Originally posted by: TFGZ
I think these issues are more symptomatic of 'eBayers'. I've done thousands of transactions through PayPal and only had 1 bogus claim, and PayPal refunded their money without retracting the payment from me.
I have also performed thousands of transactions as buyer and seller through PayPal (probably almost 1000 just as seller) and have had a single suspect claim. A guy bought a bunch of audio CDs from me and filed an "item not received" claim the day after payment was made.
Here is a positive story. A buyer in Australia bought my Lunar 1 & 2 PlayStation games (CIB, worth about $200 total at the time) from eBay. I mailed them without tracking to save money for him. After a month, he still didn't receive it, so he filed a claim. PayPal awarded him the money since I had no tracking, and I assumed I was out the money. A week later, the buyer emails me saying the games finally arrived. He contacted PayPal himself and instructed PayPal to reverse the claim! I got my money.
The lesson I learned is to always send with tracking if the buyer (from eBay or forums) sends a protected payment. I used to try to make my sales more attractive by offering the cheaper shipping, but no more. I'll do it for gift payments, though.
as for how to protect yourself against the empty box scam, there is likely no way. I can't see PayPal accepting any video evidence. Ultimately, they have to trust someone, and they have decided to trust the buyers.
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