LACE

I was at fault. I had been buying diaetry supplements (phenibut) that were (at the time) legal for import to Canada, and mushroom spores (which are legal in Canada (that I was not importing). On a regular basis I would transfer about $800 from a chequing account, then 8 days later place my order. I never sold an item using paypal, I only used it for purchase. The last time I transferred they deducted the monies from my bank, and it never showed up in my paypal. I always purchased on ebay (except for the spores). Anyway I went through the resolution steps, and I got an email followed by a postal letter stating that my account had been closed due to illegal activities, siting that I was using it for import of scheduled substances, and my activities would be forwarded to local authorities. I checked the health canada website and nothing I did was illegal YET. Now 3 months later Health Canada banned the import of ANY chemical that was not of a natural source for domestic use -but in a very round-about way. But Paypal called my a criminal when there were just rumors of this new policy, 3 months BEFORE it took effect. I called the RCMP and they told my that if I wasn't selling it, I was not breaking the law. The called me stupid for buying these things for consumption on the internet, but not a criminal. Anyway, paypal closed my account, and I was never able to get my money back. I discussed it with a lawyer on the phone and she said that Paypal is a foreign bank of sorts, and you should never keep you money in a foreign bank as there is always a disharmony of legal status if you do. She said that the cost of getting the money back would be ridiculous, and after a quick check of paypal which she was not familiar with, she said I would probably loose. To summarize, keep your money in an online system that originates in your own country, that way you know the laws will be there to protect you.

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