Safety receiving private payment

[OnlyLiz]

Hi,

I'm selling a car and I've accepted a payment from the buyer. He'll be travelling from his home in Northern Ireland to collect the car from my home in England. There is no ebay involved in this sale, just private. His communication has been good and his address is stated on the transaction as in NI. Also, is stated 'Non US - verified'J. His email address seems strange. It has 'paypal' and the 'at sign' his name and then (the usual but rhymes with ho dot hu k)

The payment is instant.

At the bottom, it states, '

'Reversals:

Please be aware that your payment can still be reversed, (e.g. if it is subject to a chargeback), even after you have sent the item to your buyer. Complying with PayPal's Seller Protection and following the trading guidelines on our Security page helps to protect you from things like chargebacks.'

Do I need to be concerned that this man could in any way drive off with the car and then reverse the payment somehow?

Advice much appreciated.

[DPCreations]

Extremely Concerned at the highest level possible and with the most urgen warning of fraud!

THERE IS NO PAYPAL SELLER PROTECTION FOR MOTOR VEHICLES!

It is quite typical for vehicle buyers to claim non-delivery and get immediate refund as you will have NO ONLINE DOCUMENTED PROOF OF DELIVERY.   The buyer can also claim a non-working vehicle and seller looses.

THE ONLY SAFE PAYMENT FOR VEHICLE SALE IS CASH.  There is no reasonable reason why a buyer would use PayPal to purchse a vehicle other than fraud.  If the buyer has funds avaiable, why not pay cash.

If he is paying for goods using family/friends option you are violating PayPal polices and risk having your account limited.

Suggest you refund the funds and then explain that the only way you will sell is to accept cash payment at time of pickup.

There are also legal issues as the vehicle could still be registtered in your name when he drives away leaving you legally responsble for damage claims in case of an accident.

[OnlyLiz]

Thanks very much for this advice; so glad I posted my concerns! I'm wondering, would a bank transfer be safe or should I just go along with the cash in hand on pick-up as you advised? Thanks.

[PayPal_Michael]

Hi OnlyLiz,

You have a good question, and it's even better that you're checking up on how you may (or may not) be covered by PayPal's Seller Protection. 🙂

DPCreations has some good thoughts on the question of accepting a payment through PayPal or asking for the payment in cash. Regarding PayPal's Seller Protection Policies, I wanted to provide a little clarification.

The User Agreement has all the specifics on what's covered by the Seller Protection Policies and other requirements for you to follow when you sell something. You can find all the info by navigating to www.PayPal.com and clicking Legal at the bottom of the page.

If needed, select your country from the dropdown and then click on User Agreement. Lastly, click on 11. Seller Protection Programme.

(Please note, the User Agreement has different provisions depending on your country. It's important to use the dropdown and select your country (or select Other Countries if yours isn't listed) and then click on the link that says User Agreement.)

As a PayPal customer in the UK, the key part of the User Agreement for you appears to be Section 11.10 "What are examples of items/transactions/cases that are not eligible for PayPal seller protection?" Part b. says "Items that you deliver (or are picked up) in person [are not eligible for seller protection].

While motor vehicles are not specifically called out related to Seller Protection, the issue of the car being picked up in person would almost certainly cause PayPal to determine the transaction is not eligible for coverage.  😞

On the other hand, Section 13. PayPal Buyer Protection does refer to vehicles. It's not possible to submit a dispute to PayPal when the item involved is a vehicle (car, boat, etc.). That's for buyers, however, not sellers. See Section 13.4 for all the specifics.

PayPal is always concerned about the safety of the online marketplace, but it's true that we're not able to cover all transactions for all sellers and buyers. No matter if you're a seller or a buyer, knowing what is and isn't covered is essential in making an informed decision regarding what you sell and/or what you buy.

Every PayPal customer (and every online shopper in general) should take a moment and reflect on what might happen if something should go wrong with a transaction. If your options to seek recourse are limited, that might be a consideration to help you decide if you want to complete the transaction.

I hope this information is helpful and I wish you the best with all your online endeavors.  🙂

Sincerely,

Michael

PayPal_Michael

[OnlyLiz]

Thank you so much Michael. You've been very helpful.