Possible scam private seller 2nd hand gear elible for refund?d

[Veritas7]

A private seller on an online market is offering second hand gear. The account is a day old. He asks for a PayPal Payment. If the seller were to scam me, by not sending the gear as a private seller, but I have payed for it using PayPal protection fee, does that always imply I get a refund? Because, as far as I have read it; if you don't receive the item, Paypal opens a case and you get a refund.

[SandyBeech]

I too am having an issue with a refund. Seller insists I send the used/ damaged item back first at a very expensive postage cost to me, even though photos clearly show it’s useless. The seller then declares the item damaged by me and refuses a refund. I thought this would be covered under the buyer’s protection policy but PayPal is not helping me get back a full refund.

[Veritas7]

@SandyBeech, I'm sorry my question is rather different.

[PayPal_Meghan]

Hello @Veritas7 and @SandyBeech, 

Congratulations on your first posts in the PayPal Community! Welcome! 

I understand you're both interested in learning more about PayPal's Purchase Protection, and I'll be happy to help. @Veritas7, if you make a Goods & Services payment, as long as your purchase is not on the ineligible list, then you should be covered in an Item Not Received case. I recommend visiting our Help Center here and our Legal Agreements page to learn more about what transactions and items are covered. 

@SandyBeech, I'm sorry to hear you haven't received a refund after a negative experience with a seller. If you had opened a Significantly Not as Described case prior to returning the item to the seller and declared that it was damaged when you received it, you should still be eligible for a refund upon return. I recommend reaching back out to Customer Support to determine the status of your case and see if anything else needs to be done. If you had returned the item prior to opening a case, a Credit Not Processed case might fit your situation better. 

I hope this information helps! 

- Meghan

[Veritas7]

Meghan, thanks for your response. So based on your information I am not taking a risk buying a synthesizer from a PayPal accountholder which is a scammer. 1 the product is eligible: synthesizer 2. Price is €300 including postage and protection fee 3. it is a PayPal account holder 4. he will not be able to provide evidence of a parcel service OR 5. he will have evidence, but the parcel may contain a brick. Could you please verify for me that the above is in fact correct? To me it sounds that PayPal could be bankrupt in very short time.

[PayPal_Meghan]

Hi @Veritas7, 

Thanks for reaching back out! 

I apologize for any confusion; we cannot predict or guarantee the outcome of a dispute case. If you do not receive an item and you have used a Goods & Services transaction, you will be able to file an Item Not Received case. If you receive a different item, such as a brick, instead of what you purchased, you can change your case type or file a Significantly Not as Described dispute. However, please keep in mind that in a Significantly Not as Described case, PayPal may ask you to return the item you received back to the merchant before a refund is issued. 

As the outcome of a case cannot be guaranteed in any situation, I recommend always following your instincts before making a purchase. If you feel the merchant is suspicious and you can find the item somewhere else that's less risky, I'd consider making the purchase with the other merchant instead. Here's a great Help Center article that covers some tips for spotting online scams: How to spot online shopping scams.

Have a beautiful day! 

- Meghan

[Veritas7]

Thanks again for responding. As stated, based of what I have read PayPal should refund regardless what happened. As an example from Paypal website with regard to having received nothing: "If your order never shows up and the seller can't provide proof of shipment or delivery, you'll get a full refund. It's that simple." But what I made up of your response chances are it will turn out different. I am in a buying and selling group, and sofar I have seen, all buyers are buying blindly, doing no research whatsoever, as they are convinced there's no risk for them. I personally have issues with the way Paypal is not clear to customers. Back to the procedure; in my virtual case I should open a 'Significantly Not as Described dispute'. You mention I should send the 'brick' back. The experience I have is that scammers use false addresses. So the scammer can deny receiving anything. What happens then? I apologize for the questions Meghan, but I am unable to find a clear procedure. I am planning to make a flowchart of this information which I for instance can share with buy and sell groups. So I am hoping you'll continue my questions, which I honestly appreciate.

[SandyBeech]

Thank you Meghan. I did all of the steps mentioned. I first lodged a damaged item dispute, then escalated it to a significantly not as described case. Sending back an item to a disreputable seller is very difficult . In some cases they declare the item damaged (by the purchaser) and refuse to refund, they don’t have legitimate addresses or offer, as in my case $3 compensation for a $59US item which in Australian dollars is close to $100. In no way should a buyer be out of pocket for a damaged or shoddy product. The sellers need to be responsible.
However, you stepped in when I was desperate for a fair resolution and my money was reimbursed. I am extremely grateful. Thank you again.