Chargeback case opened on on the item posted in May

[ozstockman]

Hi guys,

just out of nowhere I received the email from Paypal saying that one of my buyers opened Chargeback case with the reason "The buyer stated that they didn't authorise this purchase." And that's it. No more details provided by the buyer to support their case.

The item was posted in May as a large letter with no tracking. I have an AP contact business mailing statement that confirms that I lodged three letters on that day but of course it does not specify address or postcode where these letters where posted. It just not suppose to have this kind of information.

So I cannot prove I posted the item to the buyer address. The item is not expensive and costs less than $10 with postage but what bothers me  why somebody thinks they can sit 2.5 months after receiving something they have not bought from ebay(do not even care to bring it back to AP PO for return to sender) and then told their card provider they have not authorised it!!! 

The buyer never contacted me, even when they received a shipping notification email that something was posted to their address, they just sat for more than 2.5 months and then requested chargeback.

I explained to Paypal all this and warned them that they never should take even a single cent for this transaction from my Paypal account unless I authorise it or the buyer return the item.

So the question is very simple, does it worth it to contact Police and let them know that this buyer simple received the item and now asking their money back? It is not for the sake of saving $10, it just does not look right to me when somebody is allowed to do such things without any consequences. 

[clarry100]

Firstly because you have no tracking you are going to lose the charge back case. If you contest it you will cost yourself s further $15 fee and still lose the case.
So you have little choice but to wear it.
Next it is quite likely the bank has opened this case without the knowledge of the buyer. So approach them nicely asking if they know about it. Sometimes your buyer may be apologetic and refund your money.
You might also try pleading your case with PayPal. Sometimes they will make a discretionary payment when the amount is small. Means that the buyer still gets their item and their money but you don't lose any money either. Good luck

[phorum_junkie*]

You have authorised Paypal to take the money from your account, remember ticking that box to say you had read and agreed to all their terms, conditions and policies when you signed up?

You would hav been better served to just agree to the refund straight away, try to fiight it and lose (which you will) and it will cost you another $15 on top of the refund. Some banks, especially the large ones, allow chargebacks for up to 12 months after a transaction so if you do post with tracking it is important to keep your proof for at least that long.

If the buyer has left feedback or confirmed delivery in any other way thenn you need to contact them and ask them to pay for the item again as they have confirmed delivery so have an item that has not been paid for.

No proof of delivery then pay up and forget about it, it is a risk you assume if you send without tracking.

[ozstockman]

The buyer claims they have not paid for it but it looks like they have received the item. At least the received a minimum of two notification emails back in May that something they purchased on ebay was shipped to them. They did not contact me asking what was shipped which would happen if they did not pay for anything. So it is not about the money really, it is about the buyer keeping the item that does not belong to them(in case they have not really paid for it) How do you call it? Stealing?

I have never take any mail that comes to me by mistake even with my address. If I have not purchased it(and paid for it) I will get it back to Australia Post Office and tell them it is not mine. Then they send it back to sender. This buyer has not done it and that's the problem I am thinking about  dealing with.

Yes I know Paypal can do whatever they want but they should not be allowed to support such a behaviuor. It is most likeley that the buyer has forgotten about purchasing this or doing chargeback on purpuse. Who would steal a credit card number just to purchase something under $10 if it is going to be shipped  to a credit card holder shipping address? It does not make sence with such a cheap item.

Sorry I do not quite understand what bank I should go to and why. It is not my bank, in fact I simply do not know  what bank issued the buyer's credit card. And how the bank can open a Paypal dispute without the card holder knowing about it?

[the_great_she_elephant]

The buyer claims they have not paid for it but it looks like they have received the item

If the buyer hasn't paid for it then a) Why did you post it and b) How can they be reimbursed?

Or do you mean they are claiming someone else used their card without their knowledge?

[lyndal1838]

Believe me, banks can and do try to get money back which has been put on cards.  There are various reasons and sometimes the buyer knows about it and sometimes they don't.

It is really not going to hurt you to approach the buyer nicely and ask if they know about it.  If you go in boots and all accusing them of wrongdoing you may get their backs up and they will just say st*ff you.   You are going to lose the money through the dispute...don't make things worse by confronting the buyer,

Ask the buyer in a non accusatory manner and see what they say.   You may be surprised.....they may repay you without a fuss.

[harley_babes_hoard]

there have been many of these threads in the past where the buyer knew nothing of the banks chargeback. As lyndal says approach the buyer,  just tell them what has happened and ask them if they know why it has happened nicely before you go in all guns blazing.

[phorum_junkie*]

How do you know the buyer doesn't know about it?

Just put on another hat for a moment, imagine you have a credit card, you do not check your statements in any great detail as long as they look about right. After a few months you realise that you owe a fair bit more than you should and sit down to d a proper audit on your account.  You find a fair number of transactions which you knew nothing about,,  they were for reasonably small amounts and spread over a time period that meant they didn't ring alarm bells. As soon as you do realise you ring the bank and say these payments were not authorised.  Do you expect the bank to get you your money back or do you think you should be out of pocket because someone has illegally used your card details?  Paypal does offer seller protection if you have used trackable post of sufficient status to qualify, this only applies to ebay transactions, for any other site offering Paypal they either have to vigorously defend the chargeback with irrefutable proof or lose and have the payment refunded with the extra $15 charge.

Bottom line is you can be protected against chargebacks, and up to a year is not unusual, by using a qualifying delivery method and keeping the proof or you just refund without question if a chargeback occurs, fighting it without proof positive is just not worth the time,, effort or money it is going to cost you in the end when you lose anyway,

Once again Paypal do have the right to take the money from your Paypal account or funding source as that is what you have agreed to, ticking that box when you open the account has the same legal weight as signing a paper agreement.

[lane-ends]

People can initiate chargebacks innocently simply because they don't recognise a charge. Hence a polite reminder is first step. You can fight it via paypal but it will cost you $15 or so even if you win, so there is no point for a cheap item

[ozstockman]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

The buyer claims they have not paid for it but it looks like they have received the item

Or do you mean they are claiming someone else used their card without their knowledge?

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Yes, that's exactly what I mean.