HORRIBLE IDEA TO HOLD FUNDS FOR 21 DAYS!!!

[gearhed78]

  Holding funds from sellers until the buyer leaves feedback is the worst idea EVER! Since when does Paypal become an authority on buyer satisfaction?? A smooth transaction is all that I wanted from Paypal. If they are going to hold funds, then they should make it very clear BEFORE you use them!  Keeping my money in their account for 21 days is a HUGE disadvantage of using Paypal. Stick to transferring funds,not trying to be a satisfaction authority!

[GrannyMo]

I have just learned that PayPal will hold funds for 21 days.  I'm new to this game.  How can they legally get away with this? I read a post that advised users to contact a "manager" to discuss problem of funds being held and the manager would get the funds released immediately.  I have,  for other reasons, tried to get to talk to a manager. NO LUCK.  What do we need to do or say to get a manager to talk to us?

[MeyerVW]

They just added me to the 21-day hold.

I am a sometimes eBayer. I only use it when I've got something laying around the house that I no longer need or on the very rare occasions that there is something I want that you woudn't necessarily buy new.

So after years and years of transactions without a hitch, nothing but positive feedback and me even keeping a nice, healthy balance on PayPal, they decide to call me a risk and hang on to any money I might get off of a future sale. They do this to protect themselves against fraud, or so they say. But woudn't it be more fair to penalize the people who actually commit fraud, RATHER THAN INCONVENIENCE ALL OF THEIR HONEST USERS? This is greed and laziness at its worst.

Nope, there's not enough money in treating people fairly, I guess. It seems to me that by doing this, eBay and PayPal are suggesting that they think that their customers need them more than they need their customers.

Well, I beg to differ. My eBay account is already closed and my PayPal account will be closed as soon as my last transfer hits my bank account. These people have obviously turned into just another huge corporate leach on society, and we should be able to find ways to live without them, right? Lord knows that in a better era, these vermin would have gotten slammed with an anti-trust suit so fast it would've made their heads spin, and the suit would have STUCK.

But these days, the message seems to be that you charge whatever the market will bear, especially if you are the only business in the world that does what you do and espeically if you are vertically integrated like eBay and PayPal are.

I have some stuff I still would like to sell. So I am going to list it on Craigslist. Maybe I won't get as much for it as I would have using eBay and PayPal.

But i sure will sleep better at night.

[MeyerVW]

One more additional thought that some of you heavier sellers should be considering, if you don't view this as an issue: this means one more guy that won't be buying ANYTHING off of eBay - and I'm certain that I'm not alone in this.

[GrannyMo]

I got 4 reply messages that were identical.  Wonderful computer program PayPal has.  Yep, it was about the 21 day hold on eBayers funds.  This is something that a small seller, which I am, cannot tolerate.  Normally, I need the money from a Buyer almost as soon as it is transfered into my account.

Is this just another way of squeezing out Sellers who do not sell large quanties of items?

The 21 day hold situation is just one of the recent policies by PayPal & eBay that make it more and more difficult for all seller.

I have tried Craigslist.  However, I haven't had much luck & prices must be dropped so low to beat the competition that I don't think using Craigslist entirely is a good business plan.  Perhaps, for some items, it's fine, but not for new, relatively unique items it falls short of what a seller would want to realize from a sale.

Anyone out there have any other suggestions?

grannymo

[hbogdon]

Sell on amazon. THat is where I buy everything maybe they can put them out of business

[Imoutofhere]

The problem with Craigslist is WAY TO MANY WANNA BE SCAMMERSFROM NIGERIA. eBay classieds is worthless not even an inquiry in 5 months. Then there is the cheap skate, they want 270.00 worth of stuff for 20.00. Oh and lastly lets not forget the dumb questions "IS IT STILL AVAILABLE"?

[makdknife1]

You know, after I told PayPal I was going to report them to the local law as someone who stole my money, they released  my money.

You have to understand the anatomy of a theft.  A theft, by definition, is when someone takes possession of something that doesn't belong to them.

I explained to PayPal my buyer will vouch to the police that the money was not for PayPal, but for me and the buyer will also vouch that they received their goods and are satisfied.

In turn the police would ask PayPal, and probably this would be the San Jose Police Department, why are they holding someone's money.  The buyer paid the seller, buyer received goods and is satisfied, 'why are you holding the money'.

Well, I can tell you now, cops do not take bulls**t answers from know one.  PayPal would have to explain, and the fact is, their explaination would not be acceptable and perhaps someone would be charged.

They released my money after that, so I think there is something to it.  PayPal as taken possession of something that doesn't belong to them and there is no valid reason, in the majority of cases.  That is the bottom line here.

[boxofshells]

Why are they holding the money?  Are they so broke and feeding off the interest of our money that they are holding for 21 days?  Everyone should call their local TV stations and tell them of the problem and let see what Paypal has to say to the media, I just called mine....

[GrannyMo]

The idea of talking to our local TV stations is a good idea.  Yep, think I'm gonna give it a try.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  Might cause quite an uproar if anything is reported on TV, but at my age I've weathered plenty of "up roars", so I don't give one big hoot.  I'm sort of funny about wanting what's mine.  Wake-up PayPal.

GrannyMo

[hbogdon]

I sent my complaint to Howard clark from CNN. Will let you all know what happens