Hi, looking for some help, does anyone know if the eBay Money Back Guarantee works if you don't use paypal, i.e. bank transfer? Not going to risk it but wonder if anyone had any experience? Thank you
No. money transfers are not covered. You might be able to get money back from your bank in some cases of fraud, but no guarantees. PayPal is covered of course, so the extra fee is seen by some people as some sort of "insurance". I'd only transfer to a reputable seller who clearly would not benefit from people calling them crooks in watch forums. If it's a private seller, well, I like to think most people are honest, but occasionally someone wins the fraud lottery.
Uhh how would they be able to protect you outside of using paypal... That's like asking someone to protect you from western union fraud..
ebay allows sellers in some countries to specify bank wires only and decline paypal. But there is still no buyer protection. A while back a German ebay seller, with a 400+ rating, had a dial I needed and would accept only wires. I really wanted the dial so I bought it via wire and the purchase was problem free. That situation is rare and I was out there with no Ebay or Paypal Buyer Protection. It really depends on how much you want the item. Others have stated that establishing phone contact, exchanging copies of passports etc, would give the buyer more comfort BUT paypal protection is the BEST way to go.
As others have said, PayPal offers a second layer of protection and also allows you to pay with a credit card (third layer of protection). Buying a watch on eBay would prompt me to use this method as opposed to a comparably risky bank wire. That said, is it a reputed seller? Some international sellers on eBay also have "trusted" status on chrono24 that can be used as a measure of risk. Assuming you can tell they are the same person/business of course
Thanks guys for all the sound advice, I will stick to the trusted methods and avoid the temptations and gambles out with.
Actually Ebay and PayPal are totally seperate and each offer protection. Ebays "Money Back Guarantee" is completely separate from PayPal. But that being said, I would suggest you contact Ebay directly and not seek advice on a forum.
Yes I looked at the EBay policy http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html and it was ambiguous so I thought I would email them but turns out you can only phone them? I wasnt willing to stake money on a phone conversation so I gave up. If I ever come across there email I will ask them.