Refunded buyer after topping up negative balance-have I lost money?

[marebob97]

Hi A buyer requested a refund because their item never arrived (it was lost in the post), eBay informed me that they would be holding the payment until the issue is resolved but that I can use the money to refund the buyer. I assume that because I already spent the money that's why my PayPal balance showed up as "-48.50", I added the funds from my bank to get it back to zero, however it said i didn't have enough money to refund the buyer so I had to add ANOTHER £50. Therefore I have had to pay £100 for a £50 refund. Is this going to be returned to me somehow? I really cannot afford to lose anymore money!

[PayPal_Jessica]

Hi Marebob97,

Thanks for posting in the forum and apologies for the late reply.  Sorry to hear about this. 

It is possible that the transfer of funds from your bank account to PayPal was still processing while the payment was on hold. Once a transfer is completed, you should see the funds added in your PayPal balance and you should be able to issue a refund. 

Thanks,

Jessica

[marebob97]

Hi I already issued the buyer a refund, but because of the negative balance due to the payment being put on hold when I had already taken it out, I had to pay £50 to balance it to zero and then £50 to refund the buyer. I ended up spending £100 for a £50 refund. It's been a few weeks now and I've been checking my balance regularly, I think if my money was going to be given back it would have happened Thanks

[PayPal_Jessica]

I see. Sorry to hear that. To make sure that we are able to help you to clarify this further, could you please get in touch with us by email or phone from the Contact link in your PayPal account?

You can also contact us via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PayPalUK or Twitter: @AskPayPal and we'll help you to follow up on this. 

Thanks,

Jessica

[marebob97]

I emailed over a week ago and have had no reply I'll try again

[PayPal_Conor]

 Hi marebob97, 

If you are still waiting on a response to your email, would you consider contacting us through Facebook or on Twitter instead?

We are available 24/7 to answer private messages sent through our Facebook page (http://goo.gl/4BO8de) and respond swiftly to any tweets directed towards @AskPayPal!

In my experience, what you'll most likely find here is that the extra funds you've added will be visible on your PayPal balance for withdrawal once they clear from you bank.

We look forward to hearing from you though and I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this very quickly for you. 

Conor

[Jadeykinz_1824]

Heya. The same thing is happening to me. Buyer wants a refund. My account balance is now -£40. Obviously if i put the £40 in to bring my account balance back to zero but i can't afford another £40 to refund the buyer!! When i add the £40 to bring my balance back down, does PayPal not give the buyer that money?

[PayPal_Anna]

Hi Jadeykinz_1824,

Thank you for posting and welcome to the Community Forum!

Please don’t worry, let me explain the process.

When your buyer opens a claim against you when you have already withdrew the money to your bank account, your account will go negative.

However if you will issue the buyer with a refund, the money will be taken from the held funds. Only one refund can be issued for any transaction.

If need any further assistance, we also provide support via Social Media (24/7). You can contact us directly on Twitter @AskPayPal or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PayPalUK.

Hope it helps.

Anna