Paypal Buyer Protection compared to Visa or Mastercard

[ceri-baker]

The paypal buyer protection seems worthless when compared to using a credit card.

Scammers from China sell goods that they do not have and ship a totally different product with little value. If the value of the purchase is only around US$25, then it can cost more to return the product to China with no guarantees that even if the product is returned that a full refund will be forthcoming. The seller also repeatedly then requires return to different addresses in China that may or may not exist different to the address where the goods are shipped from again just to cloud the whole affair. How does Paypal stop these scammers from deliberately advertising goods they do not have and getting away with shipping totally unrelated products. In the USA or Europe, what they are doing is fraud and obtaining monies by deception which is a criminal offence, yet in China it appears that this is a standard business practise. At least with credit card protection, credit card companies vet the seller before they are allowed to accept credit cards.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@ceri-baker 

Chinese Web Sites or on Facebook easy to spot so buyer beware.

1. No return address on the returns policy............thats because the site will look as if its in your country (where they despatch goods from) BUT they will ask for returns to go back to China (returns depot) at a shipping cost nearly always more than the item is worth.
2. No contact telephone number............if you click on contact the most you will get is webmail or an email address.
3. No company address information.
4. Great looking items at bargain prices that turn out to be tat.

Sadly c.c.'s do not vet all merchants in China and some buyers have posted that they have had to return items at their own expense before getting a refund from a credit card.

[ceri-baker]

I agree Caveat Emptor, buyer beware. If something appears to good to be true, then it probably is.

Past experience with credit card companies is that they favour the buyer and will refund the buyer and recover automatically from the account of the seller and do not require comfirmed return of goods where it is rather apparent fraud has been committed. Hence credit cards do seem a much safer way of paying for goods than the Paypal buyer protection which does seem rather weak.