Dispute with the seller, claim for compensation to PayPal.
Summary: naohia started a discussion about a dispute with the seller and filing a claim for compensation with PayPal. guangxi_hone replied, but the discussion does not contain detailed information about the situation.
Hi, I have a bit of a problem, please give me some advice.
I won an item on eBay; unfortunately, the seller packed it thoughtlessly and wrapped it in packing tape, so now it’s completely smeared with glue, and it’s a collectible, historical item, so you can’t just wash it. I tried to work something out with him, but he was so nasty in the discussion that I’m at a loss for words, he didn’t want to hear anything. So I filed a claim with PayPal for partial compensation. I have photos of the item in the package wrapped in tape as evidence; besides, the seller thinks that’s how it had to be packed and that it’s normal for me to do an ultrasonic bath to clean it... just awful.
The item cost about 350 zlotys, it may not be completely worthless as a result of the glue dirt, but however you look at it, it’s damaged in a sense, and it’s definitely worth less now. I requested compensation of 150 zlotys; if it came to it, I’d settle for 100 zlotys.
The first problem is that when reporting the issue in PayPal, there was no option for a damaged item, so I chose "I received an item or service that was different from or not as described" just to be able to report the damage at all. I also described the problem and added photos. There was a question whether I wanted to return it, but why on earth should I pay 10-12 euros to send it back? I don’t know whether I’d get a few more for return shipping on my side, plus the disappointment and hassle of shipping. And for a while I wouldn’t have either the item or the money, and the guy was so nasty that I didn’t trust him one bit. Stuff like "Osteurope," "everything gets lost at your post office," "what’s wrong with you, I mean in Poland" and the like... So I marked that I don’t want to return it because the shipping cost is high relative to the damage and the seller is unreliable, roughly speaking.
And now I got an email. "The eBay S.a.r.l. merchant agreed to grant a full refund in the amount of 150.00 PLN when the goods related to this transaction are returned." Great, so if I send the item back at my own expense, I’ll get 150 out of 350 zlotys. I’m supposed to paste the tracking number and a photo of the confirmation into PayPal. I guess that’s supposed to be this buyer protection program; for the first time in 4 years I wanted to use it, after making 300-400 purchases 😞
The guy also threatened me with something, saying my account would be blocked because I was supposedly trying to extort money. Is that possible? I’m tempted to close the dispute, because I’ve already lost more time than that 150 zł and just leave a negative with photos of how he packs items. On the other hand, after the language he used toward me, I don’t want to let him get away with it.
what do you suggest?
guangxi_hone
·2 years agoYou opened the dispute correctly: item not as described. In the dispute process there is no option for a partial refund. eBay or PayPal only refund the full payment.
A partial refund is given by the seller if you can work it out with them before opening the dispute. They simply make a partial refund of the payment. However, in your case there’s nothing to work out. Under no circumstances close the dispute. A dispute can only be opened once. The fault is the seller’s, so the return shipping should be at their expense. They should provide a label themselves, or eBay provides one.
That’s how I do it when there’s a dispute and a return, but I do it on eBay. PayPal probably doesn’t offer labels.
Ask the seller for a label. Communicate through PayPal, of course — maybe someone from PayPal will handle this dispute.
On eBay you can also ask for their intervention by escalating the dispute to a claim. See whether you can do that on PayPal.
Check whether you can open a dispute on eBay. When both companies were integrated, you could open a dispute only in one place, but now, after the split, it may be different.