Hi i am new here , love the site by the way !
I just was looking at the rules for joining of Groupbuys and just wondering why you have the Rule #17 in place ?
I can understand that it could cause a hassle but i dont know if i like the idea of HDN taking away my right to open a claim at paypal if i see fit to do so . I mean Paypal does not let you open one immediately anyway before you have
tried other channels like talking to the seller.
I believe the Rule #17 is therefore not needed , i just feel somewhat intimidated from it and would really like to join a Groupbuy or two or more in the future but on the other side I dont want to be "spanked" because i did what i felt was best for me the buyer.
PLEASE do not get me wrong , i really do appreciate the opportunity to be a full pledged member and participate in Groupbuys in the future . I just felt the need to voice my concerns about that #17
Hi Chris - thanks for your message and hope that you are enjoying HDN thus far.
You've already addressed this a bit in your question. Group buy hosts here have a proven track record of being above and beyond helpful and open to issues / questions. Per rule 17 (and #9 and #11) HDN requires that you try and resolve the issue by first speaking with the GB host - the rule says, don't open a paypal case first, if you haven't talked with the GB host on the forum yet.
If can't resolve with the GB host directly (which frankly I've hardly ever heard of this problem on HDN), you can also speak with a trading mod or GB host as well, before going to paypal.
In order for any of these folks to become GB hosts, they had to go through a very close vetting process and scrutiny on their past deals.
GB hosts here often put large amounts of funds up front to the retailers for these exclusives. Often this might be their own money. In opening a case, paypal puts a hold on those funds paid to the seller, and requires that the seller adds more money to cover it in the short term.
This could cause problems with other GBs that are in development, or any number of other transactions that a GB host has ongoing. In the past, depending on how thorough the GB host is, paypal might also put OTHER payments under investigation & hold, cascading through the seller's entire account.
In summary, you might think you are "protecting" yourself by opening a case, but in fact, on this forum, you could very likely cause a huge headache for many other buyers and group buy participants. It's simple, just speak with the GB host first, be polite, express your frustration, and have a couple of pictures ready to go - take a picture of the packaging and the item - keep all shipping materials until you hear back.
Hope that helps!
@Apollon @dan8885
