I am trying to wrap my mind around whats going on with paypal these days. Since December, I have had 5 payments reversed after having shipped the pieces. The latest three of which are items I shipped back in November! Now, if paypal wants to charge fees, issue credit cards, and keep financial information, they have a clear fiduciary responsibility to their members. From the minute they send an email titled, “You have funds,” they have charged their fee and issued the seller funds. If they’re not sure they can guarantee the money they say we have, they shouldn’t promise it’s ours. Its up to paypal to verify funds; that’s the service we’re paying for.

After I have shipped to a buyer’s paypal-confirmed address and the buyer is happy, I don’t need to hear about it from paypal ever again about it. Money has been exchanged for goods, transaction complete. The notion of reversals clearly means its not a safe method of collecting payment on ebay. So, once again, the buyer has my Tiffany jewelry, paypal took their funds out of my paypal account. I paid ebay fees plus I am out the jewelry and $1200.00. Paypal, after 2 hours on the phone with Marc, they told him that after 75 days to research and collaborate with the customer’s credit issuer, we will probably get a refund because we shipped to a confirmed address. They wouldn’t guarantee it and deterred him from contacting legal authorities to report fraud or theft. As far as I can tell, this is going to be happening on a regular basis now.

I still believe ebay sellers need protection. It’s getting to a critical stage and if we don’t do it as the management team makes new rules, when will we organize?

Last night I had the pleasure of being in the company of a group of smart, accomplished women. As it usually does, at some point in the evening the subject to jewelry. I throughly enjoyed taking about my collection and having the opportunity to look at their own treasures. Everyone has an interesting story about the jewelry they wear. I love those stories. I think that is part of the reason I enjoy being part of the process of acquiring special pieces of jewelry; they become hallmarks of life. Part of a person’s life. A necklace maybe just a necklace at first. But at some point it becomes the necklace. Like the necklace I wore to work the first day of my new job. The necklace I wore when we moved into our new house. The necklace I wore to my son’s graduation.

Even with all the frustrations and haranguing I get from eBay and Paypal, that’s what keeps me going. To help someone find their next the necklace or the ring, or the bracelet. I love what I do because of what I collect and sell becomes to another.