Banned from PayPal for Purchasing Tobacco

[SmokeStack]

I found out yesterday that my PayPal account was permanently terminated for purchasing tobacco (a vintage tin of Dunhill's Standard Mixture Full on eBay). The purchase I made was at least two years ago. At that time I appealed their decision to ban me from PayPal as I was unaware of their policy (after all, there are several vintage tins sold on eBay each day), and they reinstated my account. Now out of the blue, they cancelled my account with them. They won't even tell me why they banned my account. I have not made a purchase with PayPal since they reinstated my account many months back. I appealed their decision yesterday, but they responded by saying that their decision was final.

I just want to inform the forum to beware of PayPal's policy. They are becoming increasingly strict lately about sales of tobacco products. Just another pitiful prejudice against us tobacco smokers.

-SmokeStack

 

[AmaxB]

That really, really sucks! The world has surely gone to hell in a hand basket.

 

[workhorse_01]

Consider this, The biggest export to mother England when this country was founded was? Most people are sheep!

 

[Chicken]

Give them the middle finger<---------

 

[holyRYO]

Wow, almost unbelievable. I guess you can buy just about everything else that is not suppose to be sold on ebay, but rarely screened, and pay with PayPal, which is owned by ebay. They have the nerve to police you, but not themselves.

 

[Boboro]

Just wait till you get sent to the reeducation camp. You will comeply with the afordable health care law . OR ELSE.

 

[jekylnz]

The worst thing about PayPal is they keep your details even if you or them cancel your account? !?!..I think that's suspect? ?

 

[Fisherman]

I looked at pipes and more tubes on Ebay yesterday. Never got to the end of the pipe selection at 50 items per page [ stopped on page 70]. So "paraphanalia for tobacco " could get you banned also????

 

[Webby]

Got one confused Kiwi here.
Don, if WLT uses paypal as payment how can they ban someone from buying when they let companys sell through them. Sounds a bit selective?

 

[FmGrowit]

Sometimes events have no logical explanation.

 

[FmGrowit]

paypal owns ebay, or maybe it's the other way around. Both are on a mission to save the world from tobacco.

I have a "pre-approved tobacco account" with paypal and can accept payment from any major credit card other than Mastercard. Paypal says tobacco purchases are a violation of Mastercard's terms of use policy.

I suspect the issue is the same reason I'm being forced to open a retail operation. No major credit card (except for American express), will allow internet tobacco sales unless at least 50% of your transactions are POS (Point of sale) or face to face transactions. They claim they are liable for tobacco sales to minors.

So, in order for me to get away from paypal, I'm opening a retail area in my warehouse. The space was supposed to be the employee's break room, but they're SOL. After I have the retail area, my bank will do all of my payment processing which includes being able to accept mastercard.

Is it even remotely possible that someday every rule, regulation and law will have been written? Maybe then we'll be able to focus on running a business.

 

[BarG]

Good luck with that! I got on the paypal bill me later to get around their tobacco policy.

 

[workhorse_01]

Don't bet on it! My favorite laws are the laws against something because the government (thieves) has no way to tax it!

paypal owns ebay, or maybe it's the other way around. Both are on a mission to save the world from tobacco.

I have a "pre-approved tobacco account" with paypal and can accept payment from any major credit card other than Mastercard. Paypal says tobacco purchases are a violation of Mastercard's terms of use policy.

I suspect the issue is the same reason I'm being forced to open a retail operation. No major credit card (except for American express), will allow internet tobacco sales unless at least 50% of your transactions are POS (Point of sale) or face to face transactions. They claim they are liable for tobacco sales to minors.

So, in order for me to get away from paypal, I'm opening a retail area in my warehouse. The space was supposed to be the employee's break room, but they're SOL. After I have the retail area, my bank will do all of my payment processing which includes being able to accept mastercard.

Is it even remotely possible that someday every rule, regulation and law will have been written? Maybe then we'll be able to focus on running a business.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Oh Yes
they are working on taxing the Internet
It won't be long

 

[workhorse_01]

I wasn't talking about the net.

Oh Yes
they are working on taxing the Internet
It won't be long

 

[BarG]

Oh Yes
they are working on taxing the Internet
It won't be long

It won't be long! No matter who you vote for.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Good luck with that! I got on the paypal bill me later to get around their tobacco policy.

I wasn't talking about the net.[/
Sorry,
What you be talkin bout

 

[workhorse_01]

Corn squeezins

I wasn't talking about the net.[/
Sorry,
What you be talkin bout

 

[Boboro]

 

[squeezyjohn]

I've always thought it was a ridiculously selective rule, and PayPal have had it for a long time!

If I can play devil's advocate and guess why they're doing it - I think it is because of fear of litigation rather than some kind of crusade for health in humankind ... they're a big internet corporation - they are surely not deliberately losing money because of some higher moral principle ... they don't have any principles ... for example in the UK they spend millions avoiding paying legitimate taxes along with Amazon, Starbucks and Google.

Nope - it is the ridiculous pernicious litigation culture at work - it's coming out of the USA and in to the UK in the past few years and makes companies so wary of being sued that they end up behaving so defensively that they do things like PayPal have here. I wish all the two-penny lawyers would just disappear and stop encouraging this kind of blame culture. Without that we would go back to common sense.

Rant over - I hope it was not in breach of the no-politics rule. Kind of hard to cope with the rules on this site as most things end up political if you go in to them in much depth. Especially laws and rules concerning tobacco!