Bypassing PayPal Purchase Protection

keithscott1

Hi All

I'd like to find out if anyone has bypassed eBay's 'Standard Purchase Protection Programme' and, instead, opted for a chargeback on their debit/credit card with the payment made via PayPal on the subject of unsatisfactory goods bought via eBay.

I've had trouble with a rogue seller who sent me merchandise which was described as new. Upon receipt, I discovered that the item itself was used and missing some vital accessories. Since I brought the matter to his attention, he has been rather less than obliging with is messages, almost to the point of being intimidating. I sent the item back to him. The agreement was that he would arrange for payment to be sent to myself upon receipt of the item. Three weeks later I'm still waiting, but in the intervening period, I've lodged a chargeback with my bank. I have stopped sending messages to him as it's pointless. If I were to take the route of the purchase protection programme, I would have to stump-up the first £15, which would leave me with very little left in way of a refund for the item.

BTW - Boy did he take exception to what I put in as negative feedback - hee hee!

Thanks

K

masonic

If you had started the not-as-described claim through paypal AND the auction was covered by paypal buyer protection OR the seller has sufficient funds in their paypal account for a full refund, you would not have to pay the £15 charge.

To be honest, with not as described claims where paypal buyer protection doesn't apply, I think I would go straight to my card issuer.

soolin

If you paid by paypal then the claim goes via them and not ebay, so the admin charge and upper claim limit does not apply.

However, even if paypal find in your favour they will not pay out until you can prove that you have delivered the item back to the seller. If you can't prove that via online tracking then they are unlikely to refund you especially if the seller denies receiving the item.

It is possible to bypass the paypal claim if you paid via credit card, but again usually they require the item to be returned, but I'm not 100% sure about how a credit card claim works as I've never had to do one.

It is unlikely that you have any cover via a debit card though, although it seems reading other threads on here that some debit cards do now have some protection similair to that of a credit card.

Can I ask though why you didn't go straight for a paypal claim in the first instance? Iit is often weighted in favour of the buyer so it might have been a simple process. You would also have had the advantage that you needn't had returned the item until paypal said they had found in your favour.

Soo

masonic

soolin wrote:

If you paid by paypal then the claim goes via them and not ebay, so the admin charge and upper claim limit does not apply.

I don't think that's true of not as described claims where paypal buyer protection does not apply and you have to go through the paypal buyer complaints process.

From:- https://www.paypal.com/bcp

An eBay item is 'significantly not as described' if the seller clearly misrepresented the details of the item in a way that affects its value or usability.
...
For eligible eBay transactions, PayPal automatically applies eBay’s Standard Purchase Protection Program. A separate eBay claim is not needed. See eBay for details and eligibility.