China “sending wrong item” scam

[Starsky72]

So....

1) item advertised on Facebook

2) You buy two of them, pay via PayPal $29.90

3) Item arrives, nothing like as described and is damaged

4) Seller offers small percentage as refund, I refuse.

5) Escalate the complaint in Paypal

5) PayPal state I need to send back, tracked, and the seller has to confirm delivery before a refund will be issued, before 4 January

6) Tracked postage costs more than I’d get in a refund

7) Seller wins..

I end up out of pocket with a broken item that is different in every way (size, materials, quality) from what I ordere, plus I ordered two and didn’t receive them

Paypal are allowing this scam to happen.  I should have lied and simply said I never eeceived it

[surlybill]

Me, too. "Resolution Center" sided with the company that sent two ten cent paper face masks for $52 instead of the portable hot water heater I ordered from their website. What's the point of using PayPal if they don't protect their customers from scams like this? I thought that was the whole point of using them! Looking for a different online escrow company as we speak.

[CatGoodwin]

There is no solution. Even with the return postage coverage from PP we still are expected to trust that the scammer will "receive" the item and be honest about its condition. I stopped wasting my time and just ate the cost. 

[joegold100]

I'm stuck battling this same scam right now for over 3 months. Now I have until tomorrow to put my return tracking information for a $1 paper dusk mask that was sent to me instead of the $65 item I ordered. It's impossible to reach PayPal by phone right now. There is no way to put additional information in the dispute console. The cost to ship back a $1 mask is $36. Even if I wanted to sent the item back, the address the seller provided me with is not correct and there is no way to enter it. I've tried over and over to get help on PayPal's Message Us platform but the agents just keep telling me to answer the dispute and supply the information requested. The information requested is return tracking number which would cost me $36.  This is one of dozens of forums threads I've found for this same scam.

[joegold100]

• April 25 - I ordered something from the https://canvasn.club/ in April with a cost of $67.38. Seller Info: Ming Chen
• May 4th - After no item received and response from the seller, I filed a dispute with PayPal.
• May 21st - The seller responded with a tracking number from China Post. The item I ordered was large in size, and the info on the shipping info said "Small Envelope / Packets".
• June 10th - The item arrived. (Suspecting at this point that there might be fraud, I video taped myself receiving the package from the Post Office. I also took video of the package being opened.) This is what was sent to me:

• June 15th - Changed my case from item not received to item not as described
• June 18th - Seller responds with offer to refund $46 of the $68 I paid.
• June 20th - I refuse the offer
• July 5th - Seller makes another offer

What's the seller's offer?

The seller has agreed to issue a full refund for $67.38 USD. To receive this refund, you'll need to ship the item (s) back to the seller by July 15, 2020 at 11:51:10 PM PDT.Once the seller confirms the receipt of the item (s), we’ll process the refund to you and close this case. This case will be automatically closed if you don't respond on or before July 15, 2020 at 11:51:10 PM PDT.

• July 7th - July 14th - 8 phone call attempts which it's impossible to call in right now, and 10 emails conversations with PayPal support (they just keep spinning me in circles with pre-formatted responses)

"I understand your concern and I can see that your case is waiting for your response. I suggest that you can provide the documents and proofs that may help for the case to be resolved on your favor."

"I was able to see that the dispute case PP-D-6461XXX is under review. Please wait till the review is completed as we are investigating on the case."

• Today is July 14th - I have until 11pm on July 15th to provide a tracking number to show that I returned this item. The lowest cost envelope type shipping service available with tracking is USPS Priority International - Cost to return this item that I clearly did not order is $1 item with tracking:

• 
  
  PAYPAL - The seller is using the United States Postal Service to commit this fraud which is a felony. If the seller makes a "mistake" and this was clearly no mistake, and sends the buyer the wrong item, why is it the buyer's responsibility to pay the shipping back? If it's the sellers mistake, the seller should pay for return shipping. I've signed up for your return shipping insurance but it doesn't help after the fact. This is clearly a scam, with dozens of threads and hundreds of reports of this happening,  you either are aware and are continuing to facilitate it, or you should be aware and should have taken steps to stop these types of disputes from getting this far which makes you negligent.

[Lovemykids11]

I'm going through the same issue..I was scammed 3 times..in a month..I feel like I am getting the run around on it..I got a refund back on one for 39.00 because the seller never sent the item..but the other 2.. one sent a packet of pegs..when I purchased a portable washing machine...the other one sent a package of mask...the first one PayPal said they got in contact with the seller..blah blah blah.. basically they want me to send the packet of pegs back and pay for the shipping cost...which I told them..when I do that the seller will automatically say they didn't receive the item I sent back..so basically I'm **bleep**..I seen all the post people put on here..I don't know what to do..but I did make a complaint to my bank and told them about what all PayPal wasn't really doing to help get my money back..they are treating the buyers like they are the scammers and letting the scammers get away with it...ugh it's a bunch of bull

[Temp20201130c]

same hete but i tried to dispute it the next day i tried finding cancel order on webpage....funny thing is it says signature required so im not signing and accepting it lol

[Danimal4821]

Did you file a dispute with your bank?  If the charge went through PayPal some banks will hold PayPal Accountable.  PayPal knows very well what these Chinese sellers are doing and looks the other way as long as they get there fee.  A bank can get back the money from them for not doing anything to resolve the dispute fairly.

[Murf57]

I too have been sent wrong item from a Chinese seller of electric shears 50% off limited time offer, five star recommended product advertised on Facebook. Research shows they trade and link and sell this product under a number names. Once again email us for correct postal address and return for full refund, cautioning if they don't receive in 14 days no refund. Offered 20% refund instead with me more out of pocket whatever happens. Surely PayPal can suspend their email linked banking account at a flick of a button to stop further fraud. I am out of pocket well over $100 AUD, plus a further $30 AUD to return a pair of cheap $15 AUD mechanical shears and a travellers adapter plug, what a scam. After reading this forum I have no confidence in purchasing anything online overseas again using PayPal Especially from China, I just wish I knew I was sending my money to China someway in the transaction with a 'pop up' advising me as such as this would (and will now) make me reconsider any purchases. 

[Kelticbill]

I ordered a car seat organizer - the advert was on Facebook... I was suspicious, but I've wanted a cup holder (which was in the picture of the product) for a long time and this looked like a neat solution. A couple of months later having read the other entries in this thread, it was exactly the same scam everyone fell for. 

Come on Facebook and PayPal... have we returned to the early years of internet purchasing? Scams like this were eliminated years ago as companies realized the potential of on-line shopping and the risks these scams bring to all authentic retailers. Tighten up lads... you ask me to authenticate myself a hundred times over, yet you let crooks use your services to rob your customers.

Shame on you... and to the sellers, the culprits, they need locked up.

[HammYY]

Following a problem with Paypal and a seller in China not sending the correct item, I have now updated my payment with Paypal to credit card hoping to get more protection.  My understanding is that credit cards do offer protection against fraudulent or mis-sold products.   I now intend to directly use my credit card for all foreign transactions wherever this is possible, and by-pass Paypal when possible, and where this is not an option I will be wary of the seller.

Where I 'do have to' use Paypal and there is a problem with the purchase and I report to my credit card company, the credit card company will put the amount into 'pending' while dealing with Paypal and NOT the seller.

Has anyone had any experience of this ?  How would/do Paypal respond to potentially losing money when the fault is with a 3rd party ?