PayPal - Failure to protect consumer
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November 2nd, 2025, I purchased two items from AliExpress totaling $463.54. Payment made through PayPal account. Order number 820559****078467.
Merchant Order ID: 202511****031300****994********.
Transaction ID: 3BK785825****231R.
On November 17th, 2025, I received two damaged boxes and initiated a dispute and requested a return of the merchandise for a refund through AliExpress.
On November 18th, 2025, I received a notification from AliExpress that my return was approved and a return label was sent to me.
On November 19th, 2025, USPS received the return package, which contained the two damaged boxes totaling $463.54.
USPS tracking number:
920229****361800****37.
On November 22nd, 2025, the returned merchandise reached its destination confirmed with USPS, AliExpress, and through PayPal package tracking.
On November 29th, 2025, AliExpress did not return my money or credit my account through my payment method, which was PayPal. I contacted AliExpress, and they changed the date to December 6th, 2025, for no reason.
On November 29th, 2025, I filed a dispute with PayPal for the $463.54.
On November 30th, 2025, I filed complaints against AliExpress with the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Between November 29th, 2025, and December 10th, 2025, I contacted AliExpress multiple times, trying to get my refund for the items they had received, and was ultimately told to defer to my financial institution, which was PayPal, because I started a dispute with them which created what AliExpress called a chargeback and they would not proceed with a refund at that point until I stopped the dispute with PayPal.
On December 2nd, 2025, PayPal contacted me via email stating that they had spoken to the merchant AliExpress (AUS Merchant Services, Inc.) and that the merchant had agreed to give me a refund if I would return the merchandise, which AliExpress, USPS, and PayPal package tracking had already shown as received on November 22nd, 2025. So PayPal was not even looking at the documents I had sent to them.
On December 9th, 2025, PayPal denied my dispute stating that I did not provide the tracking information, which was false.
On December 20th, 2025, I appealed the December 9th, 2025, decision by PayPal, providing all the necessary documentation to include tracking information showing that it arrived at its destination on November 22nd, 2025. This information and documentation were provided in my November 29th, 2025, initial opening of the dispute with PayPal.
On December 30th, 2025, PayPal again denied my dispute against AliExpress stating now that I did not prove I was due a credit. I did not know what that really meant since I paid through PayPal; they would be able to see the debit to my account in the amount of $463.54 to the merchant AUS Merchant Services, Inc. (AliExpress), and PayPal would have seen that the returned merchandise had been received on November 22nd, 2025, and that no credit had been received back to my PayPal account. All documentation of this was provided.
On January 26th, 2026, I again contacted PayPal explaining that I was unaware that my credit card company was still conducting an investigation into my dispute for the $463.54. I was under the impression that it had been resolved. So I opened up a new complaint against AliExpress through PayPal in the same amount of money that was never credited back to me for my returned merchandise, $463.54.
On January 29th, 2026, PayPal returned another denial stating that I did not provide the tracking information that was requested, which is absurd. I had given the tracking number to the PayPal representative that I had spoken with on January 26th, 2026, verbally and I uploaded it into documents on PayPal's website for the fourth time at least.
On January 29th, 2026, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau against PayPal.
On January 30th, 2026, a supervisor for PayPal finally told me that in the December 2nd, 2025, email I received from PayPal there was an address where AliExpress told PayPal I was supposed to send the merchandise back (keep in mind the merchandise was sent and received on November 22nd, 2025, with the shipping label AliExpress provided me). The address where the PayPal email was telling me to send the merchandise back was ONE LINE OF CHINESE CHARACTERS! I asked the PayPal supervisor how the heck was I supposed to send the merchandise back to that address and how do I do that when they already have it? Plus, AliExpress provided me the label where I sent the damaged merchandise; I didn't purchase a label or make one up! She said that per the PayPal user agreement I was not protected because I did not keep the merchandise and figure out how to send it to the Chinese characters. I explained that I started the dispute process when it was obvious that AliExpress received the damaged merchandise and was not going to refund me. She said she would reopen the case stating that the seller agreed to give me a refund and had not. I said that's exactly what happened so please reopen it.
On February 3rd, 2026, I again contacted PayPal and found out the supervisor I spoke with on January 30th, 2026, didn't do anything with my case and the representative I spoke to said that he would reopen it. I provided email communications to PayPal between AliExpress and myself that show AliExpress knows I'm due a refund and once again sent them the receipt for the return, which AliExpress acknowledges through chat communications they received. PayPal can see this on their own accounts page because PayPal has package tracking. Also, PayPal can also see that AliExpress has not refunded my money.
On February 5th, 2026, PayPal denied my dispute again stating that I did not provide them the requested tracking information, which is a blatant lie and they are violating their user agreement with me.
PayPal has handled this dispute with such gross negligence that I am now seeking compensation for my time and enduring a very upsetting and very unnecessary process that PayPal mismanaged from the very start of my dispute on November 29th, 2025. I will be filing a lawsuit.
User's recommendation: Do not believe that because you’re using PayPal you’re in any way protected from a seller who’s not reputable or ethical.
Monetary Loss: $463.
Preferred solution: Full refund.
PayPal Cons: No consumer protection they decide for the seller.
Location: Vancouver, Washington
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Comments
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You created your own headache You initiated two causes of action, a dispute with your bank simply due to damages, not Ali denying anything and a return to Ali, simultaneously. To Ali, it appeared you were double-dipping by disputing the charge with your bank AND asking for a refund based on sending the merchandise back. Do better.
Wrong, the credit card dispute was opened after attempts to get help from Aliexpress and PayPal failed. It’s not possible to “double dip” and receive two refunds for the same Transaction because of the specific transaction code that Alipay initiates when charging your credit card or in my case PayPal.
There is currently no dispute open other than my credit card company. Most people would return merchandise “simply because it was damaged” I don’t know who would minimize this issue by saying it was simply damaged.
Maybe know how this process works before giving a negative and in no way helpful comment. Do better yourself.
Aside from rewriting your initial post to a timeline format, you again state you filed a dispute AND requested a return (November 17). I understand one order #/transaction.
If you did both a dispute AND return request SIMULTANEOUSLY as you state, that's double-dipping. I did not say it was intentional. I said it created your problem. If you did not do both on November 17, correct and move on.
But don't fault others for being limited by your description of the situation.
So again, do better. (PS, Ali and PayPal scream trailer park)
It’s crazy that you find time to troll a customer complaint site what a full life you must have Guest-281****. You clearly don’t read information for facts just your personal biases against people’s ability to afford products and assume I reside in a trailer park.
I also find it odd that you associate PayPal with a trailer park. Well, sitting in your dark mansion at your keyboard looking down on the common people you again must have a full life trolling consumer complaint sites. Your “double dipping” assertion is not a valid argument…period end of story. If I don’t have the merchandise and don’t have the refund I’m obviously not getting something twice (i.e.
double anything). I expect a company to do what they say they are going to do for their customers. In the case of PayPal they protect and advocate for their consumers and they are not. PayPal is asking for information that they already have and denying a valid claim.
It’s been months and I do not have a refund but apparently that wouldn’t be a problem for you being a person with no need to use such low level customer service platforms. It’s truly sad that you come after people that have lost money due to companies lack of ethical business practices. I wonder what someone would get out of responding in such away or maybe you work for the businesses I’ve had issues with Guest- 281****? Either way you are wrong, and even if you enjoy creating your own assumptions and terminology for consumers of Aliexpress and PayPal you clearly need to do better as a human being.
Just to be clear, because reading for content is obviously not being employed here, I did not initially have a dispute against Aliexpress and PayPal. When Aliexpress would not refund my money after the receipt of the return and through my communications it was obvious that was not going to happen that’s when I requested help from PayPal. Read the thousands of complaints against both companies lining out the same experiences you might enjoy trolling their experiences too. I won’t assume you could possibly do better so I will not end with that.
To a person that puts negativity, biases against people with limited means and a lack of understanding out into the world don’t feel like you need to comment on anything period! Guest-281**** find a hobby, volunteer, exercise it might help your disposition.