Facebook Scam from Marketplace

[Purplegiraffee]

I bought 3 pairs of jeans from a facebook marketplace seller.  The total was $53.00.  I had conversations with the seller and was assured that they would be sent out.  After 4 weeks I got back in touch with them and I was told they just got out of the hospital.  They would be sending the jeans along with a "Free" pair.  Well another month has gone bye and I still have not received anything.  Yes, I authorized the payment but have not received no jeans.  I have contacted this person through facebook messenger but now they will not answer me.  I have lost $53.00 for paypal won't refund my money and facebook told me they couldn't do anything.  So be very careful on what you buy on marketplace.  For $53. I could of put filled my car up with 2 tanks of gas and money is hard earned. 

[kernowlass]

@Purplegiraffee 

How do I open a dispute with a seller when a purchase goes wrong?

You can open a dispute in the Resolution Centre of your PayPal account within 180 days of payment if:
•You don’t receive the item
•You receive an item but it’s significantly different than the description on eBay or on the seller’s website

By opening a dispute, you can communicate directly with your seller to work out a problem transaction.

If you reach an agreement with the seller you can close the dispute. If you're still not happy with the result, you can escalate the dispute into a claim. We'll review the claim and decide on reimbursement.

These steps apply to Personal accounts. If you have a Business account, please log in to see the steps that apply to you.

To open a dispute:
1.Log in to your PayPal account.
2.Near the bottom of the page, under 'More about your account', click Resolve a problem in our Resolution Centre.
3.Click Dispute a Transaction.
4.Select the button beside the transaction you want to dispute, then click Continue.
5.Select ‘Item dispute’, click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note:
•Generally buyers must wait at least 7 days from the date of payment to escalate a dispute for an item not received
•Where an item has not been received, please ensure you have given the seller enough time before opening a dispute

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/first-dispute

DO NOT CLOSE THE DISPUTE UNTIL YOU HAVE A CLEARED REFUND OR YOUR ITEM WHATEVER THE SELLER SAYS. ALSO DON'T FORGET TO ESCALATE THE DISPUTE TO A CLAIM WITHIN 20 DAYS IF THE SELLER DOES NOT REFUND.

If that does not work then if you funded your paypal payment via a card then contact your card issuer and see if they will do a chargeback for you.

[mdbarne]

I was also scammed on Facebook marketplace because a woman brought me a dresser with undisclosed damage and would not refund me or take it back. Neither Facebook or PayPal will help because it was considered a "personal payment" and is apparently not covered. 

[kernowlass]

@mdbarne 

A friends / family (or gift payment) is intended as a transfer of funds from family or friends to one another. For this reason, there is no processing fee when payment is made with bank or PayPal balance.
However as it is a “gift” payment, there is also no Buyer protection as no goods or services should have been exchanged.

If he was not a close mate or family member you should never use that option as it enables the seller to evade paying his paypal fees and negates your buyer protection at the same time. You would also not be able to open a dispute apart from one citing an unauthorised transaction (but that option is for hacked accounts so would be closed as you had authorised the transaction).

You also 'risk' having your account limited for using this option when you are purchasing goods as its against Paypal user agreement.

If you funded your paypal payment via a credit card then contact your card issuer and see if they will assist you but unfortunately as it was a 'gift' payment they may decline as well.

[RCamp69]

Purchased an item from a Facebook ad using PayPal which should be considered a safety net, right? After 24hrs, I hadn't received a receipt or email from the seller showing the transaction which was a red flag. After doing some digging online, I found the same item on Esty for a much higher price which made me realize that the Facebook ad was a scam; I immediate filed a dispute with PayPal.

The next day, the seller responded to the dispute with a UPS tracking number saying that the item had been delivered. I looked reviewed the tracking on UPS's website, and sure enough, it said it was delivered to my city but there was no address listed. So, I phoned UPS to verify the delivery and found that the package was actually delivered to a different person at a different address. I wrote this information into the dispute letting PayPal know that the tracking number was bogus and escalated the dispute to a claim thinking PayPal would expect the seller to show proof of delivery to MY ADDRESS before makeing a decision. No! they closed the claim in the favor of the seller. I was shocked and angry! After settling down, I then called UPS and asked that they email me proof of where the item had been delivered which they did. I then called PayPal and sent the delivery proof to the agent who reopened my claim and provided me a refund. 

PayPal needs to hold the seller accountable for proof of delivery! The seller should not be allowed to show some faulty tracking number with just the city listed and no actual address. The seller is responsible for purchasing the shipping and should be required to present proof of delivery to a specific street address, this should not be the buyers responsibility! Not all shipping companies or customer service agents will disclose this information to the receiver....Do your deligence and be careful People.

[kernowlass]

@RCamp69 

Paypal is just a payment processor that gives you 'some' buyer and 'some' seller protection.
So disputes for non receipt of item are mostly automated. Seller provides tracking that shows delivery = seller wins.
So then its your turn to do some work to assist Paypal in recovering your purchase price from your seller.

Firstly ring customer services and tell them that the number is fake or that the item was shown as shipped before you purchased it. With that information they may well just issue you a refund.

Secondly if they don't then... APPEAL
To submit an appeal on the dispute that was closed, PayPal asks that you obtain a detailed report from the shipper/courier (on their letterhead or some other form of official stationary) that includes the address the seller gave them for the shipment. Or one that includes a statement mentioning your address and saying the item was delivered to a different address. THEY DON'T HAVE TO SAY WHICH ADDRESS IT WAS SENT TO, JUST THAT IT WAS NOT DELIVERED TO YOUR ADDRESS.

Check tracking in below link to see where it went.
https://www.17track.net/en

When you have that, contact PayPal via phone (log on to your account and click contact at the bottom of the page, or via Facebook (send a Private Message to PayPal) or via Twitter (send a Direct Message to @AskPayPal) and say you want to appeal the denial of the dispute based on the shipper saying the item was delivered to a different address. Once it's submitted (you will be provided with directions on how to do that), the dispute will be reviewed further and a determination will be made.

You also have the option to contact your card issuer if you funded your paypal payment that way and see if they will do a chargeback for you.