Caution When Buying Large / Heavy Items and paying with PayPal


Heads-up to fellow Audiogon members

If you’re buying large or heavy gear — speakers, amps, racks, turntables, etc. — and paying with PayPal, make sure you understand how Buyer Protection works in practice.

If an item arrives damaged or significantly not as described and you open a claim, PayPal will typically require you to physically return the item at your expense in order to receive a refund.

For small items, that’s manageable.

For large or heavy gear, return shipping — domestic or international — can be extremely expensive, sometimes approaching the value of the item itself.

PayPal generally does not reimburse repair costs.
If you don’t return the item within the required timeframe, the case may be closed without refund — even if there is documented damage.

Before committing to a large purchase, calculate your real downside risk, including potential return shipping costs.

taviran

In the case of "product not as described", I agree with your post. But if shipping damage occurs, it's on the seller to immediately refund the total payment to the buyer. Then he/she has to deal with filing a claim with the shipping company. Anyone who has good feedback can be trusted to do this. If zero, negative or very little feedback, buyer proceed with caution.

@taviran 

If an item arrives damaged or significantly not as described and you open a claim, PayPal will typically require you to physically return the item at your expense in order to receive a refund.

Good to know. thanks They're probably assuming the seller has to file an insurance claim and the courier is responsible for returning it. It's best not to accept a damaged box unless the seller already declared it prior to shipping.

I have a question. I have my Amex tied to my PayPal account. Would I have any recourse by contacting Amex? Amex guarantees products purchased with their card. Does anyone have any experience with this? Just wondering. Otherwise, I will not go through PayPal and pay directly with my Amex card in the future. Ironically I have two subwoofers on their way to me right now that I purchased using PayPal.