Any chance of getting your money back through Payal on a bad purchase?

Amamba wrote in post #17053097
TeamSpeed,

It was my impression that "not as advertised" claims were typically ruled in favor of the BUYER not seller...

That was what he meant, but just happened to use the wrong word. That's why his last sentence says: "If there is something egregious and obvious, then perhaps the seller will win that claim."

Amamba wrote in post #17053097
TeamSpeed,

It was my impression that "not as advertised" claims were typically ruled in favor of the BUYER not seller...

Not in my experiences. Paypal/Ebay typically aren't very good, or don't want to get into the middle of "product description vs reality" arguments, and unless the buyer can really prove a bad advertisement or the product is blatantly wrong, Ebay/Paypal will rule in favor of the seller. If a seller just generally isn't happy with an item, and feels it doesn't match some adjectives in the sale ad, it won't be enough to win a claim. The product would have to be almost not functional, product item received was not what was sold, etc to get that buyer ruling.

I did switch a word around, and meant to use buyer at the very end of my points.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #17053128
Not in my experiences. Paypal/Ebay typically aren't very good, or don't want to get into the middle of "product description vs reality" arguments, and unless the buyer can really prove a bad advertisement or the product is blatantly wrong, Ebay/Paypal will rule in favor of the seller. If a seller just generally isn't happy with an item, and feels it doesn't match some adjectives in the sale ad, it won't be enough to win a claim. The product would have to be almost not functional, product item received was not what was sold, etc to get that buyer ruling.

I did switch a word around, and meant to use buyer at the very end of my points.

So say, someone sells a lens saying it shows signs of use on the barrel but is in great shape optically and everything is functioning as it should.

A buyer then opens a claim with eBay / PayPal stating the lens has optical flaws that show up in photos, and backs it up with a photo of a clear sky taken at f22 with all kinds of dust smears showing. And claims that the aperture ring is sticking at wide open position and requires excessive force to move to the next position.

Would you expect eBay / PayPal to side with buyer or seller ?

I would side with the buyer, as long as the buyer is willing to send back the lens instead of just trying to negotiate a lower price by blackmail.

Amamba wrote in post #17053208
So say, someone sells a lens saying it shows signs of use on the barrel but is in great shape optically and everything is functioning as it should.

A buyer then opens a claim with eBay / PayPal stating the lens has optical flaws that show up in photos, and backs it up with a photo of a clear sky taken at f22 with all kinds of dust smears showing. And claims that the aperture ring is sticking at wide open position and requires excessive force to move to the next position.

Would you expect eBay / PayPal to side with buyer or seller ?

For the former part, paypal may side with the seller, because they don't know anything about this equipment and whether flaws are user induced or not. The latter part is a mechanical issue, and that could cause paypal to side with the buyer.

I have lost 2 claims in the past due to non-working equipment when the listing stated it was in working condition, and I have since stopped using Ebay, to buy or sell. I almost exclusively use Amazon. They have a few issues too, but it is a more enjoyable buy/sell experience there. Their inventory and payment procedures/modules are better too, along with greatly reduced shipping expenses.

In a nutshell, I just want to point out to those having naive ideas about the advantages of using Paypal for purchases, and that paypal has their back, that it isn't simply the case. Don't assume you have paypal backing you 100% as a buyer. Paypal isn't a bank, they don't have to abide by banking laws, they are a subsidiary of Ebay, and everything Ebay does is to first make profit and to keep the shareholders happy, and secondarily deal with customer disputes.

You could also check further into the seller. I personally don't find it offensive if a buyer hesitates and asks for my identifying information. I'm happy to give a buyer my website, work address, contact number... I'll give out my bar association number, too, but not sure if being a licensed attorney makes a buyer trust me more or less!