OT: Ebay Nightmare...need some advice from my fellow forumites

[petruccirocks02]

Hey guys/gals. I have a problem and need some advice from my fine fellow forumites. I purchased a 1997 Dual Rectifier Rackmount Head on ebay on April 19th that was listed in mint condition. The seller's from Canada. Initially when I was in conversation with the seller, he told me that I'd have a week to pay for the amp. 3 days after the auction was over, he was demanding his money. Mind you, there was nothing in the listing about a timeframe for when payment should be completed. A few days later, I sent $1359 to the seller and told him that I would send the other $126 in 5 days when it goes into my paypal account. The seller was fine with that. So the rest of the money will be in there by the 29th. Fast forward to last night. I emailed the seller and told him that when I send the other $126, that I expect the amp to be shipped the next day and expect a tracking number. The payment of $1359 is coming up on Paypal as completed, but now the seller is telling mme that he hasn't received it yet and that it should take 5-10 days to withdraw. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a paypal payment from a verified member to another member instant as long as you have the funds in your paypal? On top of that, the seller is now telling me that a patch cable needs to be hooked into the send and the return of the fx loop in order for the amp to work. So is this seller just jerking me around, or does actually take 5-10 days for him to get the funds?

What would you guys do in this situation? I really need some advice cuz I'm going out of my mind and I don't wanna get screwed by this guy. Thanks for reading this and thanks for the help in advance.

-Phil

 

[fogman]

I don't know about this eBay/Paypal stuff as much as some will, but I do recall reading something about Paypal that depending on the type of account you have, funds are sometimes delay. Take it with a grain of salt.

 

[petruccirocks02]

I don't know about this eBay/Paypal stuff as much as some will, but I do recall reading something about Paypal that depending on the type of account you have, funds are sometimes delay. Take it with a grain of salt.

I guess I'll have to fogman. Thanks though. It just seems a bit fishy to me, especially even more so now that when I asked the seller for a contact phone number in case I have a problem, he said "I don't really feel comfortable since there's nothing that can't be solved through email". So, I don't know. I just hope I actually get what I paid for.

-Phil

 

[Gywhard]

kinda tricky situation I guess.
Well, if in the auction there were nothing about that fx loop thing and he says that he hasn't recieved the payment yet, i think he's clearely jerking you.
tomorrow I'll check how paypal work and maybe could help you.

I really hope you will solve this out as I definetly know how you are in the s**t in situations like this.

 

[Pittman75]

Unless that's a steal of a Price- I'd cancel man. Who knows what else could be wrong with it if he's telling you in order for it to WORK something has to be connected to the FX loop. I've never even heard of that...so who knows, I'd say cancel if you can find another one man.

Just my .02

 

[Gywhard]

Unless that's a steal of a Price- I'd cancel man. Who knows what else could be wrong with it if he's telling you in order for it to WORK something has to be connected to the FX loop. I've never even heard of that...so who knows, I'd say cancel if you can find another one man.

Just my .02

Totally with you

 

[Spudmurphy]

Can't comment on the Paypal side of things, but there is a trick using a patch lead in the send return of the Mesa. One Jack plug is wired normal and the other has the tip and sleeve shorted together. This gives the impression of using a "power break" insofar as you can crank the Mesa right up and then turn it down using the volume control on the send return loop. - I wonder if it;s anything to do with this?
- if the amp will only work with the patch cable - get a refund and look elsewhere.

 

[Sweat]

So did you pay with an E-check? If so yes it takes awhile, sometimes up to two weeks depending on bank accounts location etc., if you expect a quick tranaction then use a credit card that is immediate payment otherwise be patient but sounds like the seller is not being 100% honest always a gamble with some sellers, thats why I keep my selling clean on ebay.

 

[LivinItUp]

They only delay is when he does a withdraw from his paypal account to his bank... if you send money, it will go to his paypal account right away... so he has the money... but not in his bank account... only in paypal....

and yeah, like Fing Beagles said, if u sent an echeck.. it would take days....

 

[petruccirocks02]

So did you pay with an E-check? If so yes it takes awhile, sometimes up to two weeks depending on bank accounts location etc., if you expect a quick tranaction then use a credit card that is immediate payment otherwise be patient but sounds like the seller is not being 100% honest always a gamble with some sellers, thats why I keep my selling clean on ebay.

Nope, I didn't use an e-check. Just transferred the money from my paypal to his. The seller even said the payment was immediate, but he's waiting for it to withdraw to his bank account because he said he got "screwed by paypal before". I'm gonna wait till he sends the amp and I'll take it to my tech up here to check out. If its not mint like he says it is, I guess I'll have to go the route of reporting him to ebay. Thanks for the advice guys.

Spud: I do know what you're talking about with the effects loop trick. Its a possibility maybe he worded something wrong, but I'll have to wait and find out. Worse comes to worse, I know how to rewire the fx loop and fix it if its messed up.

The whole thing with this is I got a pretty good deal on the amp, and Mesa doesn't make the Rackmount Recto's anymore, so they're very rare to pop up.

-Phil

 

[LivinItUp]

you know why he wants to transfer the money to his bank account right away? because if u file a claim.. paypal cant take the money from his bank for a refund............

 

[petruccirocks02]

you know why he wants to transfer the money to his bank account right away? because if u file a claim.. paypal cant take the money from his bank for a refund............

I get what you're saying, but regardless of that, if I file a claim with PayPal I'm covered up to $2,000 in buyer protection and they would reimburse me my money, and he'd be stuck paying PayPal that money back, so he's only screwing himself.

-Phil

 

[LivinItUp]

yes thats true... thats why i hate ebay sometimes... but.. i get the best deals off ebay too.. also, craigslist has been good...

 

[petruccirocks02]

yes thats true... thats why i hate ebay sometimes... but.. i get the best deals off ebay too.. also, craigslist has been good...

I've had nothing but good experiences with craigslist and ebay also, its just that this guy as Rob said, is a jerk. When this crap is all over, I'm just hoping to have my amp, and that it works good and all that. The only reason I even went for the amp is because its so rare. If they were still in production I would've bought a new one.

-Phil

 

[the24thfret]

Phil, I'm pretty sure the payment instant, and that means he has the money in his paypal account and won't have any problem getting it out. Don't understand that problem.

As for any problems with the amp that weren't described in the original ad... these are grounds for getting your money back/filing a claim.

Sorry to hear you're having problems with the seller. Best of luck.

 

[beachjammer]

I get what you're saying, but regardless of that, if I file a claim with PayPal I'm covered up to $2,000 in buyer protection and they would reimburse me my money, and he'd be stuck paying PayPal that money back, so he's only screwing himself.

-Phil

Be really careful of this! I filed a claim once because a seller sent the wrong item but since the seller was able to provide a tracking number ,even though it was for the wrong item, then Paypal and Ebay didn't honor the claim I filed and sided with the seller. I also had a deal go south on a Xbox 360 and I wasn't happy at all the way the claim went on Ebay or Paypal's side. They have their policies to cover themselves more than they do you. Keep that in mind. If it were me and I had any doubt what so ever then I'd cancel the deal before he sends it.

I've heard of the patch cable in the effects loop issue before and it can usely be fixed by spraying some contact cleaner in the jacks and working a cord in and out.

 

[petruccirocks02]

Be really careful of this! I filed a claim once because a seller sent the wrong item but since the seller was able to provide a tracking number ,even though it was for the wrong item, then Paypal and Ebay didn't honor the claim I filed and sided with the seller. I also had a deal go south on a Xbox 360 and I wasn't happy at all the way the claim went on Ebay or Paypal's side. They have their policies to cover themselves more than they do you. Keep that in mind. If it were me and I had any doubt what so ever then I'd cancel the deal before he sends it.

I've heard of the patch cable in the effects loop issue before and it can usely be fixed by spraying some contact cleaner in the jacks and working a cord in and out.

Thanks for the advice beachjammer. I plan on taking pics of everything, even me taking the amp out of the box when I get it with the date on the pics so I'm covered.

-Phil

 

[beachjammer]

Great idea! Just be sure to document everything in case something comes up.

 

[petruccirocks02]

Great idea! Just be sure to document everything in case something comes up.

Definitely.

-Phil

 

[philiprst]

Phil,

There was a glitch on Paypal around April 20th where instant transfers were being sent as echeck. You can read about others' experiences of this on the Paypal subforum of the ebay community forum. I have no idea if this is what happened but I wanted to let you know. This was happening even for transactions funded from a paypal balance which no indication it was an echeck except when the seller received it.

As others have commented, it is not that uncommon for sellers to move funds from their Paypal to their bank account immediately because of the abuse of chargebacks. I have had sellers tell me that they will not ship until it clears into their bank account. Personally, I have no problem with this provided they are upfront about it and ship within the required 7 days. of payment. The seller is obligated to ship within 7 days of payment. Just like the buyer is obligated to pay within 7 days after the auction end.

It is difficult to know what to would happen if you tried to pursue this with ebay/paypal or attempted to cancel the transaction. Right now you are on the hook since you are over 7 days without completing payment so the ball is in the seller's court at the moment. Once you complete the payment he has 7 days to ship before the ball is back in your court again. In this type of situation it is often best to ask for a mutual withdrawal of sale which he might well accept if he thinks you got it undermarket. He gets his FVF and some of the listing fees back by this route so if you really want to sweeten the deal you can offer to pay the remaining lising fees. This is a few dollars but a lot less hassle than going through a claim and counterclaim.

Paypal usually sides with the buyer so your chances are pretty good that you would eventually get your money pack. The effect cable thing may relate to the footswitch pop issue which is actually documented in some manuals. It occurs most often on the Roadster.

I hope that helps and this all ends the way you wish it to.

Philip