Got scammed and Paypal chose to protect the scammer.

[sclantw1]

I recently bought a stereo head unit on ebay. The unit listing on ebay says it has 2GB RAM and Android 9.1.

I tested the unit after its arrival, it has 1GB with Android 6 in reality according to the 3rd party software (CPU-Z) but the system info page from the unit showed 2GB ram and Android 9.1. Someone went extra mile to make the unit appear it has better specifications than it actually does.

Later I found out that this shady practice has been going on since 2019:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/android-head-units/7-8227l-unit-fake-info-t4016989

By inflating the specification of the unit, the ebay seller can raise the price of the item.

I filed a dispute on ebay, the ebay seller agreed that they will provide partial refund via paypal and I will keep the item. I received the partial refund.

Two months later, paypal notified me about the dispute of the refund was raised because the "buyer" (the ebay seller) paid me but they did not receive the item.

I provided the details to paypal and explained how this was not a buy-and-sell transaction. It was a refund case, so there was no item involved.

I just got the decision from Paypal in the following message that they will refund my money to ebay seller.

--

Dear <my_name>

We've completed our review of this case and decided in favor of your buyer. The buyer stated they never received the item, and the proof of delivery details provided could not be verified.

We refunded $50.00 USD to them.

Transaction Details

Case number: PP-D-77315465

Buyer's name: -

Buyer's email: -

Buyer's transaction ID: -

Transaction date: May 7, 2020

Transaction amount: $50.00 USD

Your transaction ID: -

Refund amount: $50.00 USD

Generally, the decision made at the conclusion of a buyer claim is final and can only be appealed if new information is presented which was not considered during the original investigation.

If you would like to appeal the outcome of a claim you can do so within 10 days of case closure by following these steps:

Log in to your PayPal account.
Near the bottom of the page, under 'More about your account,' click Resolve a problem in our Resolution Center.
Select Closed cases in the drop down menu and find the claim you wish to view.
Click Appeal in the action column.
Provide information for your appeal and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: The Appeal button will only be available for 10 days after case closure.

To learn how we review and resolve claims, you can view the PayPal User Agreement, which you accepted when you created your PayPal account. Simply click Legal at the bottom of any PayPal page.

Please note: Records of all claims are kept in the Resolution Center for your convenience.

Sincerely,

PayPal

--

I filed the appeal but if Paypal discarded the evidence I presented the first time, or they never bothered to read it, I don't think the appeal will work. Kudos to the scammer using Paypal to complete their fraudulent act.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@sclantw1 

They didn't use the 'refund' option to refund you, they 'sent' a payment using the goods  /services option instead.

That way they got around ebays 30 days dispute option.

Can you not open a paypal dispute on the original transaction for item received but not as described?

As the seller did not use the refund option on ebay you may be lucky.

[sclantw1]

Thank you! @kernowlass !! I was able to initiate a dispute in the resolution center using the original transaction.

[DCMoe13]

I thought PayPal's buyer protection would protect me from scammers, but it is the other way around! I had a terrible experience and count myself lucky I'm only out $130. So I decided to write about it. If you want to contribute your experience, please contact me through my website at christinemcondo.com/contact.php. All responses will be anonymized.