My second chargeback case also failed

I am furious.

My first chargeback case, for a face cream bought back in November, was found in the buyer's favour because I had no proof of postage due to the item being small. The buyer said it was an unauthorised transaction, which I believe is complete **bleep**, he left positive feedback the following week and the dispute was that he didn't authorise it, not that he didn't receive it, but since I couldn't prove postage, as per Paypal's rules, it was my loss, and lesson learned.

So my second chargeback which came a week after the previous one, was a digital download Xbox game code. The buyer purchased, paid and sent a message in poor English asking me to send the code to his email address or via ebay. I responded, sending it to both.

This chargeback is also, in my opinion, a scam as the guy lives in Europe, wants the chargeback paid in Euros, and his name and email address are the same that he used back in December when he purchased the code and requested I send it.

So this time I had all the proof. All the ebay messages from him and myself, the email, all showing he had possession of the download code this whole time and that he got what he paid for.

And yet...Paypal still refunded him and charged me, including the $15 fee. Again. WHY!?

They said my proof of shipping could not be verified. BY WHOM!? I SENT THE CODE. THAT'S THE ITEM.

What!?!?!?
Message 1 of 15
Latest reply
14 REPLIES 14

Re: My second chargeback case also failed

as other's have already said; it's vitally important to make sure you have seller protection through paypal and meet the qualification criteria for each specific transaction. keep records. if you don't, there is no way to guard against a chargeback because in most cases, the bank will find in their customer's favour despite you providing proof. 

 

i've had a number of chargebacks of which i've done everything right; taken all the necessary steps to meet seller protection and the only reason i ended up getting my money back for the transaction was due to it being covered by seller protection. otherwise, i simply would have lost out. 

 

the first thing to ensure is that you have proof of tracking. if you don't, you pretty much don't stand much of a chance - no matter how low-value the item is or whether or not you think it's fair. it's one of their conditions and if you don't factor in the fact that 1 in x amount of transactions will be lost/claimed as not delivered/chargeback then you're going to end up sending yourself crazy.

 

even though as digi said intangible products are covered, be sure to make sure you know what category they fall under, whether they are covered and if you're unsure, enquire with paypal before listing / selling. i'd say if it's a digital download for a game code it would fall under the downloadable / digital content. though, others may know better than me in regards to that. i think it's always pretty hard to prove that the code hasn't been used prior to selling or that it even works (which is why i think it's in the category if items not covered by protection). 

 

Screen Shot 2019-03-13 at 10.23.05 am.png

Message 11 of 15
Latest reply

Re: My second chargeback case also failed

Hmmm, yes.

I received a response from Paypal who said they actually had not even seen my 3 screen shots proving I sent the item until AFTER making their decision! WHAT!?

So now they say they've submitted them to the buyer's bank for further consideration. I don't understand why I wouldn't just be reimbursed now that they have my proof. Paypal can pay the buyer's bank, but why should I have to?

As someone who on two occasions has had fraudulent activity on my credit cards (always from overseas random travel agents, one from Egypt and years later one from California AND from New York), the bank notices, tells me, I check and confirm they definitely were not me, and I get my money back.

But with THESE specific instances on ebay for me, it's nothing like that. I had no communication or knowledge of the fraudsters. This ebay buyer wrote to me after paying and asked for the code which I then sent.

Ugh.
Message 12 of 15
Latest reply

Re: My second chargeback case also failed

I would be asking PayPal a couple of more direct, pointed questions. More particularly because they sent an email saying they couldn't verify shipping information, but have now admitted they didn't make any effort to. 

 

The first being - is this transaction eligible for seller protection? If they say no, ask why not. At least then you will know 100% where you stand, and get some clarification on the issue concerning digital goods.

 

If they say yes, ask why your evidence of sending the goods was neither taken into consideration before deciding the case, and why it's not providing you with said seller protection now. If the answer was yes, it's elgible and their response to this is unsatisfactory, advise them you will report the incident to AFCA (Australian Financial Complaints Authority). 

Message 13 of 15
Latest reply

Re: My second chargeback case also failed

Thank you! I will SO do that!
Message 14 of 15
Latest reply

Re: My second chargeback case also failed

This is my understanding of how paypal and chargebacks work:

 

The reason they took the money away straight away and are not re-imbursing you now that they have your screenshots is because, as mentioned above, digital content is not covered by seller protection.

 

A chargeback is different to a normal complaint case opened against you. It's the buyer's bank taking the money away from paypal immediately. So Paypal was out of pocket. And because you do not have any seller protection, paypal instantly took the money from you to recover their losses.

 

And even with the proof, they will not be giving you any money out of the kindness of their hearts (aka seller protection). The best they can do is contest it with the bank, which it looks like they have done. Although I always assumed they wouldnt bother to contest chargebacks if the seller wasnt covered by protection.

 

So you're lucky they are looking into it for you. My understanding of this is that they normally do not bother in this situation

Message 15 of 15
Latest reply