Getting a PayPal refund for a ripoff seller on eBay

Okay, so here's the story. I'm buying games on eBay to resell through various other platforms in NZ. I've got a good supplier I'm buying from and I'm also looking to find other good suppliers by purchasing one game, if it's OK then I buy more from the same seller, etc. I buy one game from a seller on eBay, the game is advertised as 'brand new', it arrives from India, I open it up and it's got a whole bunch of scratches on the DVD. Looks like they're selling reconditioned used games as 'new'... so I email the guy and ask him for a refund, he keeps telling me to just install the game because it's a new game and works fine...

So I file a claim through PayPal to get my money back, and after initiating the claim PayPal tells me that I need to post the game to the seller and advise PayPal of the tracking number. The problem with this is that NZ Post only has one service that posts international with a tracking number, it's a courier service and it would cost $77 to send to India. The game only cost $50 so it's not worth it... I email PayPal and tell them this, but after a long wait they email me back and insist on a tracking number before they issue a refund...

So what am I supposed to do here? In this case it looks like I will have to sell the game as used and take a possible loss (no big deal as it's not much money)... but what will I do in the future when dealing with overseas buyers through PayPal? Run the risk of this happening every time? Or is there another safe payment method I can use where I can do some kind of chargeback when buying through eBay? Any experienced help would be appreciated here.

Hi Dan, firstly I have to admit that I'm stunned at the lack of options available to you through the postal service there, quite bizarre.

I think what you will find is that PayPal will be looking for proof of postage more that actual tracking information, may be wrong, but that's my best guess. Now even though your postal service doesn't seem to provide basic tracking for registered items, they will have to provide you with a proof of postage receipt at the time of accepting the delivery for despatch.

First thing I would do is clarify the situation with PayPal, asking if a receipt for registered delivery will be acceptable as proof of postage for the, and that may well get you your cash back.

I would also be negotiating with the seller regarding the return of the item to them as it is not as it was listed. I would be making it quite clear to them that I would be showing my displeasure via their feedback should they not resolve this with a refund.

The only option you have open to you for filing a charge-back is paying via credit card. Then most cards will offer you a 3 month period to file, however I'm not sure you could file for a charge-back because the item was not as you thought. Once again, you would need to confirm, but my understanding is that a charge-back can only be filed in the event that you did not receive the item at all.

Hopefully some other may well have more information on that for you.

Of course filing a charge-back with PayPal is very straight forward if you don't actually receive the game, as then the onus is on the seller to provide proof of postage that the order was in fact sent, but that's not much help in this instance unfortunately.

Good luck with it.

Cheers

Hey $Dan$,

You can prevent this in the future by using your credit cad when making the purchase through Paypal. That way you can do a claim through your credit card
which Paypal has no choice but to comply with.

@ Marc: Thanks for that, I agree it's a bit limited of NZ Post to only offer one (expensive) option for international tracking... but that's NZ for you, NZ is limited in a lot of ways that Aussies can't understand, I lived in Sydney for nearly 4 years and loved it, before losing my job and having to come back and live in NZ, and I'll be moving back to Aus as soon as I can...

I tried emailing Paypal and explaining the situation to them, I asked if I could scan and email them the receipt but they insisted on having a tracking number... I also tried communicating with the seller but he doesn't seem to care... from looking at his feedback he has enough customers who don't mind about a couple of scratches on the DVD as long as it's cheap and it works, this is something I will be checking for in future when vetting possible suppliers...


@Planes: This sounds like a good option, if I want to claim through my credit card do I just go to the bank and fill out a form, then they refund the money or is there more to it? BTW, does this work with a debit card as well?

[quote=@Planes: This sounds like a good option, if I want to claim through my credit card do I just go to the bank and fill out a form, then they refund the money or is there more to it? BTW, does this work with a debit card as well?[/quote:4e986332]

Yes, it works with check cards from your bank too. My credit union has me download a form which I fill out and send to them. My credit union is great about this and has let me do it even with checks over the internet and let me treat them as CC charges.

Call your bank as many can be done completely by internet.

If you happen to have an American Express, they instantly reverse charges from a simple phone card.

you can try to do this by proof shipment back. go to your postal office using regular mail. pay the stamp and make sure everything is ready. after that, you can take a picture which will be your proof of shipment. then you can contact paypal stating your situation with your mail picture attached, by doing this way, you will have very high chance of getting your money back. I hope this helps.

Robin
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Yes, it works with check cards from your bank too. My credit union has me download a form which I fill out and send to them. My credit union is great about this and has let me do it even with checks over the internet and let me treat them as CC charges.

Call your bank as many can be done completely by internet.

If you happen to have an American Express, they instantly reverse charges from a simple phone card.

Went to the bank today and asked them to do a chargeback... they said that they can't do a chargeback under the following circumstances:

1. Goods are received but not as advertised
2. Goods are received but not in condition advertised


They said they can do a chargeback under these circumstances:

1. Goods were not received at all
2. Buyer is charged for the wrong amount, or charged multiple times


So that's the New Zealand banking system for you... 50 years behind the rest of the world, just like this whole crappy country... I'm just going to have to run the risk of getting ripped off when dealing with new suppliers in the future..

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No, paypal don't accept this as per my previous post... they require a tracking number before any refund can be given... unless there is some other way of getting around this issue...