Problem with paying a seller

[09masterplan]

I won an auction on 28th July for a silver bar, I paid immediately using the card linked to my PayPal account (as usual) the payment showed as pending for the next 2 days which is when I got a message from the seller asking me to pay again on another PayPal account, I went onto PayPal and cancelled my original payment, the refund will not be in my account for 4-5 days, the seller has already allegedly posted the item though he hasn't provided any proof ie a tracking number, he has once again contacted me demanding payment, I am not happy about paying again until I have the silver in my hands and to be honest I'm in the mood to just return it if and when it arrives.

I do understand that he has seen no payment but should I have to pay out again before I get the refund and before I see the silver? I have bought a lot on eBay with no problems and all because this new seller hasn't set up a PayPal 

account correctly I'm getting all this hassle, your advice will be very much appreciated.

Pete

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

Be VERY careful here. Asking buyers to repay into another account can indicate a common scam.

Firstly, make 100% certain that your original payment has been returned. If so, heave a sigh of relief!

I would advise very strongly against repaying this seller, or certainly not until you receive your silver bar and verify that it's genuine. But I doubt you will ever see it!

By asking you to repay him you will break the link between the eBay purchase and the original Paypal payment, which will almost certainly render ebay's money back guarantee invalid. If the seller asks you to send payment as a  PayPal "friends and family" payment you are in effect sending him a gift, which will also invalidate paypal's own buyer protection program. This has become a common trick for derfauding buyers.

[papso22]

The seller has made a number of mistakes, which would include sending the bar before paypal told him to, if that is what he did.  

While you should really pay for it (the seller can send you an invoice through paypal, or you can pay him for ebay goods through paypal), in the circumstances, I think you are justified in waiting for the bar to arrive.

If he has posted it, then he can wait a few days longer for payment, until it arrives, but if you want to send it back, you will have to pay for that yourself as you won't be covered by any buyer protection.