2006, 4:31 p.m., in response to message #2 by Andy Morales
Hi,
maybe I missed something,
BUT
I'm a verified PayPal user in Germany,
and a verified eBay member in Germany.
The eBay verification can be obtained
by printing out a special eBay form,
taking the form and the personal ID card
to the local postal office, let the
officer confirm the identity by checking
the form against the ID card.
The PayPal verification works through
checking your bank account connection.
You initiate a test money transfer to
your PayPal account using a transfer code
given by PayPal.
If that worked, you're a verified PayPal user.
AFAIK that's all you can do, at least in Europe.
And the above procedure is safe,
eBay has a copy of my personal ID card.
But how can a European eBay member or
PayPal user have an address confirmed
by eBay or PayPal USA ?
I'm not the buyer of Han's HP-48G,
but I once had an experience with an
US seller which could be categorized similary.
The seller offered to ship worldwide,
and also offered various payment options,
including PayPal.
But he restricted PayPal payments to confirmed US addresses.
Overseas buyers would have been obligued to pay
via (Western Union or postal) money order,
cheque, and wire transfer,
all of which are very expensive compared to PayPal,
and (especially Western Union transfers)
are said to be less safe than PayPal transfers.
Apart from that, these transactions take more time.
Nearly paradox:
I became PayPal user to ease payments from/to
especially the US, and then there are US sellers
who claim to accept PayPal payments,
but not from PayPal Germany users.
Finally the case was solved the triangular way:
Fortunately a friend of mine who lives in the US,
bought the item for me,
paid the seller via his US PayPal
account with confirmed address,
the seller sent the item to his address,
I paid my friend from my PayPal account,
and he sent me the item.
This produced unnecessary fees,
and unnecessary delays.
This was one of the cases where I really wanted the item,
so I've 'bitten into the sour apple' ,
and luckily the US friend helped me.
But in more ordinary cases,
I'd simply not buy from that seller,
if he doesn't want my money.
However, in most cases it worked fine
with PayPal and US eBayers.
Regards
Raymond
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