Most people have heard the name PayPal, a company that processes credit card transactions and is owned by eBay Inc. People that use eBay for auctions are called sellers. Sellers post items for bid or what they call Buy It Now. When a seller starts posting an item on eBay, he or she is walked through a series of forms to fill out, such as the name of the item and whether insurance is offered for the item. As you complete this step-by-step process, eBay tells the seller that listing a return policy is good for your bids and that sales will increase, and it gives a percentage amount of the increase in sales to expect if you do have a return policy. Example: You have 7 days to return an item for a refund (buyer pays all shipping costs). Seller is not responsible for loss or damage during shipping if offered insurance is declined. Well, this part of their listing format is totally bogus, plus a scam way of gaining more profit, and carries no actual weight.
If a buyer has a problem with a purchase, they may make a formal complaint with eBay's so-called trust and safety department and put it into what they call a dispute. Then the buyer and seller are asked to settle it themselves, and if no agreement can be reached, it is turned over to one of their so-called specialists who try to decide who is at fault. Keep in mind that most eBay transactions roll through PayPal, their credit card processor, and in some cases eBay forces sellers to use PayPal with no choice.
Here is the scam situation. When a buyer wants a refund beyond the 7-day refund policy period, and it does not matter whether the items are broken or damaged by the customer, all the customer has to do is ask PayPal for a refund. PayPal overrides eBay, declares the seller's refund policy that eBay promotes and advises sellers to use null and void, then notifies the seller that their PayPal account has an issue that needs attention and asks the seller to complete a form for rebuttal. As you complete this process, you are asked to proceed by clicking on a forward/continue button, and then BAM, before you are warned, you have given PayPal permission to extend a refund to the buyer without any serious method of investigation or due process.
Then when you try to provide documented evidence of your refund policy and its contents, such as not being liable for loss or damage (keep in mind the buyer has declined insurance), and proof of delivery date with a tracking number, PayPal just tells the seller, too bad, we are in charge, we have power over eBay, you are out the money, and see you. Imagine this, are you sitting down? PayPal claims a buyer has 45 days to ask for a refund on anything purchased through PayPal, and there is no recourse. The buyer gets 45 days to use, play with, abuse and tear up the item, then get a full refund at the seller's expense. Oh, let us not forget that PayPal does require the buyer to return the items to the seller. Isn't that thoughtful? PayPal is a total super scammer operation!
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