Note: Before any flamers reply angrily, please take a second and read this at least! I would like constructive input and opinions.I noticed something today when digging around Paypal trying to find a way to make it safe(r) to conduct BTC/PPUSD transactions. I will quote the text from Paypal at the end of the steps I'm listing. This couldn't be done on a massive scale, but it could be done with trusted buyers/sellers for maybe a few transactions a day/week. This is as of yet untested so I cannot confirm it yet, as it may cause the offending Paypal account to be closed if too many disputes occur too rapidly or too often.
Scenario:
1.)
Trusted seller offers 10 BTC for sale at X price via Paypal.
2.)
Trusted buyer agrees to pay X price with a cash balance in his Paypal account (to avoid paying the 2.9% fee to accept credit cards, and the potential that they will reverse the transaction by complaining to the CC company).
This step must always be done in CASH.3.) Buyer sends funds to Seller's Paypal account.
4.) Buyer IMMEDIATELY files a dispute with Paypal over the transaction once it shows up in his "Recent Activity" following these steps...
4a.) Buyer must choose the "I have a problem with an item I purchased" radio button and click "Continue".
4b.) Then it will ask the Buyer for what the item category was (choose "Virtual Goods"). It will also ask what was wrong (Choose the one that says
"Item Not Received")
4c.) Buyer submits the dispute.
5.) After the dispute has been submitted, the
Buyer must click the "Resolution Center" tab that's under the "My Account" section of Paypal. This will list all open cases.
6.) Buyer clicks "View" beside the transaction he just disputed (should -hopefully- be the only one in there unless they've had problems with something else).
7.) Buyer scrolls down a tad and clicks the "Close Dispute" under the "More Options" section of that page. This will bring up a new page for the Buyer to leave "Additional Comments". Buyer should put something quick and nice here, such as "Impatience on my part! Sorry! Item received! Thanks!"
8.) Buyer clicks "Close Dispute".
9.) I'm not sure if there's a confirmation page after this or not because I haven't closed a dispute out to see. If there is one more confirmation page, then make sure to submit. If there's not, then that should be it.
Now, this is what's listed in Paypal's dispute section that makes this a viable option:
Remember, a closed dispute cannot be re-opened or escalated to a claim with PayPal. Make sure that you are 100% satisfied with the outcome of this dispute before you close it.
One more time for good measure. Read it again!
Remember, a closed dispute cannot be re-opened or escalated to a claim with PayPal. Make sure that you are 100% satisfied with the outcome of this dispute before you close it.
Basically, if you open a dispute and then close it, you absolutely
CANNOT do a chargeback (so long as a buyer used Paypal funds. If you see reduced received amount stemming from accepting a CC, immediately reject payment and do not conduct business, though this shouldn't be a problem since trusted parties only should be used). Paypal will stand behind the seller at this point as the buyer already claimed to be made whole!
Again, I am not saying this should be done in great quantity, or with anyone that isn't trusted. Nor do I think one should do it with their normal Paypal account (if they have one otherwise) on the seller side. As long as you don't start a new transaction before closing the old one, you should only ever have one dispute and should stay below Paypal's radar. They should only come sniffing around if the disputes stack up unresolved.
I would like to hear any opinions on this. This seems to eliminate chargeback risk and make PP trades for BTC much safer if done with the right people. Escrow can be added on top of this for an extra layer of security. I am also looking to test this theory either by being the buyer or seller of 1 BTC at COST (not looking to make or lose money as this is for experimental purposes). I don't even care if I'm the one who tests it. I understand I'm new and "not to be trusted". So please, if there are two people on BTCtalk that trust each other and are willing to try this experiment out, please do so and post results.
Thanks!
-Moose