MetaChat - Is this payment option sketchy or sensible?

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06 September 2013

Is this payment option sketchy or sensible? →[More:]Quick question...I'm in need of a car part to my old VW that simply isn't available (affordably) from anyone other than someone who happens to be parting-out a similar car as mine.

So, I've found a guy who will supply the part. He apparently parts-out cars regularly. Here's the thing...He wants payment as a Paypal gift card, in order to avoid Paypal fees.

I do Paypal about once a year, so I'm pretty unfamiliar with these things. Is this a reasonable request? Or am I about to be conned somehow?

post by: Thorzdad at: 09:05 | 8 comments

I believe it reduces or eliminates the protection PayPal provides to you as a buyer.

In this guy's defense, PayPal is also known for screwing sellers and it's not cheap. So he may be just screwing PayPal (arguably justified) and not you.

I've done this as a buyer but it has been transactions sourced through a hobbyist forum's classified section that had its own feedback system.

Is this going to be an online/delivery by mail thing or will you see the part in person?

posted by mullacc 06 September | 09:19

The guy is a regular in a VW owner's forum, and that's where I found him.
It's all online. He's on the east coast, I'm in Indiana. It's pretty much par-for-the-course with these sorts of things.

posted by Thorzdad 06 September | 09:23

From the way my DIL talks, this payment convention is also fairly common in the doll community.

posted by Ardiril 06 September | 10:26

Thanks. Went ahead and did the transaction. Now, I'll cross my fingers.

posted by Thorzdad 06 September | 10:34

Thorzdad, how old is your VW? I have a '73 Super slowly rotting away in the back of my garage that I really need to start work on.

posted by octothorpe 06 September | 12:42

It's a 2001 GTI.

posted by Thorzdad 06 September | 12:49

Ahh, we obviously have different definitions of "old". :)

posted by octothorpe 06 September | 13:01

A '73 qualifies as "classic". ;)

posted by Thorzdad 07 September | 12:56

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