Paypal won't reply, worried!

[antiqueseller89]

I recently sold a Nokia phone to a guy who lives in a different country.

Everything went smoothly but after just 6 business days he suddenly files a claim that the "item never arrived".

I contacted Paypal explaining the situation, emphasizing the fact that the item had been in transit for only 6 days which is nothing in international shipping times. The item "never having arrived" is a strong accusation for something that's been in transit for less than a week. I'm not responsible for delays and problems of the postal service. What's more, I chose the cheapest shipping method possible, since the buyer haggled the price down quite a bit and wanted free shipping to boot. This is why I don't have a tracking number for the shipment - it was 10 dollars extra, but could've saved my hide which I didn't realize at the time.

So, it's been a few days since and Paypal hasn't replied. What's worse, I'm getting automated emails from Paypal that are pushing me to resolve the situation. Believe me, I'd like to, but at this point I can't do anything but wait for my customer to get his phone and have the heart to call off the claim.

On the resolution page there's supposed to be a form where I can submit photographic evidence to Paypal, but at least for me, the button isn't there.

I'd like to show Paypal the post office receipt and screenshots of our emails. The receipt shows information about the shipping, such as the exact time it was sent, weight class etc. This matches everything discussed in the emails, the weight of the phone etc. so at least I got something to show for.

But why is it taking so long for Paypal to get back to me? This issue is critical in the way that in 7 days Paypal will automatically return the money to the buyer. This might lead to a point where his money is returned to him next saturday and the product arrives the following monday. At one point I even entertained the idea that my buyer might have been planning to do this since the beginning. It's just weird how he barely contacts me at all and then out of the blue starts claiming that his product never arrived.

Anyway, I'm not looking to debate the situation with you guys, I simply want to know two things:

1. Why is Paypal not answering my messages?

2. Why isn't there a "submit photographic evidence" button on the resolve claim page?

I understand that Paypal is biased towards buyers, but if the guy gets away with both his phone + the money just by claiming things, I will be sore.

[Whac-A-Mole]

most cases are tackled by robots,then if one party appeals,a human being will look into it.

item not received- seller must upload online viewable tracking showing it has been delivered to the buyer address,else she will lose the dispute.

cell phones are good to scam,so no tracking means no seller protection.

robots do not watch videos or read love stories,only hard cold fact-tracking number which it can verifiy with the carrier.

if this is Ebay,it should have an estimated date of delivery and buyer cannot open a dispute before that date,but Paypal has no such rule.

but it does notmatter,as no tracking means no seller protection.

[antiqueseller89]

This wasn't an eBay sale, but a private one. Not even sure why I accept Paypal with private sales anymore, this wouldn't have happened with a bank transfer because banks can't take my money back from me. I get the feeling that buyers totally want to use Paypal for buying, but sellers don't.

My buyer just decided after 6 days that the item didn't arrive and Paypal robots handle the rest. Paypal staff should at least look in to the situation and realize that a non receipt claim after 6 days is shifty.

"robots do not watch videos or read love stories,only hard cold fact-tracking number which it can verifiy with the carrier."

What's always bothered me with Paypal is the fact that they deal with important things such as money, but most problems are handled by robots and automated emails. I'm not sure I want to trust Paypal with anything serious after this. I get the feeling that with Paypal, there's always some loophole that can take away my rightfully earned money and no one will help.

Payment holds and freezes are one thing, they're temporary, but I never knew a buyer can just take back his money and run.

I should've paid extra for tracking, but this was my first time in a situation like this, and things are usually learned from the first mistake.

Still, it showed me that I might want to reconsider my decision to leave my money and business in the hands of biased robots.

[DPCreations]

It IS the seller's responsibility to sellect a reliable and expedient shipping method.  Seller takes responsibility for shipping and it is the seller, not the buyer, who selects the appropriate shipping method.  Online tracking is a requirement for seller protection.

Since you have no online tracking there is very little chance of prevailing in this case.

Buyers of cell phones are quite knowledgeable but PayPal protection and they use their knowledge to their advantage.

[antiqueseller89]

It was an honest mistake. If I could go back in time, I'd pay extra for the tracking.
Still, I have no doubt in my mind that the shipment will reach the buyer.
Now that I think about it, it's funny that the buyer barely speaks English but he seems very knowledgeable with Paypal-related things. He filed the claim swiftly and in an experienced manner, whereas I didn't even know such an option existed.

[Whac-A-Mole]

depends one how seller ship the item,package can arrive in 6 days or less.

But it does not matter in your case,you have no tracking so you will lose no matter how long it takes.

Paypal is so bogged down with issues-emails,calls,documents upload etc and they dont have the manpower to read every piece of email.

if you want to do some serious selling,look into getting a merchant account. or like you said,insists  on non credit card payment