My claim was resolved this morning through no help of Paypal, but I wanted to give a warning to sellers. I sold a handbag valued at $1200 for close to $800 on eBay. I described the item accurately, with the inclusion of pictures of any flaws. I also noted that the bag had no odor(it was another bidder's question) because I don't smoke, have pets, use it to carry food, or anything else odorous. Upon receipt of the bag the owner stated that she noticed an odor SO bad that it could be smelled from another room and made the item unusable. She never complained about any cosmetic issue. I was shocked because that seemed impossible to me, however people get refunds for buyer's remorse all the time from what I read. The issue came when she sent a message stating that she soaked the bag in oxi clean to remove the interior markings, which were the only flaws on the bag as noted in pictures. She stated the smell was horrifying and so she used a different mix to soak the bag a second time and that I purposely sent her a damaged item. I maintain that this didn't happen, but she chose to file a refund request with eBay. Based on the messages eBay sided with me(claiming it was a final decision) and released my funds on Paypal. Their reasoning was that the item had been altered and could not be returned in the condition in which it was received. It had been washed/soaked in chemicals, twice. Several hours later the buyer filed a complaint with Paypal who then put the funds on hold. eBay told me that what typically happens is that Paypal would agree with their decision and they would do a conference call to relay the messages and their findings. That never happened. Paypal took my screenshots of the messages I provided and within a day, sided with the buyer. Upon these findings I called Paypal back and it is like speaking with a robot reading a script. They agreed with everything I said, but offered no explanation as to why my seller protection did not protect me against an item which had been altered by the buyers own admission. I would have to receive the item and then prove that the condition had changed even though the proof was in the messages! The buyer did not want to pay for return shipping which is seemingly why she dropped the claim some days later, as well as knowing that she would be sending me back an item she had damaged upon receipt and risk losing her money and the bag. Paypal did nothing to help me or explain anything in 3-4 phone calls. There is no reason why I should've ever been forced to accept a return and refund. For future reference, take your funds out of your accounts IMMEDIATELY because eBay cannot help you whatsoever and Paypal is some type of distant bureaucracy that pays zero attention to the details of the case. Seller beware.
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