Scammed, and PayPal ruled in the seller's favor?

[iparthur]

Wondering what my options are here.

I ordered some clothes from a Chinese vendor with ads on Facebook. Now I know that was a huge mistake. I ordered four items, and they only sent two items. One item was size XL when I ordered M. Another shirt, was a shirt I didn't even order. I have not received the other two items. PayPal said the seller provided proof of delivery and that they ruled in the seller's favor. 

The seller has a "return" policy and but they said the shipping back would be too expensive and suggested I donate the items (around $100 total) to charity instead. I am actually shocked, because all this time I was thinking that PayPal was safe. If vendors can do something as wild as this and get away with it, this is clearly not the case. At all.

Do I have any other options? Would it be feasible to ask my credit card issuer for help instead and stop using PayPal in the future?

-Ian

[kernowlass]

@iparthur 

How do I open a dispute with a seller when a purchase goes wrong?

You can open a dispute in the Resolution Centre of your PayPal account within 180 days of payment if:
•You don’t receive the item OR service
•You receive an item but it’s significantly different than the description on eBay or on the seller’s website (or you receive a totally different product).

By opening a dispute, you can communicate directly with your seller to work out a problem transaction.

If you reach an agreement with the seller you can close the dispute. If you're still not happy with the result, you can escalate the dispute into a claim. Paypal will review the claim and decide on reimbursement.

These steps apply to Personal accounts. If you have a Business account, please log in to see the steps that apply to you.

To open a dispute:
1.Log in to your PayPal account.
2. Click on the transaction and use the resolve a problem option at the bottom of that details page.

Note:
•Generally buyers must wait at least 7 days from the date of payment to escalate a dispute for an item not received
•Where an item has not been received, please ensure you have given the seller enough time before opening a dispute

Do not close the dispute until you have a refund or your item.
If a seller states that they can't refund until you have closed the dispute don't believe them.
Escalate the dispute to a claim within 20 days (before it times out), if you need Paypal to get involved.

If you lose because the seller provides a fake tracking number then post back here for more advice.
If the item arrives and its not what you ordered / not as described then make sure you change the dispute quickly from non receipt. If the dispute times out before you can change it then contact customer services to open a second dispute for the new reason.

Activate the below link in case you have to return the item at Paypals request (or the correct one for your country as this is the U.S link).
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/returns

If that does not work then if you funded your paypal payment via a card then contact your card issuer and see if they will issue a chargeback.