Buying and selling is made easier and safer for everyone when we use PayPal for the monetary transaction. However not everyone is aware of some of the PayPal limitations.
Basically there are two methods, one designed to protect buyers and sellers and one for transferring money between friends and family. There are two big differences.
The method called “Pay for goods or services” has a fee associated with it. PayPal deducts 2.9% plus $0.30 from the money sent to the seller. That is similar to the fee a credit card company charges a seller when they accept credit cards as a payment method. It is a fair fee, a part of doing business.
Then there is the method called “Send to friends and family”. There are two sub-sections, one for the USA and the other for International. The friends and family method is free to both sender and recipient. Some buyers and sellers use this method for their payment for goods as a way of avoiding the PayPal fee. This is not a good idea.
Use of the friends and family transfer method eliminates the PayPal buyer protection. If the seller does not fulfill the purchase PayPal will not arbitrate a friends and family transfer. The buyer is completely on their own and at the mercy of the seller.
Paypal buyer protection also has some limits even when the “Pay for goods and services” method is used. PayPal buyer protection does not cover electronic purchases. For example they will not cover the buying and selling of plans or drawings sent by email attached file. They will only cover actual physical shipment of goods. There needs to be a tracking number that shows the product was shipped and delivered. A personal, face to face transaction is not covered as there is no shipping and no possibility of tracking. They don’t cover motor vehicles.
There are other rules and limits as well. We, as users of payPal should probably actually read the user agreements or at the very least read the FAQ’s.
As buyers I believe we owe it to prospective buyers to provide a fair after the purchase comment in the thread where the transaction originated. If the transaction went well leave a positive comment. If you have problems but the problem was resolved a favorable comment regarding customer service would be appropriate. Also appropriate would be a fair comment describing how the seller failed to fulfill their obligation.
A negative comment is not to be taken lightly, and should be a last resort after the seller and buyer have reached an impasse. However, I feel it is not fair to prospective future buyers when nothing critical is mentioned at all.