Description

Refund

I sold my sons tracksuit on eBay new with tags. The buyer paid and the funds where PENDING in my paypal. This remained pending. The buyer then asked for a refund as they thought it was men’s. A month later and I have eventually the item back and refunded as told to by eBay. This was a week or so ago. Today paypal have taken money from my bank card for the refund however I never actually recieved the pending payment?

This is a frustrating situation, but it’s unfortunately one that can happen with online marketplaces. Here’s a breakdown of what likely occurred and what you can do:

What likely happened:

1. Pending Payment: The initial payment from the buyer was marked as « pending » in your PayPal account. This usually means PayPal was still processing the payment or waiting for it to clear from the buyer’s funding source.

2. Refund Issued: Because the payment was pending, you never actually received the money into your PayPal balance. However, when you issued the refund through eBay, PayPal likely deducted the refund amount from your linked bank account directly, as the original payment hadn’t yet settled.

3. Payment Cleared After Refund: It’s possible that the original payment from the buyer finally cleared after you had already issued the refund. This would explain why PayPal took the money from your bank account – they needed to cover the refund since the initial funds were still in transit.

What you should do:

1. Check your PayPal transaction history in detail: Log in to your PayPal account and carefully review your transaction history for the period in question. Look for both the initial payment from the buyer (even if it was pending) and the refund you issued. Note the dates and amounts. This will help you confirm the sequence of events.

2. Contact PayPal Support: This is crucial. Explain the situation clearly and provide them with the transaction details you’ve gathered. They should be able to trace the transactions on their end and explain exactly what happened. Be polite but firm in requesting clarification.

3. Contact eBay Support (if necessary): If PayPal’s explanation is unclear or you suspect an error with the eBay transaction, contact eBay support as well. They can review the details of the sale and the refund process.

4. Check your bank statements: Verify that the refund amount was indeed deducted from your bank account. This will help you confirm what PayPal tells you.

5. Document everything: Keep records of all your communications with PayPal and eBay, including dates, times, names of representatives, and any reference numbers. Screenshot any emails or messages.

Key points to emphasize with PayPal:

• The payment was pending: Stress that the initial payment was never fully cleared into your PayPal balance.
• The refund was issued before the payment cleared: Explain that you issued the refund based on the understanding that the pending payment would be canceled or reversed.
• You never received the funds: Make it clear that you never actually had the money in your PayPal account to refund.

By being organized and persistent, you should be able to get PayPal to investigate and hopefully correct the situation. It may take some time and effort, but don’t give up until you’ve received a clear explanation and your money back.