I think this is a new type of fraud. Lately I have seen items advertised in a game app that I play at prices that seemed very low. I finally decided to take a chance on one, a gaming chair for $11.99. I figured I would be protected by using a credit card and paying through Paypal. The item was sent very soon and I was given a tracking number. But I ended up having to wait 3 months for it to arrive. I didn't complain because I thought it was covid related. When the item finally did arrive it turned out to be a piece of cloth in a tiny little package. When I filed a dispute the seller immediately agreed to a full refund, but only after they receive the item back again using a tracked shipping method.
So now I see what's going on. They send out some worthless item using the cheapest, slowest possible shipping method, which probably cost them $2 to $3 all together. Then when someone complains they say they will issue a refund when the item is returned. I originally paid $22 including shipping, which is about what it would cost me to send the item back with tracking. So all it takes is 1 person in 7 to decide it's not worth the time and expense to send the item back for them to break even. I suspect it's actually the majority of people who decide to just forget it and accept the loss. So they end up way ahead.
But here's a little trick I tried in case anyone else is in the same situation. I simply resealed the package and marked it "return to sender". Not sure if that's going to work yet, but it's the only chance I have of getting my money back. Paypal should not require you to return items when it's an obvious scam.
