Not sure what to do?

[cherrqell]

A buyer won an auction for a $70.00 item. Payed thru paypal. Paypal send email informing me that a dispute has been opened......

<<<<Resolution Center – Case Reversal Details
This payment has been selected for review and we have opened an investigation.

We suspect that this transaction may not have been authorized by the PayPal account holder.

We have placed a temporary hold on the funds until the investigation is complete.

Please provide some additional information about this transaction.

Response deadline: Jan 20, 2011>>>>

I emailed the buyer to see if they still want to complete the transaction, no response yet. What should I do? Close the case, and initiate a refund, or wait till paypal completes the investigation. I do not like being in the crosshairs, and having this attention brought down upon me. Im not doing anything illegal, or scamming, but who knows what they will do. Im worried that if I cancel the transaction, the buyer may leave a neg feedback or report me to ebay.

Any suggestions?

How long ago did you contact the buyer after the dispute was filed? If i were you i'd go with my first instinct, and since you don't like having all of this attention towards your paypal account i'd go ahead, and refund the buyer telling him that there was a problem with the paypal account, and that you have to refund his/her money so their money will no longer be on hold.

This is what I would do, as far as being worried about the negative feedback you can always have it removed if its unfair, right?

[pod]

Thats PayPal saying they dont trust the buyer. So dont ship anything until they clear it. Him not replying likely means its a hacked account. You should refund the payment if thats an option and relist

[cherrqell]

Originally Posted by Ninja

How long ago did you contact the buyer after the dispute was filed?

About an hour after I noticed the paypal alert.

Still no news on the investigation.

I think i will just cancel, and refund the paypal account holder. What if it is a hacked account. Wont the refund go to an invalid account?

[pod]

Originally Posted by cherrqell

Wont the refund go to an invalid account?

No. That account wont be able to do squat now until they contact PayPal. PayPal sent the owner a note saying they are limited for security. But usually the kind of idiot that gave away their password is the same idiot that will have no idea whats going on for weeks or months. The money will just sit in a locked account

Just refund. If the buyer is real and finally gets back to you just say you were told by PP it was fraud. They can be mad at PP, not you...