Refund

[rihen51]

How long does eBay take after the seller has accepted a dispute and allowed a refund to be returned?  Pay-Pal contacted seller by e-mail and was informed that the refund would be returned by the 12th.  Today is the 25th.  Pay-Pal has contacted eBay and informed dispute has been dropped and the seller promised to refund the money.  Am I just screwed, or what I really want to know is where are the funds.  I know for a fact the seller never received these funds, he has provided me a copy of the item transaction page and it clearly states, refund back to buyer?  Pay-Pal took funds from the payment for handling and the balance is pending dispute outcome per eBay.  All I have been able to figure out is no one can say where the funds have gone.  Paid, money taken from bank, went thru Pay-Pal to eBay/Seller.  Seller never saw the funds?  What I have discovered is a **bleep** in the system and nobody wants to address the issue.  Buyer's Beware, do not buy the hype, you are protected.  Clearly you can encounter a situation that allows your funds to be lost with no return.  And please, yes I full well know I screwed up by believing the buyer and dropping the dispute.  Now Pay-Pal will no longer help.  And eBay will not talk to me because I involved Pay-Pal.  I am a buyer, I won, I paid in full @ same time.  Have not received the item, eBay changed the delivery date twice, yet it has already went past that date by days now!  I am out the funds and never received what in good faith I purchased.  And we are talking $400.00 USD.