Partial GST refund

[asembler]

My situation:

Placed an order for 2 items that were located in France. I'm located in Australia.

Paid in full including GST for 2 items.

Then the seller contacts me and tells me that one of the items is not avaiable and offers a partial refund.

I have agreed to it, however when he sent me money via PayPal he only refunded the cost of the item, not the 50% GST that I was supposed to get back. Also he sent me money, rather than do a refund via eBay so I also got charged for the PayPal transaction.

Contacted eBay and they say there is nothing they can do about it. They told to work it out with seller, ATO and my bank!! 

What a mess.

Question: Anyone encountered a similar situation? 

[digital*ghost]

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@countessalmirena wrote:

I will open a request for refund under eBay's MBG. Could you ensure that the refund is issued through eBay?

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If a request is opened, a refund can (almost) only be issued through ebay, as it immediately freezes the funds in managed payments or PayPal. 

But on that note: to buyers in general, requests under the MBG are best opened when no other options are practical and a refund is the only resolution you are looking for. (In the case of international orders, this is probably recommended, but just know that a request through ebay for an item not received is a request for an immediate refund, no matter what options you get to select from when you open one).