I sold a dress through Depop. I sent the dress in perfect condition- I stated that it had been previously worn but there was no damage to it at all. I know this because I thoroughly inspected it before I sent the dress to the customer.
I sold the dress for £150 + £14 shipping as I was shipping to New York from UK. The dress is sold at an RRP of £89 but it was in high demand and sold out everywhere, hence the higher price. The buyer purchased the dress, and everything was fine. I shipped the dress with tracking and I thought that was it.
The dress restocked on the official website a few days after I had posted it. I understand this might have been frustrating for the buyer, but it wasnt really my problem.
The buyer received the dress a week or so later. I noticed that it had been delivered as I had been checking the tracking, and left her a 5* review as she was so polite and seemed a genuine buyer. Within minutes, the buyer messaged me to say that the dress she had purchased had arrived with multiple rips in it. Straight away, and there wasn't a doubt in my mind, I knew she was lying. There is absolutely no way I would have missed multiple rips in a dress I thoroughly inspected before posting, and sold at such a high price.
I explained to her that I was not happy to refund for the dress as I knew the dress was not damaged when it was sent out, but she then raised a dispute with Paypal. Paypal have made the decision to return the dress to me, and I would refund her the money she spent on the item.
To me, it is quite obvious that she has purchased a brand new dress directly from the website, and now the one she spent £61 over the RRP for isn't required. She damaged it in order to get a refund, and is now returning a damaged dress to me.
The reason I sell through Depop and make payments through Paypal, is to get the seller/buyer protection that is offered when your'e paying extortionate fees, but it seems that when problems and disputes actually arise, they arent happy to help.
Paypal emailed me today to let me know that the case is closed. I am aware that I can appeal the decision, but on the resolution centre, the case is still displayed as open.
What else can I do? What other information can I provide to prove that the item was damaged?
It would be helpful if I could talk to a real customer service advisor at Paypal, but everything seems to be automated and nobody seems happy to help.
Has this happened to anyone else? And if so, how did you get around it?
It is disgusting that it is so easy for people to damage an item and receive a refund so easily.
I feel really distressed about the whole situation, and feel really disheartened at Paypal's lack of support.
The way the buyer was so quick to file a dispute and knew every step of how to get her money back was a big red flag and suggests she might have done it before. Her lack of good buyer reviews on depop also hints that she might have scammed others the same way as well.
I would appreciate any kind of input/suggestions as to how I can appeal Paypals decision?
Thanks in advance.
