Seller said item is out of stock, wants to sell more expensive item

[jones2126]

I purchased a GPU miner from the seller's website; They accepted PayPal payments.  After 3 days I received no order confirmation.  After contacting them via email they said, "Sorry, we sent you a lot of emails. (they did not) This model is out of stock. There is a complete machine with the same hash. It is more than 220m. The graphics card has been used, and the price is 4000$". 

Q: I want a working product or I would not have started this transaction.  What is the best way to protect myself now that the seller wants more money for a used product where it is unclear if the $4000 unit has the same or better capability as what was ordered from their web site?

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@jones2126 

Ask for a refund? Or...

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 OR service
•You receive an item but it’s significantly different than the description on eBay or on the seller’s website (or you receive a totally different product).

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. Paypal will 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

Do not close the dispute until you have a refund or your item.
If a seller states that they can't refund until you have closed the dispute don't believe them.
Escalate the dispute to a claim within 20 days (before it times out), if you need Paypal to get involved.

Activate the below link in case you have to return the item at Paypals request (or the correct one for your country as this is the U.S link).
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/returns

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 issue a chargeback.