Paypal gift.... Be verrryyyyy careful

email addresses can easily be mistyped.

To avoid that in the future, no matter how you intend to utilize paypal, have the seller Request Money with an Invoice via paypal.

Never had an issue result from using that. (wrong person paid issue)

Keith_D wrote in post #14847594
All you guys need to chill out and get off your high horses. He did not come in here complaining that he lost his money because of paypal gift. He is just saying beware. You are making him out to be the most evil person in the world.

+1000

Some folks started fighting for the front pew a little early this week....

canonphotog wrote in post #14847866
email addresses can easily be mistyped.

To avoid that in the future, no matter how you intend to utilize paypal, have the seller Request Money with an Invoice via paypal.

Never had an issue result from using that. (wrong person paid issue)

Excellent idea. Never thought of that. Thanks for the tip

mikeinctown wrote in post #14847818
Pete, if you think there is one tab for eBay purchase, you are a lost cause. Nowhere does it say for eBay purchases only. It says "You can pay for purchases and services" and NOWHERE on that page does it say ANYTHING about being for eBay. You keep sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the truth.

Never siad it was only for Ebay. Just that it is used for ebay services and purchases. If you pull up the send money page you will see Ebay items on the right sigt of the box.

even when seller says gift payment I use regular payment and pay 3% extra to the seller. Emai addresses I have sometimes typed wrong onne when buyer asking for mine. Luckily so far found the problem before hiting the send button.

rick_reno wrote in post #14847037
let us know if you get your money back.

The gentleman just did. Now I feel even worse....LOL....He was on vacation and took the time to take care of it.

^ +1, except that I don't speed.

mikeinctown wrote in post #14847611
Shortly after I started I created a post wondering why so many people, who know people steal their work and try to protect their copyrights at all costs (they know the danger of stealing) try to game the system and violate the rules whenever they have something to gain.

It's a jungle out there. Some people have no problem with joining the fray and may take pride in thinking that they do pretty well over all.

All respect to those who try to be nobler and make the world a better place..

photoguy6405 wrote in post #14846143
PayPal is shady to begin with

"Shady"? What's your definition of shady? They offer a money transfer service. Is it shady to expect payment for that service?

Oh, I get it, nobody pays for anything any more. Or that's how some people think.

canonphotog wrote in post #14847866
email addresses can easily be mistyped.

To avoid that in the future, no matter how you intend to utilize paypal, have the seller Request Money with an Invoice via paypal.

Never had an issue result from using that. (wrong person paid issue)

Very good advice.

joedlh wrote in post #14847978
"Shady"? What's your definition of shady? They offer a money transfer service. Is it shady to expect payment for that service?

Oh, I get it, nobody pays for anything any more. Or that's how some people think.

No, you didn't get it. Huge fail on your part.

PayPal's shadiness comes in regarding how they all-too-often fail to back up their buyers and/or sellers, are suddenly unresponsive to the losing side in a dispute, how they want to act like a bank and offer banking services but fight any attempt to be regulated like a bank, and other scenarios that are all-too-commonly vented by people. It's not a conspiracy, and it's not always just people wanting to whine and moan, PayPal gets more than their fair share of complaints for a reason.

photoguy6405 wrote in post #14848373
PayPal gets more than their fair share of complaints for a reason.

Yep. I use PayPal and have no problem paying the 3% for my protection. But where they get me is in the percentage they put on top of currency exchange rates. Last year I bought something in England for £ 1600 and ended up paying over 100 euro more than the original total sum of the transaction. I'm sorry, but that's just too much.
So I still use PayPal but never again for large amounts in a foreign currency.

PeteD wrote in post #14847711
Yes I am serious.Does not matter. It is not yours. Yoo are supposed to leave it or turn it in. I will admit though I have done it also. So , we are in the same boat.

You clearly missed the parts about "in the middle of nowhere", "no way to get it back to it's owner" etc. If I see a coin on a busy street, I will leave it, somebody may realise it's missing and come back outside the shop they have just entered to look for it. If I find it in a shop, I will hand it in.

By middle of nowhere, I mean a field with no-one around, or on the beach where it has likely been covered by sand for days, weeks or months (and will be again very quickly with wind blown sand or the tide coming in). Most people don't notice a missing coin until hours later, if at all, they are not going to hike back along a huge area of beach in the hope that it can be found.

Besides, there is no way to relate finding a coin, that is realistically never going to be able to be returned to it's owner, or for the owner to find it, and the deliberate act of making a false claim in order to intentionally gain services without paying for them.

PeteD wrote in post #14847711
You guys can say what you want. There is a reason there are 2 tabs. The first one is for "Ebay purchase" and the second one is for non ebay use. Wonder why? Ebay owns Paypal. This was a non Ebay ppurchase so I used the personal tab.

It does not say for payment of friends and family only.........

The reason for two tabs, as explained clearly on paypal, is that one is for payments and one is for sending money to friends and family. You cannot make up your own definitions to justify fee avoidance. Ebay is not mentioned as a limit on the first tab, it is for purchases, all purchases.

The second tab says, specifically, "personal" which means friends and family only. The definitions are written just above the tabs.

Anyway, you clearly aren't going to admit that you did wrong here, and I have better things to do than justify the serious crimes in my life such as keeping a coin I find in a field somewhere, with no-one around to return it to, and (shock, horror) "stealing" from a car dealer by negotiating a discount on the price. Clearly I am evil personified, yet somehow I seem to have made sure that paypal got paid on EVERY ONE of the thousands of deals I have used their service for.

photoguy6405 wrote in post #14848373

joedlh wrote in post #14847978
"Shady"? What's your definition of shady? They offer a money transfer service. Is it shady to expect payment for that service?

Oh, I get it, nobody pays for anything any more. Or that's how some people think.

No, you didn't get it. Huge fail on your part.

PayPal's shadiness comes in regarding how they all-too-often fail to back up their buyers and/or sellers, are suddenly unresponsive to the losing side in a dispute, how they want to act like a bank and offer banking services but fight any attempt to be regulated like a bank, and other scenarios that are all-too-commonly vented by people. It's not a conspiracy, and it's not always just people wanting to whine and moan, PayPal gets more than their fair share of complaints for a reason.

I have heard these tales about paypal, and I understand how you might feel they are "shady" because of it. I have no first hand knopwledge of these problems, I have had no issues with them in the many years (and thousands of transactions) that I have used them. I'm not defending them, just pointing out that my experience doesn't encompass any problems, I'm not claiming that others haven't had them.

However, that isn't really relevant here, is it? If you feel they are shady, don't use them, use another method of payment, whatever. However, if you do choose to use the service, you should pay for it. Saying that "they are shady" does not give you an excuse to take the service without paying the due fees as some sort of "protest".

(note: I am using the term "you" to mean someone, I am not accusing "you" of anything, my reply is a generalisation)

Using Paypal gift to buy or sell equipment is no different than someone right clicking on your photo, and then using it for their business without your permission and without giving you compensation.

It's stealing, plain and simple.

If someone sells equipment on POTN and says, "Paypal Gift of 3% extra" or something like that, I won't even go any further. It's like jumping the turnstile on the Subway, taking a train without paying, or eating at a restaurant and skipping out on the bill.

My personal opinion is that POTN shouldn't tolerate it and should lock down any seller's thread who requests it or puts it as an option.


Paypal gift is for sending money to relatives, friends, etc. It is not for commerce of any kind.

If people don't like Paypal's terms, they can get a money order for 40 cents at 7-11 or wherever they sell them.

From the OP: "And you guys always pay full retail, never speed, always obey all laws, and if you find a dollar on the ground you give it back to the first person that says it was theirs."

I actually do follow the speed limit at all times. I see no reason to speed and I'd rather arrive safely (and other arrive safely) than to be on time or early. If I'm late then I'm late. I stop at stop signs, I don't do illegal drugs, and I never drink and drive (not even after one drink). I'm a rule-follower, and I don't see that as a negative in life. I have kids and a wife. How am I to expect my children to follow my rules if I disregard my city, state and nation's laws?

I don't always agree with the rules, laws, etc., but that doesn't mean I disregard them. I follow the laws until they change.

On a long drive I set my cruise control to the speed limit and enjoy the ride. I'm always amazed when I'm with someone in a car and they say, "watch out, there's a cop ahead."

Cop? Good. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned. The police in my town are ruthless in their pursuit of enforcement, and as a result our city has the lowest crime rate in the nation for its size. (note: I'm not in the city of Atlanta, but thirty miles south).

Care to guess who complains about my town's cops? Teenagers who break the laws and the parents of teenagers who get arrested.

In seven years I haven't gotten a ticket here because I obey the law.


So, am I on a high horse? Nope. I just ride my horse the proper speed. It's never arrogant to obey the law or encourage others to obey the law. It's called being a good citizen. Rules are there for a reason. And it's a funny thing: The more you obey the law, the easier life gets.

It's like I tell my students: "Do you realize that failing is more difficult than succeeding in school? Failing requires cheating, lying, making excuses, blaming others, etc. But watch the successful students. They just do the work, study, and it all works out."

As Jerry Seinfeld says, "People, we're trying to have a civilization here."

Laws are made for the lawless.