posted on November 30, 2002 11:26:54 PM new
I just got this from PayPal. Here it is. What do you make of it? I think it's a weird (or desperate) idea:
Dear Xxxxx Xxxxx,
Congratulations! As a valued seller, you have been selected to participate in PayPal's
Money Back Guarantee program!
Money Back Guarantee promotes increased sales by allowing buyers to get a satisfaction
guarantee on their purchase of physical goods (up to $1000). [b]There is no additional cost
to sellers, and participation is limited to selected PayPal merchants only.[/b]
How Does the Guarantee Work?
When paying for physical goods, buyers will see an option to purchase PayPal's Money
Back Guarantee on the PayPal payment page. Under the Guarantee, PayPal will reimburse
the buyer for the amount of the transaction when the buyer is not satisfied with the
purchase and returns the goods to PayPal. Buyers can file a reimbursement request on the
PayPal website within 30 days of payment.
To avoid competing with sellers who offer shipping insurance, goods lost or damaged while
in transit are not covered. In addition, sellers will not be held responsible for goods returned
to PayPal. Sellers will, however, continue to be responsible for the delivery of goods as
specified in the Seller Protection Policy.
The cost of the Money Back Guarantee will be automatically displayed to your buyers at the
time of payment. The cost is calculated based on the cost of the item being purchased. If
you do NOT wish your buyers to have this option, you can modify your Guarantee
Preferences in your Profile by logging in at https://www.paypal.com/PROFILE.
To learn more about the Money Back Guarantee, go to the Money Back Guarantee page in
our Security Center.
Thank you for making PayPal the world's #1 online payment service.
posted on December 1, 2002 06:18:56 AM new
what is wrong with it?it has been a paypal feature for months now,this is a legit paypal email,you have been selected to participate.
posted on December 1, 2002 07:14:26 AM new
The email looks real, just go into the paypal site and check it out.
I can not help but wonder what will happen if too many buyers start to return goods to paypal.
Buyers remorse, lets use it till we get tired of it,need beer money etc, etc.This will open the door to a lot of abuse.
Time will tell.
posted on December 1, 2002 07:17:13 AM new
I don't think Paypal knows what they've gotten themselves into especially during the holiday season. I once worked retail for Christmas. It didn't get too bad until AFTER Christmas when the returns starting rolling in! They may find that this thing will cost them money, not make it. Still, as a seller, it works for me.
posted on December 1, 2002 07:31:22 AM newBuyers remorse, lets use it till we get tired of it,need beer money etc, etc.This will open the door to a lot of abuse.
Trai, I brought this up on another thread and I am willing to bet Paypal starts to punish the sellers.
Unless they plan on checking out the stuff and reselling it on eBay...
Having used it already, I do have to say it is very easy...
posted on December 1, 2002 08:20:08 AM new
I have received the letter also, but after furthur review I am not going to take it and the reason is, people will return just anything. If my buyer is not satisfied and give me a good reason I will refund. I feel that the merchandise that I sell is of good quality and if returned to me I can resell it. I don't want someone else (paypal) to intervene receive my merchandise, then what will they do with it. I want my auctions to be seller to buyer if not satisfied back to me. I know that this is probably good but I feel that if PayPal gets to many returns they will charge for the service. I am passing on this service. Remember there is no free lunch.
not good on punctuation.
[ edited by Libra63 on Dec 1, 2002 08:21 AM ]
posted on December 1, 2002 08:49:40 AM newI am willing to bet Paypal starts to punish the sellers[
I agree, sooner or later the seller will be in the middle of this.
There is a limit to how many times they can do this.
posted on December 1, 2002 09:41:26 AM new
It looks like a vast right wing politicaly motivated conspiracy headed by President George Bush to take over and control online commerce starting with Paypal.
posted on December 1, 2002 11:25:07 AM new
There's another aspect to it that led me to pass on this offer...
From the Paypal FAQs on the program..
"...Will sellers be held liable for disputes regarding defective/incorrect merchandise or buyer dissatisfaction?
No, sellers will not be held liable for disputes regarding defective/incorrect merchandise or if a buyer is simply not satisfied with his or her purchase.
However, if a seller receives an unusually high number of defective/incorrect merchandise complaints (whether through the Buyer Complaint or Guarantee Reimbursement Request process), his account access may be limited."
I like having access to my account thanks, and I'll run the risk of losing a sale or 2
to keep THAT potential problem at bay.
posted on December 1, 2002 07:39:20 PM new
I received this also. It looks like another money maker for Ebay (PayPal) but doesn't help me any. I've never had anyone not want my items so Im a good bet for Ebay to make a few extra bucks while they exploit the fears of the buying public.
My customers will receive a full refund if they are not happy for any reason, its just good business to do it yourself. Having a third party (venue) deal with refunds takes it out of the realm of (venue)but Im not sure what you would call this concept other than intrusive.
I was one of the first to sign up for PayPal before they even had a business account to offer us and it was a risk when we used them. Now with Ebay doing their nickle and dime add ons we are going to need alternate methods of payments available.
I sure don't like putting all my eggs in the same basket.
posted on December 2, 2002 05:32:36 AM new
I got this email too and it is legitimate but guess what folks? Unless you go into your account and decline the service, you are automatically signed up for it!
I got the email and did nothing. Sure enough, one of my bidders from this weekend paid at Paypal and bought this guarantee.
Sneaky ol' Ebay, what will they NOT do for extra revenue?
posted on December 2, 2002 06:04:36 AM new
As previously mentioned, If you get some complaints from bidders using this service, Paypal will "restrict" your account. That's never good. I offer shipping insurance on every item I sell so why would a buyer want to pay extra for Paypal's "guarantee"? Plus, it seems that bidders are assuming that this "guarantee" is the same as buying insurance. My bidder even stated so in his comments that came through with the payment confirmation email. He didn't pay for insurance with me but wanted it sent insured anyway. I had to inform him that they were two separate things.
The problem is more confusion and complication when what we really need is for Ebay and Paypal to simplify things.
One other thing. If a customer isn't happy with their item, wouldn't it make more sense for them to contact me to get it worked out to their satisfaction, rather than going to a third party right off the bat? Just my opinion.
posted on December 2, 2002 06:48:54 AM new
One Huge Flaw in this system ripe for abuse..
Say a bidder buys 10 items from the same seller. They get a lump sum total and send one payment.
1 of the ten items they buy they want to excercise this new money back guarantee.
How will paypal sort out the claim?
People who use my checkout get auto-directed to paypal for a 2 click quicky payment.
Paypal recieves the transaction number from my checkout not the individual bids or seperated amounts.
Who deals with money spent on shipping? Refundable?
More likely than not this money back guarantee is probably only usable with a dozen different hoops to jump through to get your money. Making most people simly give up and paypal keeps the "guaranteed" cash bonus.
posted on December 2, 2002 06:58:34 AM new
I got that paypal offer as well. The whole thing seemed fishy, and when I got to the part that informed me that I had been opted in without my agreement, I not only got very angry, but also knew with certainty that that bunch of slimey operators weren't trying to help my business at all. Of course I went to preferences immediately and said adios.
I'll continue to allow paypal payments from my buyers, but I see the future coming without it. The people at ebay and paypal should re-read the fable about the goose that laid the golden egg.
posted on December 2, 2002 07:46:38 AM new
how do you like that, I was never informed of this program and I was opted in... Not anymore... If someone is not satisfied with something I send, I was the chance to make it right without any help from "THEM"
posted on December 4, 2002 08:37:09 AM new
I agree with Libra and the others who say that they will not participate in this program. My first thought was for my customers. I'd rather handle MY customers through a return transaction than to have a third party do it. When you sell jewelry, some people give them as presents and sometimes return them. That happens if you have a policy that allows return satisfaction and we do. I think that if you leave it up to Paypal to accept your returns, then you are saying that your own little business isn't up to snuff. It could be that Sellers that do not take returns will want to partake of this offer.
[ edited by Libra63 on Dec 1, 2002 08:21 AM ]