Returning item for refund

[Superfurreh]

Hi I ordered a watch and the seller sent me a different fake watch. To get my full refund PayPal say I have to return the watch. The seller says they'll refund me the shipping cost but they're already counterfeiters so why should i believe they're going to refund me? Surely this is illegal behaviour by the seller and PayPal and I'm entitled to get my money back without returning the illegal item?

[kernowlass]

@Superfurreh 

If all a buyer has to do is say an item is fake and get a refund without returning the item then they would all do so and sellers would never get their items back.

If its fake and the seller is in the same country as you then if you supply proof from the company that makes the item OR a supplier that sells the item on their company notepaper that its fake then you may not be asked to return the item. However, in some countries its allowed to make fake goods so then as you bought from that country you have to return the item back to the seller.

In the event of a dispute you choose your seller and not Paypal so you need to bear in mind possible return trackable costs before you go ahead and buy from that seller / country.

Paypal state this >>
IMPORTANT: You may be required to return the item to the seller or other party we specify as part of the settlement of your claim. PayPal Buyer Protection does not entitle you to reimbursement for the return shipping costs that you may incur.

Although they will compensate you for some of the cost if you have activated this at some point before you made that transaction.
https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/FAQ3544

You also have the option to do a chargeback via your card issuer instead of a Paypal dispute if you funded your Paypal payment via a credit card.