# Revive old eBay account or start fresh?



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I had an active eBay account until 8 or 9 years ago when I when I ran out of stuff to sell using that platform and at the same time got screwed by PayPal. I have some woodworking related stuff that is specialized enough that reaching a large audience is preferable to selling local so I can maximize my return. Should I suck it up and pay the ~$200 PayPal stiffed me for to be able to once again use my long standing account complete with many good reviews or just open a new account? I have no idea how much confidence is assured to the buyer purchasing from a long time seller with good reviews vs. a brand new account without?


----------



## recycle1943 (Dec 16, 2013)

I understand that if PayPal "stiffed" you it's because a dissatisfied buyer filed a claim against you, won and paypal took the money out of your account.
If there is something else going on, it needs to be addressed with PayPal.
I've had a paypal account for since 2001 and had one claim shortly after I started selling, they took the money that the buyer had paid, returned my product and all is well. I was wrong in my description of the product - case closed. It's just part of doing business
pretty sure you won't be allowed to open a new account - something about ip address ?


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Ebay owns Paypal now. There's pretty much
no way they aren't going to find out if you
use their platform.


----------



## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

PayPal has been, in my experience, an almost criminal organization. As a longtime season ticket holder for the New York Knicks, I used eBay to sell playoff tickets for a home game against the Miami Heat. It was LaBron's first season with the Heat and my seats fetched $2,400 at auction.

Three months later, PayPal confiscated the money telling me that the tickets were purchased with a stolen American Express card. They swept more than $1,500 dollars that was in my account and told me I was on the hook for the other $900 dollars. When I asked why AMEX wasn't offering the cardholder the theft protection for the fraudulent purchase, PayPal lied and said that AMEX refused to do so. When I inquired as to why PayPal had broken their own Seller Protection policy having notified me after more than 90 days (which was against their policy at the time) they lied again and gave me some elaborate excuse, the details of which I don't remember. I spent several months trying to resolve the issue with representatives and supervisors to no avail.

When I started searching Google for ways to legally resolve my dispute with PayPal I discovered, literally, thousands of similar complaints from other PayPal customers. It became clear that PayPal was routinely doing this kind of thing and that there was really no recourse for me to recover my money. PayPal often changes their user policies to accommodate these kinds of situations after the fact to protect themselves and screw their customers.

As PayPal was really the only online option for e-commerce for the little guy, I opened a new account in my wife's name and followed a policy of always sweeping any funds to my bank account immediately following any sale. Sure, it required rebuilding my 100% seller rating but there was no way PayPal was going to get another thin dime from me to settle their score.

Their are other options for online payments that you could use. Or you could simply process credit cards with a merchant number of your own. Or you could just bend over, grab your ankles and pay the extortion to PayPal and move on.

IMO, establishing a new user account is the path of least resistance.


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I got mad at Paypal some years ago over
an ebay transaction gone bad. I sold a mildly
collectible board game to a dealer in the UK
and shipped it. It arrived at his post office
and I think they sent him a note that he owed
about 20 pounds in duties, which was enough
that he no longer thought he could make much
money reselling it. So he reported it not delivered
or whatever and eventually it was returned to
me for non-payment of duties by the addressee.

I didn't want to pay for that crap and didn't use
my Paypal account for awhile. I don't remember
if I started another Paypal account or whatever
but in any case after several months Paypal caught
up with me over the outstanding bill. I did 
get on the phone with them and worked something
out where I paid for the game and Paypal paid
the shipping cost I think.


----------



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

This advise has been insightfull, I'm still not sure which way I'm leaning but I'm not too worried about them catching up with me. My original account wasn't in my name nor was it linked to any other account and I have a different address from when I used to be active. What I'm hoping to get rid of is sort along the same lines as what I sold before but I just don't know if my previous good ratings would matter now.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

They will matter. eBay is less relevant today than 8 years ago, fewer buyers, and more businesses selling. No reason you can't start from scratch, but sales might not be very good until you build up some feedback.


----------



## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Just FWIW, I'm pretty leery of buying from new sellers with no feedback. Like Rick said, unless it's something really unique, there are a lot of sellers on eBay so there's usually no need to "risk" it.


----------



## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Feedback is a plus but not a requirement.


----------



## corelz125 (Sep 23, 2015)

Good pics and a good description help over look being a new seller. Now i know i'm not the only one who had to fight paypal. All of their seller and buyer protection is complete nonsense. Now on I do the same as ripper when I get a decent amount of money in paypal i transfer it to my bank.


----------



## recycle1943 (Dec 16, 2013)

> Good pics and a good description help over look being a new seller. Now i know i m not the only one who had to fight paypal. All of their seller and buyer protection is complete nonsense. Now on I do the same as ripper when I get a decent amount of money in paypal i transfer it to my bank.
> 
> - corelz125


I transfer after I accumulate but to be a verified buyer/seller as I understand, you need to have a credit card listed with them as a back up. Meaning that if an issue arises they can retreive monies awarded a wronged buyer. If they can't retreive the money, they pay it and lock your payPal account until that debt is satisfied. It's business, that's all.
I have had several issues thru PayPal but I never had a bad taste nor bad deal. If I lost out on something, it was my fault and as well, if I had an issue with something I bought (and I have ) I either contact PayPal or the seller. PayPal has been fair with me and so far I trust their system.


----------



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Looking back, I do remember having a few other minor issues with PayPal that in one way or another worked their way out but things were getting progressively worse as time progressed. With the fee structure they have and the apparent bias toward taking care of buyers over sellers it's making me want to look into selling on Amazon.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Amazon is worse from what I've read, but potentially more sales.


----------



## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

> ...to be a verified buyer/seller as I understand, you need to have a credit card listed with them as a back up. Meaning that if an issue arises they can retreive monies awarded a wronged buyer.
> - recycle1943


I don't believe this is true. They are not authorized to charge funds on the account holder's credit card without permission. Nor can they make any transaction with your bank without authorization from you. They only have authorization to make transactions with money in your PayPal account. That's part of the agreement you sign when opening the account.

From the PayPal website:

*What information is required to open a Personal PayPal account?*

To open a Personal account, you just need to provide your first and last name, address, phone number, and email address.

For your protection, you'll create a password for your new account and select 2 security questions.

After you sign up for an account, you can start receiving money right away. If you'd like to send money to family and friends, simply add a payment method, like a debit or credit card, or a bank account.

*Can I reopen my PayPal account?*

No. Once you close your PayPal account, it cannot be reopened. You can open a new account , but it won't include your previous transaction history.


----------



## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

Any FAQs or guides on paypal and ebay for someone new to selling on ebay that are more recent with all the changes that are constantly taking place? I am about to get a paypal account for my business and also thinking of setting up an ebay store but not sure what it takes now.

Several years ago I was into ebay more but I've heard a lot of things have changed and many aren't happy.


----------



## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Amazon is possibly worse than eBay/Paypal from the seller side.

Amazon screwed me out of $250 some years ago. I was selling books my mother had lying around, and she had some very specialized 3D modeling software, complete with the manuals, box, etc. The stuff cost like $3000 per license new, and I sold it for $250. The guy then filed a claim with Amazon saying it didn't exactly match the listing image (apparently, they don't let you create entirely new SKUs unless you are some kind of higher volume seller on Amazon). It was the exact same version of the software, just some kind of different packaging, and I said as much in the listing.

Amazon, instead of making him return the software, just refunded his money and told him to keep the software. I wouldn't have minded being screwed out of the shipping charge or something, but that felt like outright theft.

I stopped stuff on Amazon after that.

I would create a new account and sell some small stuff to get some feedback. Make damn sure to empty your PayPal account after every purchase, to avoid situations where PayPal screws you out of a bunch of money like the previous poster.


----------



## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

> Any FAQs or guides on paypal and ebay for someone new to selling on ebay that are more recent with all the changes that are constantly taking place? I am about to get a paypal account for my business and also thinking of setting up an ebay store but not sure what it takes now.
> 
> Several years ago I was into ebay more but I ve heard a lot of things have changed and many aren t happy.
> 
> - AZWoody


Well, the link I referenced above is current. There are differences between personal and business accounts that need to be taken into consideration and are outlined on the PayPal site.

eBay stores offer some seller advantages, including automating listing and invoicing options as well as streamlined inventory and shipping options. But, if I recall, there are fees associated with eBay stores that you'll need to take into account if you're not a high volume seller. There are tax implications also that are mandatory and opposed to the voluntary reporting requirements for personal accounts.


----------



## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

> Any FAQs or guides on paypal and ebay for someone new to selling on ebay that are more recent with all the changes that are constantly taking place? I am about to get a paypal account for my business and also thinking of setting up an ebay store but not sure what it takes now.
> 
> Several years ago I was into ebay more but I ve heard a lot of things have changed and many aren t happy.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link.

I'm going to read it but I'm curious if there are other non-official ones that are written by the actual users and sellers. I have come across older ones before and many times, I can get an answer clearer from there with a real world example than the official guides.

Thanks for the link.


----------



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Jonah, thanks for the info on your Amazon experience, I thought that was probably the case but I've bought only from there long enough I thought selling might be a good opportunity but it sound like not so much.

Ripper, sounds like with enough volume a business account could be advantageous but I have neither the inventory or the desire to make it into a business unless it proved to be easier than I suspect it would be and more lucrative as well.


----------



## jonah (May 15, 2009)

As a buyer, I love Amazon. As a seller, I'd stay away, though truthfully eBay is barely better.


----------

