How to Do a Chargeback Over PayPal

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

If you've recently made a purchase through PayPal but have not received the item, received the wrong item, or received a damaged item, you can do a chargeback to recover the funds. If your credit card was stolen and used to make purchases on PayPal, a chargeback is the appropriate course of action to take. Learn how to do a chargeback over PayPal to remove the charge from your account and get your money back.

Steps

1
File a chargeback request with your credit card company. If you are not sure how to do this, call your credit card company and ask to speak to someone who can help walk you through the process. The exact process will vary based on the credit card issuer.
2
Wait for the credit card company to notify PayPal of the chargeback request. Once PayPal has been contacted, the credit card company will get the money back from PayPal and give it to you. PayPal will then go to the seller and place a hold on the money from the sale in question and request more information.
3
Provide the necessary information to support your chargeback claim. PayPal will allow the seller to supply information to dispute the claim, to help prevent fraud. PayPal will send this information to the credit card company and make an attempt to recover the funds from the credit card company. If the seller provides enough proof to convince the credit card issuer to reverse the funds back to PayPal, you will lose the dispute.
4
Wait for the credit card company to get back to you with their answer regarding the PayPal chargeback. If the company believes PayPal did not provide sufficient information from the seller to validate the sale, then the chargeback will not be reversed and you will be able to keep the funds.

Community Q&A

Question

What can I do if I just got scammed and the seller declines the request?

Community Answer

Escalate it with Paypal and you should get your money back. While explaining the situation, be sure to send proof.
Question

Is there a time limit to request a charge back?

Community Answer

Generally, the limit is 120 days from the time of purchase. This timeline can be extended under certain circumstances -- read the terms and conditions.
Question

What can I do if there are multiple payments that I didn't make?

Community Answer

Submit claims for them and you'll get your money back. You just have to file an individual claim for each payment.
Question

Do I do the same with a gift card?

Community Answer

Yes. If you have a Visa gift card and you paid with that, it should be the exact same.
Question

How do I reverse a chargeback on Paypal Credit?

Community Answer

You cannot do this, but if you sent an item to a person and they paid via PayPal, you can refund this. You can contact the seller and discuss the purchase, but the seller receives -$20 to their PayPal when you request a chargeback and win.
Question

Does charge back work with everyone?

Community Answer

You can file a chargeback request if you are the buyer and you didn't receive the item, or received the wrong, or got a damaged item.