PayPal
Refunded $495 for iPhone after 22 days to New Zealand

Like another person who posted here, we have been burned as the seller on eBay and PayPal. The first time was an iPhone we shipped to NY. The person filed a claim saying it was damaged when it arrived. As much as I went round and round with eBay and PayPal about how it was not true, they refunded the person's money. When I got the phone back (I was shocked I actually got it back), it looked as if it had been run over with a car. WOW!

Now, I recently sold our three iPhone 4's after we upgraded to iPhone 4s. One sold in the USA and one shipped to Germany. The Germany phone shipped out November 4 and did not arrive until December 15th. Thankfully, the people were honest and waited patiently, and everything was great.

The last phone shipped to New Zealand. Within 2 weeks the buyer filed a claim that they never received the phone. Numerous phone calls were made to PayPal on my end. I thought I was safe and being protected, only to realize they do not care. Within 22 days after the purchase, PayPal refunded the $495 to the buyer. Twenty-two days was all they gave an overseas package to ship from the U.S. to New Zealand during the holidays.

I always ship USPS because when you click on "print shipping label," it works with USPS automatically. It guides you through the immigration form as well. Very convenient and easy. It gives you a "tracking" number. However, beware, because that is not really a tracking number. It is just a nothing number. The phone sent to Germany says (still to this day) "in transit," even though it arrived on 12/15. The New Zealand phone never even shows the post office accepted it, though I handed it to the man at the counter. I have no way to track the package, and the buyer/scammer knew that. He asked if I was shipping USPS and probably celebrated when I said yes.

This is clearly a well known scam that PayPal is aware of. I see a class action lawsuit in PayPal's future for not protecting the sellers and still charging the seller fees for the scam. I am out $500 now plus seller fees. This is the second time eBay and PayPal burned us as the seller and did not protect us.

I have been on eBay/PayPal with a 100% positive feedback score of 208 since 2002. I am done with both of them. I filed a complaint against the individual buyer in New Zealand with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. After reading the other identical posts on here, I will now file against PayPal as well. I am also in contact with the New Zealand post office, who claim they will put a bar code on the package when it arrives on their end. I will have proof of delivery. But we all know the chances are that PayPal still will not care. I cannot wait for someone to sue PayPal. Sellers, beware!

Company: PayPal
Country: USA
Site: paypal.com

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