[ChrisHamilton]

I've hand made and sold quite a few parts for Nissan S30's and several Italian oddballs (Pantera and others) over the years. Usually through forums. Some on Ebay. I used PayPal. 95% of the purchases made by folks through the forums were fine. I only got scammed twice selling through forums. The really odd ball parts for Italian cars was never an issue because that type of stuff doesn't attract scammers. The S30's (Datsun 240Z's) were where I had some issues with buyers. I got straight out scammed several times.

One item I sold through Ebay, the buyer wanted to return it. I agreed and when I got the package back, it was stuffed with sand in a ziploc bag. They did this so that it weighed the same as what it did when I shipped it. PayPal automatically sides with the purchaser if the shipping weight is the same on the returned package as it was when sent. They may have changed the rules now but I was out about $600.

I made a limited run of hand made, hand formed aluminum hoods, to replace the steel hood on S30's. These took a lot of time to make, required a lot of pre production work to be able to replicate the inner hood structure. All of it was hand formed and I made 10 of them. Average time in each was approximately 65 hours. It was more a labor of love than about making money. I priced them at $2200 plus shipping. Sold them all in approximately six months. The last two I listed on Ebay. The last one I sold, buyer wanted to return it. Said package had never been opened, etc. Against my better judgement I agreed. When I received it, I thought it sure feels heavy. (I shipped them in plywood boxes). Open it and surprise, there is a rusty steel S30 hood in there. I tell the buyer no way I'm returning your money. He opens a case with PayPal and flat out lies, tells them that is what I sent him. Even though it weighed a ton more on the return than when I shipped it. They refunded him the money. $2200. Made no sense. That hurt. And it convinced me never to use PayPal again. They always side with the buyer.