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E-checks

I recently sold an item on eBay, and the buyer paid through PayPal with an e-check. Has anyone had any experience with them? Are they okay to accept. I know one thing: they don't clear right away. I have to wait 3-5 business days for one to clear.

Personally, when I pay through PayPal, my payment goes through right away with my debit card. PayPal advised me not to ship until after pament is in my account.

Can anyone give me their take on them? Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on February 26, 2015 at 1:38pm

Just wait until it clears before you send item. Usually there fine

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Permalink Reply by Null on February 26, 2015 at 1:54pm

It's fine, it just takes a few days to "clear'. And yes, do not ship until it "clears".

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Permalink Reply by James on February 26, 2015 at 1:57pm

Ok. Thanks Paul and Ryan.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Gregory on February 26, 2015 at 2:30pm

As above, same as a normal check (cheque) just wait until payment clears

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Permalink Reply by James on February 26, 2015 at 4:16pm

Thanks, Dan.

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Permalink Reply by James on February 26, 2015 at 4:19pm

I've actually only made a few sales on eBay, and this my first e-check.

So essentially, if a buyer has his/her PayPal tied to their bank account as opposed to a debit or credit card, then they basically pay with an e-check each time. Is that correct?

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Permalink Reply by michelle on February 26, 2015 at 6:23pm

the prob is that sometimes people use this method of payment to scam unsuspecting sellers as my friend had this problem when buyer cancel/reverses the echeque payment whilst the goods are being sent and before the cheque is cleared so be aware of this. APPARENTLY YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ONCE IT HAS HAPPENED IF YOU ARE AN UNHAPPY SELLER. Sometimes I am told they use this method of payment because they do not have enough money in their paypal account. My friend obviously had a bad experience. Also do not leave pos feeback before it is cleared. I think it takes longer than your normal cheque to clear. Hope this makes sense as very late ; but wanted to warn you

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Permalink Reply by James on February 26, 2015 at 7:39pm

Thanks, Michelle. I had read some posts in an eBay and a PayPal community forum from like five years ago. But several people at that time were saying that echecks are sometimes used by scammers, just as your friend found out. Probably most of the time they're okay, but as you and others say I best wait until that money is in my account. The thing is, I'm a little leery of this guy as it is. We've communicated some, but he's not that responsive.

Plus, from the very beginning he seemed very hesitant about agreeing to leave positive feedback even after he has received the item, and all checks out okay. I had asked if he would leave the feedback, because it sometimes helps expedite the release of funds when you don't have much selling experience. I always leave positive feedback pretty quickly for sellers if all is okay. My other two buyers were great. Just not sure about this one. I'll see.