PayPal restricts my account, advice please

[abyorkie]

Hi Guys
I had exactly the same problem over christmas. Sold a lot of stamps from Persia/Iran, the buyer tried to pay via paypal and it was blocked and returned. She was an overseas buyer and I can only accept paypal for overseas.
Paypal limited/restricted my account until I jumped through hoops to give them the info they needed and despite explaining they were POSTAGE STAMPS still had to prove ihad removed paypal from the auction and "Iran" from the title.
Eventually my account was restored but I feel for the buyers who may not have a suitable payment option open to them- especially overseas buyers.
As someone said what harm are a few postage stamps going to cause????
So a lost sale but did have a few more than usual upto christmas-- after doing all the exempt and unbranded stuff on my items!!! After they all dissappeared from google shopping a couple of monthe ago!

Happy New Year to all and hopefully sales will continue

Cheers Alan
Please have a look at my shops, you may find something you like!!
http://abyorkies-old-manuscripts-ancestry.ebid.net
http://archibald-thorburns-birds-prints.ebid.net
http://abyorkies-stamps-cigarette-cards.ebid.net
http://antique-prints.ebid.net
http://collectables-and-everything-else.ebid.net

[lofty100e]

I don't know if this is of any use, but have you considered Skrill as an alternative? Admittedly it was sometime ago when they were known as Moneybookers, but they use to serve more Countries than PP does. The down-side though is that they also may go along with the US government line. If I remember correctly this links in with their foreign policy. (Beyonce Knowles fell foul of it recently).

[CopperLocker]

When I decided to try overseas shipping eBid and my site were my starting platform. I was excited to try this new opportunity, but I knew that I should see what I couldn't and could ship across the US borders. I was amazed at the restrictions! Not only to the before mentioned countries, but to the rest over all. I suggest that before anyone ships anything outside their homeland, that they spend time looking into the mailing restrictions their nation regulate.

[FirstGreenIsGold]

This business of the US embargo countries that affects PayPal payments .... frustrating for sure. Thanks for the updates and information.

[lofty100e]

The most frustating thing is that paypal take the attitude that the whole world is American. hence trying to force legislation on folks who are not American and live in Countries that very possibly does not apply to them.

Particularly annoying as Paypal in Europe from what I have read is a separate business to thse one in America, as it has registered itself somewhere that (as usual with big companie)s has more lax tax laws than others.

I presume there are regulations about what can and can't be shipped to individual Countries from Britain, but have never seen or heard of such a list. (There is a link on the Royal Mail Site about items that are not acceptable for carriage but nothing else). Although I admit I have not looked for it.

I gues Myanmar (or as it is popularly reffered to over here as Burma) would be on such a list.

[TiasTreasures]

I was just going to look for this thread so that I could have a read on this topic again. I have coins from Sudan / Cuba that I had listed and have old stamps from the embargoed countries to list as well. Thanks for the information. I guess that my payment options offered on those items will be very limited.

The same solution I chose. I have a grand total of 18 stamps from those countries, so it's not going to destroy me. All of them are very old (pre-embargo) so I'm not breaking any laws.

[FBNeNotes]

Tuck, i had same dillema but after my acc with PP was re-instated i (inadvertantly) bulk edited all my items to PP payment option and havnt heard anything from PP, maybe because the 'bots' had already been through and flagged the said items.either way, im selling embargo'd country items with no probs,

I went to your auctions, clicked stamps from Iran... i only looked at 2 offerings, both you have PayPal as a payment.
Have we gone 'round in circles??

[FBNeNotes]

On FEEbay as of now it reads....

Not allowed
We don't allow the sale of embargoed items from the following countries, and we don't allow organizations, businesses, or individuals to have or register accounts while based in these countries:
Burma (Myanmar)–Only jadeite and rubies are prohibited
Cuba
Iran
North Korea
Sudan
Syria
We don't allow organizations, businesses, or individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals list (SDN) to have or register accounts.
We don't permit the sale of items that claim to be pre-embargo because we cannot determine when an item was removed from a specific country.

[FBNeNotes]

Going to answer my own question - its both..!!.. seems a lot of sellers are having problems on all different sites.

Wilber11 - best if you telephone paypal and try and sort it out.

Hope you get it sorted and thank you for the information.

Time for everyone to start removing paypal as a payment option on those items that originated in those banned countries - you can still direct invoice the customer using paypal as long as you do not use the banned country name in the title.

Also add Syria to the list.....

The OP has an expensive $500+ Iran stamp offering with PayPal as an payment option.... so the outcome of all of this is ??

[deanosaur1972]

The OP has an expensive $500+ Iran stamp offering with PayPal as an payment option.... so the outcome of all of this is ??

Well information can only be passed on - what people do with that information is up to them, other people have taken heed so will save themselves some potential hassle.

The outcome from paypal on that listing you mentioned will be nothing......... until it sells, then the OP may once again have some explaining to do.

Would be advantageous if eBid could put a bit about this in the next newsletter, ie: Anything from or pertaining to those countries should not have Paypal as a payment option.