Paypal No Longer Safe for Selling Airguns (Scammers Have Won)

@kaylaindy what city/state did you ship it to?
California. I thought I would be getting the scammer, requireing direct signature and all that and insurance, but the guy got me...or Paypal rather at this point. I had a feeling he was a scammer because he didn't haggle on the $3500 price. But I had seller protection, etc. The new Paypal policy that allows the scammers to exploit a loophole came into effect Jan 1st 2024.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Treefrog
Guys, Thanks the sympathy. I didn't actully get stuck for the $3500. I did loose my Paypal account but I got the $3500 initially, spent it on stuff, and now Paypal says I owe them $3500, which they won't get. Fortunately I don't worry about my credit score so it's all good to me. I'm a little sad to loose my Paypal account, but it's for the best I'm sure. I have been taking credit cards through Square for over 10 years for my Junk Removal business. I'll probably try that.

Mainly though:I will only sell to established AGN members with a track record!

When Paypal says there is a dispute, just know that you will loose no matter what. You will have about 1-2 months to change your bank account number and cancle any credit/debit cards attatched to your Paypal account, while the dispute gets processed through. Then Paypal will get stuck with the bill, not you. You will loose your Paypal account.
Hello again,

I have set up a small website and connected with Square and now I can accept credit cards. I have sold quite a bit of my air gun stuff and it works perfect for both myself as the "seller" and protection and security for the "buyer".

ThomasT
 
While I respectfully can understand the solution, being first and foremost you're not stuck with a $3500 loss, just letting the real criminal here, the Joseph not face criminal charges of a felony theft by fraud, I just don't understand.

Your real beef should be with UPS and Joseph, and that MF should have to answer for federal crimes, I hate resolutions where the real problem is not using the legal system, and I get that it's a major PITA, but there's legit legal resources that aren't being tapped into, and Joseph is walking away all good right now, while you and PayPal are getting screwed over..
Scammers like Joeseph don't face criminal charges. I could find him if I wanted but it would take far more than $3500 in effort and time. That's the same thing law enforcement will say. If there was a chance of getting busted Joseph would not be doing it.

Also UPS delivered the package to a Guy named Joseph X and he signed his name. What are they supposed to do? I wouldn't even bother filing an insurance claim. They would laugh at me.

Paypal will eventually face a class action law suit or loose alot of business. I was a 20 year customer selling tons of stuff, they just lost another 20 years of business from me. They can stick the seller with the bill, but they can't say "Eligeble for Seller Protection" at the same time. No matter what the fine print says, you can sue them and be awarded your settlement plus Punitive damages which is where the court punishes the defendant with a monetary fine in an amount that will "hurt a bit".
 
Last edited:
Scammers like Joeseph don't face criminal charges. I could find him if I wanted but it would take far more than $3500 in effort and time. That's the same thing law enforcement will say. If there was a chance of getting busted Joseph would not be doing it.

Also UPS delivered the package to a Guy named Joseph X and he signed his name. What are they supposed to do? I wouldn't even bother filing an insurance claim. They would laugh at me.
@kaylaindy
I would still file the claim with UPS. UPS has basically done away with their Security department. they figure it is cheaper to pay all claims rather then keep a department fo people on the payroll. No one to laugh at you since there's no one there.
Be persistant with the claim..you'll get it back
Mike
 
Scammers like Joeseph don't face criminal charges. I could find him if I wanted but it would take far more than $3500 in effort and time. That's the same thing law enforcement will say. If there was a chance of getting busted Joseph would not be doing it.

Also UPS delivered the package to a Guy named Joseph X and he signed his name. What are they supposed to do? I wouldn't even bother filing an insurance claim. They would laugh at me.

Paypal will eventually face a class action law suit or loose alot of business. I was a 20 year customer selling tons of stuff, they just lost another 20 years of business from me. They can stick the seller with the bill, but they can't say "Eligeble for Seller Protection" at the same time. No matter what the fine print says, you can sue them and be awarded your settlement plus Punitive damages which is where the court punishes the defendant with a monetary fine in an amount that will "hurt a bit".
Years ago before I was retired LE and in investigations I was told by more than one credit card company that they didn't bother prosecuting fraud cases unless it was over $10,000.
 
  • Like
Reactions: woogie_man
Friends and Family? Cmon man. I have sold 300+ guns with no problems. It was goods and services
And you have also tried throwing people under the buss after not watching their video. So there is that.

Guessing there is more to the story or something else happened. For that large of an amount paypal typically will hold the funds as well to make sure nothing shady is going on. Have had the same issue and it was nothing fraudulent or false about it. Took longer to get the funds, but I did get them.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: ThomasT
Sorry you got scammed, but honestly this is one main reason I only accept PayPal F&F. There is no difference between PayPal F&F or a USPS MO. Both are going to be pay and pray for the buyer - but I know I'm a solid reputable seller whose never had a bad sale (won't say I haven't had some bad purchases through eBay over the years).
 
I'm glad that PayPal ended up being the one holding the bag though, regardless of anything else. They are the single biggest benefactor from all of the successful transactions so they should also occasionally have to deal with the cons of their own business model. Seems the corporate mentality these days is that they get all the pros and consumers get to carry the burden of all the cons.
 
I'm glad that PayPal ended up being the one holding the bag though, regardless of anything else. They are the single biggest benefactor from all of the successful transactions so they should also occasionally have to deal with the cons of their own business model. Seems the corporate mentality these days is that they get all the pros and consumers get to carry the burden of all the cons.
Just like the "Gubbamint"!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sltech
If this is accurate then paypal will take a big hit. How can they not protect sellers? I have been hearing about new paying options emerging that will rival paypal and have less political lean. I'll try to find them and post.
They really don’t have to care because this type of situation occurs so very rarely it won’t ultimately affect their bottom line. This is my speculation of course.
 
I'm glad that PayPal ended up being the one holding the bag though, regardless of anything else. They are the single biggest benefactor from all of the successful transactions so they should also occasionally have to deal with the cons of their own business model. Seems the corporate mentality these days is that they get all the pros and consumers get to carry the burden of all the cons.
This is pretty twisted..lol. The type of thought process criminals use to justify theft in the first place. How dare that large corp make too much money. They are victimizing the consumers so they deserve to get it stuck to themselves once in awhile. Single biggest benefactor…isn’t that the point of going into business??
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: balver and MrP
There’s a very simple solution as a seller. If you have any concern the money will be clawed back (dealing with a noob who doesn’t know what he’s getting, etc) you can ask the buyer to buy Bitcoin (on PayPal, they support this), and have the buyer send that directly to your Bitcoin wallet that YOU control. PayPal cannot claw that money back. Then, as a responsible seller can negotiate on your own terms how to resolve any issues.

It‘s easy to show someone as a buyer how to do this. If you need help, hit me up here.

Some sellers, of course, are not accountable so a phone call or two could help sort out the scammers either way.

If the person you are dealing with refuses, that should be a red flag.

Good luck out there folks.

Regards,
Mark
 
  • Sad
Reactions: ThomasT
Kaylaindy, I'm sorry that happened to you. Who is this evil person "Joesph"? Is he a member of this forum? i have a PP account but I only have used it to buy from online venders and eBay. I'm not all that computer savvy but I have sold items on Craiglist and Facebook Marketplace. I always have them pay in cash. I sold a road bike (Older Cannondale) on Marketplace and the young man asked it I would take Vemmo. I said what is Vemmo I never heard of it :LOL:. I said listen I'm old school and deal in cash only. Anyways thanks for posting and sharing your experience. The question I have is what is an alternative to use instead of PP when selling items on places like eBay? Also I'm confused on the "sellers protection" with a signature upon receiving?? I'm not a detective but that seems pretty clear/cut proof:unsure: WOW what a silly world this is turning out to be🤡.
 
Last edited:
As a seller, I have never shipped an item until I have the collected cash in the bank. And if your bank gives you immediate credit for the deposit, that is no protection. If the check is returned through their collection system, it will be charged back to you, which could take a week. And, there are a lot of fraudulent money orders and official checks out there. As a buyer, I accept the same risk that I demand of other buyers, and I'm willing to wait for the seller to collect my funds. I have asked for photo verification that the seller actually has the item, including his photo ID showing the address to which I'm sending payment. Nothing is perfect, and the crooks come up with new scams every day. I've never used any third party payment system, just don't trust it. I like the Zelle transfer system, but only when dealing with friends, and I mean people that I really know.
 
California. I thought I would be getting the scammer, requireing direct signature and all that and insurance, but the guy got me...or Paypal rather at this point. I had a feeling he was a scammer because he didn't haggle on the $3500 price. But I had seller protection, etc. The new Paypal policy that allows the scammers to exploit a loophole came into effect Jan 1st 2024.
I would definitely file a police report with his/her/it's local LE agency.
 
kaylaindy, absolutely hear you and spot on with PayPal. It is a scam and a fellow tried that on me and pushed hard for taking paypal - then flat out disappeared on AN. This same thing happened to a relative of mine who sells game board protector boxes. No like for PayPal and the only reason I went back with them is because a vast majority of AN members only deal with PayPal only. In recent years, sellers have taken the hit when compared to the buyers ... that is a generalization but I've played the game on both ends of that stick and buyers have the upper hand. For PP, I'll only do F&F.