Diamond Bistro purchase

[Ashley-Sarah]

Hi, I hope i am posting this is the right place, I am looking to make a diamond bistro purchase. It is out of the country and I am wondering if there is anything I should be aware of. I have looked at paypal policies but still am not sure. Anyone have any issues with this? She also asked for payment through her email via paypal In the past I have received invoices. If any of you have sent or received payments your somments would be appreciated Thanks

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Hi,
I have made several out of country purchases on db and it went smoothly each time.
Be aware that PayPal is the only protection you have, so take extra care to ensure everything is legit on this end. DB does not resolve any problems. One time only I had a problem: the seller changed her mind (got a better offer from s.o. else after I had paid) and just refunded me without notification. Since I had paid PayPal via bank draft, PayPal had the refund pending for 10 days (!!!!). It was not a huge sum (under 500$), but even after two discussions with PayPal it left a strange feeling until they finally refunded to my account and I'm sure I'd have been VERY stresssed out for 10 days for a big sum. So, if you can, use a CC for an extra layer of protection.

 

[Ashley-Sarah]

Thank you

 

[lilmosun]

I usually sell requesting PayPal friends and family to keep prices low by avoiding fees. I am always willing to invoice if the buyer will pick up the fees so perhaps you can ask if the seller is willing to do this.

Because most items are final sale, I do try to research the seller..when they joined, are they on ps, what else they have sold and/or asking more questions to assess my comfort level that the item is what I expect as descriptions can be subjective.

 

[EvaEvans]

Ask the seller to create an invoice or money request. Better option is an invoice with detailed item description and attached pictures, this is for your protection. Do not send money to the seller email as friend/family - you are not protected! Also, because it's international transaction, I strongly advice you first to call paypal customer service and ask what is their buyer protection for international transactions.

 

[Ashley-Sarah]

Thanks for the replies, I decided not to purchase.

 

[soxfan]

Ask the seller to create an invoice or money request. Better option is an invoice with detailed item description and attached pictures, this is for your protection. Do not send money to the seller email as friend/family - you are not protected! Also, because it's international transaction, I strongly advice you first to call paypal customer service and ask what is their buyer protection for international transactions.

Private sales are never conducted via invoice. And most sellers will post "private sale and/or final sale." Diamondbistro is not a retailer. It's a site that promotes sales conducted between private sellers/buyers. I always ask for payment via friends and family so I don't have to pay any fees.

 

[soxfan]

Hi, I hope i am posting this is the right place, I am looking to make a diamond bistro purchase. It is out of the country and I am wondering if there is anything I should be aware of. I have looked at paypal policies but still am not sure. Anyone have any issues with this? She also asked for payment through her email via paypal In the past I have received invoices. If any of you have sent or received payments your somments would be appreciated Thanks

Never had an issue selling though LT or DB. And payment is always through PayPal.

 

[EvaEvans]

soxfan, when you are the seller and someone pays you as friends and family, you are safe! You have the money AND the item. But the buyer gets huge risk to pay unknown anonymous person without buyer protection. Paypal has only 3% fees, but protect you from hassle and even possible fraud. Ebay has 10% fees, Grace has 20% fees.
Literally, I would never pay someone the friends and family way, especially then it's chunk amount of money. I rather prefer the seller to calculate this 3% into the sale price, and to send me an invoice. Other way is to use a middleman. For the peace of mind!

 

[soxfan]

When you send an invoice, I believe there could be tax implications? Diamond bistro/LT are private sale sites. It's not a vendor site. That's why I only sell to PS'ers. And I never send an invoice. Neither do any other sellers unless they are vendors...

 

[minousbijoux]

As a private seller, I have sent invoices to individuals multiple times, as have other PSers I know.

 

[soxfan]

As a private seller, I have sent invoices to individuals multiple times, as have other PSers I know.

And there are no tax implications? If you say final sale but send an invoice, do you have to take the item back?

 

[minousbijoux]

Why would I have to take it back? The terms of the transaction are clear on the platform (LT) and written on the invoice.

 

[minousbijoux]

...and I didn't mean to sound snippy in case I did. I just thought an invoice was a neat, more efficient way to complete the sale. If I can, I get the buyer to send $ F&F, and allow them to benefit from the saving in PP fees.

As to tax consequences, I don't know if there is any difference between the two forms of payment, as they are both payments for sale of an item? But then again, I am not a tax expert.

 

[EvaEvans]

And there are no tax implications? If you say final sale but send an invoice, do you have to take the item back?

You are obligated to charge sales tax ONLY if you are registered business and the buyer lives in the same state, otherwise if you are individual, no sales taxes you should charge.
Invoice OR money request work absolutely the same way and both have full paypal protection.
I prefer to send an invoice mainly because I can attach pictures.
You are NOT obligated to take the item back. You can specify your return policy. The only risk is that the buyer can open a case for "item not as described". That is why I always attach clear pictures and write detailed item description, so in case of opened dispute all this work in my favor.
Luckily, I haven't had any problem with any buyer till this moment.

 

[MollyMalone]

You are obligated to charge sales tax ONLY if you are registered business and the buyer lives in the same state, otherwise if you are individual, no sales taxes you should charge.
Invoice OR money request work absolutely the same way and both have full paypal protection.
I prefer to send an invoice mainly because I can attach pictures.
You are NOT obligated to take the item back. You can specify your return policy. The only risk is that the buyer can open a case for "item not as described". That is why I always attach clear pictures and write detailed item description, so in case of opened dispute all this work in my favor.
Luckily, I haven't had any problem with any buyer till this moment.

Eva, this is not accurate information for New York State, and is likely not to be true for same-state buyers and sellers in other jurisdictions as well. New York sellers are expected to charge New York buyers sales tax on the purchase of tangible personal property regardless of whether the seller is doing business as, e.g., a corporation or partnership or simply as an individual that's made some money via sales on the side.

That's why eBay automatically calculates, and displays, the sales tax whenever I win an auction or make a Buy It Now purchase from a fellow New Yorker.

I usually sell requesting PayPal friends and family to keep prices low by avoiding fees. I am always willing to invoice if the buyer will pick up the fees so perhaps you can ask if the seller is willing to do this. * * * .

Private sales are never conducted via invoice. And most sellers will post "private sale and/or final sale." Diamondbistro is not a retailer. It's a site that promotes sales conducted between private sellers/buyers. I always ask for payment via friends and family so I don't have to pay any fees.

* * * If I can, I get the buyer to send $ F&F, and allow them to benefit from the saving in PP fees. * * *

A heads-up: having buyers pay you via "send money to friends and family" is a violation of your User Agreement with PayPal & can result in your PayPal account(s) getting suspended.

When you send an invoice, I believe there could be tax implications? Diamond bistro/LT are private sale sites. It's not a vendor site. That's why I only sell to PS'ers. And I never send an invoice. Neither do any other sellers unless they are vendors...

Not sure what you're thinking of when you say "tax implications," soxfan. But at least in New York, the obligation to collect sales tax -- and then pay the money forward to the NYS Tax Department -- doesn't depend on whether you send an invoice or not, or whether you are a "private" seller. Similarly, the IRS doesn't exempt folks from reporting income attributable to the sale of, e.g., jewelry, diamonds, or other gems just because you're not in the trade, did not send out an invoice. Sorry.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

One more detail regarding paypal f &f:
The OP mentioned this was an international sale. From my experience f&f isn't possible internationally.
I have tried several times for repeat purchases from trusted PSers, but I always need an invoice/ request in order to pay.

 

[soxfan]

One more detail regarding paypal f &f:
The OP mentioned this was an international sale. From my experience f&f isn't possible internationally.
I have tried several times for repeat purchases from trusted PSers, but I always need an invoice/ request in order to pay.

I was able to get F&F payment from someone overseas. No problem.

 

[737liz]

From my experience, avoiding fees with F&F only works when it's the same currency . If the transaction is in two different currencies then even when clicking 'send to friends and family' it will charge the sender the +/-3% fees. The receiver does not get charged. So from abroad, either way, paypal gets the fees, it just depends who pays it.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

I was able to get F&F payment from someone overseas. No problem.

From my experience, avoiding fees with F&F only works when it's the same currency . If the transaction is in two different currencies then even when clicking 'send to friends and family' it will charge the sender the +/-3% fees. The receiver does not get charged. So from abroad, either way, paypal gets the fees, it just depends who pays it.

Lizakg clarified, thanks.

It basically means I pay 3% fees on top of their REALLY horrible exchange rate ( they get at least 3-4% from me already that way) for ZERO protection.

So no, not an option for international sales.
IF I go for zero buyer protection, I think an international wire transfer is cheaper (more hassle and longer though, so it depends on the sum/ transaction)..

 

[Phanie]

My personal experience.
I ALWAYS ask for an invoice because I had a HUGE problem with PP a few years ago (ended up being out of $10.000 from a PP error(or hack, they never fessed up to it) and they took months to fix, which puts me in trouble).
So I don't have a PP account but I can pay via CC through PP.
If I cannot pay with my CC through PP I am not doing it (I am not about to link my bank account to a PP account ever again).

 

[pearaffair]

FWIW, I've done sales and purchases across the broder and it's all been fine. I've paid ~3% to convert the currency but I always factor that in.

I love this community

 

[nkc]

soxfan, when you are the seller and someone pays you as friends and family, you are safe! You have the money AND the item. But the buyer gets huge risk to pay unknown anonymous person without buyer protection. Paypal has only 3% fees, but protect you from hassle and even possible fraud. Ebay has 10% fees, Grace has 20% fees.
Literally, I would never pay someone the friends and family way, especially then it's chunk amount of money. I rather prefer the seller to calculate this 3% into the sale price, and to send me an invoice. Other way is to use a middleman. For the peace of mind!

How do I use a middle man?

 

[VRBeauty]

I will not use friends and family for a big purchase - and when a LT seller that had been johnny-on-the-spot answering question suddenly went "dark" on me once I had paid or a pricey piece, I was very glad I had that extra protection. The transaction turned out fairly OK (in fact I'm wearing the piece as I type!) but the seller welched on some secondary items promised in PS discussion. A detailed invoice would have helped.