[SonicArmada]

I've posted this before somewhere...here it is again.

I sold an item on ebay, and the buyer was located in China. We agreed upon 10 day shipping from USPS.

Four days after I shipped the item, he files a dispute with paypal. The full 10 days required for shipping hadn't even gone by. So paypal asks me for the tracking number. The tracking number does not work, because the USPS tracking system is hopeless. I think it is only a "Delivery confirmation" type of thing. Since paypal can't track the package, they take $110 from me, and hand it over to the buyer.

After a few more days, the tracking number CP046020284US shows that the package has been delivered. I tell paypal this, and I don't get a response after ~2 weeks. I've also lost contact with the buyer.

Has anyone else gone through this? Is there any way to get my money back? Paypal has not been helpful at all, they never returned my email.

So, if anyone has any advice...let me know.

 

[Assorted]

That is really terrible. Luckily I've never been into these kinds of troubles.

 

[Mrvile]

That's strange that Paypal hasn't been returning your emails, and it makes me even more wary of using Paypal from now on. I use Paypal a lot and I get kind of fed up every time I see one of these kinds of posts.

Have you tried calling Paypal?

 

[SonicArmada]

Yes, I've tried to call. I was put on hold for 45 minutes. I could try again, but they don't seem to care through the internet, so I don't know what they'll tell me.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicArmada /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I've tried to call. I was put on hold for 45 minutes. I could try again, but they don't seem to care through the internet, so I don't know what they'll tell me.

Wow that's pretty bad

 

[Zorander]

Keep calling and at different times. If they have different contact numbers (and e-mail contacts), use them all! You were probably just unlucky to be calling during a very busy (or unattended) hours. It's not a small amount and I wouldn't take it all lying down if I were you.

Sorry to hear this happen and good luck. Cheers!

 

[braillediver]

If you want your money then you'd better call and wait as long as it takes? For $110 it's worth some of my time.

I've got several hundred transactions via PayPal and had only 1 minor issue. The overseas buyer returned the item and everything worked out OK. Overseas transactions are a bigger problem but it's still a very small percentage of the total.

A very small percentage of PayPal transactions have problems but it is important when it's yours.

Since you didn't supply a valid tracking number- what should PayPal have done- taken your word on it?


Mitch

 

[kin0kin]

Yet another victim. Even with signature and tracking, you wont get your money back. As soon as you ship anything out of US/CA/UK, the buyer can exploit the protection policy and get their money back. Don't waste your time calling paypal and talking to the monkeys, shoot a BBB complaint immediatelly and you will get a response within 10 business days.

Quote:

11.3 Qualification Requirements. In order to qualify for coverage under the Seller Protection Policy, you must meet the following requirements: You must have a Verified Business or Verified Premier Account at the time of the transaction, The transaction must be between a US, UK or Canadian buyer and a US, UK or Canadian seller, The payment must be listed as "Seller Protection Policy Eligible" on the “Transaction Details” page, You must accept a single payment from one PayPal Account for the purchase, You must not charge a surcharge for accepting PayPal, You must ship the purchased item to the address listed on the “Transaction Details” page, and that address must be identified as a Confirmed Address, You must ship the item to the buyer within 7 Days of receiving payment, You must have trackable online proof of delivery from an approved shipper to the address on the “Transaction Details” page. For transactions involving $250.00 USD or more, you must provide a proof of receipt that was signed or otherwise acknowledged by the buyer and can be viewed online, (If you paid in a currency other than US dollars, the following amounts apply for this section: $325.00 CAD, €200.00 EUR, £150.00 GBP, ¥28000.00 JPY, $350.00 AUD, 330.00 CHF, 1,600.00 NOK, 2,000.00 SEK, 1,500.00 DKK, 800.00 PLN, 55000.00 HUF, 6,000.00 CZK, $400.00 SGD, $2,000.00 HKD, $380.00 NZD), and You must respond to PayPal’s requests for information within the time period PayPal specifies.

 

[UNESCO]

it seems as though ebay sides with the seller and paypal sides with the buyer. It's almost a no-win situation when dealing with a scammer as they know how to work either system to perfection.

www.paypalsucks.com is horribly biased but you may find stories from other people who've been in the same situation, how they've resolved it, and maybe other contact numbers.

good luck!

 

[SonicArmada]

Thanks for all the support everyone. I tried to send paypal another email. I'm surprised that they responded so quickly for once:

Quote:

Dear Aaron Murphy, Thank you for contacting PayPal. I have attached this information to claim PP-299-762-274. This claim is now in review for appeal. We will contact you via email with an update after review. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again. Sincerely, Paula Protection Services Department PayPal, an eBay Company

Hopefully something can be done.

 

[SonicArmada]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kin0kin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yet another victim. Even with signature and tracking, you wont get your money back. As soon as you ship anything out of US/CA/UK, the buyer can exploit the protection policy and get their money back. Don't waste your time calling paypal and talking to the monkeys, shoot a BBB complaint immediatelly and you will get a response within 10 business days.

So what exactly will BBB do? Will they actually get my money back, or is it just some sort of feedback system to warn other people?

Thanks

 

[kin0kin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicArmada /img/forum/go_quote.gif So what exactly will BBB do? Will they actually get my money back, or is it just some sort of feedback system to warn other people? Thanks

There is no money back guarantee, but some have had success with getting their money back through this method. I sold something to a guy, and paypal locked my account with the $$ in it when a scammer made a dispute. I wanted to refund the buyer so that I can ask the buyer to send the money by other means. Paypal removed the option, but a complaint to BBB forced paypal to refund the money.

Paypal wouldn't want too many unresolved complaints from BBB anyway. What BBB guarantees is that you will get a response from Paypal, and you can talk to someone at the higher level position who can make immediate decision. I hope you get your money back, but don't expect too much from the "appeal", it is just a procedure they do if you file a complaint within 10 days after they made a decision on the case. Anyway, keep us updated.

 

[SonicArmada]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kin0kin /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is no money back guarantee, but some have had success with getting their money back through this method. I sold something to a guy, and paypal locked my account with the $$ in it when a scammer made a dispute. I wanted to refund the buyer so that I can ask the buyer to send the money by other means. Paypal removed the option, but a complaint to BBB forced paypal to refund the money. Paypal wouldn't want too many unresolved complaints from BBB anyway. What BBB guarantees is that you will get a response from Paypal, and you can talk to someone at the higher level position who can make immediate decision. I hope you get your money back, but don't expect too much from the "appeal", it is just a procedure they do if you file a complaint within 10 days after they made a decision on the case. Anyway, keep us updated.

Alright sounds good.

I'll be sure to let everyone know how it turns out.

 

[SonicArmada]

New email:

Quote:

The information you supplied is insufficient for us to track the shipment of the merchandise. As a result, we are unable to grant your claim appeal at this time.

I replied by trying to show them that on the actual usps site, the package is traceable. I also let them know that if I'm not happy with their upcoming decisions, then I'd let the BBB know about this.

Lets see what happens now. Fortunately, they seem to be responding to my emails fairly quick.

Wish me luck

 

[nelamvr6]

The moral of the story:

Only ship to the US or Canada, and avoid using USPS.