Returned item claim get deny because of .. the tracking info you provided was invalid.

[flyingsquirrel]

I opened an dispute through paypal and returned an item back to china following paypal's instruction.

I upload the tracking number and picture of the waybill on the box.

I checked with the tracking info and the item was delivered. I send the link to the tracking to paypal again to remind them the item is delivered. A few days later, I get a refund deny claiming that my tracking info I provided was invalid. I was shocked!

Now I lose the money of the item and the over the roof shipping cost shipping the item back to china.

Why would paypal do this? Did a human actually looked at it? Or is it their system auto deny?

What can I do to resolve this? Is it hard to get the case open again once it is closed?

[kernowlass]

@flyingsquirrel 

Appeal???

Contact options for each countries Paypal customer services are accessed by clicking help/contact bottom left of Paypal pages.

1. Paypal phones (you can use the guest option if you can't log in).
2. Live chat is also randomly available.
3. You can send them a message, (during business hours you may also be able to message whilst logged out).
4. Have you considered contacting Customer Service via Facebook or Twitter?
You can send them a private direct message via Social Media on Facebook, Twitter/X, or Instagram pages.

[flyingsquirrel · Accepted solution]

I contacted paypal through phone and they told me the zip code is not matching with the zip code of the return address they provided.

It is very strange because I can see the zip code from my waybill and it is match. However on the Canada Post tracking page, it shows a slightly different zip code.

I called canada post and they have no clue. I guess after the parcel is in China, it is handled by China Post and the way of their postal system and postal code is very different from the concept of north america.

Anyway, I did my research and found that in China, the zip code works a bit like the States. In the US, they have the 5 digit zip code and then after that, they have some number to show the district. But you can totally ship with just the 5 digit zip code with no problem.

In China, it is very similar. They have the zip code end with 000 to represent the province and then use the last 3 digits to show each specific district.

In the return address they provided, they gave the general zip for the province, which is still fine to receive the package. But when they scan at the final destination, it will show the district zip code in the scan. As a result, it will not match with the shipping zip since China use the last 3 digits for district instead of adding on some extra numbers that the north americans familiar with.

The AliExpress people know this and they make use of this to systematically scam the paypal system. They can give you the district zip code, but they decided not to. Hey, they can get the item and avoiding a refund. So, they decided why not.

I am sure this problem's been there for a long time, and there is no solution in sight. Shipping from NA to China is not cheap so most people will not ship it back. If they do ship it back with the general zip code, the claim will be denied. So it is a total win for the seller in China.

In my case, I am luckily enough to have an understanding agent and granted me the refund when I appeal. I really appreciate it and I hope the information I put here will help others to notice this zip code problem and be armed with it.

Next time when you ship back to China and see 000 at the end of the zip code, be very careful. You are very likely not going to get a refund without a fierce fight.

Cheers.