Just lost a dispute...

[peripatetic]

Hi all,

I've just lost a dispute with a buyer through the paypal system. I am not sure what the reasoning behind it is. The buyer had been sanctioned by ebay for their conduct but opened a dispute claim via paypal. This morning, paypal ruled in their favour. Obviously I'm a bit frustrated as ebay had already decidedc I was in the right. Is there any point in trying to dispute this ruling with paypal?

Any help would be appreciated.

pp

[Ndaa75]

Can you shed some light on the issue?

[peripatetic]

Well I'm not sure how much to write! I  sold an item with a list of what was included and the buyer (in a different country) was under the impression the lot was complete (and therefore upset). I initially offered a refund as a gesture of good faith but this was rejected. They were sanctioned by ebay for some of the messages they started sending me. Fast forward a week, and a claim has appeared on paypal, I escalate it, believing that as ebay have already sided with me on the issue, paypal will do the same. I copy all the correspondence to paypal and this morning they have ruled that the item was incomplete!!!! The listing makes it clear that it isn't!! So the buyer has to return it to me at their expense (which could be pretty expensive for them). I'm not bothered about the financial cost as much as the fact that I don't understand how they came to their decision (with which I strongly disagree) and what is to stop this happening again in the future.

As a kneejerk reaction I will no longer ship to foreign customers because of this experience.

What do you think?

[Ndaa75 · Accepted solution]

It's a risky business dealing with foreign transactions at the best of times - what doesn't make sense is that ebay and paypal are poles apart as far as your case is concerned. Clearly the issue at hand is Paypal acting as judge and jury especially when they intervene in foreign transactions whereby different laws at at work....this can be confusing for anybody and potentially very costly if you were to challenge their decision. Personally, I would refrain from dealing outside of the UK with such a system that is open to abuse or misinterpretation due to language barriers - at least if anything goes wrong here you have very clear trading laws which trump any corporations final say.

[peripatetic]

Thanks a lot for your advice, the whole experience has soured things for me. I thought I might be going too far but I'm glad at least I'm not alone! It's a shame really, because I did do a lot of trade with Europe, but it is not worth the expense or the stress any more! To be honest I have doubts that the item will be returned anyway, the cost of the postage makes it almost prohibitive. We shall have to wait and see!

[Pat8485]

I too have just lost a dispute. I hate to say it, but don't assume that because you don't deal with European or other International sales you won't lose a dispute. I just had a chargeback. The buyer received the item (which was sent tracked post and for which I had proof), and they also left positive feedback. You might think I would have won the case? Well I didn't, because PayPal said the credit card company refused to honour the payment. End of story. It dosen't matter that it was a reasonably small transaction, the answer would have been the same if it was £100's. PayPal will not reimburse your money if the credit card company say no, and the so called assurance of buyer protection in these cases is non existant no matter what proof you have. They will approach the company but that is all. They do not personally guarantee you will recieve any payment back no matter how diligently you have followed the rules. I am writing this because I want other sellers to be aware that you can go by the book and still be out of pocket. You may decrease your chances of fraud or chargebacks by not selling Internationally, but personally I feel that if the outcome is the same with domestic transactions you might just as well broaden you customer base. Its just another kick in the teeth for sellers and something we are supposed to 'absorb' in our sales or just put up with.

[Ndaa75]

So the buyer has your goods and hasn't paid because of chargeback?