AudiogoN violation flags

[Elberoth]

I just got a second 'violation flag' from AudiogoN.

I got the first one last month for stating in the ad text that I accept bank wire transfers only, even though AudiogoN forces you to use PayPal (and by doing so, puts you at a great risk as a seller).

Today I got a second for sharing my email address via their communicator (the funny thing is, I did it with the person that bought sth from me, so I have already paid both the AudiogoN listing and sale fees !).

I've been using my account for 12 years, my feedback is close to 350, 100% positive. I have already paid audiogon THOUSANDS of dollars in fees.

That was probably not enough for the hungry beast. They have left me an option to start Premium Listings - $100 per listing on any item costing $3500-$9999 (so most of the gear I ever sold or listed).

It is starting to get radiculous. I'm not gonna pay $100 per listing, some of which you have to run for months before making a sale.

Anyone had similar experience to this ?

 

[edorr]

Audiogon is the living proof that a service that totally sucks but that has cornered a market can still do well, despite treating their customers like ****. in an indeal world, the invisible hand would have strangled them a long time ago.

 

[thedudeabides]

Don't understand.

Just recently listed and sold an item. In my ad, I provided my personal e-mail and phone number.

And I wasn't "forced" to use pay pal.

 

[dallasjustice]

They cater to dealers now. Only the dealers who pay a monthly fee for advertising get reasonable rates and can say whatever they want in their ads. Audiogon used to be an end-user friendly company. That was then, this is now . . .

 

[Elberoth]

Don't understand.

Just recently listed and sold an item. In my ad, I provided my personal e-mail and phone number.

And I wasn't "forced" to use pay pal.

When you choose a basic listing (the $4 one) the only payment option they give you is Paypal. If you choose the Priemium Listing, there are multiple options - bank wire, CC, check etc.

 

[ack]

I am going to try to avoid audiogon from now on. Just last month I sold a pair of cables, the buyer paid, was about to ship, the ad was removed; then the next day, a clone ad appears, the history from the original was gone, another buyer pays for the item; don't know what do. I refund the money to the second buyer, but he's now down 3% in paypal fees. Audiogon manually restores the original ad and history based solely on copies of the transaction I was emailed (and which I forwarded to them), and I have to explain to the second buyer what happened, by forwarding my exchanges with Audiogon support. At the end, I am not sure if the second buyer got his paypal fee back from somewhere. A mess, and they have my credit card on file. UGHHHHHH!

 

[MadFloyd]

I just got a second 'violation flag' from AudiogoN.

I got the first one last month for stating in the ad text that I accept bank wire transfers only, even though AudiogoN forces you to use PayPal (and by doing so, puts you at a great risk as a seller).

Today I got a second for sharing my email address via their communicator (the funny thing is, I did it with the person that bought sth from me, so I have already paid both the AudiogoN listing and sale fees !).

I've been using my account for 12 years, my feedback is close to 350, 100% positive. I have already paid audiogon THOUSANDS of dollars in fees.

That was probably not enough for the hungry beast. They have left me an option to start Premium Listings - $100 per listing on any item costing $3500-$9999 (so most of the gear I ever sold or listed).

It is starting to get radiculous. I'm not gonna pay $100 per listing, some of which you have to run for months before making a sale.

Anyone had similar experience to this ?

How does accepting Paypal put you at risk as a seller?

 

[edorr]

How does accepting Paypal put you at risk as a seller?

Because the buyer can dispute the transaction and freeze the funds in your paypal account until the dispute has been resolved. If the buyer acts in bad faith, I presume they can really screw you over I guess. Thenagain, not accepting paypal puts the seller in the position to be able to screw the buyer.

 

[ack]

It's all about disputes and resolution. The buyer has 45 days to file a dispute. For example, the buyer can claim that the item was damaged and be entitled to a refund, while they themselves may have damaged it. The goods don't have to be damaged really, they can just find all sorts of excuses why they were not "as described". Ebay is the same.

 

[MadFloyd]

Interesting. I guess the thing to do is keep nothing in your paypal account and immediately transfer any incoming payments to your bank account and then hope this sort of thing doesn't happen.

 

[Elberoth]

How does accepting Paypal put you at risk as a seller?

He can pay with a stolen CC or may have a legit CC but may have an intention to screw you over from the very begining. It happens a lot those days.

Go to http://www.paypalsucks.com to read tons of horror stories. PayPal is NOT safe for the seller AT ALL.

 

[Steve Williams]

Interesting. I guess the thing to do is keep nothing in your paypal account and immediately transfer any incoming payments to your bank account and then hope this sort of thing doesn't happen.

That's what I do

 

[edorr]

Interesting. I guess the thing to do is keep nothing in your paypal account and immediately transfer any incoming payments to your bank account and then hope this sort of thing doesn't happen.

Good advice. I just banked $6,500 for an item I'll be shipping Saturday. I'll transfer to my bank account right away. Not sure if paypal can tap into a linked bankaccount or charge your own credit card on file in case of a dispute.

 

[Elberoth]

Here is another anti paypal site: https://www.aboutpaypal.org/

This is a good story:

Sold a trailer to a guy for his job site. Transferred $6,000 from his company card into his PP account, then into mine. PayPal gave the OK to ship.FOUR MONTHS LATER he and his boss parted ways, so the company challenged the charge. I contacted the buyer, and he removed the challenge because he still had the trailer. PP put my money back and told me it was a done deal, all taken care of.A month later, now FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE, I get an email that says the dispute has been resolved in the BUYER’S favor and my $6k is gone.

 

[ack]

Good advice. I just banked $6,500 for an item I'll be shipping Saturday. I'll transfer to my bank account right away. Not sure if paypal can tap into a linked bankaccount or charge your own credit card on file in case of a dispute.

They can, so transferring money out is not entirely safe. You have to unlink credit cards and bank accounts.

 

[edorr]

They can, so transferring money out is not entirely safe. You have to unlink credit cards and bank accounts.

Too much hassle. I have been using them for years and never had a problem. I guess I'll just have to take my chances....

 

[ack]

BTW, since I mentioned ebay, here's a little known fact: you can retract bids, just enter the item # and select a reason - see http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/bidding-overview.html

Changing or retracting your bid

As a general rule, you can't retract or cancel a bid. Once you place a bid, you agree to pay for the item if you're the winning bidder. However, honest mistakes sometimes occur.
If you want to retract a bid:

• Review the conditions and time restrictions for canceling a bid in an auction-style listing.
• If you feel you have a valid reason for canceling a bid, fill out a Bid Retraction.
• If you want to cancel a Best Offer, use the Best Offer Cancellation form.

 

[edorr]

Here is another anti paypal site: https://www.aboutpaypal.org/

This is a good story:

Sold a trailer to a guy for his job site. Transferred $6,000 from his company card into his PP account, then into mine. PayPal gave the OK to ship.FOUR MONTHS LATER he and his boss parted ways, so the company challenged the charge. I contacted the buyer, and he removed the challenge because he still had the trailer. PP put my money back and told me it was a done deal, all taken care of.A month later, now FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE, I get an email that says the dispute has been resolved in the BUYER’S favor and my $6k is gone.

How is this possible. You can only dispute up to 45 days.

 

[thedudeabides]

When you choose a basic listing (the $4 one) the only payment option they give you is Paypal. If you choose the Priemium Listing, there are multiple options - bank wire, CC, check etc.

I choose the basic option costing $10 since the value of the product was under $1K.

 

[thedudeabides]

PayPal is NOT safe for the seller AT ALL.

Agreed. Guilty until proven innocent.