Public Service Announcement

[bladespark]

Because apparently people don't know this.

When somebody asks you to pay through paypal and send it as a gift so they don't have to pay fees... well first off, hello! They are telling you that they are competely okay with ripping off somebody, because they are ripping off paypal. Admittedly paypal makes out like bandits on fees, and they are a faceless corporation, which most people don't mind ripping off, but it's still a red flag.

That's not the big, fat, dangerous red flag though. The big problem that should be staring you in the face but most of you apparently haven't thought of it, is that a gift is a gift. It cannot be disputed. I mean what are you going to say. "Hi, paypal? I freely gave somebody a gift, but now they're not giving me anything in return, so give my gift back please."? Yeah, no. You send that money out and you will never see it again, no matter what they person you're paying that way does. They can take the money and run and you are left without any form of recourse whatsoever. And remember that just by asking you to do this they've already told you they don't mind a little fraud. What's to say they won't mind defrauding you too?

So unless you're willing to write that money off as an actual gift and get nothing in return, don't pay somebody with a paypal gift. Seriously, don't.

(And you artists asking people to pay this way, firstly shame on you! And secondly, good luck if paypal should notice you're doing this, they can and will shut your account down for fraud if they catch you at it, and what are you going to do then?)

Comments

[kitefeathers.livejournal.com]

Yeah... it came as common sense to me that if I sent money as a gift... Well, it would be a gift so someone! Like a birthday present or something ya know. You can't take back those. :/

[harliquinnraver.livejournal.com]

i only send people money marked as a gift if i know them and trust them. you for example.

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU.

[beetlecat.livejournal.com]

A million times yes

[xodiac.livejournal.com]

You should probably consider reposting this to Artists Beware. It's good advice to avoid situations that AB tends to point out AFTER they crop up.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

The issue has come up on AB before.

[jordanis.livejournal.com]

Probably a lot of people tl;dr past that part, though. Which isn't to say they might not tl;dr your post, buuut...

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I suppose that is true.

[pointytilly.livejournal.com]

That reminds me a bit of people getting all upset with sellers refusing to undervalue and mark as gift on packages being sent overseas. Yeah, you probably won't get caught, but the customs people don't like it when they do notice. I can sympathize with taxes (especially as some of them seem so "hi we looked at the outside of your box pay extra plz" random), but it's unfair to act like a seller is a bad one just because they won't risk Issues with technically-it's-fraud fudging on forms...just as it'd be unfair to demand a commissioner pay as gift.

The no chargeback thing just makes it worse. If people don't want to deal with the fees, why not add them into their prices?

[rain-oubliette.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I don't feel sorry for the person too much if they "gift" the money and get a "gift" of squat in return. Fraud is fraud... goes both ways.

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

I agree with this post and all who sail in her