This tutorial is for a PayPal dispute filed by the buyer. Credit Card chargebacks are not the same. Specifically the guide is about Item Disputes for items Significantly Not As Described on eBay.

First make sure that you have given the seller ample time to contact you before filing a dispute. If you cannot contact them by e-mail use EBay’s contact information page to try calling the seller to explain the problem. However don’t wait to long. In most cases you have a 45 day period in which you can file a dispute. Also make sure your dispute is valid. Just because the jeans are the wrong size doesn’t mean you should file a PayPal dispute saying they are fake. Buyers with invalid disputes will often end up wasting their time if they go up against a knowledgeable seller.

Also don't threaten the seller with a dispute. Personally I would not let the seller know you will be filing a dispute. Many times sellers who don't sell often on eBay will drain their PayPal accounts and there will be no money left in them to pay your claim when you win.

To file a dispute go to your PayPal account. Search for the payment of the item you want to dispute. At the bottom of the page is the following information:

“Need help? If you have problems with a transaction or would like assistance settling a dispute with your seller, visit the Resolution Center. PayPal strongly recommends attempting to resolve this issue directly with the merchant or seller whenever possible.”

Click on the Resolution Center link to begin filing the dispute.

Page 1 Report A Problem. On the first page you have 2 choices. “Item Dispute” or “Unauthorized Transaction”, select “Item Dispute”.

Page 2 Reason For Dispute. On this page you have 2 choices. Item not received or Item Significantly Not As Described (SNAD). Select SNAD.

Page 3 Provide Additional Information. The first step on this page is selecting how the item is SNAD. Select the reason(s) that best describe why you feel this items description was inaccurate.

The “Compose Message To Seller” section is where you should build your case. This message will be visible to both the seller and to PayPal.

Pretend I purchased a fake pair of jeans. I would say

“The Diesel jeans I received from the seller are fakes. I have been wearing this brand since 2000 and I know how to tell the difference between real and fake. The jeans are low quality, the wash, distressing and stitching are inaccurate and sloppy compared to an authentic pair. This pair doesn’t have the microstitching on the tag. I also took this pair to an authorized retailer and they agreed that it is a fake.”

Personally I would say I took the item to an expert in the field prior to being asked by PayPal that you need to due so. Do this as long as you are sure the item is SNAD. If you are not sure you should consult with an expert prior to filling the dispute.

Next pick the amount of refund you want. In most cases you should pick a full refund. It is completely up to the seller if they want to issue a partial refund. If they choose not to issue the partial refund then PayPal will request that you ship the item back to the seller for a full refund.

Page 5 Your Dispute Is Open. You can go to the resolution center to check the status of your dispute.

At this point you should already have a chance to win the dispute. Most sellers will cave in because of a few reasons. 1. PayPal puts a hold on the money in their account and they want access to it. 2. They are scared that you will win anyways so they just want to get it over with.

Page 6 Resolution Center. You receive messages from the seller and respond to the seller here. You can also escalate to a claim, request a refund and close the dispute. You have 20 days before the dispute closes automatically.

You should not close the dispute until you receive a refund, exchange or what ever is a suitable outcome for you.

When you can not come to an agreement with the seller or the seller does not respond it is time to escalate to a PayPal claim. I usually allow the seller 1 business day to respond to a dispute before I upgrade to a claim. If the seller is unwilling to come to an agreement prior to the dispute, I upgrade to a claim immediately.

Page 7 End Communication And Escalate To A Claim. On this page in the additional information box you should post something similar to what you originally posted when filing the claim. If the seller didn’t respond, refused to refund, sent harassing e-mails etc I will mention this here also.

After you upgrade to a claim the seller now has 10 days to respond to PayPal. Keep in mind holidays etc that might have the seller to busy to respond to the claim and file at this time. No response and you will win automatically. If the seller does respond and refuses a refund then you will be asked to provide more information. This is usually in the form of an expert in the field of that item saying it is fake, damaged etc. It requires a written letter on their company’s letterhead. PayPal will review this. Sometimes PayPal will just look at the listing and see it is deceptive and will not require a letter. As long as all your information lines up and says exactly what the original claim was you will win.

If you need a letter please contact Idalis for more information.

If after all this you don’t win which is unlikely then there is still a few ways to get your money back. One way is PayPal! Call them up and find the nicest friendliest representative you can. Tell this person the case in a nice calm voice. If you are lucky PayPal will give you a partial or full refund of your item. I once talked to some cute sounding girl and was hitting on her and she gave me a full refund from PayPal’s money! If you don’t get the right person on the phone the first time hang up and call again. Sooner or later you will.

Another way to get your money back is credit card chargeback. You should ALWAYS fund online purchases with a credit card. ALWAYS! Your CC provider will offer you protection on your purchases, PayPal buyer protection doesn’t work every time so with a CC you always have a back up.