I'm being scammed?

[AaronSlack]

I sold an item on ebay a couple of weeks ago, the buyer paid via Echeque. After mentioning I wouldn't post the item until it is cleared, the buyer kept telling me she had paid and I had received the funds - which I hadn't

She then told me to cancel the order - I did.

She is now sending me an invoice and threats to get her money back, and the funds (Which I have NEVER RECEIVED) have been taken from my Paypal account.

Why am I being charged for funds which were on hold in the first place? I've lost money I never received for no reason.

[sharpiemarker]

@AaronSlack 

You canceled eBay order so assume the eCheque payment was canceled also? Tell the buyer that eCheques take a few days to reverse. Once PayPal gets the funds, they are redirected back to her bank account. Looks like she filed a PayPal dispute and so the amount is put on hold? Or, there was an eBay hold on the payment? And one would think that payment has to clear first before PayPal or eBay put a 21 day hold on it. She can also tell her bank to cancel the eCheque.

[AaronSlack]

This is where it gets strange - I contacted Ebay and they told me they weren't aware of it being an e-cheque. The buyer has told me the funds have left her account.

The transaction shows in my Paypal account with the word "hold" HOWEVER another payment subject to the same amount has been issued from my account after the buyer filed the request, I'm being charged for money I haven't received? I am confused

I think it is the hold put on for new sellers as verification, but why wouldn't this have gone back when the order was cancelled?

[sharpiemarker]

@AaronSlack 

eCheques have to clear first and are listed as Pending until cleared and the payment status changes to "PayPal Received". You would have received an email from PayPal that the payment is an eCheck and need to wait to ship. Click on the transaction that says "Hold" and it will say if it is an eCheque or not.

Now if the payment is not an eCheck and the payment is subject to a PayPal hold, the payment status should say "Payment Received" and marked "On Hold" and those funds are temporarily unavailable to you but received into your account and held in a "Pending Balance". Is that what's happening?

If buyer files a dispute though, PayPal deducts the dispute amount from your available balance and withholds it pending outcome of dispute. The Pending balance funds will be unavailable until 21 days. Now the question for me has always been: does PayPal use the new seller hold funds to cover the dispute? And from observation and others' reports in the forums, the answer is seems to be no, it is not available. You refund from your own stash and wait for the Pending funds to be available come 21 days.

The buyer is actually correct that you needed to ship if it was a PayPal new seller hold. If you click on the PayPal payment transaction and look for the part that says "What should I do next?" If it says you should ship to the address on the payment, then PayPal gives the OK to ship. You can't not fulfill the buyer's order waiting the new seller hold to lift, that would cause your buyer to dispute their money back which is what happened. 

You may have misunderstood the hold as being an eCheque.

You can go into the dispute to issue a refund since you already canceled the eBay order.

[AaronSlack]

BUT - I did receive an email telling me it was an Cheque however Ebay told me this was sent as Paypal "got confused"

[sharpiemarker]

@AaronSlack 

OK, then what does it say in the original PayPal payment transaction details in your PayPal account activity? Does its say payment an eCheque as well? And does it say eCheque was cleared? 

Once eCheck clears the payment could still be subject to new ebay or PayPal seller hold.

PayPal system could also send wrong email but do review the original payment transaction details in PayPal account to determine if its was eCheck or an instant bank payment (backed by card and paid ahead to you while PayPal awaits funds to clear).

[AaronSlack]

It mentions nothing about an eCheque. I don't know why I got the original email In the first place. Even more so confusing that when I have cancelled Ebay orders in the past, the refund went through automatically?

[sharpiemarker]

@AaronSlack 

I dunno what to tell ya. Software/systems goof up sometimes. 

[AaronSlack]

Ebay have now refunded the buyer but the original payment is now saying refunded too - Has the buyer had two lots of money? When will I be reimbursed?

Paypal CS is closed so I can't speak to anyone 😞

I'm sad as I've obviously lost money I have never received.