[R-390] Bad Overseas EBay Experience

[Cecil Acuff]

Guess I got lucky with my one experience....

I wonder why they went under?

Think I'll stick with Paypal...

Cecil...
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barry Hauser" <barry at hausernet.com>
To: "Cecil Acuff" <chacuff at cableone.net>; "Bill Feldmann" <n6py at qnet.com>; 
"R390 reflector" <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 2:40 PM
Subject: Re: [R-390] Bad Overseas EBay Experience


> Hi Cecil & list...
>
> I've used Bidpay over 100 times with no problems.  I was able to check on 
> the Western Union MO's by calling the 800 number and keying the MO serial 
> number.  They could basically just tell you whether it was cashed or not. 
> One got lost in the mail one time, but they replaced it.
>
> However, doesn't matter anyway -- Bidpay, which was part of First Union 
> (which I think still owns Western Union), shut down at the end of last 
> December. They kept the original website up for a couple of months for 
> follow-through, but now it's gone.   I just checked the bidpay URL and 
> there is an announcement that Cybersource Corporation bought it out and 
> they "hope to relauch" sometime in the Summer.
>
> Still prefer paypal -- bidpay was paid for by the buyer and rather 
> pricey --  but much more convenient and somewhat safer for the buyer than 
> trotting down to the post office, finding a parking space and waiting in 
> line.  Also you bought the MO's with credit card so didn't have to run 
> around with wads of cash at risk.
>
> There is a note on the Cybersource site that warns that scammers are still 
> "paying with bidpay" -- sham emails, etc. -- and seems to be associated 
> with those great money making deals from Nigeria and Lagos.
>
> Barry
>
>
>
>> Bill,
>>
>>    I have traded by your recommendations for years with the exception 
>> that I don't do business with out of the country sellers, period nor do I 
>> sell to out of the country buyers....too much of a hassle and too risky 
>> as well.
>>
>> I agree with never doing business with anyone that wants to be paid only 
>> by money order, certified check etc....that's a big flag with me that 
>> something's up.  Granted there are those that don't trust Paypal or 
>> BidPay or any online type of financial service and just want to be paid 
>> but I can do without anything one of those guys has due to their concern 
>> with using technology to do business because of the added risk of no 
>> recourse if things go wrong....
>>
>> I personally refuse to use Bidpay.  I once used it to pay a guy for a Tek 
>> O'scope and it took weeks to get things settled.  They send a western 
>> union money order to the seller.  They send you this nice email telling 
>> you the tracking number of the money order and when you have a problem 
>> you go to the western union site and they don't know anything about the 
>> money order number because Bidpay buys them in bulk and western union 
>> does not track those. Then the seller finally gets the money order and it 
>> can only be cashed at a western union location which in his town was a 
>> small drug store where they had to wait until they had collected enough 
>> money in their register to cash the thing....what a nightmare.  He might 
>> have been able to deposit the thing in his bank account or something but 
>> he didn't think so.
>>
>> Won't do that again.
>>
>> I've had good luck with Paypal after using them for probably 10 years.  I 
>> think they have good security in place...the emails you get...and I get 
>> on bogus ebay stuff is not the fault of ebay's security...it's the 
>> creativity of the bad guys.  Nobody has gotten into your account unless 
>> you have answered those bogus emails and given away vital info.
>>
>> I forward them all to the ebay security folks and for the most part over 
>> the last year or so they have stopped....
>>
>> On credit card transactions through paypal....have the credit card 
>> company reverse the charges.  It takes a while but they will credit your 
>> credit card account and get the money back from Paypal...it's then up to 
>> Paypal to settle with the seller.  I've done that before...works fine!
>>
>> Good Luck...
>>
>> Cecil Acuff
>> WB5VCE
>>
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>
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