Consumer complaint received 2016-06-19
Product: Money transfers — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc (TN)

On XXXX/XXXX/16, I sold XXXX wristbands on eBay for the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/2016. In my eBay post to sell the wristbands, I said, " This is for XXXX unregistered wristbands and a free day parking pass. '' Following the end of the auction, I shipped both wristbands faster than I promised ( two days instead of seven ) to the buyer via XXXX. I messaged the buyer first via eBay and then her personal email to watch for the package to arrive so she could sign for it. She indicated she was at the XXXX XXXX and would n't be home for another week. The buyer requested XXXX redirect the wristbands to another XXXX office, presumably closer to her. The wristbands sat at that office for nine days without the buyer picking them up. Five days before the start of the festival, XXXX delivered the wristbands back to the original XXXX office. On XXXX/XXXX/16 - two days before the start of the festival - I spoke with eBay customer service, inquiring if and when I would be paid. PayPal was holding the money the buyer paid, and the buyer was n't picking up the wristbands. On XXXX/XXXX/16, the buyer 's funds were released to my PayPal account. One day prior to the opening of the festival, on XXXX/XXXX/16, the buyer picked up the wristbands at the original XXXX office. On XXXX/XXXX/16, the opening day of the festival, I happened to check my email around XXXX. The buyer had emailed me at XXXX. saying she could not get into the festival : " I 'm at bonnaroo and they say the bands do n't work, like they 've been reported stolen. Can you send proof of purchase? We drove from Nebraska and are at the gate excited to get in. '' I had not reported the wristbands as lost or stolen. My guess is the buyer had not registered the wristbands, which is required by the festival for entry. Just 30 minutes after sending her first email, I received an email from PayPal saying the dispute had been escalated to a claim because the items were " not as described. '' I was unaware there was even a dispute. As requested by the buyer, I forwarded my receipt of original purchase, asked if she had registered the wristbands, and included XXXX 's instructions for doing so. Per their request in the claim, I immediately uploaded everything I had to PayPal regarding this transaction. On XXXX/XXXX/16, I called PayPal and asked about the status of the case, as the festival had ended the previous day. I was told I would be contacted if PayPal needed additional information. On the morning of XXXX/XXXX/16, I awoke to discover via email that the case had been decided in favor of the buyer, the case was closed, and {$740.00} had been debited from my PayPal account. PayPal did not tell me why they had ruled in the buyer 's favor. They did not provide me with proof that the items I shipped were " not as described '' as claimed. They also did not provide me with proof that the buyer was unable to eventually enter the festival with the wristbands I provided. I contacted PayPal via phone on XXXX/XXXX/16 and spoke with a dispute supervisor. He reviewed the case and said PayPal could not overturn their decision. He did not tell me why. I called eBay on XXXX/XXXX/16 and spoke with someone who identified himself as a supervisor. He said since the buyer had filed the claim through PayPal, there was nothing eBay could do to refund my money. Now, I have neither the wristbands nor the money. It 's a perfect scam : The buyer went to a four-day music festival for free. PayPal and eBay have absolutely no protection for sellers, despite their claims otherwise.