Counterfeit item shipped from China, do I have to pay for international shipping to get my refund.

erinac
Contributor
Contributor

I made a $338 purchase from a website that I now know is a counterfeit website designed to look like the American brand, Hyperice.

[Extra info here, otherwise skip ahead:  The website was the 2nd Google result that came up when I searched for  'Hypervolt'- the model of the Hyperice item that I wanted.  I paid $338 through Paypal for two Hyperice Hypervolt Plus massagers.] 

But what I eventually received in the mail was from China, not the U.S., and was so cheap and fake that it wasn't even TRYING to pretend to be a Hypervolt anymore.  It was a generic cardboard box that had 'Fascial Massager" printed on the outside.    I took screenshots of the counterfeit website and it does say that return shipping must be paid by the buyer, but it hides the fact that the item will be coming from China and that return shipping would be $$$ International Shipping.  I opened a Paypal Claim using "Item Not As Described" claim description and requested a full refund.  It didn't give me the option to request that the seller pay for the return shipping   The seller accepted my request and now I am stuck with no option but to accept or cancel the claim.  What do I do?   Also, the address that the seller entered is written in Mandarin symbols, so I'm not able to translate it to look up an estimate for the price of the return shipping.  What do I do from here?  Screen Shot 2021-01-25 at 3.22.52 PM.pngScreen Shot 2021-01-25 at 3.23.17 PM.pngIMG_5619.PNG

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2 REPLIES 2

gizmoze
Contributor
Contributor

Another such site is vrbodymassage dot shop

Very similar looking site as mentioned in this post

I am still disputing the return policy for a fraudulent seller

Return is costing more than $30 to China

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@gizmoze 

 

In the event of a dispute you choose your seller and not Paypal so you need to bear in mind possible return trackable costs before you go ahead and buy from that seller / country.

Paypal state this >>
IMPORTANT: You may be required to return the item to the seller or other party we specify as part of the settlement of your claim. PayPal Buyer Protection does not entitle you to reimbursement for the return shipping costs that you may incur.

Although they will compensate you for some of the cost if you have activated this at some point before you made that transaction.
https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/FAQ3544

You also have the option to do a chargeback via your card issuer instead of a Paypal dispute if you funded your Paypal payment via a credit card.




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