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Seller on Instagram refuses to get paid via PayPal.

Musia

Brilliant_Rock
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Mar 28, 2020
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Hello, I wanted to buy a stone from a seller on Instagram today. The seller has a great reputation on PS. I wanted to pay him via PayPal but he wrote that he doesn't accept PayPal. I know many PSers bought from him. He is in Singapore and wants me to pay only this way "Wire or you can use transfer wise to save up some handling fee." I dont feel it is the right thing to do. Any suggestions? Thank you for commenting!
 

DejaWiz

Ideal_Rock
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Is the seller JannPaul?
 

Musia

Brilliant_Rock
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He didn't give me any other options. "Sorry, not doing with paypal" was his answer to my question whether he accepts PayPal or not.
 

Musia

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It's their business, they can choose what payment to accept/not to accept. Maybe find another vendor will will accept paypal?

Thank you, I will definitely look for another vendor. I just don't believe the vendor is honest and that all people who bought from him paid him cash.
 

MakingTheGrade

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I buy my pearls from Takahashi in japan and they also do not accept cards or PayPal. Wire only. Have had only positive and lovely experiences though.

Just to give one example of an Instagram vendor who only accepts wire. My guess is it’s related to PayPal fees etc. but who knows.

I definitely wouldn’t send wire without feeling comfortable as it’s irreversible.
 
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I've also bought from IG vendors who accept wire only. Holy figs, I've bought 3, maybe 4 things from these vendors! Welp, at least they've all turned out ok so far *knock on wood*
 

eapj

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I’ve used transferwise and felt comfortable doing so but I’m sure there were fewer buyer protections than if using PayPal.
 

Musia

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@MakingTheGrade @AnastasiaBeaverhausen @icy_jade @eapj Thank you for your comments! Now I feel relieved and relaxed! It is my first try to buy on IG and I didn't expect to find a SINGLE vendor who does wire only. All my stones are from the US based sellers or vendors from overseas who have stores on ebay or Etsy. I am just having lack of personal experience. And of course I should spend more time on PS reading about other people's experiences :).
 
Last edited:

Musia

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I’ve used transferwise and felt comfortable doing so but I’m sure there were fewer buyer protections than if using PayPal.

Thanks, I am going to get info on transferwise and then contact the seller.
 

MakingTheGrade

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I was wary at first too. But I did some research on google and the company seemed legit. My first order was relatively small just to test the waters and it all worked out!
 

stonewell

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It’s totally understandable to be wary if it’s the first occasion using it. Transferwise was suggested to me by Leene Heyne when I purchased from him and I had never heard of it before. I ended up sending a small amount initially to ensure I was comfortable using it and could confirm it actually went through. It worked perfectly, and I was happy to discover it was the most economical way to send money internationally and had the best exchange rates too.
 

Musia

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@MakingTheGrade @mellowyellowgirl @stonewell Many thanks to all of you! I am old enough to remember times when my husband was afraid to use PayPal and demanded that I close my first ebay account too. Remember going to post office and sending money orders to ebay sellers. Writing personal checks at Whole Foods is also a history now...I must educate myself about many new ways of making payments these days.
 
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@MakingTheGrade @AnastasiaBeaverhausen @icy_jade @eapj Thank you for your comments! Now I feel relieved and relaxed! It is my first try to buy on IG and I didn't expect to find a SINGLE vendor who does wire only. All my stones are from the US based sellers or vendors from overseas who have stores on ebay or Etsy. I am just having lack of personal experience. And of course I should spend more time on PS reading about other people's experiences :).

I totally get it. When I first heard about people paying with wire, especially overseas, I thought that's crazy pants. Then I started seeing so many shinies I wanted on Instagram. Now I'm all, "Take my money!!" Sometimes when I take a step back, it dawns on me that I just sent thousands of dollars to "some guy" in like, Sri Lanka, lol.
 

marymm

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Do keep in mind that wire payments do not have any of the consumer protections often carried by credit-card and PayPal purchases.

Also, if it is a high-ticket item, remember to ascertain the return policy and the return procedure (i.e., international parcels sent by individuals are often very difficult to insure for the full value -- hopefully upon request the vendor will provide customers with a return FedEx/UPS/DHL label so that vendor insurance covers the item -- if not, I suggest exploring your return shipping options before purchase, so that you don't get stuck with a multi-thousand-dollar item with no safe/insured way of shipping it back to the vendor.)
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
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Hello, I wanted to buy a stone from a seller on Instagram today. The seller has a great reputation on PS. I wanted to pay him via PayPal but he wrote that he doesn't accept PayPal. I know many PSers bought from him. He is in Singapore and wants me to pay only this way "Wire or you can use transfer wise to save up some handling fee." I dont feel it is the right thing to do. Any suggestions? Thank you for commenting!

A lot of the instagram sellers only get paid by wire. If you're not comfortable with it, probably instagram + non-US-sellers isn't the way to go. My rule for it is to be confident I won't return and to not wire more money than I could stand to lose if something goes wrong.
 

Musia

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Mar 28, 2020
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Do keep in mind that wire payments do not have any of the consumer protections often carried by credit-card and PayPal purchases.

Also, if it is a high-ticket item, remember to ascertain the return policy and the return procedure (i.e., international parcels sent by individuals are often very difficult to insure for the full value -- hopefully upon request the vendor will provide customers with a return FedEx/UPS/DHL label so that vendor insurance covers the item -- if not, I suggest exploring your return shipping options before purchase, so that you don't get stuck with a multi-thousand-dollar item with no safe/insured way of shipping it back to the vendor.)

Thank you for your comment! This time I found and want to buy a relatively inexpensive stone (small and not the hottest color). The seller charges $50 for S&H, hopefully insurance is included. I was so upset yesterday when learned that I am not going to pay via PayPal, I didn't even think about any other things like insurance, return, refund...I have bought many stones from Russian guy who is now my friend. He asked me to do wire several times and I know that some Americans (and Japanese) are brave enough and pay him cash. But he always alloved me to use PayPal, he has pages on FB, Instagram and a store on Etsy. Many well respected people and jewelers know him. This time I received firm NO to PayPal and I even don't know the guy's name...
 
Joined
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Messages
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Thank you for your comment! This time I found and want to buy a relatively inexpensive stone (small and not the hottest color). The seller charges $50 for S&H, hopefully insurance is included. I was so upset yesterday when learned that I am not going to pay via PayPal, I didn't even think about any other things like insurance, return, refund...I have bought many stones from Russian guy who is now my friend. He asked me to do wire several times and I know that some Americans (and Japanese) are brave enough and pay him cash. But he always alloved me to use PayPal, he has pages on FB, Instagram and a store on Etsy. Many well respected people and jewelers know him. This time I received firm NO to PayPal and I even don't know the guy's name...

I think that's kinda the key with sending wire transfers to vendors. At the end of the day, a lot of it is just based on gut feeling. Do I get a good vibe from this person? Do they seem honest and upfront about their wares? Do they give me any hesitation in proceeding with this transaction?

ETA: Personally I don't buy from anyone who just responds with a price (if at all) and then crickets. I figure if they're that nonchalant about things right off the bat, they're not gonna tolerate me asking questions, asking for more pics, requesting a return, etc.
 

Musia

Brilliant_Rock
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My rule for it is to be confident I won't return.

Thank you! This is my rule too. I never returned a single stone, love each of them for what they are. This time I have to think whether I am ready to loose money or not.
 

Musia

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 28, 2020
Messages
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Personally I don't buy from anyone who just responds with a price (if at all) and then crickets.

The guy is very responsive, sent me good pictures and videos, I felt very comfortable communicating with him. He mentioned watching Euro Cup on TV (or other device) and not sleeping at night because of that. I mentioned that my now 36y.o. son is crazy about socker too since the time he was a toddler, and that we are Ukrainians and our team is not the best on the tournament...Then I thought: "Now he knows that I am an old lady living in Ukraine, that's why he asks for money transfer, trying to take an advantage". I live in the US since June 1998, but in my heart I am Ukrainian, never used "Ukrainian American" or "Eastern European American". So I was really upset thinking that the seller may be not honest at all.
 
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