No Fett for me here?

Hello, My name is Scott and I haven't been a member here long.
I have been collecting Star Wars toys for some time now and have recently made the jump to Props and Costumes. As I'm sure a lot of you did.
I've made a ESB Vader so far and wanted an ESB Fett.
I'd been looking on ebay at parts when a friend suggested the TDH.
Didn't even know it existed.
I applied for membership and was accepted.
When I logged on for the first time I was Thrilled!
All the info I could ever want or need was right here!
Looking at the Suits people had made, I knew I came to the right place.
I was eager to start. Trolling the Cargo Hold for Pieces to start my build.
But I keep running into a snag.
Everyone ONLY takes PAYPAL.
I was scammed out of over $1500 by a guy overseas and paypal was NO Help. Even had the tracking # but since it got held up in Customs for 30 days they ruled in his favor. Then they conveniently had Technical Difficulties with there appeals page for 35 days after the ruling so I couldn't appeal it.
When It finally worked, they said it was too late.
So I lost my $1500, the Extra shipping to get a Global tracking # and my Stormtrooper armor that I hated to sell anyway.
Since then, I will not use paypal.
I understand why people use paypal because it is fast and Convenient.
But I don't understand ONLY using paypal.
But this isn't a Complaining post.
Just a Frustration post.
I love it here and will stay a member of this Wonderful Forum!
But unfortunately , it looks like I'm stuck buying my parts off ebay.
Or do you think I'm giving up too soon?
Like I said I'm not Complaining, I totally understand why people like paypal.
I'm just frustrated that I can't purchase parts because paypal did me wrong and I will no longer give them any of my money.
Thanks for listening.
Scott

I understand where you're coming from. If you want to buy a particular item from someone I would suggest sending a PM and see if they will work with you for another form of payment. It may take a little longer to get the items but most folks seem to be willing to try and work something out. I'm not speaking for everyone who sells stuff here, but from things I have seen and my own personal experiences. Hope this helps.

BTW... Be very careful of what you grab off of Ebay. There are a lot of good parts there however there are also a lot of really shoddy props/parts on there, a lot of which are recasted. Before I knew of TDH, I myself ended up with a recasted helmet and jet pack that were really poor quality in comparison to what you get if you just go to the source. It may cost a little more but it is well worth it to get away from the work you have to do to make some recasts presentable, and you don't have the recast issue.

Just my 2c.

It is true that most people don't want to be bothered with Money Orders or the like, but as t_bone said, email the people you want something from. While there is no guarantee, I think you will find most of the people here are pretty accommodating.

I feel you scott. Paypal seems to be a necessary evil. Alot of us have been burned by them at one time or another. 99 Cent Taco was the latest victim to get the big bend over. Just as the other have said, try sending the seller a pm and work it out.

Well, I'm in the only paypal camp, so I can tell you why I do that.

I have a PayPal debit card, so I can go to any ATM/MasterCard location and get the money out.

So when someone PayPals me, I remove the money immediately. Then I know that the buyer isn't going to try to pull some sort of scam and do a refund when the item ships. In my experience, PayPal typically favors the seller, which is fine by me.

Otherwise, I have to make a trip out to the bank, deposit a check, and wait for it to clear. That both slows down the getting-money part of the process for me, and it adds another trip to someplace I don't typically go, so it's doubly inconvenient.

And there you have the paypal-only seller perspective

From both sides, I know paypal can suck, i've seen it happen to many people. But I worked at a bank, and I cannot tell you how many times we get FAKE money orders and bounced checks as well.

So when offering to send things, offer a cashiers check (which truely still can be fake) and offer to wait 10-14 days for it to clear before shipment. anyone taking money orders or checks of any kind, I would recommend doing that anyway. DO NOT SHIP for at least 10 days after receiving that kind of payment. Your bank may give you immediate credit for it, but if it comes back a couple days later, they will "charge back" your account for the amount of the check.

I have taken money orders on a couple of occasions. but i waited 10 days every time!

Personally, I would be willing to accept a MO or CC.

But I can completely understand why people would accept only paypal, and why people don't want to pay with paypal.

It is really up to the seller or buyer. I would just try to strike a compromise. Perhaps let the seller know you are willing to wait until they can cash it and wait until it clears.

I'd be more than willing to send a Cashiers Check instead. And I have NO PROBLEM waiting until the check for sure clears. I usually send Postal money orders since you can cash them at the Post Office. That way you know it is good. I've offered to let them wait 2-3 weeks if need be to make sure it is on the up and up, but still get rejected.

I really hate to resort to ebay. Since I've gotten here I've searched the names of the ebay sellers I've almost bought from on ebay and have not read good things about them.

Thanks LadySewforus! Send me a PM with your addy and I'll get you the $$$ for the Vest and neck.

I will keep trying and hopefully I find some sellers willing to work with me Here.

Thanks for the Advice!
Scott

You never asked me, so I was unaware that you would even be interested in this. I am willing to help. I think others are too.

I think you should PM, and ask the person you would like to deal with.

Just a tip for the vendors...........

If you request a Money Order, if it is a Western Union Money Order, or another well know institution, you can take the M.O. to a check cashing place and get cash the same day. If you so choose, perhaps you could ask the person sending the M.O. to add a couple of dollars extra for the check cashing fee...... Just a thought......


PM sent Stark!

LadySewforus said:

You never asked me, so I was unaware that you would even be interested in this. I am willing to help. I think others are too.

Click to expand...

I wasn't referring to you.
You've been great!
I'll send my material for the Vest and Neck.
Thanks,
Scott

No, I completely understand, but I think if you ask, you may be surprised that ppl will help you!



If not, then just understand they have their reasons, just as you do.

I am sure you will work this out for you.

The more you hang out around here, the more you will see how honest and dedicated these people are. There are a few who create and sell Fett stuff, and you can be rest assured they are honest. If you don't believe it, go back and research the multiple years of history within this site. You'll see. Good luck with your Fett.

I find paypal ok - but I really limit how much I send on ebay.

I also tend to buy from original makers and known forum users - and that takes away most (not all) of the honesty issue. being on TDH and buying form a known vendor is a WHOLE different ball game comapred to fly-by-night ebayers (even if they do have 99% plus feedbacks!)

I know that paypal is not perfect - but I was wondering how much of ur initial problems had to do with seller integrity? even when I have run into problems on here and other similiar prop forums - the sellers almost always tended to be really helpful.

Just my simple opinion.
Oh yes - asking direct from seller if they would accept another form of payment is a good suggestion, another thing the vendors/sellers here are much better at than an ebayer when it comes to communication (pre- and post sales) and accomodating the poor buyer ;P

If you are looking for a reliable and trustworthy person to do business with then you should also try looking at "BOBAMAKER.CO.UK" send Daz a PM, you could pretty much build your fett using him, and you would have an awsome Fett!8)

Other than that keep browsing this site and im sure people will help you.

Steve