Re: [CR]PayPal and German eBay Purchases

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Avocet)

From: "jerrymoos" <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, "WD Baseley" <wdb@pobox.com>
References: <aa.2797d097.2d4b38ac@aol.com> <5.1.1.6.2.20040131072523.00bb9808@pop.mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]PayPal and German eBay Purchases
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:21:51 -0600


I waited 29 days to see if the mail was just slow, then filed the complaint just before the deadline. A week later the parts still hadn't arrrived, but I was informed that my money had been refunded, or at least most of it.. 30 days plus one week is a bit over 5 weeks.

Considering the very long shipping from Europe, PayPal should allow more time to file a complaint. If one gives the seller the benefit of the doubt and waits 5 or 6 weeks before filing a complaint, then it will be too late to file with PayPal. I don't expect either of my purchases will ever arrive, but there may be cases where one files a complaint at the deadline, then the goods eventually arrive. In the unlikely event that occurs for me I will of course refund the refund.

This deadline puts buyers in a predicament. When one has waited 29 days with no delivery, one must decide whether to trust the seller or file a PayPal complaint. In the case of these two sellers, it was my first purchase from each of them, and one had been the source of many past complaints from other buyers, so filing the complaints was a no brainer. By complete contrast, it has now been about 30 days waiting on an order from Renaissance Cycles, but I would never dream of filing a compalint. The difference is that, not only is BC a list member, but his reputation is impeccable. I've probably made a dozen purchases from him, often for $500 or more each, and never been anything other than delighted. He also reassures buyers through excellent communications. He cautions US buyers that shipping can take 3 to 4 weeks, and if there is a long delay, he responds to emails.

Shipping from Holland has been slow for a couple of years. Early last year BC advised me that US Customs seemed to be especially scritinizing parcels from Holland to retaliate for what the US viewed as a lack of cooperation by the Dutch authorities in suppressing the international drug trade. Later, that blew over and deliveries from Holland improved, but now Holland and Germany are again experiencing long delays, evidently related to terrorist concerns. Oddly, parcels from UK and Denmark still arrive promptly. Maybe US Customs believes that terrorist activity is more prevalent in some European nations than in others, or maybe it's just that parcels from different countries enter the US at different points.

Regards,

Jerry Moos


----- Original Message -----
From: WD Baseley
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 6:36 AM
Subject: Re: [CR]PayPal and German eBay Purchases



> At 09:52 PM 1/30/2004 -0600, jerrymoos ushered forth:
> >Well, the eBay saga continues. After the previously posted problems with
> >Cyclo_Network, I also failed to receive any goods 5 weeks after paying
> >another German seller, charley's-auktionen. The seller claimed no
> >responsibility because I had not paid for insured shipping, and stated he
> >had shipped on Dec29, but offered no proof. I again filed eBay and PayPal
> >complaints just before the 30 day PayPal deadline. I received notice today
> >that PayPal had determined the seller was at fault and had obtained a refund
> >of $153 of the $160 price.
>
> How did you manage to file a complaint within 30 days -and- wait 5 weeks
> for shipping? You must have a Tarsus hiding in there amongst the bike bits ;-)
>
> I have made purchases from Charlys Auktionen in the past, and never had a
> problem with delivery -- although shipping was always slow. With certain
> overseas sellers I am accustomed to waiting weeks and weeks for items to
> arrive, and Charlys is one of them.
>
> I wonder how much of the recent problem has to do with greater scrutiny of
> packages arriving in the US from overseas. If that is a factor I also
> wonder if packages from certain countries are scrutinized more, and/or if
> the manner of packaging and the completeness of identification by the
> shipper might play a role.
>
> rgds,
> Dave Baseley, back into the single digit temperatures in Berks County PA