Seller can't refund b/c PP acct is frozen & had someone else send "Payment for Goods & Svcs" instead

[anniearcane]

Hello again everyone!

Hope you all are staying safe 😊

Sooo, I have a simple return that got complicated real quick, and would appreciate any advice in the matter.

Here’s the condensed version:

- Received damaged item and started a return on August 19th

- Deadline to ship item back is September 9th

- Seller didn’t send a return shipping label

- Contacted eBay and the case was put on hold until September 2nd

- Seller says their PayPal account was frozen and had their partner (different name altogether) send a (partial) refund via PayPal but…

- The refund is actually a “Payment for Goods & Services”

- Seller still hasn’t sent a return shipping label

What should I do next?

I can “ask eBay to step in” on Thursday, September 3rd, but I’m not sure what to do with this “refund”. I’m feeling uneasy that this is a scam/trick somehow. I have no “Goods & Services” to provide since I didn’t sell anything so…

Can’t they just file a claim with PayPal and take the money back? 🤔😩😅

My first instinct is to just refund this payment because 1) it’s not even close to the full amount, and 2) I have no way to prove this is associated with the eBay return. 

The seller hasn’t messaged me again and there was no message attached to the PayPal payment so there’s a (slim) chance this was a mistaken payment from someone else altogether, in which case I’d also refund the payment. Just figured I’d ask first before I did something stupid 😂

Thanks so much for your help!

Ann

Here’s the detailed version:

July 31

-Purchased a Steelbook blu-ray

August 19

- It arrived damaged (packed in a bubble envelope)

- I created a return and uploaded pictures

August 21

- Seller accepted my return

- eBay said I had until Sep 9 to ship the item back

- eBay also said “Hold tight for your return shipping label”

- Never received return shipping label

August 25

- Seller messaged me outside the case apologizing for the delay (said their PayPal account had been frozen due to fraud) and asked if I'd like a replacement instead of a refund

- I replied that I'd like a refund and asked for a return shipping label

- No reply, no return shipping label

August 28

- I contacted CS and asked for help getting a return shipping label

- eBay put the case on hold until September 2nd and informed the seller they had to send a return shipping label

August 30

- Seller messaged

- My reply

August 31

- Seller messaged

- I thought we weren’t allowed to exchange contact info so I contacted CS and was told it was okay in this case since the seller already had my email and was just confirming

- I gave the seller my PayPal email address again

Today

- I received a “Payment for Goods & Services” from a different name (I assume it’s the seller’s partner)

- The amount is way less than the purchase price of the item, plus I was charged PayPal fees on top of that

- PayPal says “OK to ship to” but I have nothing to ship, since I didn’t sell them anything

- Still no return shipping label

[femmefan1946]

The item was Not As Described.

The seller has sent you a partial refund.-- from another account.

Is the seller in Canada or the USA?

He may be unable to send you a Canada Post shipping label.

Does the partial refund resemble* the cost of a return shipping label?

The seller is not required to refund without a return-- even if he has a No Returns policy.

The seller is not required to send you a return shipping label, but if he doesn't, he loses the Dispute and you are refunded, but eBay if necessary, which will then go after him for their money.

If you want to use the partial refund to buy a Return Shipping Label, be sure to put the tracking number into the eBAy dispute.

* because: currency exchange

[anniearcane]

Thank you so much for the reply!

The seller is in the USA and they have not replied yet to confirm that the person who sent payment is indeed their partner.

The refund should be $105.64 US or $147.34 CA

I received $100.23 CA - $4.01 CA PP fees = $96.22 CA

Definitely too much for a shipping label. Either way, I don't feel comfortable spending any of the partial refund because it's not technically a "refund". They didn't "Send Money". They sent a "Payment for Goods & Services Received".

Paypal is telling me it's "OK to ship to" [person's name & address]. Can't they just file a claim and get their "refund" back since I have nothing to ship? Shouldn't they have just used "Send Money" instead?

Not sure if I'm making any sense 😂

[anniearcane]

Here's a screenshot of the PayPal "refund" I received:

It's exactly like when I receive payment for selling stuff on eBay except I didn't sell anything 😂

But seriously though, why do I have Seller Protection for a refund? And why is there an option to refund my refund?

This doesn't feel right to me... 🤔

[anniearcane]

Nvm...

The seller just messaged me

Her partner will do the refund again by "Sending to a friend and family" and opt to pay the fee himself, so I don't have to pay it.

Fingers crossed it all works out tomorrow 🤞

Thanks again, everyone! 😊😊😊

[femmefan1946]

While there might be a small difference for currency exchange* , DO NOT CLOSE THE EBAY DISPUTE until this is completely refunded.

This guy doesn't seem to know what he is doing.

And the fact that his PP account is frozen does not give me any confidence.

*The values of currencies varies from day to day, even from hour to hour. In addition the cost of selling currency is lower than the cost for buying currency. 
He should be refunding you exactly what you paid him in US dollars. Any difference then would be the luck of the draw. 
Sometimes you win a little, sometimes you lose a little.

[anniearcane]

I figured I might lose a few bucks due to the currency exchange, but they were short ~$50 so... umm ... 😳

Regardless, I refunded their partial "refund" last night and then eBay closed the case themselves this morning (neither I nor the seller did anything). I guess since the case was on hold until today, eBay automatically looked into it and refunded me directly since it was through GSP. I know, I know 🤢🤮😂

I had asked the seller to just let eBay handle it, but they said they preferred to work it out between us. And yeah, I was a bit suspicious of the frozen PP account too, but after messaging back and forth yesterday, I think they just genuinely didn't know what to do. My spidey senses detected no malintent lol

In any case, it all worked out in the end.

I really, reeeally appreciate your advice, femmefan! Thank you so much for your time and help!! 😊

[retroman_studios · Accepted solution]

I'm glad eBay handled it.

The way they sent money was previously a popular scam. Because paying for services was not covered by PayPal so you could send the money, wait a bit then simply open a case and take it back.

So the buyer would think great, I have my refund, then the seller who "refunded" them would open a claim against the money they sent and get it back leaving buyer with nothing.

[anniearcane]

Ah, thank you for sharing! This was my exact concern with the seller's "refund". I just did a very poor job explaining it 😅

Very much appreciated 😊😊😊