Paypal BS - heads up

ExtraBaconPlease

ExtraBaconPlease

Joined
Mar 8, 2016
Messages
2,898
I just got off the phone with Paypal. They closed a dispute/claim thing I had open with a knife I bought. They closed it short and not in my favour. I asked why on the phone...brace yourselves.

"Oh, because it was a for a knife which is technically a weapon and that violates our policy"

Me: "Are you serious right now? Is this a joke?"

Anyway, they were dead serious. Luckily I told them of a previous case in which Paypal had provided cover for me last year and they used that as an example to re-open my claim.

It's a fine edge with these Paypal monkeys. Knife is a cutting tool one day and a nuclear warhead the next.
 
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Thats shot i hope i never have a problem like that they always helped in the past but i dont think i said what the product was.
 
Have heard this a few times and it is sickening.. Its unfortunate there is not a company out there with a platform similar to PayPal that is pro freedom...(knives, guns, none of your damn business) these jokers make millions(billions) off our community of outdoor enthusiasts and collectors!!


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I just looked up their policy online and it says knives are fine. Only problems are with knives that are illegal where you live, switchblades, and 'disguised' knives. I'd say you were just dealing with someone who doesn't know their policy very well, saw a big knife, and is easily scared. If I were in your position I would probably quote their exact wording of their policy back to them, point out it is a camping or kitchen tool, and that there are many of knives sold on ebay (do a quick search for 'knife' and quote how many results turn up) many or most of which use paypal.... so it clearly does not violate their policy and so you dispute their definition. If that doesn't work try bumping it up to their manager. Good luck!!
 
Paypal has a long history of holding a negative view of firearms and discriminates against it. Sad that it now includes knives.
 
Currawong said:
I just looked up their policy online and it says knives are fine. Only problems are with knives that are illegal where you live, switchblades, and 'disguised' knives. I'd say you were just dealing with someone who doesn't know their policy very well, saw a big knife, and is easily scared. If I were in your position I would probably quote their exact wording of their policy back to them, point out it is a camping or kitchen tool, and that there are many of knives sold on ebay (do a quick search for 'knife' and quote how many results turn up) many or most of which use paypal.... so it clearly does not violate their policy and so you dispute their definition. If that doesn't work try bumping it up to their manager. Good luck!!
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Good pointers here mate, cheers.

All worked out for me but that could save someone else's ass.
 
Yeah, total BS is what that is! :mad:

Currawong is correct; their policy does NOT disallow knives!!! :rolleyes: My rebuttal on the phone would have been along the lines of, "So now a kitchen knife is a weapon? No... I'm pretty sure it is just a TOOL..."

If you had gotten screwed out of any money, I would certainly have recommended to talk to a supervisor who was maybe slightly more knowledgeable of their actual policies.

Pretty sure that the plethora of knife-maker customers they have that use their services would be pretty upset to find out that PP was pulling this BS.
 
Well I consider firearms as tools, pay pal considers them weapons, plus they support additional restrictions on our constitutional rights with $ they make on the " allowed" Knife / Tools transactions.. That is why I refuse to use them, If it makes a sale go slower so be it I wont support my enemy with my $...
 
ExtraBaconPlease said:
I just got off the phone with Paypal. They closed a dispute/claim thing I had open with a knife I bought. They closed it short and not in my favour. I asked why on the phone...brace yourselves.

"Oh, because it was a for a knife which is technically a weapon and that violates our policy"

Me: "Are you serious right now? Is this a joke?"

Anyway, they were dead serious. Luckily I told them of a previous case in which Paypal had provided cover for me last year and they used that as an example to re-open my claim.

It's a fine edge with these Paypal monkeys. Knife is a cutting tool one day and a nuclear warhead the next.
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A claim this year and a claim last year. Looks like Paypal saved your bacon. Had you paid by Money Order you would have been zapped, no claim, no recourse, nada, zip, zilch.
We have had paypal save our bacon many many times.
Just like dealing with E-bay and Amazon, a lot depends who you get on the phone and sometimes you have to call back and get another person to help you or ask for a manager, be polite and firm.
 
Azula Gun Holsters said:
A claim this year and a claim last year. Looks like Paypal saved your bacon. Had you paid by Money Order you would have been zapped, no claim, no recourse, nada, zip, zilch.
We have had paypal save our bacon many many times.
Just like dealing with E-bay and Amazon, a lot depends who you get on the phone and sometimes you have to call back and get another person to help you or ask for a manager, be polite and firm.
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They have definitely saved me in the past, it's just easy to get frustrated when the workers don't know the policy correctly.

Polite and firm is definitely the way to go.
 
How did they know it was for a knife purchase?

Don't EVER write anything in the memo or description that would give some lillyliverednonknifelovinpantywaistednancyboy behind a computer terminal on the other side of planet Earth pause to think you're dealing in WMD's :rolleyes:...

Don't make it too easy for them....call it a "camping tool / camping implement" if you must ;)

If I feel the need to leave a note, I'll just type the proper model name of the blade model, ie "Manix." Not foolproof, I realize, but it doesn't send up red flags to the knife illiterate sheeple class.

BTW, the only time I had any blowback with that method was when I typed in the comments: "Persian" for a Spyderco Persian :thumbdn: ... evidently, its a terrorist trigger word for homeland security or some other such agency and PayPal put a hold on the transaction for about 3 days, but they eventually processed it.
 
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I had a hold on one - I pay palled from Mexico to be shipped to USA, and it was investigated, I stated in an email it was a knife, and they let it go through...this was earlier this year, so I would go back and reference said policy...I also read this prior to communicating so I knew I was safe...I do think it is in the person you deal with and their knowledge of their own policies...

Currawong said:
I just looked up their policy online and it says knives are fine. Only problems are with knives that are illegal where you live, switchblades, and 'disguised' knives. I'd say you were just dealing with someone who doesn't know their policy very well, saw a big knife, and is easily scared. If I were in your position I would probably quote their exact wording of their policy back to them, point out it is a camping or kitchen tool, and that there are many of knives sold on ebay (do a quick search for 'knife' and quote how many results turn up) many or most of which use paypal.... so it clearly does not violate their policy and so you dispute their definition. If that doesn't work try bumping it up to their manager. Good luck!!
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Basically my same experience, i put in ST56 Persian....and my ordering location was Mexico shipping to US!!! I did end up responding to inquiry it was a knife...went through

PeteyTwoPointOne said:
How did they know it was for a knife purchase?

Don't EVER write anything in the memo or description that would give some lillyliverednonknifelovinpantywaistednancyboy behind a computer terminal on the other side of planet Earth pause to think you're dealing in WMD's :rolleyes:...

Don't make it too easy for them....

If I feel the need to leave a note, I'll just type the proper model name of the blade model, ie "Manix." Not foolproof, I realize, but it doesn't send up red flags to the knife illiterate sheeple class.

BTW, the only time I had any blowback with that method was when I typed in the comments: "Persian" for a Spyderco Persian :thumbdn: ... evidently, its a terrorist trigger word for homeland security or some other such agency and PayPal put a hold on the transaction for about 3 days, but they eventually processed it.
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COPIUOS said:
Basically my same experience, i put in ST56 Persian....and my ordering location was Mexico shipping to US!!! I did end up responding to inquiry it was a knife...went through
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Yeah, COPI...it was the "Persian" that sent up the signal flares, likely not so much the "knife" part....catch words like: Persian, Al Qaeda, Syrian, Afghani, Somali, ISIS, ISIL, Peshmerga, and such ilk will get you dinged every time.

Most of those are pretty common sense..."Persian" OTOH, kinda caught me off guard :o...but it won't hold me up again! :cool:
 
ExtraBaconPlease said:
It says what item you purchase when you buy from evilbay. In this case "Busse Combat Knife....."
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This seems a perfectly reasonable description of the product. Petey is right about avoiding trigger terms if you want things to go smoother, but honestly, if it's legal, and it fits paypal's own policy, you SHOULD be able to say exactly what it is without having to dance around the fact or play word games.
 
PeteyTwoPointOne said:
How did they know it was for a knife purchase?

Don't EVER write anything in the memo or description that would give some lillyliverednonknifelovinpantywaistednancyboy behind a computer terminal on the other side of planet Earth pause to think you're dealing in WMD's :rolleyes:...

Don't make it too easy for them....call it a "camping tool / camping implement" if you must ;)

If I feel the need to leave a note, I'll just type the proper model name of the blade model, ie "Manix." Not foolproof, I realize, but it doesn't send up red flags to the knife illiterate sheeple class.

BTW, the only time I had any blowback with that method was when I typed in the comments: "Persian" for a Spyderco Persian :thumbdn: ... evidently, its a terrorist trigger word for homeland security or some other such agency and PayPal put a hold on the transaction for about 3 days, but they eventually processed it.
Click to expand...

Skip using "damascus" too, for the same reason. ;)

"Cutlery" is another good descriptor along with camping tool. :thumbup:
 
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