i need help filing a dispute against someone for an unfulfilled illustration commission
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4-5 months ago (sometime during august) i contacted a artist through social media to draw me an illustration, we agreed on a price (70usd) and i paid them said amount, as paying upfront is standard practice, nothing that seems fishy in my community as almost every artist requires atleast some, if not all the payment before they start work.
i've gotten one single update from them and barely any messages back since we made the transaction and i gave them the info needed for the commission.
they've gone dark on all of their platforms and are not responding to me despite stating they'll get back to me 'later today' or something to that effect and then zero contact for weeks until i eventually try and check back in again. in February i will no longer be able to get a refund if they continue to ghost me so i wish to refund my order as 70 dollars is alot of money for me atm.
i've attempted to file a dispute on my own but non of the options seem to match my problem, it asks me for information i do not have.
ie. if i list the item as a digital download or service it asks me when i was expecting to receive it; however me and the artist never discussed a set date for the commission to be done as thats often difficult to know. generally speaking you can expect to recieve commissions within a few weeks to a month, if its longer the artist will say so. and in these cases the artist doesnt ghost you for weeks to months on end and never give you any significant information or any updates.
if anyone have any experience with this sort of situation, please let me know how to properly go through with this, i dont want to fill in the dispute form incorrectly and end up being unable to receive my money back.
Cheers.
Edit - i myself am a freelance artist; that is why i would like to refund this asap as i feel im very familiar with the conduct between an artist and a commissioner, and failure to give adequate updates when promised and notice about delays, alongside going so long between communication is a huge red flag, especially for a smaller illustration like i had commissioned.

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Hello @Oniixide
Welcome to the PayPal Help Community and thanks for posting your question here!
I am sorry to know the issue with your purchase. If there's any issue with the purchase, our purchase protection policy covers the payment and helps you to get refund if certain requirements are met. You can only open a dispute within 180 days of the payment date. As you've not received the illustration, I recommend you go to the resolution center and report the payment under "Item not received" and follow the steps to open the dispute. You can also check this page for more information to open a dispute with the seller. If you still need help filling the dispute, you can contact the team through the options listed in this page to look this further.
Hope this information helps,
Bindu

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