Paypal advice needed.

[Cudgel]

Hey guys,

Please help me with what I should do.

I purchased some items from a private seller in the US on March 28th. I paid the amount in full on March 28 with my Paypal account through my credit card. Long story short, there are a total of 4 packages I'm supposed to be receiving but the seller had one delay/excuse after another and it was finally shipped out on April 10th. One package should arrive on April 17th, the second and third packages should arrive on April 18th and the 4th package for some reason was sent back to the seller yesterday and I don't know when it's going to be sent out again. I've been in contact with the seller but he seems very slow in returning my emails.

My questions are as follows:

1. Does Paypal hold the funds until the transaction is complete? When I "checked out", I did hit the "purchase" button.
2. Should I accept the partial shipments when it arrives on the 17th & 18th or am I screwed if I accept partial shipment? Should I just refuse the shipments altogether?
3. I read on Paypal that they normally release the funds to the seller by the 21st day. Is this true? If so, 21 days should be April 17th so I guess I should dispute this no later than Monday April 16th?
4. If I dispute it, does the funds to the seller get frozen until it's resolved?
5. If I end up disputing this, should I be disputing it with Paypal or my credit card company? Which is the better option for my protection?
6. Does it sound like I'm getting scammed?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[S.F.W.]

Hey guys,

Please help me with what I should do.

I purchased some items from a private seller in the US on March 28th. I paid the amount in full on March 28 with my Paypal account through my credit card. Long story short, there are a total of 4 packages I'm supposed to be receiving but the seller had one delay/excuse after another and it was finally shipped out on April 10th. One package should arrive on April 17th, the second and third packages should arrive on April 18th and the 4th package for some reason was sent back to the seller yesterday and I don't know when it's going to be sent out again. I've been in contact with the seller but he seems very slow in returning my emails.

My questions are as follows:

1. Does Paypal hold the funds until the transaction is complete? When I "checked out", I did hit the "purchase" button.
2. Should I accept the partial shipments when it arrives on the 17th & 18th or am I screwed if I accept partial shipment? Should I just refuse the shipments altogether?
3. I read on Paypal that they normally release the funds to the seller by the 21st day. Is this true? If so, 21 days should be April 17th so I guess I should dispute this no later than Monday April 16th?
4. If I dispute it, does the funds to the seller get frozen until it's resolved?
5. If I end up disputing this, should I be disputing it with Paypal or my credit card company? Which is the better option for my protection?
6. Does it sound like I'm getting scammed?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

1. There is a holding period on funds, I think 2-3 weeks
2. Not sure
3. I would dispute before the 21 days to ensure maximum protection
4. They freeze the sellers account
5. With paypal. Your CC company will not assist you, as the transaction is between you and paypal, and that portion is fine. Between you and the seller is a paypal issue
6. What is the sellers history ? Does he have an ebay account or something you can check history ?

[peterm15]

Without more info about the seller it's hard to say your being scammed

As for funds I believe PayPal hold them up to 28 days and you have 3 mnths to claim. Dont quote me on that.

[joedemarco]

this happened to me, except I was the seller..got fake emails saying he paid me but it was all fake.

Best thing to do is to call Paypal and see what they recommend to do (to accept or decline the packages) and what the proper procedure it to get your money back. I think you should absolutely open a claim at least they'll see you tried to fix it if things continue to go wrong, and if you need to they'll cancel the transaction.

Good Luck!

[mazdageorge]

if you sent money through Instant Payment and assuming he is a verified paypal account, then there is no holding period. It automatically shows up withdrawable a few minutes after you've sent them. The best way to do it is to open a case through its resolution centre for non-delivery, the seller will have 7 business days to respond, and if you do not get a legit answer from the seller within this period, you can escalate this into a claim. Paypal will not ask any questions and send you money and run after the seller. They are always pro buyer unfortunately.

If you log into your account, go to "resolution centre" and open up a case. You can always cancel it in case everything works out. The other good thing about this is the seller is now forced to make good of his commitment. he will need to provide paypal will tracking infos and other proof of shipment.

The other alternative would be to call your credit card company and report a fraud. Get your money back and let them deal with the seller. Several option there.

[Cudgel]

Thanks for everyone's input and advice. That's good to know that Paypal is "pro buyer". I found the following info on Paypal.

When does PayPal release the payment?
The funds from each transaction will typically be released 21 days after payment, unless there's a dispute, chargeback, claim, return or reversal on that transaction, or any other limitation on your account. The money may be released sooner if:

1.Your buyer leaves positive feedback (Applies only to eBay items) or
2.We can confirm that the item was delivered* and 3 days elapse. This gives the buyer enough time to review the order and file a dispute if necessary

If you decide to open a dispute, be aware that you must open it within 45 days of the date you made your payment, and that you and the seller will have 20 days to work things out.

And if you choose to escalate your dispute to a claim, you must do so within 20 days of opening the dispute, or it will be closed automatically.

A chargeback, also known as a reversal, is when a buyer asks their credit card issuer to reverse a transaction after it has been completed. It is available only to users who make a payment funded by their credit or debit card.

There are three main reasons a buyer will do this:
1.The purchased item never arrived.
2.The item was significantly different than advertised.
3.Their credit card was used without their permission to purchase the item fraudulently.
Chargebacks are initiated and handled by the buyer's credit card issuer - not by PayPal - and therefore will follow that company's regulations and timeframes. That said, PayPal often plays a role in resolving chargeback disputes.

One of my main concern was whether or not I should accept partial shipment on Tuesday & Wednesday and wait for the final package but I think I should be okay since Paypal states:

2. Your order arrives, but it's significantly different than it was described
There are a variety of scenarios that meet this condition, for instance:

•You received a completely different item.
Example: You purchased a hockey skates, but received a hockey stick.
•The item's condition was misrepresented.
Example: The listing said new but the item had clearly been used.
•The item is missing parts or features, and this was not disclosed.
Example: You bought a table, and it showed up with only 3 legs.
•You purchased a specific quantity of an item—but received the wrong amount.
Example: You bought two laptops but received only one.

If I dont hear from the seller by 11pm today, I will probably start a dispute so that I can quickly have this resolved.

If there are any other inputs, it would be greatly appreciated.

[mazdageorge]

Here are paypal's rules on payment holds:
Why are my payments being held?
Payment holds for eBay items are an effort to increase marketplace safety. We hold payments when we suspect a transaction may be risky. Here are the most common instances in which an eBay item payment may be held:


You have been an eBay member for less than 6 months, and you sell an item for more than $100
You have an eBay feedback score of less than 100, and you sell an item for more than $100
You have a buyer dissatisfaction percentage* greater than 5%
You have an average DSR of less than 4.5
You have received fewer than 20 Detailed Seller Ratings in the last 12 months
You are listing your item in a high-risk category such as gift certificates, video games, cell phones, computers, or consumer electronics.

When will PayPal release the hold?
Your funds will be released when one of the following occurs:


The buyer leaves you positive feedback
3 days pass after proof the item was delivered**
21 days pass without a dispute, claim, chargeback, or reversal filed on the transaction

We may hold the funds longer if your buyer files a dispute, claim, chargeback, reversal or has otherwise taken action to dispute the transaction.

Learn more about the PayPal policy for payment holds for eBay items.

* Buyer dissatisfaction percentage is measured by adding negative events as a percentage of your transactions. Negative events include negative & neutral Feedback, Detailed Seller Ratings scores of 2 or less, and Item Not Received or Significantly Not As Described disputes.


In other words, if the seller has been a star rated or even a power seller rated on ebay that has been selling for a while, any instant payment a buyer will send will be immediately credited to the sellers account unless the buyer and seller request for an escrow on the funds.

[Cudgel]

Thanks and I don't think think the seller has an ebay account. Since I do have a few days before the 21 days, I might as well dispute it now since I haven't heard back from the seller since Thursday night so why cut it so close.

I'll let you guys know the outcome.

[Slade]

how did you pay for it? did you pay as a gift/service/???

I bought a grill insert, sent the money as a gift, and the seller never shipped it, because I sent the money as a gift, there was SFA paypal could do...

[Cudgel]

I paid it as "purchase" so I should be protected. I filed a dispute already and the seller replied right away. We'll see what happens as I'm supposed to receive my full shipment by this Friday. Well, at least that's according to Fedex.