How do I open a dispute with a seller?

Contacting the seller is often the best way to solve a problem. You can find their contact details by going to your Activity and selecting the payment. They may be able to issue a refund or help with a return.

Make sure you file your dispute within the correct dispute-filing timeframe.

Here's how to open a dispute from the web:

1. Go to the Resolution Center and click Report a Problem.
2. Select the payment and click Continue.
3. Select the reason for your dispute, such as:
   • Unauthorized activity in your PayPal account (a payment you don't recognize or are confident you didn't authorize).
   • Issues with your purchase (a purchase doesn’t arrive or match the seller’s description).
   • Issues with the Seller (a seller is not co-operating and doesn’t respond to your messages, or you're simply unable to reach an agreement).
   • Billing errors or Issues with subscriptions (you've been charged more than once).
4. Select the option that best describes your issue and click Continue.

To open a dispute on the app:

1. Go to Recent activity and tap on the transaction you want to report.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap on Report a Problem.
3. Select the type of issue you have, including any relevant details, and tap Submit.

In a dispute, you can exchange messages with the other party in your Resolution Center to try to solve the problem.

If you’re unable to settle the dispute, you can escalate it to a claim. To escalate a dispute, we often require that at least 7 days have passed since the payment date.

By escalating a dispute to a claim, you’re asking PayPal to investigate and decide the outcome. A dispute will automatically close after 20 days unless it’s been escalated. Closed disputes cannot be reopened or escalated to a claim.