Help Please! IRT Appealing the outcome of a dispute

[jjklmlk]

Hi All

I need some help appealing the outcome of a dispute and I'm not sure if there is anything I am able to do, I'd appreciate some guidance or advice if anyone has it please!

I raised a dispute on Paypal regarding an item I was attempting to request a return on directly with the seller via the sales platform and I wasn't receiving a response. The item was defective, tacky rubbish; the parts didn't fit together, some weren't even the right fittings, and it was damaged (scratched). Normally I would accept the loss and move on with my life, but I spent a lot of money on it and I'm not in the position to write it off.  

My dispute, raised with Paypal has been updated and the outcome is that the seller is willing to provide a refund, but only if I send the item back to them in Hong Kong. This item is 25kg+, as big as me and much wider, so it will cost me more to ship the item back than I would get on a refund. What makes this  completely unacceptable however, is that when I purchased the item online it arrived within days so it was clearly already in the country to start with making it highly likely that the company has a UK based 'hub' and the requirement to ship back to HK is unnecessary and clearly a tactic used by them to ensure they get to keep my money and not have to provide a refund because they know the shipping cost outweighs the cost of the parcel so any individual consumer wont do it.

The dispute resolution centre doesn't have any form of appealing a decision or providing any further information allowing me to provide this commentary. This is a totally unfair outcome with no educated consideration provided on Paypals part. 

I don't really know if I have any options left available to me, but I hate feeling as though I've been taken advantage of and led down the garden path not only by the seller but also by Paypal who use the banner of 'buyer protection' as a USP and then provide zero workable solutions to the buyer when requested. Its also worth mentioning that I rarely make any purchases through Paypal but I especially did it with this one, in order to benefit from the buyer protection scheme. 

Do I just accept that I've thrown money away under the pretence of a buyer protection scheme that clearly doesn't exist?

All advice welcome please!

Jenny

[kernowlass]

@jjklmlk 

Chinese Web Sites or on Social Media ads easy to spot (once you know the below signs) so buyer beware.

1. No return address on the returns policy. The site will look as if its in your country (where they despatch goods from) but they will ask for returns to go back to China (returns depot) at a shipping cost often more than the item is worth.
2. No contact telephone number. if you click on contact the most you will get is webmail or an email address.
3. Rarely company address information.
4. Great pictures of items at bargain prices that turn out to be tat.
5. Fake reviews.
6. Google and you can often see previous company names as they change them once enough claims roll in and Paypal stop them using their services and start over.
7. Send fake tracking numbers to win item non receipt of item claims.

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/uk/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns

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.