Credit card payment through Paypal? Safe?

[Highams Park Harry]

Hello all

I've had a two week enquiry that wants to move in on the 11th of this month, he's touring Europe for three months

English is excellent and it seems perfectly genuine other than late notice, his IP checks out, he has his own company domain and it all seems plausible

He's offered to pay by US check or by credit card.

I'm suggesting he pay me via Paypal given the time constraints

Is that secure? Once it arrives, is it mine or can it be withdrawn before I can download it to my account?

Thank-you

[J&J]

If the credit card turns out to be stolen or fraudulantly obtained then Paypal can chargeback the amount at any time after the original transaction even if you have already withdrawn the money.

Likewise, if your guest decides to raise a dispute (say he claims the accommodation was not provided as advertised or that something wasn't provided that was promised etc.) then Paypal can chargeback the amount whilst carrying out an investigation.

Apart from that, Paypal is great ! It's no substitute for having real money in your bank however. You just need to decide whether the convenience of using Paypal outweighs the risk.

[Hells Bells]

It is probably the most convenient method of accepting a late payment though. We take a risk (and so do our guests) with almost any method of payment.Cheques may be bounced, credit cards stolen, or bank transfers promised and not carried out. I have had 700 euros floating around Europe for most of the summer, before finally ending up in the wrong Dutch account.

[Highams Park Harry]

Thank-you, that concurs with my own opinion at present

So it really comes down to deciding that the punter is sincere and genuine then?

I suppose cash on the day is better but sterling here would be handy rather then euros in France

Ah well, fingers crossed, he seems solid enough so far

[ttp]

If the credit card turns out to be stolen or fraudulantly obtained then Paypal can chargeback the amount at any time after the original transaction even if you have already withdrawn the money.

The same applies if you have your own 'Merchant Account'

Apart from that, Paypal is great !

and cheaper than a Merchant Account.

[Highams Park Harry]

Sent the fella a paypal invoice and he paid at once as promised

Paypal put the transaction on hold

After no end of trying I managed to speak to their fraud department who said the payment was supicious because it was a large amount, £760, whopee do!

and the payers paypal had only just been opened, err, yeah when he had to open an account to pay the invoice

'about ten days' for them to decide whether to allow the payment or reverse it

I've told them to reverse it and I've asked the punter if he'd mind paying cash on arrival in euros

I'm furious with paypal and I'll be double furious if I lose the booking as a result of this

And if they charge their £29 and some transaction fee my haed will explode with rage

Clearly Paypal are as good as useless for urgent credit card payments

I asked them what defined a 'large amount'. they said someone got put on hold for £80 once

[Hells Bells]

I've never experienced this problem, and it may be due to the type of account either you or the buyer hold with Paypal. I can accept paypal payments without the buyer having an account at all, and regularly get payments for more than that amount.
Think of it from the point of view of yourself if the guy had been paying with a fraudulent card, or someone paying with YOUR card They shouldn't charge the transaction fee for this.
Best to have a verified Premier or Business account, with verified bank accounts and credit cards that way the transactions will not be queried at that level, and you can accept payments from a customer without them having a Paypal account at all. I think you have to adjust something in your Paypal account settings to allow this to happen.

[vrooje]

Yes, what Helen said.

I could imagine PayPal taking issue if this is not a regular occurrence for you; but actually a large number of my clients are first-time PayPal users and I haven't yet had a hold like this. There is typically a waiting period when someone sets up a new account before they can use it, but it's not 10 days.

Is there some reason that a wire transfer to your bank won't work?

[Hells Bells]

My only problem was one of having to confirm my identity by sending a fax of my passport and bank statement to Paypal as there was more than the usual number of transactions going through the account. A simple personal account can be set up immediately, but to withdraw your balance and pay easily you need to verify your account, takes a few days, but not 10.