How I was robbed by PayPal

Summary: A discussion thread was started by mwks2005 expressing concerns about being defrauded by PayPal. The thread included responses, but no further details or content were provided in the posts.

I’m not a professional seller; I buy more on eBay than I sell, and I don’t know all the customs exactly, but up until now I was convinced that once I had sent the goods and had proof of posting, no force could deprive me of my money. Around November 15 I sold several postcards to France for a total amount of 17.50 euros. After two weeks the buyer opened a dispute because he claimed he had not received the item, and the transaction amount was blocked. I replied that I had shipped it, gave the tracking number, and waited calmly. Another two weeks passed, and the buyer escalated the dispute to a claim. In response I faxed the proof of posting, and after another period of time I received a decision that the dispute had been resolved in the buyer’s favor and my money had been transferred to him. I wrote appeals, called, and even on January 22 I received an email saying that PayPal was investigating the matter and needed more time, but on February 5 the case was closed (about which I was no longer notified) and my appeal was rejected. During that time I also contacted Poczta Polska, which consistently replied that the letter had left Poland’s borders and they had no response from the French Post (I also informed PayPal about this and asked whether anyone had asked the French counterparty again whether the shipment might have reached him with a delay}. Pay Pal replied: ,,Your appeal has been denied because the tracking number you provided still does not show delivery.
To appeal our decision, you must send us proof of delivery of the item, issued by Poczta Polska". Finally, on February 25 I received such a document from Poczta Polska and sent it to PayPal, which replied: ,,We have received the required documentation from you confirming delivery of the goods to the recipient. The case will be reviewed again" and ,,We have received proof of delivery of the item issued by Poczta Polska. We will contact the buyer on your behalf to have the transaction amount refunded. Thank you for your patience and cooperation in resolving this matter".
Another month passed, and on March 25 I asked what was going on with my money. I received a reply that left me stunned; ,,We sent a courtesy message to the buyer asking them to return the funds for this transaction. PayPal is not legally
obligated to withdraw funds from a user’s account after the case has been closed. In this situation, we suggest contacting the buyer directly".
Shock - I have the slightest intention of corresponding with the counterparty in France; it is not him but PayPal that has misappropriated my money, and I will demand its return from PayPal. Of course I won’t fail to describe this embarrassing situation on every forum available to me, and also report the matter to the Consumer Rights Ombudsman.

mwks2005

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Posted 16 years ago·Last reply 4 months ago

2 comments

marbea_shop

·16 years ago

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I propose to take the case to court, it’s a win because you have evidence, and the court needs evidence.
As you can see, PAYPAL supports thieves who are buyers, not honest sellers. You need to be especially careful with Italians and French people. A bunch of thieves..

ecoleslaw1

·4 months ago

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Basically, PayPal treats everyone over the border like thieves. You can have proof of delivery, and the buyer in the UK, France, or Italy will file a report with eBay saying they didn't receive the item, and they'll charge you, the Pole. I gave up on that crappy eBay and I recommend everyone do the same. I had an account since 2003, set up back when I was still emigrating in the USA.