get back my money

[lukethoro]

hi

I paid £130 via family and friends (not having used PayPal much, I wasn't aware of the difference between this and goods and services) to a seller who was advertising fish tank ornaments for sale on Facebook. when I received the items, 13 out of 18 of them were smashed beyond repair. after consulting the seller, we opened a case against Parcelforce to claim compensation, but this unfortunately was unsuccessful as the parcel's insurance wasn't covered for items of this nature. the seller has told me he is not willing to compensate me himself, so I'm hoping to retrieve the money from Paypal. anyone know if there is any chance of this happening? the transaction took place in November, but the process of claiming with Parcelforce has taken many weeks.

[kernowlass]

@lukethoro

A friends / family (or gift payment) is intended as a transfer of funds from family or friends to one another. For this reason, there is no processing fee when payment is made with bank or PayPal balance.
However as it is a “gift” payment, there is also no Buyer protection as no goods or services should have been exchanged.

If he was not a close mate or family member you should never use that option as it enables the seller to evade his paypal fees and negates your buyer protection at the same time. That is also why you would be unable to open a dispute.

Your only hope is if you funded your paypal payment via a credit card then contact your card issuer and see if they will help you but unfortunately again as it was a 'gift' of money they may decline as well.