I purchased a 'Buy It Now' laptop on eBay.co.uk from a USA seller. The price was quoted in USD on the listing page AND on the checkout page. I didn't want to use Paypal so I input my Transferwise debit card details directly and expected to be charged in USD. USD was the only currency indicated on the checkout screen. Well apparently even if you don't use a Paypal account eBay still tunnels it through Paypal in the background, and without my knowing or consent Paypal decided to do a currency exchange to EUR!!! at an absolutely criminal exchange rate: around 4% of the total amount! Not only that Transferwise stung me with additional currency exchange fees as there were not enough EUR on my account to cover this order (although these are still very reasonable compared to Paypal).
I contacted the merchant, he said he couldn't reverse it as his fee would be 4% lost from Paypal.
I contacted eBay, they said to contact Paypal as it was Paypals decision to make this exchange of currency.
After contacting Paypal they said they can't do anything as the payment has already gone through and I have to contact the merchant to reverse. They said the merchant would get his fee back; I told them the merchant said he wouldn't and a quick google search proves the terms recently changed so that Paypal keeps the fee on refund. Do they not even know their own policy changes?
I told them I only wanted to be refunded the EUR they charged and be billed in the right amount of USD. One Paypal customer support person said that it was the "guest" Paypal account which had automatically been created in euros, and another said that Transferwise had instructed them to perform it in euros? Which is correct? as they obviously don't understand their own system.
As this was a "guest account", I have no record or log of this exchange rate or charges in me e-mail inbox either, so for accounting purposes this is also messed up. Every indication on eBay and from the merchant indicates a lower amount than what I was actually charged, this is completely opaque.
What can I do? If I dispute the order for overcharging will I get my full amount back? Or will Paypal **bleep** me again with currency exchange fees in the other direction? Will Transferwise help me perform a reverse charge on Paypal in these criminal circumstances? Which institution is really to blame here and should I be giving a headache to fix it?
The merchant has already shipped the item, and I still want it. I do not want to hurt he merchant.
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