Mercari SCAM

[Laura-64]

I bought a hat through Mercari.  Everything looked legit.  The item was described as a woman's accessory (i.e., to wear with an ensemble).  However, when I received the item, it won't even fit a child's head!  I reached out to Mercari with photos.  They tell me this is no reason for them to refund me or allow me to return the item.  They say I MUST contact the seller.  However, I cannot contact the seller.  There are "buttons" where the buyer can supposedly contact the seller, but when clicking on that button(s), I am led back to signing in.  Their site just keeps taking me in circles.  I have been emailing them and getting only the same advice.  When I call them, a robo voice tells you to call back later as they are currently experiencing high volume callers at the moment.  That's it.  You can't leave a voicemail either.  I think I've just been scammed!

[kernowlass]

@Laura-64

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
•You receive an item but it’s significantly different than the description on eBay or on the seller’s website

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. We'll 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.Near the bottom of the page, under 'More about your account', click Resolve a problem in our Resolution Centre.
3.Click Dispute a Transaction.
4.Select the button beside the transaction you want to dispute, then click Continue.
5.Select ‘Item dispute’, click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.

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

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/first-dispute

DO NOT CLOSE THE DISPUTE UNTIL YOU HAVE A CLEARED REFUND OR YOUR ITEM WHATEVER THE SELLER SAYS. ALSO DON'T FORGET TO ESCALATE THE DISPUTE TO A CLAIM WITHIN 20 DAYS IF THE SELLER DOES NOT REFUND.

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 do a chargeback for you.

[RNDolly]

Mercari lulls you into a false sense of security with their guarantee. They randomly do not honor it. I received items broken to pieces and they continued to request more pictures when I had sent 17 pictures!!! Yes, not a typo. 17 They continued to request additional pictures of pieces not broken when they were all broken-The. Wanted the picture if those items. They were being ridiculous and thought I’d return to trash and risk injury to give them more unnecessary pictures! Even seller tried to refund me-I told her “no”! You know Mercari will turn into UPS For refund. I’m calling UPS to inform them of the scam. They’ll get theirs eventually. Maybe they scanned me. But karma will catch up to them!

[OHGirl]

Wish I had searched these forums about Mercari.
Similar issue as others - new item was really not - DVDs all scratched, fingerprinted.

The Mercari site was a mess, requiring this and that, not working.
Filed for a refund for PayPal. Mercari will grant refund if sent to address: Mercari. Now, how is that possible?
What a scam. 
My second and last purchase on that web site.
I get I have been **bleep**, but, hopefully, others will read the forums. Next time I know to come here and search each and every merchant.