Scammed by seller with fake tracking number—dispute through PayPal or credit card?

[PedsDocJ]

I have fallen victim to the fake website/fake tracking number scam that I’ve read a lot about on this forum. The tracking number came from China and the item was delivered in Maryland, but I live in California. I’ve seen many posts here from people submitting claims for not receiving the item and Paypal has closed the claim because the tracking number shows the item was delivered, even if it was in the wrong city. What’s the best way to handle this situation? Is it true that Items Not Received claims are automated and that it will be denied because the tracking number shows it was delivered somewhere? It seems PayPal is siding with the sellers more often, so is there any reason to try going through PayPal rather than dispute the charge with my credit card? Will going through my CC jeopardize my ability to file a Paypal claim if my CC denies the claim, or will Paypal suspend my account for not going through their dispute process? Thank you! My credit card requires claims to be filed within 60 days and it’s already been 3 weeks so I don’t want to get tied up in a lengthy PayPal dispute and miss the opportunity to go through my credit card.

[kernowlass]

@PedsDocJ 

To submit an appeal on the dispute that was closed, PayPal asks that you obtain a detailed report from the shipper/courier (on their letterhead or some other form of official stationary) that includes the address the seller gave them for the shipment. Or one that includes a statement mentioning your address and saying the item was delivered to a different address.
Check tracking in below link to see where it went.
https://www.17track.net/en

When you have that, contact PayPal via phone (log on to your account and click Contact at the bottom of the page, however that may not be an option at the moment due to covid), or via Facebook (send a Private Message to PayPal) or via Twitter (send a Direct Message to @AskPayPal) and say you want to appeal the denial of the dispute based on the shipper saying the item was delivered to a different address. Once it's submitted (you will be provided with directions on how to do that), the dispute will be reviewed further and a determination will be made.

You also have the option to contact your card issuer if you funded your paypal payment that way and see if they will do a chargeback for you.

[PedsDocJ]

Thanks @kernowlass.  I was able to resolve the issue by communicating with PayPal support through their Facebook page.  It took about 3 days just to be assigned to a customer service agent via FB, but it was resolved fairly quickly once I got a CS rep assigned to the case.  FB and Twitter seem to be the best way to get ahold of PayPal, as I called about a dozen times and never got ahold of anyone by phone.