Help with a sale issue- fraud alert?

[Professor Marc]

Guys-

I posted my mayhem for sale on this site as most of you have seen and have this guy who has now twice sent me paypal but as gift (instant) and twice I have refunded his money. Is this some scam I am unaware of? I don't have a paypal account linked to a bank so really can't do anything with a gift since it did not get moved to my credit card. I told him he did this twice now so we are down to a USPS money order. he is also holding up sale for you others. Also I can't find his name or e-mail anywhere on other forums as legitimate buyer. I won't post his name yet as could be an honest mistake from him. Mostly interest to know if there is any scam I am falling for here.

Help from the seasoned experts here at least the ones who know me?

Thanks,

Marc

[JIMMY_MAC]

Next time you post a for sale thread be sure to follow the rules and include payment info up front. That being said, has the buyer been in contact with you since you refunded his money? If not, move on to the next guy on your list.
BTW, paypal gift option is NEVER a good idea.

JIMMY_MAC

[Stabber]

Paypal will NOT cover the Transaction when you receive a Gift payment as it is supposed to be for Family/Friends. Not an Item

Did you send him the Item?

[tedsouper]

One of the many reasons people hate PP is the fees the take when a seller uses them.
By sending as a gift the seller gets 100% of what was sent by the buyer with no % taken out.
I buy many knifes from many trusted dealers we all know and to get them as much coin as possible I
use Friends and Family but always ask the seller first of course! Its real handy for the buyer to use.
~deadly

[corjzg]

There is a paypal gift scam that sounds a lot like what is happening here. As you stated, it could just be an honest mistake. I think the original advisory was on the JD. I'll try to find it and post it here if I can, as I don't want to get any details wrong relying on my feeble memory...

[corjzg]

link: http://www.jerzeedevil.com/forums/showthread.php/159157-What-s-wrong-here

Basically what happens is this:

A random buyer identifies a "for sale" ad in a site like craigslist, etc. where paypal is a payment option for listed goods
Random buyer sends money to seller via paypal gift, for the full amount, sometimes with little to no advance communication, or any negotiating.
Transaction goes through paypal, seller gets funds, everything seems okay...
Seller sends goods to buyer's shipping address, transaction complete.
Then the shitstorm hits...
Turns out the buyer paid you with a stolen paypal account, but paypal takes 1-3+ months to identify this. When they do, they come back and take the money back from your account (or you owe them if you have a zero balance, so you're account will be negative and they WILL pursue you to reclaim the monies). Now you're officially fucked. Usually the ship-to address is bogus, so trying to track down the buyer leads to a dead end...

Check the JD link for the full "Canadian Bike story" where this actually happened. I would never send paypal gift, or accept it, unless the person was someone who I knew personally, or a longtime and reputable forum member. Caveat Emptor is a great axiom to follow, but so is Caveat Venditor (Seller Beware)!

Happy hunting
~axeME