@, you said:
โI am within PayPals 180 days. Why would they only give you one chance and then cut you off.โ
Do I understand correctly that you did open up the case in time, but you didn't escalate it within the timeframe of 20 days? That would hurt more than a carpet burn... Hmm. There's nothing very obvious that you can do at this point. I don't think you can lodge a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, as this is a consumer issue with PayPal offering a limited buyer protection by whose terms they've abided.
Really, the only possibility is to contact PayPal by phone. You can access the phone number and the one-time access code on the PayPal Buyer Protection page. You'd have to be incredibly polite, apologetic, beseeching and persuasive, and even then it may garner you nothing but a sense of "Why did I waste my time?"... but you've really nothing to lose but some time and your dignity. The latter you can always recover by singing along with Aretha Franklin here.
I would just also stress that, even though it is a PAIN reading T&Cs, it is best practice. Something affecting the ability to buy and sell is important. (However, it's known that a much smaller percentage of people do actually read those T&Cs than we like to think. You're in a lot of company...)
I'd also say that the major thing I value when I'm asking for help or advice is the quality of that help or advice. Sometimes there's no help or advice to mitigate a current situation, but at least I end up better informed for next time. If all I receive is fluff and sympathy, I don't feel that I have got what I need. I hope that at least we (meaning the community on these boards) have given you some good information to prevent this situation from ever happening to you.
I would very strongly suggest that you read eBay's Help pages concerning refunds, MBG, etc.
There is a wealth of advice here with the eBay community responders who know the insides and guts of eBay policies because they have had to work with those policies or within those policies. The policies do occasionally change as well, and that means keeping up with the changes so as not to be caught on the wrong foot.
I completely agree re never taking the "resend" option when it comes to a seller who's already proven him/herself dodgy. Refund is the way to go in such a situation.
Best of luck.
