PayPal Purchase Protection - Any caveats to be aware of?

[Mr. Scram]

Currently I'm looking at making a private purchase and as it's a biggish number, I want to make sure I'm covered. I'm thinking about making the purchase through Paypal, so I can make use of the protection they offer. Before I commit I'd like to hear from people who've actually had to depend on it and whether it's actually any good. I've been trawling through the terms and the internet and can't find anything too worrying. I've heard stories about Paypal only refunding money they in turn have been able to recover from the seller, which is a potential caveat. I'd appreciate your input.

[NorthGuy]

I disputed a charge for a defective product once (not a biggish by any means though), the seller didn't respond, I won. All my experience.

Credit cards have protection too. You can always chargeback, although it may take long time to get your money back. I think, while PayPal has to find a balance between sellers and buyers, the credit card issuers are always on the buyer side. But this is just my opinion.

[tunk]

I don't use PayPal but I have used eBay's Resolution Center maybe 1-2 dozen times,
and I have always gotten a refund. That said, these were items from Asia costing a
few dollars.

[Stray Electron]

  I invoked PayPal's Purchase Protection against an uncooperative US seller and PayPal promptly refunded my money, my shipping costs and sent me a prepaid mailing label to return the item to the seller. So I'm happy with them. 

   One thing that I've heard however is that if you (the buyer) are outside of the US and the item isn't shipped via E-bay's own Global Shipping program then Ebay/payPal will refuse to honor the Purchase Protection policy.  I don't know if it's true but if you're outside of the US then you should check on that. 

  The other caution is that you're only allowed a certain amount of time to request a refund and often the sellers will stall you until the time runs out so send your complaint to the seller promptly and get it resolved promptly. If you encounter any delays then open a case with PaYPal.

[Siwastaja]

Worked for me like charm, but it was a low-cost Chinese item.

Just be beware of the stalling tactics. There is a time limit. Don't allow any stalling, give the seller one chance, then open the case immediately if the seller fails to resolve the issue within a few days.

AFAIK the purchase protection works so well that the actual scamming issue is about buyers scamming the sellers, by a large margin.

[bd139]

Yeah works. I’ve used it at least ten times on items from £1 to £1000. No problems at all. I’ve actually got one open with Royal Mail over a £35 import duty payment they haven’t acknowledged as paid.

As mentioned watch out for stalling. Escalate it to PayPal as soon as allowed. Accept no seller excuses.

[windsmurf]

I take it that this purchase is not through EBay, but you want to use Paypal?

I don't know how good the protection is if you do a private transaction outside EBay with Paypal, but EBay protection is great for the buyer.
I'd make sure to document everything (claims made by seller, pictures, emails, etc.). 

[Mr. Scram]

I take it that this purchase is not through EBay, but you want to use Paypal?

I don't know how good the protection is if you do a private transaction outside EBay with Paypal, but EBay protection is great for the buyer.
I'd make sure to document everything (claims made by seller, pictures, emails, etc.).

Correct. I know the eBay protection is fine, but I haven't dealt with just the Paypal protection.

[Johnny10]

Is there a way to call Paypal and ask them?
I have been using Paypal for many years on and off eBay and it seems a very responsive company.

[olkipukki]

Currently I'm looking at making a private purchase and as it's a biggish number, I want to make sure I'm covered. I'm thinking about making the purchase through Paypal, so I can make use of the protection they offer. Before I commit I'd like to hear from people who've actually had to depend on it and whether it's actually any good. I've been trawling through the terms and the internet and can't find anything too worrying.

In most (if not all) cases, PayPal will 'bent' a seller one way or another.
I have only one incident when a package has been delivered to a wrong address and took some time to get my money back.

I've heard stories about Paypal only refunding money they in turn have been able to recover from the seller, which is a potential caveat. I'd appreciate your input.

As far as I remember, a seller cannot withdraw money straight way, there is a holding period that depends from a seller account (private/business) and its history.
Not sure if it's still true.

[bd139]

Not necessarily. Paypal sides with whoever has proof. In one case, I sent a package through ebay via click and collect, paypal sided with both the seller and the buyer in my case and refunded the buyer and let me keep the cash. Paypal basically ate a £70 loss on that. You either send stuff registered or signed for or ride the risk. The claim rate is so low it's probably better to ride the risk unless it's a high value item and just refund the buyer. Depends on what you sell. If it's niche stuff, which is what I sell the claim rate is 1 in 300 transactions (!) approx.

You can withdraw your money straight from paypal. It goes into my account instantly. Only new sellers with no history can't do that. In fact once you get a better risk profile with paypal and use it more they have escalated support options. Same as your normal credit profile

[thm_w]

I take it that this purchase is not through EBay, but you want to use Paypal?

I don't know how good the protection is if you do a private transaction outside EBay with Paypal, but EBay protection is great for the buyer.
I'd make sure to document everything (claims made by seller, pictures, emails, etc.).

Correct. I know the eBay protection is fine, but I haven't dealt with just the Paypal protection.

Paypal protection is fine, just don't use "send as gift/friends and family" as that will not be covered. Or get them to send you an invoice via paypal.