PayPal madness

[Owen Young]

If you use Paypal, you'll find this story (http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/01/online-commerce) esp shocking.

[Owen Young]

Note also the linked story about blind testing of violins (http://www.economist.com/node/21542380) - that expensive 18th C violins sound no better, and in some cases worse, than well-made new ones.

[Papa Hemi]

Note also the linked story about blind testing of violins (http://www.economist.com/node/21542380) - that expensive 18th C violins sound no better, and in some cases worse, than well-made new ones.
A lesson for audiophiles in that article.

[paul300b]

Have you been buying 50k 18th C violins over ebay using paypal again Owen? :)

[kaka]

Would have been sacrilegious if the clowns had taken out one of these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-1963-ORIG-LAKE-PLACID-BLUE-FENDER-STRATOCASTER-/350300305762)

[neil]

I have had a similar thing happen to me recently actually.
I sold a cartridge to a guy in Malaysia. It was working perfectly when it left. he received it and all of a sudden it wasn't working. I agreed to a refund if he returned it to me (obviously I wasn't pleased but so be it). I still haven't received the cartridge back and Paypal have granted him a refund and debited my account! He claims I have received the cart when I most definitely haven't. I've asked hi for proof of signature but he has gone dark and Paypal are useless.... sometimes its a case of seller beware... dodgy mofo!!!!

[Luis]

I have had a similar thing happen to me recently actually.
I sold a cartridge to a guy in Malaysia. It was working perfectly when it left. he received it and all of a sudden it wasn't working. I agreed to a refund if he returned it to me (obviously I wasn't pleased but so be it). I still haven't received the cartridge back and Paypal have granted him a refund and debited my account! He claims I have received the cart when I most definitely haven't. I've asked hi for proof of signature but he has gone dark and Paypal are useless.... sometimes its a case of seller beware... dodgy mofo!!!!

I have had bad experiences with Paypal and don't use it. I find that it's an intrasigent, pseudo-fascist capitalist organisation which is impossible to get any sense out of.

And yes, a cheap new Chinese-made violin in the hands of a virtuoso sounds better than my Ruggieri played by me.

[Owen Young]

Have you been buying 50k 18th C violins over ebay using paypal again Owen? :)Next time I buy a Stradivarius I'll remember not to use Paypal ;)

[kaka]

I'd always wondered why so many Audiogon auctions are limited to the USA and Canada only - makes sense now

[wizard]

Doesn't someone in New Zealand hold a local franchise of paypal - something about it a while back on the news or newspaper?
Paypal have a bent toward the customer.
Paypal claim a low percentage, but when the exchange rates were moving there percentage increased over the weekends and dropped thru the week as the rate stayed the same - US to NZD at the time. which led me to think at the time the local franchiser was making a bigger cut.