Question re paypal - am I being unfair to the buyer?

[paolosgirl]

Someone bought an item on Sunday evening by instant payment (we're talking £7.50)and emailed me on Tuesday morning to ask if I'd posted it yet. I explained that I'd just claimed the funds the previous day and as it takes 3-5 days for paypal funds to clear it would be sent at the end of the week.

Just had a snippy email to say she needed it for the weekend, that she wouldn't have bought it otherwise, and that the funds were there but it would take that time for my bank to claim them. I didn't state that in my listing that I would only send once the paypal funds had cleared but I thought that was standard.

Should I have sent the item before the funds had been claimed?

it's not standard, you don't wait til the funds have cleared to your account. Unless you state it in your listings obviously.

I thought paypal went straight through?

Whenever I buy and pay through paypal I get the item withing a matter of days, and quite often the next day.

So I can understand why buyer is confused.

Or is instant payment something new?

No, paypal doesn't go straight through which is why there are so many scams. It takes 3-5 days for the bank to clear the funds.

Even so, if she bought the item on Sunday night I think it's perfectly reasonable to send it on the Thursday or Friday of that week - I know I've had things about a week later.

once the money is in paypal you should send the item imo. it should clear instantly into paypal (unless it's an echeque or it's a new account and you haven't set it up properly). you shouldn't be waiting to withdraw the funds into your bank account first. it's usual to accumulate money in your account until you have enough to transfer for free (over £50 i think) or you use it to pay for things.

you mean you actually are making her wait unil you've withdrawn the paypal funds into your bank before you send it???

i would expect it sent sooner tbh.

also i certainly wouldn't be fretting about being scammed through paypal for £7.50

also i certainly wouldn't be fretting about being scammed through paypal for £7.50

if your money is cleared into paypal I'd expect you to send it tbh but if she wanted it for the weekend she should have checked when you'd be able to send it

I though sellers had 7 days to despatch from payment but I might have imagined that

as soon as money hits my paypal account i send the item, afterall it is all covered.

I prefer not to be scammed for any money - it's not just the cash, it's the time to get a toddler ready, into the car, drive to the post office which is a few miles away, find somewhere to park, toddler into buggy, stand and queue in the post office.

I've checked the guidelines and it seems as if I've got 7 calendar days to post out item. I've emailed her to say that I'll be posting the item tomorrow 2nd class as advertised and in line with the guidelines and that if that doesn't suit I'll refund the money. Think that seems fair?

very fair. Not because of the money issue but because it is as you say within the 7 days. Also agree she should have asked if you would post it earlier before she bid.

it's not standard - unless you state otherwise once the money is in your paypal account you should be sending the stuff.

I think you should state that you won't post for 5 days in future listings. If not you may soon be left neutral or neg feedback.

I've probably been overly cautious - dh was scammed a while ago, so I don't think I'll wait for 5 days for the funds to clear in future.

She should have emailed me before she bought the item to make sure she was going to get it before the weekend though, esp. as she bought it on Sunday night and it's advertised that I send it 2nd class. She only told me today that she needed it for the weekend.

Yes she should have asked but tbh I wouldn't have expected it to take so long. You shouldn't make them wait while you move the money about.
Moving the money into your bank account isn't going to prevent a so called scam. When you post it tomorrow by 2nd class she can start a dispute next week for item not received and as you won't have a trackable way of proving she has received it paypal will refund her by claiming the money via your bank account

The guidelines are that you have 7 days from payment to send items - if she paid on Sunday night and I post on Thursday, that's 4 days. I've regularly waited over a week for stuff and equally have never had any complaints from other buyers if I've sent items 4/5 days later. Perhaps if I buy from a shop I would expect next day service, but certainly not from an individual working withing the 7 day guideline.

yes, you are within the guidelines but you have already admitted your error in believing you could make her wait until you had moved the money.
Your customer is upset at being made to wait so I'd be tempted to apologise to her and post 1st class as a gesture of goodwill

Moving the money takes 3-5 days - so sending it out at 5 days is still well within the 7 day guidelines.

She would have waited til Thursday anyway as I was not able to get to a post office before then. If she had asked me before she bought the item I would have told her this.

so you weren't really wanting answers to your opening questions?

I see what you mean - I think I'd got quite defensive when I got her snippy (and it was snippy) email, so was probably a bit confused myself. I shouldn't have told her I was claiming the funds in retrospect - probably should have just said I'd be sending the item tomorrow.

yup, always best to keep replies short and sweet, apologise etc and then you never know you may get great FB and a return customer