Can I dispute a charge when it was made before I signed up?

[discobiscuits]

What can I do if I made a purchase through paypal 'before' I had a paypal account but havent received anything?

5 weeks ago, made 3 purchases through my debit card, Through paypal on check out. Seller claims to have sent my items, Provided me with what could be bogus tracking number. None of my items have moved from the post office. And, It was posted from Slovakia. On the border between Austria, And Slovakia is near Ukraine. There is apparently scams happening around there lately. I really hope I am not the victim of one. Had I known this fact I most definitely would NOT have purchased these. I spent around 400$. across 3 transactions. And again, When trying to track, All 3 just say posted at post office, And they have not moved. Now I reached out to seller, He has delayed talking to me on numerous occasions. And I am yet to hear back after some days. I would like to know, Can paypal help me here? And / Or do you think I need to tell my bank about this? I cannot dispute the transaction, Because they arent registered in my account because I signed up to paypal AFTER they were made. 😞 But, My receipts are still from Paypal. If someone can help I would be so happy. I have anxiety and its really bad right now. I am scared I lost 400$. Whats more, In his reviews, He has 1 or 2 people that claim after 2 months they didn't receive anything. I didn't see those because they were hidden under neutral reviews. And he didn't have any negative reviews. Over 100 positive reviews. (On discogs)

[sharpiemarker · Accepted solution]

@discobiscuits 

I paid with PayPal before signing up. Can I open a dispute?

For further assistance, you’ll need to call or message PayPal. No one in forums can deal with account specific issues as no one here will have access to your account.

1. https://www.paypal.com/au/smarthelp/contact-us     
2. Click Disputes and account limitations.     
3. Click Disputes.    
4. Click Dispute a payment.    
5. Click Message Us or Call Us after “This information might help” box.

[discobiscuits]

ats all great and all, But, Noone can help with the info you provided. If u read the details of my post you can see I said already I cant see the transaction as I wasnt a paypal user before.

[kernowlass]

@discobiscuits 

Try reading a bit more carefully, the information posted is for you to send a message to customer services BECAUSE you can't see the transaction in your paypal account !!!