I would like to add my 2 cents; however, it will be a financial hardship to even add 2 cents, since PayPal will not release my money. My experience of selling on EBay for the first time was a positive one, until I got into the shipping and receiving my PayPal payment part. Until then, I was excited that my item sold surprisingly fast, and the buyer paid immediately. I then read through all the "how to get your money faster" EBay tips. Accordingly, I decided to purchase and print off an EBay shipping label with a tracking number thinking that would help. In the process, EBay gives you several options on how you want to ship, for example, priority or first class... I chose first class, unfortunately, however, I did not read anywhere in the EBay tips that warned me of the fact that if I opted to ship first class the EBay tracking number I purchased would be worthless, since USPS first class mail is not tracked.
Also, before purchasing and printing off the EBay shipping label, I had to weigh the package, since, obviously, the weight of the package would figure into the price of shipping. Since I felt pressured to purchase, print off, and ship with an EBay shipping label in order to get my money "faster," I weighed the item on the scale I had at home which was apparently nowhere near as accurate as the scale at the post office would have been if I had just taken it to the post office and bypassed the EBay shipping label in the first place. I ended-up paying three times the shipping cost via the EBay shipping label, since my scale weighed the package three times heavier than it actually was. Then, after all that, PayPal has advised me that I will need to wait approximately 21 days to receive my payment anyway.
In the meantime, I called PayPal twice to see if I could get the exact date my money would be released. The first time I was told the money would be available on November 25. Then, when at the close of the business day on the 25th my money was still unavailable, I called again. This time, I was told the money would clear around 12:00 am on the 26th. It is now 8:16 am on the 26th, and my money is still unavailable.
At this point, I am not sure I will ever sell on EBay again. I would certainly avoid the same shipping mistakes, but, since, I planned on only selling on EBay once in awhile, it appears that it would be a struggle for me to meet the established seller rules needed to begin to receive prompt payments from PayPal. So, unfortunately, although I have been a long-time EBay buyer who has accumulated an over 550 item 100% positive feedback profile, I would probably continue to be treated with suspicion by PayPal as a seller.
As a buyer, I can certainly understand the need for EBay/PayPal to implement rules and regulations to protect all the buyers out there from fraudulent sellers. I have run into a couple of shady characters myself while buying on EBay. In reality, however, to hold a seller’s payments for 21 days after the buyer has paid is a practice much more about protecting the financial interests of Corporate America, in this case, namely, EBay/PayPal, than it is about evenhanded customer service practices.
