I have made payments, and seller's account got blocked,

[JelenaMNE]

Hi,

I wanted to buy a camera and transferred the money in several installments to the seller (because of the limit on my card I could not make 1 transfer with total amount). I transferred three installments, and when I was supposed to make the fourth one, I got notification that sellers account is blocked. I got in touch with the seller, and he confirmed that for some reason his account is blocked, and PayPal informed him it will take 180 days to release the funds. 

Now, I have spent my money, and I do not have camera. I make my living from photography, so it is very serious for me. The seller says that he cannot send the camera because he does not know when his funds will be released. So my money is stuck somewhere and I have no idea how to access it soon. I don't know why this happened, it is no fault of mine, but I am suffering the consequences. I come from a country that PayPal does not allow to recieve payments, only to send payments, so I am not even sure that I can get a refund. And the seller is in a different country, which additionally complicates things.

Is there a solution for my problem? I am new to PayPal, i opened the account just to be able to buy this camera from abroad, but obviously this is not the safest way to handle the payments. 

[kernowlass]

@JelenaMNE 

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. Click on the transaction and use the resolve a problem option at the bottom of that details page.

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.

[JelenaMNE]

The seller is in another country, I need the camera, I would anyhow have to buy this camera from him, even if I am refunded, so is there any way for him to be able to withdraw the money that I have sent, so that I can finally get my camera? 

We are now in some sort of limbo, money is stuck on his account and he cannot access it, I am not willing to activate refund option because I am worried I will lose money that I paid for PayPal transaction fees, I am not sure I will be able to withdraw the money due to PayPal limitations of my country, and what I would prefer is for the seller to be able to access the money that I have sent. He got notification from PayPal that he will no longer be able to do business with PayPal and he does not understand why, but that is his business. I am just interested in finalizing the transaction and getting my camera, without having to physically travel to his shop and pay in cash (if I ever get my money back). 

[kernowlass]

@JelenaMNE 

I told you how to get your money back in my first post.

If his account is blocked and he can't refund then you need to open a dispute for non receipt of item.

You can't refund your own payment.

[JelenaMNE]

Thank you for your kind assistance, but you misunderstood me. My preferred option is for him to access my money, so that I can get my camera. I would rather have that, than refund. My question is - is it possible for my seller whose account is blocked, to access my money that was transferred to him, what do I need to do to assist him in doing that? I trust him, I bought cameras from him before, there is no suspicion on my end and it would be much easier for me to finalize my buying of camera that way.