Strange Paypal Case...

I've sold about 300-400 items to people overseas, and for the most part everything goes well. I had a problem with a package to China once, and with a package to Brazil.

Anyway, I recently sold 400 Michael Jordan cards to a buyer from Germany for about $130 shipped. I shipped them USPS. He sent me an Ebay message about a week later telling me all the cards were damaged en route. He said he could provide scans, and so I asked for them. He never sent them, but instead opened a Paypal dispute.

The dispute was all in German, but I think all it said were that the cards were damaged. I responded to the dispute, but then he escalated it to a claim. In the claim, I have a bunch of options...one of them is that he said he would accept a $77 refund and he keeps the cards. There is always the option of refunding him fully, which would happen once Paypal has proof that the cards have been returned to me.

I'm debating in my head. His Ebay record seems clean, but I have my doubts about whether the cards are actually damaged. Of course, if I choose the "Refund him fully after cards are returned" option, then I'm sure the cards will be damaged when he returns them to me, either from the initial shipment (which I am doubting because he didn't send me any scans), or from him personally just to get the claim fulfilled.

The other thing I'm wondering about is how he would send them back, and if he can even send them back in a way that would satisfy Paypal.

If he provided me proof that the cards were damaged en route, I would be happy to work things out with him. But being that the details seem a little doubtful concerning the damage, I'm uncertain to the best course of action.

I'm prepared for a variety of responses

Ready, set, go.

Ask him to scan some of them

Maybe that will help give an estimation of how bad they are?

HPC said:

Ask him to scan some of them

Maybe that will help give an estimation of how bad they are?

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I asked him already, after he offered initially, but since then he hasn't responded to any of my Ebay messages or Paypal communication. But it can't hurt to nicely ask one more time.

serving4theking said:

HPC said:

Ask him to scan some of them

Maybe that will help give an estimation of how bad they are?

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I asked him already, after he offered initially, but since then he hasn't responded to any of my Ebay messages or Paypal communication. But it can't hurt to nicely ask one more time.

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I would definitely ask.

Also let paypal know he isnt responding to the request

I hope it works out for you, as I would hate to see you get screwed over!

I have shipped internationally with no problems, but seeing stories like yours have changed my mind

If they were packaged decently and damaged en route, by all means it's the buyer's responsibility to prove the damage was caused by the transit and not HIM...a la Pujols orange refractor.

Not saying that's how paypal will see it, but that's how it should be.

marterburn said:

If they were packaged decently and damaged en route, by all means it's the buyer's responsibility to prove the damage was caused by the transit and not HIM...a la Pujols orange refractor.

Not saying that's how paypal will see it, but that's how it should be.

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Agreed. As of this point, I've sent three requests to the seller for photos, and he hasn't responded. My two options are down to:

1) Give him the partial $77 refund and eat the loss, just believing the buyer by faith.

2) Offer a full refund in exchange for the cards being returned and (maybe) resell them with little loss.

if they were really damaged, why would buyer be willing to keep them...i would say you will refund once they are recieved back...he may never get around to sending them back.

hofautos said:

if they were really damaged, why would buyer be willing to keep them...i would say you will refund once they are recieved back...he may never get around to sending them back.

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Good point. That's a gamble with decent odds. But in the meantime, Paypal holds my money...indefinitely? I will have to check that caveat.

The other thing I'm wondering is whether he can even send the cards back from Germany to here with reliable Paypal-accepted tracking (unless he uses UPS or FedEx which might be prohibitively costly for him). For example, I'm pretty sure the number they give me at the post office as "proof of shipment" from the U.S. to Germany is not something Paypal accepts like a D.C. number. So every time I send overseas through the USPS I just say a little prayer that the buyer is a decent human being. So far with about 296 or the 300 or so packages I've sent overseas, that has been the case.

I gave him a good selection, but maybe he was hoping for a Jordan RC or auto or something like that and now has buyer's remorse...

This is why I only ship within the continental U.S.. I know some people will say they've sold countless times to Japan or wherever without a problem, but I feel it's just inviting a headache.

pujolsjunkie said:

This is why I only ship within the continental U.S.. I know some people will say they've sold countless times to Japan or wherever without a problem, but I feel it's just inviting a headache.

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I'm sure your aware that this (what the OP had happen) can happen even if you only sell in the USA. So not shipping
over seas is does not mean if you ship only in the US you will not have this problem.

Sorry to hear about this, wish I had some advice for you.

What gets me is that apparently Paypal doesn't even care to see scans of the cards? That company is a fraud.

How where they packaged? If he says all 400 where damaged then it would seem that the whole box must have been nearly destroyed. One would think that if the box was pretty F'd up when he got he would have taken pictures of the box.

I would try to fight through paypal till he can provide photo evidence. But then again paypal almost never has the sellers back. :evil:

serving4theking said:

hofautos said:

if they were really damaged, why would buyer be willing to keep them...i would say you will refund once they are recieved back...he may never get around to sending them back.

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Good point. That's a gamble with decent odds. But in the meantime, Paypal holds my money...indefinitely? I will have to check that caveat.
..

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, there is a time limit...I think they must show proof within 1 week