Pay After Delivery Option Disappeared

swoollis
Member
Member
I have been using pay after delivery for several months with no problem, and then it suddenly disappeared around the beginning of September. I have made several calls to customer service, spoken with supervisors, and each time I get a different answer. I would appreciate some valid information about what is being done to resolve the situation.
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40 REPLIES 40

kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@swoollis

 

Ask customer services.


Advice is voluntary.
Kudos / Solution appreciated.
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swoollis
Member
Member
I have asked, many times.
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lancelotme
Frequent Contributor
Frequent Contributor

I understand it comes and go,at the discretion of PAYPAL.

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swoollis
Member
Member
Yes, but I was assured that it should be available to me. The representatives have told me there is no problem with my account. Today I was told it is a technical glitch.
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llminnich10
Member
Member
I'm having the same problem. I've been using it for a few years now I think and now all of a sudden it's unavailable. I need an answer too so if you happen to find anything out please let me know and I'll do the same.
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sewsewgrandma
Contributor
Contributor

I was assured there was no issue with my account either. I have been a paypal member for years. Have the debit card and paypal credit so know my account is in good standing. Looks like everyone is having the same issue and it started around the same time. Paypal has been having a lot of problems in the past month. I have had sellers tell me that they couldn't print shipping labels to me and I have purchased from them before. I contacted paypal to make sure there was no issue with my shipping info or anything else and was told everything is correct. Lots of complaints lately on Facebook about the problems.

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accaris
Contributor
Contributor

PayPal's processing application has a secret, built-in risk mitigation system. This system is completely automated and PayPal users are not informed about its existence or how it works. Basically, there's a laundry list of different activities that will trip PayPal's risk mitigation system and disable Pay After Delivery (or even other payment options) for you. This also varies from person to person, as typically a system like this will apply a weighted risk score to each user based on their account and transaction history.

Attempting too many PAD transactions in a short amount of time can trigger it. If you've used the method repeatedly, it can flag your account as high risk and take the option away. Also, repeatedly clicking on "Buy It Now" on eBay just to check to see if PAD is available, but not actually completing the transaction, can place a security risk flag on your account.

Using your PayPal account from a different IP address can do it too. Attempting to buy an item over a certain dollar amount can do it. Having one of your Pay After Delivery scheduled payments be declined can DEFINITELY disable it, even if the payment passes on automatic retry.

Sometimes, if you mention to customer service that you think there's a security risk flag on your account, they can input an override code to bring Pay After Delivery back (this usually takes 24-48 hours to kick in, though.) But sometimes customer service won't have that option. Most of the time they'll have no idea what you're talking about. If you luck out and get a U.S.-based overflow call center, you might have better luck.

Don't believe the customer service rep when they feed you a line about how "some merchants" don't accept Pay After Delivery, or how "some transactions" just don't work. Their invisible risk mitigation system CAN and WILL **bleep** you out of using this feature forever, and there's nothing you can do to bring it back.

You'd have to actually talk to PayPal's financial systems engineer if you want to find out how this whole system works. Customer service won't be able to help you, and there's no "supervisor" that you can escalate to, either.

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sewsewgrandma
Contributor
Contributor

This is really weird. I talked to paypal the other day and they told me the same thing--some sellers don't offer it. That may be correct, but sellers I have purchased from before using PAD, the option no longer shows or shows sometimes, sometimes not. I must not have a flag because I can use it sometimes and other times it doesn't give that option. Wondering if there is some kind of limit. I have never had a payment returned and have used it a lot. I purchase a lot of fabric and have used this option totalling in the hundreds sometimes.

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lancelotme
Frequent Contributor
Frequent Contributor

Since buyer using PAD does not have to pay until 14 days after delivery,you are looking at Paypal footing the bill and not getting repaid for 14 days plus days it takes to deliver the item,lets say it is 4-6 days,then it is 18-20 days .

Paypal may have a cashflow issue and not willing to be too generous with PAD?

Just my 2 cents.

What if the buyer decides to return the item within 14 days,then Paypal earns nothing,ZERO !!!!!!

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