PayPal 'makes' buyer destroy $2500 antique violin

 

The seller —identified only as "Erica"— wrote of her "heartbreaking" experience, which was posted on the Regretsy.com website.

 

"Rather than have the violin returned to me, PayPal made the buyer DESTROY the violin in order to get his money back. They somehow deemed the violin as 'counterfeit' even though there is no such thing in the violin world," she said.

 

"The buyer was proud of himself, so he sent me a photo of the destroyed violin," she added.  

 

She said she sold the old French violin to the buyer in Canada, and the buyer disputed the label.

 

But she said that such disputes are "not uncommon", as labels found inside violins are not permanent and are therefore not a major factor when evaluating the provenance and value of an instrument.  

Erica noted that some of the most expensive violins in the world have disputed labels, "but they are works of art nonetheless."

 

"I am now out a violin that made it through World War II as well as $2500. This is of course, upsetting. But my main goal in writing to you is to prevent PayPal from ordering the destruction of violins and other antiquities that they know nothing about," she said.

 

"It is beyond me why PayPal simply didn’t have the violin returned to me," she added.

 

Erica said she spoke on the phone to numerous reps from PayPal who "100% defended their action and gave me the party line."

 

She also noted the violin was examined and authenticated by a top luthier prior to its sale.

 

Presently, PayPal's terms say it "may also require you to destroy the item and to provide evidence of its destruction." — TJD, GMA News