PayPal.com
Sold Watch Returned as Paperweight, Dispute Decided for Buyer

I had sold a watch to a person who apparently was not satisfied with it and filed a complaint with PayPal. She was told to return the watch to me, and the buyer returned basically an empty box with just a crystal marble ball in it for weight, and not the watch! Then PayPal found in the buyer's favor instead of mine (the seller), and PayPal wants me to give her a refund and let her keep the watch!!! ($3.045.00 worth) So now my business is messed up because of this deal. (My eBay ID is videosgalorenmore, 2000 positive feedbacks.) I was sure PayPal would find in my favor instead of the buyer's.

Below is the information that was sent to PayPal, the buyer's info and the letter I sent to PayPal.com:

(Personal information redacted for security purposes.)

If you look at the ad (eBay item number: 8934644228), it says sold AS-IS: "Return Policy Details: NO RETURNS ON THIS ITEM SOLD AS-IS WHERE-IS. This item has been checked and works fine. ALMOST NEW ITEM." She agreed to this when she purchased it. She tried to get me to send it to an unconfirmed address through PayPal so I would not be protected by the Seller Protection Policy that PayPal offers, so she could just file a claim and get her money back hassle-free. It is as if she planned to take it from me to begin with.

Then she sent the payment unconfirmed, so I refunded her and told her it had to be confirmed or I would not accept the payment. She was a little aggravated by that. So she resent the payment, and it was confirmed this time. She sent the payment on 5/12/06 via PayPal. I shipped the watch via UPS, tracking number 1Z600X90A839000435, insured, signature required, just as PayPal requires for the Seller Protection Policy. It was delivered at 7:40 PM on 5/19/06, and someone named Charmin signed for it. But I came to find out she had filed a PayPal complaint at 6:07 PM, which is an hour and 33 minutes before it was even delivered! Before she even saw the watch! (I have an email confirming this time.)

A little about the watch and me: I have been selling on eBay for 4 years 2 months now, and I maintain a 99.9% feedback rating (99.8% after the buyer left her feedback), so that should show I am an honest seller. I purchased the watch about 4-5 years ago from a jewelry store for $4,999.95 (including tax). I had all the paperwork for it, but we had a fire at our home in 2004 and it was all burned. (I have pictures and documentation to prove it, if need be.)

Anyway, I agreed to have her send it back and we would work something out. So she sent me a USPS priority box with the smaller box I had sent her inside it, and inside that one was a little paperweight, a small marble-looking thing.

Needless to say, I was outraged about it. This is why I am refusing to refund her for the watch: I did not receive the watch back. I took a picture of it (the small marble thing), and I saved pictures of the watch she still has. If anyone needs pictures, please let me know and I will gladly forward them to you. Thank you kindly for taking the time to read this.

Company: PayPal.com
Country: USA
State: Nebraska
City: Omaha
Address: P.O. Box 45950

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