PLEASE HELP! PayPal stole $700+ from me and is ignoring my requests...

[kylestroud]

Hello everyone,

I'm hoping that someone can be of assistance. Without fail, every single time a case is opened with PayPal whether it be from me or from the buyer/seller I ALWAYS LOSE. Without fail, it just happened again and now I'm out $700+.

I have all the information about the buyer who purchased 14 of my items via eBay and paid through PayPal. What do you know, both the eBay and PayPal accounts were only created 23 days before they purchased from me...not suspicious or anything.



How about the fact that all 14 of the digital gift cards that I sent via eBay messenger EVEN THOUGH they requested I send via email (yet another red flag) were all redeemed within hours of being sent.

Oh, guess what else!?! There are now 4 other sellers who have left feedback stating that this person purchased the same digital goods from them and pulled the same "stolen card" story and PayPal told them the same thing!

In the past, I have purchased digital goods like this from a seller, the seller delivered me codes that were invalid ($1,500+ worth might I add). I contacted both eBay and PayPal and they both said that since he put in a tracking number (which wasn't even sent to the same state as me) I'm out of luck and not covered, so I can go kick rocks.

I'm trying to do the right thing here and go through the process by speaking to representatives and explaining the situation, giving the proof that I have etc. But PayPal couldn't care less. I've been using PayPal for over 10 years now, 5+ of which I've been paying for a merchant account with them. My account is in perfect standing and has been for the entirety of its existance.

I could go ship an empty envelope to the address and provide that tracking number just like that scumbag did to me a few years ago, but that's not the right thing to do and quite frankly, with my luck PayPal would still rule in their favor. I could go pay a visit to their address, after all it's only 3 hours from where I live...but no, I'm trying to work with PayPal or eBay.

Oh, did I forget to mention that every eBay representative that I've spoken to says that this should clearly be ruled in my favor and they'd be willing to do a 3 way call with PayPal to help explain the situation. Okay, awesome! I tried setting this up with PayPal and they REFUSED! 

I tried opening an appeal...oh, no, sorry, even though our terms of use policy states that you're able to re-open and appeal a claim within 10 days of it being closed, they now won't allow me to appeal ANY of the 14 claims that were closed in this scammers favor.

If I didn't know any better, I would think that PayPal is actually in on this scam by the way I'm being treated.

I'm so sick of this and I can't afford to lose this $700. Literally this is going to break me, but PayPal, a 1.5 BILLION dollar company offers no help and sits happy counting their cash offering no assistance at all.

I don't ask for help often, I don't complain and share my sorrows, but please if someone could please help here I would really appreciate it. Heck, even though I really need it, I'd give you half of the money if you could help me get it back. At this point it's a total loss anyway...

[kernowlass]

@kylestroud

Unfortunately there is no paypal seller protection for virtual / digital items.

You can sell them but at your own risk.

In other words paypal take no responsibility if you lose out as they have already stated that in their user agreement and you took the risk.  

[Kibbie9]

I had a similar issue   the buyer is always right    seller always loses. Read below....

"This just happened to me too....I sold a toy helicopter, brand new, sealed in box. The buyer asked me before purchasing, do I take returns because he had to return 2 helicopters before mine. I said I do not take returns, the buyer buys it anyway. Upon receipt they claim it does not work and Ebay authorized a return. To top it off, the item did not come to me as I sent it out, (brand new), but instead it was missing a part and was put into the box discombobulated. Ebay had already taken the money out of Paypal and I got stuck with an item I now cannot resell. The answer Ebay gave me is "WE CANNOT PROVE THE ITEM WAS NOT WORKING WHEN THE BUYER GOT IT." The other 2 sellers got scammed too and no, Ebay never sticks up for the seller....we are always wrong and if the buyers says it is blue and the world says it is purple, the buyer still wins! Can anyone give me a solution on this case? I have tried to sell on other sites, but no one has even heard of them and selling one item on sites like Bonanza, Amazon, free classifieds, even craigslist is a miracle. Ebay still has the market cornered and knows it and that is why they treat us sellers like dirt....they take our listing fees, commissions, etc. and give us no support when we are right. There is no justice.....the buyer wins every time."