ALWAYS pay with a credit card, that is the safest way. you can easily cancel the charge on your card.

 

I have been screwed by paypal numerous times. I still use them, but very cautious now.

 

You have obviously never talked to PayPal before.
I had a problem long ago where a guy made false claims about a product I sent him and he ended up getting his credit card company to do a charge back on PayPal and PayPal just accepted it and passed the buck onto me. I called PayPal and asked for the guys Credit card company and they would not give it to me.

Exactly

 

It sucks, but there are plenty of ways to tell if someone is scamming you.....

-Always ask for pictures, and detailed ones at that.
-Never do business with someone who has been on the forum less than a year or with fewer than 200 or so posts.
- If they fail to qualify with the above, then make sure a reputable member will vouch for them
-Make sure the seller is detailed about exactly what's wrong with the item(A scammer is much less likely to tell you that there is a crack or a ding).
-Pay for insurance on your items. It's only a couple extra bucks, it is worth it, if something bad happens. When buying from someone and the item states "shipped" make sure that that includes insurance.
-Send the seller numerous PMs, a scammer wants a quick sale, and probably won't bother with you if you bombard him with questions.
-Search for the member's name on google. This includes his real name and username. I also search for his name on facebook and will even go as far as to add them as a friend just so I can get some information about them.

There are tons more precautions, but bottom line is to do your homework on the seller. If you've bought hundreds upon hundreds of items on ebay like many people have(myself included), you begin to spot what looks like a scam and what isn't.

 

I got my bank to do a charge back. This guy is a real scammer and has screwed over lots of people..there is a thread in the negative member feedback section of lt1 trucks devoted to him, it is up to over 13 pages.

 

Sweet, glad you got your cash back!

 

Very True. I wouldn't even link it to your bank account.

 

Set up 2 paypal accounts and as soon as the first account gets money in it, send a bill from the second account and pay it. That way there is never any money in your selling account from them to take back. Use the second account for all your buying. PayPal is nothing but a scam by Ebay to steal an extra 3% in fees from you. If you don't like what PAyPal does, file a complaint with the FTC