References for prospective buyers?

[Martin Howe]

Hi All

Is anybody who has bought from me before willing to help me with references?

I am occasionally getting people wanting to pay for progs by PayPal and often this will be for buyer security; however I would never sell via PayPal as I simply don't trust them with my bank account details in order to turn payments into actual money and they also charge fees. They have all sorts of restrictions on how and when you can access your money even if you do use them.

This sort of over-formalisation is fine if one is a multi billion $ corporation, but not for a private sale. In fact, quite frankly I detest PayPal and if I didn't buy on eBay then I wouldn't maintain a PayPal account at all.

I have dealt with several people on the 2000AD forums with no problems; would any of you that have dealt with me be prepared to offer references to buyers who may feel uncomfortable without using PayPal?

Kind Regards

Martin

[Banners]

Your point about fees is valid but don't be so paranoid. We use PayPal for transactions worth 100s of pounds most days, with no problems whatsoever.

[Bolt-01]

I agree with Banners. For FQP & Zarjaz Paypal has been a massive help and it is easier to access the money all the time. I've never had any issues with spam from Paypal either, but I'm aware that this may not be true for all.

[moldovangerbil]

Hi Martin, I've bought from you a couple of times and am more than happy to be a referee for you.

Cheers

[Proudhuff]

I was very wary of PP at first, but it has been a blessing and a boon (with the exception of the fees)

[hippynumber1]

And you can get around Paypal fees by asking the buyer to send you the money as a 'gift to friend or family'

[Martin Howe]

And you can get around Paypal fees by asking the buyer to send you the money as a 'gift to friend or family'

Indeed, but (personally) I'd consider that cheating.

In any case, I wasn't looking to start a discussion (or worse ) about the merits of PayPal, just giving my reasons for making the request.

[Martin Howe]

However, since people seem not to be bothered by PayPal, perhaps somebody could tell me why it is so easy, when the Ts&Cs as advertised seem draconian.

You have to wait for your money if you are a new seller.

In disputes, presumption is made in favour of the buyer - you are guilty until proved innocent and they refund a buyer from your bank account before any arbitration has taken place; there's no equality. This alone is enough to make PayPal too big a risk.

[moldovangerbil]

Just following up my offer to be a referee, I've dealt with Martin twice in the last year and been very happy with the outcome. 

On each occasion, we exchanged PMs and once we'd settled on a price I sent him a cheque in the post and shortly thereafter received the happy sound of my postie popping progs through the letterbox.  They were well packaged, in good nick and now sit happily in my collection.

[Proteus4]

Martin is a very reliable and trustworthy dude who I have bought from twice. He packaged my stuff very well, always responded to emails, and delivered quickly. Highly recommended. I'd happily send him a cheque for stuff in good faith.

Dave

[Simon Beigh]

So Martin doesn't like PayPal. That's fine - it's up to him - but it needn't preclude you from doing business with him.

Like others, I've bought off him a couple of times. Half my Meg collection for my Meg Odyssey came from him - well packaged and delivered when he said it would. Really must get back to my Odyssey sometime...

SB

[betel_uk]

To put a bit of a spin on the PayPal "guilty until proven innocent" debate...

I've been buying and selling 2000ADs for a few years now and I've had almost no trouble with the people in the 2000AD community whatsoever. I guess it's partly to do with our age (mature vs immature) and the hobby / collector element of the stuff we're transacting, but I think you're far less likely to have a dispute with a Squaxx than you might selling an iPhone etc. which is where PayPal will step in with the letter of their Ts&Cs...

( and I don't know Martin, but he has a very trustworthy surname!  )